The Reaper Chronicles

0.

There weren't always dragons in the Valley.

A concept Sheila could never grasp.

First, it was in the distance, like an old friend’s whisper.

The hum of her boiler belly driving the steam through her turbine hearts.

As Sheila lay in bed, the Dragon’s rhythmic assault burrowed into her thoughts.

1

Coal-stained cement.

Slick with morning dew.

Hazelwood cast a heavy shadow over a forest of transformers.

A steady stream of steam billowing into the heavy cotton wool clouds above.

Pregnant and ready to burst with rain.

Hiding in plain sight.

A darkness.

As no structure cast a shadow of this might.

Has taken hold, clinging to her hot cylindrical cement walls.

2

Blind.

Floating in a vacuum independent of space and time.

Minds.

Hypnotised into a deep slumber.

The vibrations of the PowerStation rhythmically ricochet through the black cocoon.

That slowly weaves its way around a hairline crack in the middle of the stack.

As they begin to dance – swaying from side to side.

Gaining momentum.

Tuning in to each other’s thoughts.

They learn:

What they were.

What they are.

And what kind of chaos they want to bring to the Valley seam.

3

Glitter Stained cheeks.

Hollow Eyes.

Finger nails filled with grit.

A pool of blood oozing from her torso.

Shards of glass littered around her crumpled body,

capturing the street lights, gleaming like crystals in a damp cave.

4.

The Fox had come out of nowhere.

5.

Her first instinct was to swerve.

The road was slick with the remanence of an afternoon shower.

Bald tyers, no match for the slippery, uneven bitumen.

The car skidded towards the side of the road.

Shuddering wheels - She grappled with the steering but the shock had taken hold.

Smashing into the fence surrounding the steaming water of Hazelwood Pondage.

Her body was thrown through the windshield – like a ragdoll being launched from a cannon.

Crushed.

With the last of her time on Earth ticking by, the gentle waves of the pondage coupled with the foreboding hum of the PowerStation.

The soundtrack to her last thoughts.

Familiar faces flashed before her eyes.

The crisp morning air enveloped her body, making her numb.

Her vision soft, as a bright warm light ate away at her peripherals.

She stared at the warped, twisted metal of the station wagon.

Savagely lacerated and dented.

Plenty of smoke but no fire.

Her gaze then wandered up to the steaming behemoth smokestacks.

Something that she'd stared at from her backyard every night since she could remember.

Like a smoking cement dragon - Perpetually weird and such a contrast to the gentle hilly bushland encompassing it.

A source of nightmares.

She felt a heaviness building in her throat as tears spilled from her eyes.

Cleansing her cheeks.

6.

'Will I fade away?”

Her mind wound its way through frightening questions.

She closed her eyes as she thought of what infinite darkness would look like.

Scanning her eyelids for a clue.

“Will I live this life again?”

Every pain,

Every joy,

Every heartbreak

Every loss

And every win.

Even this dusty wind.

The eternal time glass within,

Reset.

My mistakes unwritten.

The tiny grains of sand holding my past,

Bleached.

And returned to a state of Tabla Rasa.

Will I touch the past once again?

“Will I remember?”

Waves of familiar voices,

Echoes of past traumas, loss and love,

Like old film stock,

Friction eating away at the edges.

Blanking out faces.

“I hope Shane doesn’t forget me”.

Her tears had pooled under her cheek.

Making the gravel stick to her skin.

She opened her eyes as the discomfort pulled her back in.

She thought she was blind.

She looked up at the gigantic black spot stuck upon the middle stack.

She aggressively rubbed her eyes, hoping to remove the dark hole from what she thought was her vision, fading away.

The dark hole swung open.

A black dust cloud absconding from its bowels.

Splinters of cement descended,

hitting a transformer close to the power station.

A magnificent array of blue sparks flew into the sky, igniting the forest of metal and wire.

'Beautiful' she thought.

She never felt so alive.

7.

Breath.

Black coal dust blanketed the sky.

She coughed and rubbed her eyes.

The transformer yard was still smoking.

But the fire had died.

She felt like she was being watched.

Cloaked.

A metallic taste filled her mouth.

A white light darted past the corner of her eye.

She looked.

Nothing.

Anxious and panicked.

She spoke into the dust:

“This is not reality”

“This is my mind”

“This is not reality”

“This is my mind”

A white electric face breeched the dust-clad transformer yard.

Floating her way through the metal and wire.

Stopping by the roadside.

The hum of the PowerStation intensified.

Welcoming her.

Made of moonlight and smoke.

The edges of her dancing,

She held out an iridescent hand.

In a

tender voice the electric woman said;

“Let us be good friends”.

And they descended.

8.

It tunneled in.

Greeting her with a smile.

Before pushing her thru the killer noise.

Two.

1.

Alive

Warm and soft.

Throbbing.

