『 Dying of Asphyxiation was seriously not my goal in life. 』
Neither was meeting a Governor of the Afterlife and getting sent to another world for a second chance at life.
Drew was assaulted by a group of men for reasons she didn't understand. Drown...
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1. Breathe
"Eins," a voice started.
"...Zwei." the second voice said, a little moodily.
"Drei!" the third voice piped up sportively.
An explosion of white mist burst forth, clouding the visible scenery and filling the space with a smoky, scentless fog. The smokescreen dissipates, and three suited silhouettes made themselves known.
Top-hats held precariously in their right hands, locked above the heart, they hunched slightly in a respectful bow. An imitator's smile on each of their faces, one could mistake them as doppelgangers of different sizes.
Synchronously, the three fixed their posture, straightening their backs sternly, their poise raised uptight.
The shortest in the trio threw her hat to the sky. A quick curtsy followed by a hard spin, playfully she came a distance forward. Magnificent twirls three rounds of elegance, and superbly, her hat drifted down to its place on her head. She danced around with feathery steps in her ecstatic excitement. Giggling, she raised her right arm to the sky, a declaration to the heavens she raised her voice to the crowd,
"Ladies and Gentlemen!"
Consequently, the second hatter produced a black wand from the invisible box of his hands. Revolving it around his knuckles like a pianist with an invisible tune, he hummed to the cheery melody of the background music. The rod between his fingers split into two, to threes...
His face was a smile, but his eyes were the unreadable mystique of a blue masquerade mask. A humble bow he gave, a killer smile erupted a swoon. Gently tossing a baton to his companions who captured it immaculately, his hands spread open in a welcoming manner as he made his voice known to the crowd,
"welcome once again, to the night of glory days."
Last but not least, the red hatter took a stride forward, not much to show but his looks and his smile. A rose sprouting from his hands, he placed it at his lips like the killer host he was trying to be-- "we hope you enjoy the stay," he winked.
"Now, then," throwing the rose to the sky, "let the show begin!"
At the word, hundreds of doves emerged from under his sleeves. The crowd erupted in cheers. Music started to play.
ー
"Morning," my older brother, Zen, greeted me. A yawn rumbling at his throat, he rubbed his sleep-blurred eyes foggily, staggering back and forth as he dropped down onto his seat on the dining table. His arms on the table, his head buried in them, he fell back to sleep almost instantly.
"Good morning, Zen," I said, placing down a mug of coffee in front of him, "is Eve awake?"
I brought a plate with a sandwich on it to the dining table.
