Suki's Death

Suki's Story
Part 4 "Suki's Death"



With a cry Kanji pierced Suki's heart.

Suki smiled wide and closed her eyes as her heart poured out.

She gazed upon the miserable lives,
As the world drifted from her.
And her heart split in two,
She died.

They dragged her body through the ganj fields
And through the woods
All the while her corpse smiled.
All the blood spilling out of her as she was dragged
She grew quite pale quiet quick.

When they reached the stream deep in the woods
They tossed her in.
She floated with the lilacs
That boated their way downstream
Kanji and Shinu spit
"Good riddance."

The blood was broomed away and the trail washed.
And no one at the brothel spoke about the murdered Suki
Who had antlers coming out of her head.

But Suki's story didn't end there.

Her body washed down the river
Till it was sucked into a pond.
There she floated, the smile long washed away.

"Look at this." said a bird.

It landed at the edge of the pond.
It cast a sad blue eye and the dead girl.

"Girl," said the bird. "Please speak to me
If your soul still clings to your weakened flesh
Speak out loud to me
And tell me
Tell me what chains you to this world?"

And Suki's mouth opened.
She spoke through the water

"I was killed for my beauty." spoke her soul.

The bird lowered it's head, it's white feathers shone.

"A terrible reason to have one's life taken.
Do you hate the people who did this to you?" asked the Bird

"No." said Suki's soul

"Why not?"

"Because I weep for them.
My whole miserable life,
They envied me.
Though my life was pain,
Theirs was worse.
In death, I weep for their pain,
And wish to release them from it."

The bird stared at Suki.

"Do you know, who I am Suki?"

"You are Death,
And have come to guide my soul
To Paradise."

The bird stared

"And what if I was not Death,
Poor Suki,
What would you think of that?"

"Then I would wonder why
Such a spirit as a talking bird
Would be there as I leave this physical world."

The bird sighed.

"My name is Ariel
And I'm only a guide.
I can guide your soul
To Paradise
If you have given up
But if you wish to liberate the world
To set free those who are chained
By the evils of this world
Then I can lead you on a path
Where you will never die.
I can make you a Hero."

Suki's soul pondered for a moment

"You...you had something to do with my antlers,
Right?
Did you give me these sorrowful horns?"

The bird smiled

"What do you say?" Ariel asked.

"Of course. I will do anything to free those who torment."

The birds blue eyes grew wide
"Then wake up, you're drowning."

***

Suki opened her eyes and choked

She struggled in the water
Kicked
And screamed
Her fingers felt earth
And she lifted her self upwards
Onto the edge of the pond

She caught her breath
And sat for a while returning to her senses

Had the bird been a dream
A terrified dream brought on by the execution.
She examined her chest
A deep wound between her breasts
She had indeed been stabbed
But perhaps she had survived

She remembered the bird's blue eyes

Is it so strange
That it wasn't a dream
That she was indeed visited by some sort of spirit
Named Ariel?

At length she looked at herself in the pond's edge

she had grown ghostly pale
And her eyes had lost color.

Her antlers, however, had grown.

She slipped her hand on her chest

But felt no heart beat

Then it was true,

She was a ghost.

But why?

And what now?

That bird had run off entirely too quickly

She hadn't even shared the answers she promised!

It was then that the Koi Fish swam up to her.

"Are you allright?" they asked

"I must not be, seeing as how I'm talking to a fish."

The koi exchanged glances

"If you can understand us," began the koi
"Then you must have transcended the plane of human understanding
We saw your soul refusing to leave your body
Tell us tell us!
Now that you are neither living nor truly dead,
What will you do now?"

"I have to save the miserable from themselves." she whispered

"How will you do that?" they asked.

Suki then saw that a herd of deer had gathered around her.

"Damarthos!" Called the Koi upon seeing the new arrivals
"Look! Look! Look what we found! We have a ghost!"

A great stag stepped forward, glaring at Suki

"A human?" he spoke

"I'm a girl."

Damarthos looked her up and down.
"A girl..." he said. "You have no smell." he said

"I believe that is because I have died."

"You have antlers. Is that a joke?" asked Damarthos, shaking his own antlers.

"No. They grew on me, I don't know how or why."

"You can trust her!" shouted the koi. "She is of pure heart,
She was visited by Ariel!"

The Stag shot a look at the Koi, then bag at Suki.
"You were visited by the Spirit of Hope? The Blue Eyed Bird?"

"Yes, and she granted me a second life."

"Why you?"

"Because I wish to save people from their torment."

"Why don't you help her!" shouted the Koi.

Damarthos looked at her.

"We came simply to drink. We did not come looking for human trouble."

With the the heard bounded away, only Damarthos stood.

He peered deep into Suki's eyes.

"A ghost is bad luck. I will warn of your prescence. Do not follow my herd."

And Damarthos bounded away.

And all that was left was Suki.

1. Image courtesy of Nathalie Roland