She doesn't really remember getting to this loud place. She vague recalled being told that she would be scratched. She has been wearing her clothes before. Still has the imp stone and glass bottle with a wood cork. Not only was her brother still here, sleeping beside her on the uncomfortable bed. Her mom is in a chair beside them. She is asleep, too. The walls had funny zoo animals, but most of the areas she couldn't see because of curtains. There is a sound of a TV and beeping sounds in different harmony. The loudest is also closest to her. She looks at her hand of wires and tube needle stick. Tape on her arms. They tapped the back of her knees. There is a tube and tape attached on her right leg like the set on her left arm. Her left finger has a chuck thing there, but it wasn't hurting her. She looks up at that machine, and it's beeping softly. She can recognise her own heartbeat from that. Knowing from the doctor TV show her aunt watches a lot. This was a hospital or care center. These were heart monitors and iv drips. The more she stirs awake, the more she wakes her brother. He smiles with a sigh of relief. I'm so happy that she's awake.
"Thank you, big brother." She hugs him, and her hugs back all worried and shaken. This woke her mom up that hugs them both. Started crying, too. Make everyone cry. Yet patient is all confused about what exactly they are crying about.
"In exchange of the feather in your hair, a wing guy helps you." He brother very quietly whispered, "Apparently that feather was important."
"The feather came from a wing guy too, but he wasn't a normal one." She recalls. Her mom sits back, staring at them both. Today, she hasn't any ribbon hiding her eyes. Nor does he.
"We need to talk about this somewhere else." She hushed them both.
"Grandpa said we shouldn't have told this secret." Reminding her brother, and he sighed in forgetting briefly. The children sigh, and her mom huffed. Getting up. As she moved the curtain. She had it wide enough to view a hung TV from the ceiling. Normally, with cartoons playing. It was on national country wide broadcast. The news reporter occasional states what has happened and what now. But the wave of the voice and the shock of the images. It wasn't a good thing. She looks at her brother, gasping to the image too. She doesn't understand.
"What's happening? Is it a movie?" She asked.
"No... those big buildings in New York are falling down. There were people inside. They are dying." She looks at the screen and pays closer attention. She cries a little as she does understand what dying means. She saw animals and bugs die. She understood when that hurricane came last year. It killed her aunts neighbor three doors down. She saw crash sites on the way to place, the lost dead souls of people be lost. A whole two iconic buildings with all those thousands of people. The people in the way of the debry, too.
"Them book and sword folks will be very busy." She mutters. Her brother punched her arm for that. She didn't understand if that was a bad thing to say or not. She looks up at the confused man with long white hair, "Them buildings are falling in New York. It's happening right now. The TV shows that." She explained, and they looked at TV too. They can't see it, but he looks at all these humans looking at it in horror. He turns back at how she nods, "TV every part of this country will be showing this. No one is going to forget."
"That's right. No one will forget September 11th." Her mom echos and glares at the man. He backed away with open hands. He leaves out of sight.
"He was there with that wing guy. He gave me that feather. I don't remember much of why." She told her brother and her brother to make sure that they were gone.
"Those are undertakers. They mess with things where the angels and demons don't dare."
"They been moving the vomit bags and the kitchen around this past week. I always wondered if they do it because they are bored." She softly mutters. Her mom was back to the chair, sighing and watching the TV. The occasional moment of checking her children, "My tummy still aches from all that. But I don't feel I need to be sick anymore." Head pats and sighing of stress. Slowly, very slowly, that guy was back. He hovered with giving mom a paper. He held his left hand out doing so, and he gave a bowed gesture as she took it. She reads it and huffed.
"Miss little Fallown." Her mom isn't pleased, "What exactly did you promise this man?"
"He wanted the items from the backyard. He can't get them without upsetting the cat or raccon back there. I can get them, but I can't do it alone like I was. It would be fine with Uncle's home. But he left without saying anything. I stayed in the living room in case." She sighed, "I am glad I stayed in the living room."
"That's right... there is something in the backyard that attacks you, folks." Her mom huffed, "Since this was with my daughter, I know I can't help. I don't even know where to look."
"You missed it, brother. It was amazing. A big feather and purple fella were fighting each other in our backyard. They were shouting about random things, which made me sit at the back door. I said inside as they broke the fence, which made me scared of going back there more. Big hole." She wiggles about as she talked, feeling sore from being seated here, "They couldn't finish because that thing took them. Long thing wiggle that came apart like a hand. Crunched them both together and pulled them where I couldn't see." She made gestures of this action. So her brother gestures, being the two fighting, and she wiggled out her arm towards like a snake waiting for prey and took them with opening her hand with out stretched fingers. He nods, impressed that this creature was werid. "Make sure to sing back there. It loves music and stones."