Sensation overflowing.

Smooth.

Young.

Fresh.

Easy to break and tear.

Such a gooey red mess.

A bag of bones and flesh.

“What do I know?”

The first of thoughts.

She closed her eyes,

Searching for the Source.

“Sheila…..Hmmmm, Sheeeeilllaaaaa”

“Sheeeeilll”

“Laaaaaaaaaaaaa”

“It will do”.

“Not the prettiest, nor the mightiest of…..humans?”

“This is a human, right?”

“I hope I didn’t jump into a lizard again…ugh”

Let’s check.

Five….fingers?

Geez, I thought these creatures would at least have tentacles by now.

10 nubbly things on….a flattened….. hoof?

Teeth! Well, that’s good! Love a good set of teeth.

Soft…fur, not everywhere…..Ginger…classic!

No tail….Bummer.

Vocabulary is….decent.

Lots of swears, that’ll come in handy.

And she’s shut me out….

I guess I’ll try again later.

The entity looked down at the foreign body that was now hers.

One foot was dislocated. A bright white bone pierced through the lacerated skin at the ankle.

Shards of glass stuck out of the body’s torso, and a mounting puddle of blood was steadily making its way out towards the bundle of metal that only now slightly resembled a car.

The entity sighed “This is going to be more complicated than I thought. I hope whoever is coming has some sense and hurries up!”

The entity scanned the dimly lit industrial road.

Attempting to see any sign of the mystery Travel Agent.

It was a well - established policy in the underworld that any entity traveling to the surface needs a guide, due to the general mental and physical ‘fragile stupidity’ of the creatures that resided on the surface. Not to mention the reckless endangerment that was at the very foundation of jumping into a near-death surface dweller. But that was essential to the fun of it all. Not that fun had anything to do with why this entity had jumped.

The job had been a mysterious one at that.

And a surprise to many of the entity’s colleagues, that a rooky would be given such a case where human soul binding is required.

Especially one that had only just passed ‘jumping 101’, and mistakenly possessed a lizard instead of an ox.

Most entities would vacation in smaller ‘vehicles’ as many of them termed the lizards, snakes, and frogs – most preferred cold-blooded reptiles, as it felt like ‘a home away from home’ as the brochures screeched.

Yet in recent millennia there had been a decrease in the popularity of surface vacations. ‘You can only possess so many snakes before you come across a human with a shovel to chop your head off prematurely’. The entity’s jumping instructor had cautioned.

Industrial farming, deforestation, and open cut coal mining to name a few had heavily impacted not just the underworld travel industry but threatened the very fabric that balanced and shielded both worlds - ‘The Veil’. The only clue that was given, apart from the exact time, location and body, was the Entity’s mission had something to do with the encroaching erosion of the fabric between worlds.

‘Not a lot to go by’ the entity had commented grimacing, after the very short debriefing given by their supervisor.

The entity sighed, as a passing owl’s hoot brought them out of their retrospective “I’m only going to be able to keep this creature alive for so long, where is this so-called miraculous Travel Agent” rolling their eyes.

A rustle in the reeds just behind the barbed fence of one of the cooling ponds of Hazelwood caught the Entity’s attention. As the wispy curled tail of a tabby cat appeared, moving quickly towards the roadside.

Two green eyes emerged from the reeds, darting right to left, before fixating upon the Body.

Stopping for a moment, before fully emerging from the bracken.

It turned, to drag something from the reeds.

Stopping to look over its shoulder seemingly making sure that the Body was still there.

The entity squinted attempting to see what prize the cat had caught.

“Feline creature, I am seriously injured, will you share your hunt with me?” the entity preened in the cat’s direction. ‘I hope it’s possum’ the entity thought, watering at the gills thinking of the rare delicacy.

The cat continued to struggle with its mystery meat. Before dragging what looked like…

“Oh a book!” the entity shouted with surprise, pangs of pain shot up the Body’s legs, causing the entity to whimper in pain.

The cat glared at the Entity for a moment as if to say, ‘well duh’.

Before continuing to drag the large leather-bound book across the road.

The cat stalled once again, stopping to lick its paw, satisfied with its accomplishment of dragging what would be equivalent of a fighter jet, for the small stocky tabby cat.

The entity reached for the book, it’s bloody fingers just shy of the toffee coloured cover; embossed with a blue eye painted in the middle, encircled with a snake eating its own tail.

“Meow” squeaked the cat, as a wind blew the pages of the book open, stopping in the middle. The entity squinted to see what was written on the page, it was blank, looking up at the cat she realised what needed to be done “Oh yes of course, sorry this is my first day”.

The entity pressed its bloody finger onto the page, the book began to shake as a warm light exuded from its pages. The cat gently put her paw atop the entity's finger, the warm light enveloping the two. The connection was complete.

