Traum von Asterhive

The Body

The Body isn't the start of the fall of the mall, but you remember him anyway.

It was a withered-looking corpse, clearly old and clearly dead. He had a peculiar color, something like burgundy or fandango, but perhaps that was the usual color. You've never seen a corpse before, so you're no expert on the matter.

The Body was in the middle of the taxi's backseat. Your brothers grimaced at the sight, at the smell, but you were all in a hurry to get to the airport. What for, you cannot remember, only that the airport was your intended destination. So you three shuffled into the backseat, no one in the front for that would be scandalous, and you apologized to the Body when you stepped on its left pinky toe. You sat on one side of the backseat. Your brothers crammed together on the other. The Body was still between you and your brothers as the taxi began to move.

"What is that?" Brother the First asked the taxi driver.

"Could we move it to the trunk?" asked Brother the Second, pinching his nose.

The driver muttered something in a long-dead tongue in reply.

"Fine," Brother the Second acquiesced, then went to bother Brother the First.

You didn't mind the Body yourself. It was here first, he had the right to sit where it pleased him. If anything, you and your brothers should be the ones stuffed in the trunk.

You spent your time idly tracing patterns on the window and talking to the shadow on your shoulder. The shadow was sweet. He shifted into a kitten so you'd have something to pet.

When you passed through a tunnel and the lack of light made your shadow friend weak and faint, you dutifully went to grab your flashlight. It was, unfortunately, in the front seat because it would be scandalous to not place one's belongings there to test the driver's integrity. You had a bit of difficulty reaching it, but the Body grabbed you by the shoulder to keep you steady as you rummaged through your messenger bag.

"Thank you very much," you said.

The Body might have smiled wider, but all the skin of his mouth had already rotted off so it was difficult to tell, if he did.

You smiled back to be polite, then sat back down and beamed the flashlight at the shadow. He bowed in thanks, still a kitten, then curled around your finger. Sweet little thing.

The ride soon ended. You shuffled out of the taxi as your brothers paid the taxi driver in pig livers with a single cow liver as a tip, Brother the Second grumbling about why Brother the First insisted on giving a tip when you all had to cram in the backseat with the Body. You waved to the Body. He waved back, very dead but still remarkably friendly.

You were checking your messenger bag for all your belongings when you saw it.

It was a raccoon, bushy-tailed and red-eyed, and that is how the fall began.