Daughter of a Corpse Handler

CHAPTER 1

It was midnight. The rain was pouring hard on a thatched roof. Loud thunderstorms roared followed by a flash of lightning.

Kyna stood up from her flat wooden bed and reached the jacket on the wall. It was old and tattered. The red color is fading, and the stitches were hanging loose. She took the white folded cloth on the table and veiled her pale face.

She counted her fingers while watching the lit candle on the table. Its yellow flame keeps dancing with the gust of wind sweeping through the holes of the window.

" Eight, nine, ten," she said. She stared at the door made out of rough wood.

"Kyna!" a gruff voice called outside.

Light appeared in her eyes as she gestured towards the door and opened it.

A man was standing there. He was wearing a conical hat. He was holding a black umbrella with a wooden handle. His broad shoulder is soaked with rain. On his right hand was an oil lamp.

"Father! I knew it! Who died?"

"Shh! Come with me," he said in a low voice. He handed to her the umbrella then he walked in the rain.

Kyna did not say a word and followed him.

"We found a corpse on the river bank," he said. "It was a man probably in his early 20s. I suspect he's a royal guard from his belongings."

"And his wounds? What caused his death?" She ran to catch onto her father's pace.

Her old man stopped and faced her. He raised the lamp on his eye level.

"The head was missing like the man you found last night."

Kyna removed the veil from her face.

"No. I...I can't go there." She shook her head and drew a single step backward. Her small eyes grew big as she looked at him.

"Listen. I know this is hard for you, but I need you to confirm my suspicions. They paid me two sacks of barley and a yard of dried tiger skin."

"Who?"

"The police authorities. They are waiting for the result of the autopsy."

"But father...what if they found out I'm a woman? No. That's too dangerous."

The man grasped her hand and looked at her straight in the eyes.

"I need to solve this one. I owed money from one of the officers. Remember, you're running out of medicine," he said.

She bit her lips. "Then tell me, is the body missing any finger?"

"No. Everything was intact, only that I  found a tooth tightly grasped on his left hand. Can you guessed why is that?"

"I'm not sure, but does he have a foul smell like rotten eggs?"

"No. There's no stain of blood on his clothing. He's clean."

"Alright. I'll go and check, but you need to clear the room. No one must be allowed to enter except me and you. I need salt and ginger water. Ah, don't forget the vinegar."

Her father handed to her the oil lamp.

"Wait for me here," he said. He ran in the rain and vanished in the darkness.