"Stones?" Her brother ponders, "It steals your stone collection?"
She nod, smiling about her beautiful stone collection. She pick them from the backyard near the fence and put them in a bucket by the big tree. That tree has a cat or raccoon living in it.
"Always the pretty ones." She chats away like her normal state and takes note of the off expressions of the undertaker, "These get left behind by the people. I think it's why it likes them people."
"Your daughter is above extraordinary. I would maybe suggest that you look at better protection measures for her." That guy told mom, "A child able to pick souls up. Let alone everything else so far. Such as seeing death gods." Her mom huffed in exactly understanding this worry.
"I don't want to rely on the Seers. Nor did I move away from up state to only return back to them. I got away from the church upstate for these creepy reasons. Why I agreed to never interact with you folks." She clicked her tongue in being so stressed and worried. The under eye twitching.
"I promise you that I am not with any of them families. I do wonder why you mention both of them, but I know it's not my business." He posed open hands, "but I can at least promise that this strictly stays between me, you, and the king himself. I came to make trade deals with those demi gods... I find out they are gone without a trace and strange girl watching me when I walked into a house where they been last reported. I was just doing my job, following the order of inquiries from the courts and any information to the king." He closed hands and directed to the children, "but in finding her, I was concerned of many things. The more I looked in and asked things. The more this became too sensitive." He opens hands, "I didn't really intend that promise to work, but it did. I have no choose to accept to protect her if she can fetch me the evidence of lost beings. I will not be allowed under the oath of court to explain how I obtained them. But getting back the books is of the highest importance."
Her mom clicks her tongue again. There is at least some reliant part of accepting this undertaker. Mom brushed the tops of children heads and looked up at the TV. She thinks about it and looks to the undertaker. The undertaker nods and then speaks up.
"Any more damage to those books... more of those buildings or other disasters will fall. If we have them, we can minimize losses and prevent smaller happenings." He shivered for sure, "This isn't just the land of the living this concerns."
"Then we will turly do whatever to help, but you must keep us a secret. You must help watch her... when I can't." Her mom pulled his collar, "I will hold you personally accountable if she is injured by your schemes." She shook the man a little and left him free. He straightens clothes for a bit and clearly wasn't prepared that the woman could touch like that. He looks at his coat, where it is wrinkled from the little girl trying to stop him. Daughter like mother.
"OK folks..." Her mother is sitting down with the doctor here. Does the standard check over on the little girl and was happy to finally take her off the iv and heart monitor, "I think we can excuse this care for today. Especially since we will be shipping any spare supplies we got to other areas. Despite everything in New York that's happening. I just had an emergency alert through for increased patients. So I will write this off as just another coming in. So many folks from four water parks are all having these same symptoms. Your child's lucky to be alive from what has already tolled 14 people in this hospital this week alone." Her mother gasps, "Avoid water. It's all I know."
"I understand." Once the nurses help get all the needles removed. The heart monitor was already rushed to be used to the next new patient. A lot of swimming park victims, tourists, even. All these sick, with tummy aching and extreme nauseous. Nothing was looking good.
"Normal pain meds, maybe tummy settlers. If she faints again, bring her back. The iv had plenty of antibiotics and steroids, so you don't need more. You're lucky to be heading home."
Once stuff was collected and plastered band aids on. They got out there as rush of even more people were going in. The radio on the car had people stating that there would be a major closure of all tourist attractions due to reports of illness spreading fast, especially in water-based attractions. The coast guards are telling people to stay away from the beach today. A curfew has been set. Emergency water bottles will be handed out, and even all shops are taking part in handing things out for those that need it. The Florida governor not only respects in response to New York but also tells residents to not use taps, not to go in still waters, and avoid the beach. That lockdown for the states protection was in effect, treating this as a hurricane or firestorm. 'To please stay home.'
Mom was done listening to the radio and looked over to the undertaker seated in her car passenger seat. The children look out windows as the world flies by.
"You have to get those books." Her mom tells the children, "We have to save those people."
"Explain what book has to do with all these accidents." Brother grumps, "What's bad about these books?" The long pause of silence and eventually another sigh. It's an even bigger sigh following this.
"We have been able to see these people for a while now. We promised Grandpa that we don't talk about it. But the potatoe salad accident made me realize that she could see them and reach for them. I can't touch like her, but I can see them clouded figures."
"Well, Mr undertaker has lovely long white hair and a very fancy suit." She corrected her brother, "But I understand that brother is just Fallown. I have Fallown and Seer. I saw it on the paperwork. I can't read, but I know my names."
"That same night, I accidentally told her that she's my cousin. But..."
