Death & the Banshee

Part 4

Compass stayed in the greenhouse until the sun came down. Her eyes ached. She was cold and her butt had fallen asleep a while ago.

"Dear girl, what are you doing out here?" Her grandmother asked in a voice laced with concern.

Her grandmother Mycha held an old lantern in her hand and for being in her mid 60s, she looked young. Her hair didn't have much grey for its faded out black tint. She wore her red plaid shirt, worn out khaki overalls, and her favorite red rain boots. Her hair was pinned back showing off her slightly wrinkled face.

"I'm sorry nana. I haven't had a good day."

"Someone died didn't they my child?"

Compass no longer had to hide her abilities from her family. She recently learned that she came from a long line of banshees. She didn't know much about her family's history and it's not like there was a book with everyone's name and who they were in the family line.

"A girl died today. Suicide. She was so young too, 16 years maybe. No one knew, heck she went to my high school. Nana, does this ever get easy, going?"

"Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It all depends on the soul that screams to us. There are many banshees in the world but our family has the strongest link to the dead."

"What do you mean, by we have the strongest link?"

"He must have come to you already."

"He?"

"Death."

Grandmother Mycha walked towards her white roses and started to attend to them. Once they were all as she left them before she walked over to the pink and red carnations that were her favorite. Compass grabbed a pitcher and watered the roses. She waited for her grandmother to continue talking, but she remained quiet. Compass sprayed the rose petals to keep them from withering away.

"Nana Mycha, what are you actually saying. Please, no riddles this time." Compass pleaded from her.

"Has death come to you? I'm talking about the Angel of death himself."

"Yes he has. I've apparently known him for a long time too." Compass said with a smile as she inhaled the rosy scent.

"Have you made the deal?" Mycha asked turning towards her granddaughter.

Compass looked up and thought her words wisely. She knew she couldn't stand to lie to her grandmother. She was the only person left in her life from this town. Compass took a deep breath and calmed her anxious nerves.

"Yes, I made a deal to be his guide. Why? How do you know?"

"You aren't the first one to make a deal with the devil. I made that deal, my grandma made that deal, and her grandma before her. This deal goes back to the first banshee in our line. We as in our family is tied to the death angel."

"So you're telling me he's been alive that long?"

"No my child. Your death isn't that old. He was probably a grim reaper before he became death. Each death has a real name, their reaper name. It is dangerous to say their name to someone else and to give others his identity. More than likely he is an old soul but this death isn't as old as our generation line, there's no way. Our family has gone through many deaths, no pun intended." Mycha told Compass.

"Haha, you're so funny nana. For real though, why'd you ask?"

"I may be old but I sure as hell know when there is more than just your feet or mine in the house."

Compass became a new shade of red and her cheeks burned as much as her ears. Grandmother Mycha grinned at her granddaughter then shook her head at her embarrassment. She walked over to Compass and held her face.