A note appeared on the yellowing pages of the book:

“Congratulations on choosing feline travel services, you are now bound to your agent until your death. Please consult your agent for further instructions.”

The cat sauntered closer to the entity and pressed a cold and slightly moist nose against her cheek. And began to purr, the vibrations sent a shiver up the entity’s spine, and into her legs. The cat's purring became more and more intense, as the entity’s entire body began to quiver and tingle. Her feet felt as though they were floating in mid-air, the pain becoming less and less. The entity closed her eyes, laying her head on the gravel, resting a hand on the cat's warm and silky softback.

A sharp, wet bite brought the entity back from her slumber “Awaken Human, as I am Cat, the healer of your large feeble body, you may pay me in sea meat”. Announced Cat, licking her lips at the prospect of dinner.

The entity looked down at her now healed torso and ankle. “Not bad, not bad at all, this body’s name is Sheila, and I am known as Reaper in the underworld, what is this sea meat you speak of?”

“Reaper…” Purred Cat “I will call you Human, come I will show you the sea meat”.

Reaper stood up, the butter coloured wrap dress that she was wearing was ripped and soaked with blood, making it stick to her skin. The sun was just breaching the horizon, as the storm of steel and wire in the transformer yard smoked, spiraling up into the blue sky. Reaper reached down and picked up the solid book. Cat jumped onto Reaper’s shoulder, “I will keep you warm, young Human, pitter - patter, the sea meat calls from over there” Cat gestured to the reeds that she had emerged from earlier.

Reaper crossed the road, trudging through the brush, her feet slipping in the mud, as she clenched the Kangaroo Paws, ripping the flowers from their roots. Reaper’s stomach grumbled, a feeling of emptiness grew within her, as the pair came upon a forest of pine trees. Green orbs floated amongst the pine needles, as a lazy breeze made the branches creak and sway. The book vibrated and opened to a new page.

“Pine Fairies” Reaper read aloud “Guides to new souls, they live alongside the mushroom folk.”

Cat jumped down from Reaper’s shoulder, sniffing the air, the pine fairies flew around her. Cat stood up on her hind legs and swatted at one of the fairies that got too close to her nose. “Someone is here to see you” hissed Cat, a low growl underneath her breath.

The fairies gathered in the air, forming a spiral, and the ground began to vibrate, as a low hum came from the middle of the forest. Reaper stepped slowly forward, the browned pine needles crunching underneath her bare feet, Cat slightly ahead, low, her haunches back, flicked her tail from side to side.

“G’day Puss, it’s okay, I’ve got somethin’ for ya” called out a light and friendly masculine voice. Cat turned to Reaper, “Wait here, I’ll investigate”. Cat trotted off deep into the thicket, the tops of the trees blocked most of the sun, making the forest feel like it was in eternal twilight. Reaper reached her hands out, her skin stained with dry blood, washed out by the sepia light of the forest. The pine fairies floated above her skin, making her hair stand on end. Her breath quick, as sweat trickled down her back. Putting a hand to her pounding chest “What is this feeling?” she thought.

“It’s fear” called out the light and friendly voice from the forest. “One of the most primal feelin’s an animal can experience”.

Reaper edged closer to where the voice was coming from “And what does this fear thing do, exactly?” She asked. As she walked towards a glowing hue of green seeping through the trees ahead.

“Well, it’s supposed to keep ya safe from predators, ya see” informed the voice, now closer than before.

“How do I make it stop?” asked Reaper, her heart feeling like it was about to burst through her chest, as she hid behind a tree scanning the clearing before her. A middle-aged man, dressed in pale blue jeans, and a striped polo shirt was sitting on a flat rock bed, stroking Cat as she ate something from a bowl. He looked straight into Reaper’s eyes, the tightness in her chest subsided, as she relaxed her shoulders and took a deep breath, stepping out from her hiding spot.

He stood up, dusting his hands off on his jeans, sunlight highlighting the auburn hues of his thick hair. Taking out a cigarette from his pocket, he stood to the side, gesturing for Reaper to sit.

“Who are you?” asked Reaper.

The man smiled, a slight chuckle under his breath, as he blew out a cloud of smoke. “I go by many names.” Flicking ash onto the forest floor.

Reaper scanned his face. Seeking answers “You know what I am, right?” she asked.

“Yep, sure do. Ya like me, ya go by many names, wear many different faces, leap from one soul to the next. A source of chaos, many of which would define as fear itself.” The man answered, blowing smoke up into the air. “A reaper, to put it bluntly”. The man sat down next to Reaper, a kind smile upon his unshaven face.

The man held out his hand “Nice to meet ya”, he said gregariously, taking Reaper’s hand from her lap and shaking it. Reaper, confused by the gesture gave a quizzical look to the unnamed man, there was something so familiar about his face. “Oh bugger, sorry mate, I forgot what face I was wearin’, silly ol’ bastard, ya must be wonderin’ why I look so familiar?” Reaper nodded, still trying to ascertain who this person might be.

