Three Hounds

Chapter One: Death & Matthew (Act 1-3)

Act I

   
   
    You may have asked yourself many times in life: What happens after I die? Will I go to Heaven? Will I go to Hell? Was I good or bad enough for either? Is there nothing, or anything at all after...? It's a question worded in many ways, in many tongues, from many mouths... but they are all the same. I can tell you the truth, though, show you even. In a sense, yes, there is nothing after you die. But only just for a bit, until I come.
    Today, a child has died. And today, his soul has come to me. I can see him now, as he stumbles through my blackened realm; a field that no human reasoning could explain, formless and covered in ink. He's scared, I can tell, and I can hear his 'heart' beating, in a sense. I speak to him, still hidden in my inky blackness: "Do not be afraid, boy..." To him, my voice echoes around him, and he screams and cowers from it. He did the exact opposite of what I said...
    I appear before him, though far away to not startle him too much. My form may scare him more, but there's not a thing I can do about that. He tries to run from me as I walk toward him, though he doesn't know he's not moving, his feet simply slipping on the ink beneath him. When I reach the boy, I touch him on his shoulder, turning him toward myself. "Do not be afraid, I said." I tell him in as gentle a voice as I can manage. But he screams and falls on his backside, covering his face, which is nearly covered in tears.
    I sigh. "I'll not harm you, child." I kneel beside him, putting my hand on his head. "Hey," I stroke his hair lightly, "you are safe. What's your name...?"
    He peaks through his shaking fingers, still covering his face. "I... I-I-I, muh... M-My nuh-name...?" He stumbles over his words.
    "Yes," I tell him, "your name, boy... What is it?" I continue stroking his head as he shakes like a dead leaf with its stem caught between two rocks.
    "It, it's, uh... Uhm... Muh-M-Matthew... My n-names Matthew..." He finally takes his hands away from his face. I can tell he's terrified just looking at me, my bone jaw and snout, my glowing white-blue eyes.
    "Well, it is nice to meet you, Matthew." I extend my clawed hand to him, and he flinches. "Handshake... If you want to." And he pauses, calculating the choice of shaking my hand. Slowly, he extends his hand to mine and grips it, shaking cautiously. I take a moment to study him, his features. His hair is brown, his skin a very light brown as well, nearly white-skinned, and his eyes are big and brown, and shaped perfectly too. "How old are you, Matthew?"
    "Uh, I'm... t-ten. Ten y-years oh-old..." He lets go of my hands, his eyes completely set on my face. He swallows a lump that seemed to have formed in his throat.
    I look at his body, judging if he was, in fact, ten. He told the truth; his physique and build matches that of a healthy ten-year-old, neither skinny nor fat. But, he did look rather young, younger than ten.
    He looks me in my glowing eyes, squinting slightly. "Are... Are y-you gonna... e-e-eat m-me...?"
    This... This honestly came as a shock to me when he asked me that. I don't eat much as it is, no need to... But humans, feasting on them? I could never. Would never... "I... No. No, I'm not going to eat you. I'm going to help you. As I said, you are safe here."
    "Are, uh, you a dog...?" He asks me, glancing at my body, my more human features.
    It's endearing, honestly, both his question and peaks at me. The curiosity of a child is always sweet. "Hm... No, I am not a dog."
    "But, y-you look like o-one." He sits up, trying to relax a little more. "Mostly, a-at least..."
    "By your logic, yes, I suppose I do." I stand up, and he backs away slightly.
    "Uh... You... Uh, uhm, why are you, uhm, naked?" He tries his best to keep eye contact with me, but becomes embarrassed and turns his head away from me.
    I tilt my head at him. "Ten... You're beginning to take interest in women, yes?" I ask him.
    "What?" He pretends to rub his eyes to avert his gaze.
    "Well... to answer your question, I don't know... I've always been 'naked', since I was born, so I've stayed naked. But, I'm also not really naked. I suppose it'd be a little difficult to explain to a child your age..." I find myself looking down at my body, making sure my black fur is covering any parts that aren't appropriate for Matthew's eyes, even though there's nothing there to begin with. "Fur... Fur is clothing for me, I suppose."
    "Oh, o-okay... That, uh, m-makes sense, I g-guess..." He looks down at himself as well, and quickly covers himself. "Uhm, can I h-have some clothes, please!" I see his face begin growing red.
    It startled me, though I didn't show it, that I questioned why he would ask that. "Clothes?"
    "Y-Yeah, I... I'd l-l-like some clothes, please...! Doesn't huh-have to be anything f-fancy. Even just puh-pants would be fine."
    "Oh... Oh, yes...! Forgive me. First, we need to do something." I offer my hand to Matthew to help him up.
    "W-Why can't we get clothes now...?" He gets up on his knees.
    I keep my hand extended toward him. "Because we, mainly I, have a task to perform with you."
    "What task...?" Matthew's voice is growing quiet and higher pitched. I can tell he's starting to get more and more embarrassed by the second.
    I look at him, my eyes penetrating his sight. "Reviewing the life you've lived."
    Matthew froze up when I spoke. "My... life?" He asks, but I remains silent. "What are... I'm... What a-are you saying...?"
    I sigh audibly, still trying to look him in the eye. "Matthew, you have died. Precisely twenty-nine Earth minutes ago, you were pronounced dead..." I tell him slowly. Even though I've dealt with many, many children before... it always breaks my heart telling them that their Earthly life is gone, over with. I kneel in front of the boy, lifting his head so he'll meet my eyes, and caress his cheek. This... is the best I can do to comfort the child. "Matthew... I am sorry..."
    I see the tears start draining from his eyes, and his lips quiver rapidly. His wails echo throughout my realm, then he begins screaming. "Dammit!!" He cries out, then he looks to me. "What about my sister?! My family?! Are they OK?!"
    It felt like my eyes widened, my heart shook... Even in this midst of this revelation, this new discovery that's led to the anguish he feels now... he cannot help but think about his family on Earth. Truly, this a good child, and an even better soul. "Your family... I... We can only know what's happened to them if you follow me. To the Requiem..."
    He still sobbed as I told him. When I finished, he kept his breath—doing his best to keep calm, I'm sure—and he reaches out for my hand finally. I grab it and pull him up to his feet, and it's only now that I see how truly small he is. He sniffles. "Let's go... I need to see them."