The Ossuary: Soul and Bone

Chapter 6

Ingrid was left to herself in the large room. She rose to her feet looking for a wash bin. Walking over to the side of the room she noticed an open door, it appeared to be a washroom of sorts. She entered and looked into the mirror. Her face looked fuller than it had been. Her gaunt deathly appearance had faded. Her skin now seemed to glow with a warmth she hadn't seen in years. Her hair hung in brilliant curls of strawberry blonde, and her pale blue eyes sparkled as they never had before. She was a bit taken aback by her sudden change in appearance. She had so many questions. Looking down at the sink she pondered how it worked. In her small family home they used a wash bin to clean themselves. Though she had heard rumors of water running indoors she had never seen such a thing. She turned the knob and delighted as water began to run from the faucet.

"How peculiar!" she mused.

She looked back in the mirror, the dirt from the night before still clung to her. Finding a washcloth, and soap, she took a moment to clean up in the sink before returning to the bedroom to get dressed. When she was done she opened the large bedroom doors. She reminisced on how ornately they were carved when Ian spoke.

"Hello my lady," he said curtly. " I am to show you to the dining hall. I am sure you are hungry."

It was then that she realized just how hungry she was.

"How am I hungry if I am dead?" she asked Ian.

"Oh he really hasn't explained anything to you, has he?" He mused.

"No, he hasn't."

Ian continued walking, and pondered her question for a moment before answering.

"Yes, he said. You are dead. But death isn't quite what the living perceive it to be. It is merely an alternate existence."

"And what am I to do with this existence?" she said.

"Well that is for both you and the council to decide,'' he retorted.

"The council?", she questioned.

"Yes, he replied, gesturing her through large double doors and into an equally ornate dining room with large chandeliers above the table. "For now," he stated "you are a welcome guest in Lord Ciaran's home." "You may eat and function just as you were when you were living. Though you are not permitted to leave the grounds without Sir Ciaran."

She nodded. She was coming to understand the depth of just how real this was. She decided she would stay put for now.

"Besides", she thought, "where would I even go?"