“Hmmm, maybe this’ll do the trick…” The man walked over to one of the pine trees and crouched down to mumble something towards one of the mushrooms that was growing underneath the pine. He held out his hand, as a small tan creature scurried into his palms. He gestured for Reaper to come over.

Reaper, apprehensive, did what she was told.

“Close ya eyes and hold out ya hands,” The man said gently. Reaper closed her eyes and opened her palms, she felt the cold patter of feet scurry into her hands. “Alright, you can open those peepers of yours now” Reaper opened her eyes to see a small smiling creature with big bright blue eyes staring back at her. The creature’s eyes began to glow intensely, drawing her in deeper and deeper.

Images of a young boy walking through a paddock flashed before Reaper’s eyes. A ring of eight giant mushrooms encircled him, as several of the tan creatures hid behind the trunk-like stems of the mushrooms, looking at the young boy. One of them edged closer to him, its eyes glowing, as a bright blue hue was omitted from the creature, engulfing the young boy. Suddenly a large ride-on mower descended upon the mushrooms, destroying them. The boy lay in the field, he opened his eyes to see the small tan creature lying on his chest – turned to stone.

“Fradgie” Reaper whispered as she opened her eyes. The small creature rejoiced, making small clicks and chirps, the unnamed man held out a thick, meaty hand. “Know who I am yet?” He asked with a large smile on his face.

“You’re the potter, caretaker of the Fradgie” Whispered Reaper, taking his hand, as he helped her to her feet.

“And?” He asked prying for more details.

“And you’re this human body’s…Dad?” Asked Reaper, unsure of whether she had the title correct.

“Technically, yes, this perfect specimen” patting his stomach, making it jiggle slightly “Made your host, I just live here sometimes…whenever there is a need for more of these little fellas.” He replied pointing to the small mushroom creatures now curled up on the rock in the sun with Cat, having a nap.

“What did the Fradgie show your host?” Asked Reaper.

The potter sat by the napping pile of Fradgie, stroking their little backs with a sausage-sized index finger. An expression of intense thought upon his whiskered face.

“They showed Darrel, my host, what his path was, the path that led him to me” He replied after a moment.

“What do you mean by path?” Asked Reaper.

“His life path, what he’s here to do.” Replied the Potter.

Reaper felt confused, through all her eternities, no supervisor had ever spoken of humans in such a manner, as if they had a role to play in the operations of the universe.

“I’d imagine this is a bit different to what ya supervisor would say, and take my opinion with a grain of salt, but humans are so much more complex than they would have us believe”. Smiled the Potter.

“So he knew you were going to possess him?” Asked Reaper, attempting to understand.

“I think a part of him knew, especially when he was a kid. But one of the funniest things about humans is, unlike any other creature, they become more disconnected as they get older. Not all, but most.” Lamented the Potter. “You’ll see, when we meet some of the Lesswellians.”.

“Lesswellians?” Asked Reaper.

Before the Potter could answer, the book began to vibrate, sending shivers up the curled-up Cat’s spine, making her adjust herself in the sunshine. Reaper picked up the book, as the pages fluttered in the wind, a message appeared:

“Lesswellians – the inhabitants of Lesswell, the town that lives on the edge of the dragon’s hole. They dig up fossils of the past, feeding it to the beast that may soon destroy them. Once a place of great prosperity, a darkness has now crept within.”

Reaper shut the book, the loud slap of the pages waking Cat, who sprung to her feet producing a small squeak out of surprise. “What is the cause of this violent display of noise assaulting my tender ears, young Human? I was dreaming of rabbits, how dare you!”

A slight chuckle broke under the Potter’s breath, “There has been some crazy arse shit happenin’ here, crazier than normal, like somethin’s brewin’…”

“Like, something to do with The Veil?” Asked Reaper, wondering whether this would lead to any clues of why she was here.

“Well, yes and no, The Veil has always been thin ‘round these parts, that’s why us underworld folk use it as a makeshift gateway between our world and the surface. But lately, more seems to be filtering through, even though to the best of this ‘Ol bastard and the Odd Sock Society’s knowledge no hole of great magnitude has been detected. Nor has The Veil’s overall permeability weakened…” The Potter replied, producing another cigarette from his pocket.

“Who are the Odd Sock Society?” Asked Reaper.

“Oh Mate! Just ‘bout the best bunch of sheilas and cobbas that you’ll ever meet! But in a ‘round bout way we’ve been here since the beginning, we are the witnesses, the watches, and the guardians of this part of The Veil. And…”

The Potter patted around at his jeans, as he bit the filter of the half-smoked cigarette. He reached around to his back pocket and produced a small disc-shaped envelope “And! We’re also a band!”