"I said the dictionary definition of mom doesn't work for us. Mom is mom. He been looked after by mom. That makes him my brother." She pokes him, and they got into this poking match.
"OK. Enough poking." Mom brushed her eyes and had some relief that her children were smarter then she credited them. Driving to soon park up at a little ice cream place, the price is cheap. She doesn't have the money but she has to buy something to be allowed to park here. The undertaker gave her a note. She was hesitant with it.
"I will explain things for what I am allowed to. You go get some drinks for yourselves." She looked at the note how much that was. He spread it between fingers like magic making more money appear. It made into smaller notes or more... either way. She makes a check, has the windows creaked all sides, and locks the car behind.
"So wing people tend to be angels baring the few that have strange coloring or not feathers." She started with she does know, "You nicer dress up folks that look out a movie are undertakers. Them rob or cloak folks that are always there by dead stuff are death gods. Leaving most things human shape that wasn't said already, demons. Especially them horn ones." She nods, and her brother looks so confused.
"You have better sight than I do. They just clouds sometimes or maybe shapes. I can hear them all the time more than see. I can tell they sit or stand nearby." He clarified.
The undertaker took out a clean, unused pad of paper. It was small sized byt plenty of space. It was a lot of information, and he wanted reminders. He wrote a lot, and eventually. He looks at how she stares into his eyes while her brother can't quietly tell where to look. A nose ridge pinch and eventually points pen as he spoke.
"There are more types of being than just those. It seems that you see or hear many of them. But I am not allowed to explain them all or what they do. I will keep things to what you call them unless I must use them by their terms. You can not use or repeat these to others. Not even your families. You must keep the promise of secrets. It is hard as it will be to rely on children to not." He can at least understand what his asking of such young. In her case, to young. They make nods, "We protect the living like you and run things in your life after you die. There are monsters that no one can see, and even each other has different ideas of how we should be protecting living people. Some want to use you, as demons do. Some protect and do nice stuff in exchange for praying to God or God's. I sort out problems when these different groups fight each other. If they fight and hurt you living people, I have to make some excuse you living will assume or just try to fix it." The children nod pretty well at this, "Death gods, come collect you when you die. Your soul has a name and the god of death will remove your name from one book and have it altered to be written into another book. These books are very..." He rolls hand looking for a word. Pen drawing in the air.
"Sound divine or magical." Her brother ponders, "But is this book a sort of way keeping tabs of who is alive and who is dead spirit like you?"
"Yes. Sometimes, if a death god isn't there to account for what happens to that soul. Dangerous stuff happens. Like monsters eating that soul. Demons are taking over and making things worse. There are many other examples of bad things."
"Well, if death doesn't collect you. You could always walk away or run away. I seen them before. Them people who didn't meet a god. Grandma's house has a guy. He died there. He is still there. But... no god can see him or wing angel. No one likes grandma's house." The undertaker makes that in writing.
"Oh, the black cloud ghost. I saw it. You pointed to the picture of Grandma's brother before." Her brother nodded at knowing. The undertaker snaps his fingers on his left hand and this gets attention back to the point.
"The books keep track of how many souls are where. If a place is too much soul, it brings more monsters. Some places are special like cities, we don't worry about how many live there. We do still track how many. These books with soul names are very precious. Soul names are very fragile things. Demons need that to contorl you. Your living name tends to be a part of your soul name. So it's always better to never give your name to them." The undertaker lowers writing, "The Seer family is the only known group of humans that can use these special books. They are considered dangerous humans, and it makes my job hard. But you little miss, now you know what those books are. Do you understand how important it is to never mess with those names?"
"I heard what demons do to soul names." Her brother shivered, "It's really bad. You never die a proper death. You are so unhappy. You will be hurt and used. I can't even begin to imagine what a normal person with such powers over people would do. They be worse than them demons." Her brother is exactly right and took those words of fear to heart. That expression on her face said it all. That she can grasp that terrible idea.
"I will protect them books. I will use what I am given to be a good book protector." She nods certain, "I don't like sad souls. They cry black tears and burn in sunlight. I can not allow that to happen to so many other people." She meant the ghost types like at grandma's house. It is an odd assumption at her part to join ideas together, but this works in favor for the undertakers. His not sure how souls cry black tears, but that's how she sees it. It was encouraging that she had good moral ideas.
"Very important to protect them books. No matter how scary they look or feel." He told them both. The children both nod certain. Mom just barely manages alone in opening the door. She passed over drinks to both children and a tray of plain chips. She gives back the change left over, and he waves that she can keep it. She buckled up.
"Time to go book hunting." Mom shivered and gets out of here. Fast but not over speed limit. She can't afford to loose car or thier lives.