And over there is the slums-equivalent, which means the office... she thought as she turned, is that way.
Death's voice cut through her thoughts. "Your directional abilities are coming in handy. Oh! before I forget, your great-great-grandfather is nearby. He doesn't believe he was murdered, so don't bring it up. He immediately gets defensive."
I see it this way, he wants to live in ignorance, that's his business. The truth always comes out, one way or another, she replied. In spite of his defensiveness, I think I'll invite him to the office. I could use the company.
A brief approximation of a chuckle followed her comment. She turned and spotted a worn down skeleton with a bedraggled straw hat, dark blue vest and patchy pants that would better suit a scarecrow. Above his head a caption flickered: Hector Rivera (Great-great-grandfather).
She took a deep breath as she approached him. Remember, Rosa, let him exist in ignorance, she thought. As she drew near, she began debating with herself whether she should call out to him or clear her throat. She was so caught up in this debate she didn't notice him pause to look around, and ran into him. "Oh, I am so sorry. I didn't-I wasn't watching where I was going and didn't realize you'd stopped walking and-"
He turned to look at her as she was talking and spotted the caption above her head first. "I've told you all a thousand times: I was not murdered! Stop bothering me with that mess, I died of food poisoning. How many times must I say it before it gets through your head?!" he yelled.
She paused a moment, anxiety threatening to overwhelm her. Anger followed soon after, tamping her fear down. "Okay, first of all, lose the attitude. Second, I am well aware of the fact that my predecessors had next to no tact with you, third, I've already been informed of your aversion, so I wasn't even going to bring it up, and finally, I was going to say, 'I'm Rosa Rivera, your great-great-granddaughter, and new Keeper of the Dead, would you like to join me in the office,' but apparently you want to be left alone. So fine by me!" She pushed past him and stormed towards the office.
After a pause to recover from her outburst, she heard him follow, stammering apologies and fumbling over his words. "Please, I'm sorry. Just give me a chance to explain."
By the time they reached the office, her anger had calmed down to a low simmer, something that could be easily set aside. She turned to him when they were on the front stoop of the office. He looked at her, hat in hand, shame and embarrassment on his face "Apology accepted. Just remember to always respect your Keeper, even if you don't agree with them. Would you like to come in?"
He smiled shyly at her and nodded. They entered the office and danced around the stacks of paperwork. "Yikes!" he exclaimed softly.
"I know," she said sheepishly. "I applied to have shelving or some other storage installed to make things more manageable, I'm just waiting on their reply." They reached the desk and he went to sit in the chair across from hers when she held up a hand, stopping him. "So, new rule I've been enforcing: you can only sit in that chair when you've accepted how you died, according to the paperwork. Now, I know-" She held up both hands, stopping his protests. "You don't believe you were murdered. That doesn't matter. If it's written on the paperwork, you can't change it. Then again, people also believe that de la Cruz wrote all his own songs. I have my doubts. Most artists now a days keep coming up with new material, or at least putting new stuff out, so why stop at like a dozen songs? He had plenty of time before he was crushed to come up with something new."
Relief washed over Hector's face as he chuckled. "He didn't write the songs," he said, polishing the back of his fingers on his ratty vest. "That would be me." He gave her a cheeky, borderline cocky grin.
She raised an eyebrow at the grin and it dissipated to a shy smile again. "I noticed that in your file. I'm impressed," she said after a moment. A letter popped out of a flurry of petals. She grabbed it, read the to and from, and then looked at him. "Mind if I read this?"
He gestured for her to proceed and she did.
Senorita Rivera,
Your application to add storage to the office of the Keeper of the Dead for Santa Cecilia (and surrounding area) has been approved.
There are three options to choose from:
1. Shelves with boxes
2. Filing cabinets
3. Custom (Not covered by the Department of the Keepers of the Dead)
The first two options will be implemented before you return for your next scheduled office hours. The third option will need to be supplied by you. You will need to pay for the supplies and get them into the Land of the Dead, and build or assemble them to your specifications.
Sincerely,
It dissolved into a series of scribbles she couldn't decipher.
"Nice!" she said enthusiastically.
"Good news?" asked her guest, reminding her she had company.
"Sure is. Got approved to add a storage system."
"Good, good. So when will it be implemented?"
She briefly explained everything. "I think I'm gonna go for the custom storage, that way I can organize by last names in alphabetical order."
YOU ARE READING
The Petal Bridge
Fanfiction"It is the duty of a Keeper of the Dead to create and retain the peace and balance between and within the Land of the Dead and the Land of the Living." After finding she is utterly useless at making shoes, Rosa Rivera finds herself in the curious po...
