the graveyard | mid evening | saturday | april 23

[therewaslife]

Bod didn't think it was unusual for someone his age to be in a graveyard at night. After all, he'd lived in one before, been friends with ghosts, matched up against ghouls and had lived to tell the tales. It was only natural for him to wander down there now, hand trailing across the tops of tombstones.

He idly read the Latin that was chiseled on some of the graves, repeating the words out loud and in his mind to better get a handle on the language. Even if his tutors weren't here, he still didn't want to disappoint them. He missed home. He missed his mom and dad and he missed Silas.

Bod found a fairly old grave and sat down, back against the cool front of the tombstone. He waited and hoped that maybe he'd see a ghost or maybe he'd see Silas. Maybe this was just like his old home. It wasn't. And he'd be waiting a long time.

[open place in town so it's open!]

Comments

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"What are you doing in a cemetery?" It wasn't the best of introductions, but then Edmund hadn't learned how to do that until he was much older than he was now.

[therewaslife]

"Thinking," answered Bod quietly, peering up at Edmund. "What are you doing in a cemetery?"

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"I'm allowed to do whatever I want." That wasn't true, but no one was here to correct him. He was here mostly because he could, and not because he really wanted to be, because dead people scared him and he didn't like the idea of ghosts. "Can't you think anywhere other than a cemetery?"

[therewaslife]

"I like it here," Bod said, looking around and then looking back at Edmund. "It's quiet. What's wrong with thinking in a cemetery? It's just like any other place."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"Well," he started, then stopped. He gave the boy a look that wasn't entirely mean, but questioned his sanity. "All the dead people don't spook you?"

[therewaslife]

"No," said Bod simply, shaking his head. "They're just dead. They can't hurt you. Do they scare you?"

Yes, that word usage was intentional to see if Edmund caught it.

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"I'm not scared," he protested too quickly. "Why don't they scare you? Everyone's afraid of ghosts."

[therewaslife]

"I'm not," Bod disagreed, shaking his head. "I lived in a cemetery before. The ghosts weren't mean. They're just dead. Everyone dies. They just got there first."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"You've actually seen ghosts?" Edmund asked in awe.

[therewaslife]

"Yes," Bod said, nodding and stretching his legs out, leaning back against the tombstone. "My parents were ghosts. Mister and Miss Owens. They gave me my name and took care of me. Well, Silas took care of me too but differently."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

He'd never met anyone who'd had ghosts for parents before. "Does that make you part-ghost?"

[therewaslife]

"Maybe." No but he couldn't help teasing Edmund a bit. "What part of me do you think is the ghost part?"

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

Edmund took a moment to look Bod up and down, trying to work out his answer. "The part I can't see because you can't always see ghosts." It was a terrible answer. "That must be the part your ghost parents gave you."

[living_endless]

Didi was still meandering through town, and she'd paused to pick dandelions in the cemetery. She paused to offer one to Bod.

"Want a flower?"

[therewaslife]

"All right," Bod said after a moment. "Thank you. Where did you find flowers?"

[living_endless]

"Over on that hill," Didi announced, waving a hand in the general direction. She handed Bod a flower and hoisted herself up to sit on a tombstone. "It's real pretty. There are about a billion dandelions there."

[therewaslife]

"I might go look there later." He wouldn't. He felt too attached to this place right now. He felt comfortable even if he was alone. "Graveyards don't scare you either?"

[living_endless]

Didi gave him a confused look as she shook her head. "Uh-uh. Why would they? They're all full of people."

[therewaslife]

Bod smiled at that but ducked his head so she couldn't see. "Most people find them scary. Because of the ghosts. They don't understand that they're just people who have died."

[living_endless]

"And people who died aren't scary," Didi nodded. "Well, sometimes they are. But some people seem a little scary at first, too, and you just have to get to know 'em."

[therewaslife]

"People who died can be scary but they're scary when they're alive too," he agreed with a nod. At least someone was logical. "Dying doesn't make anyone any scarier. I bet they'd like flowers too."

[living_endless]

"I bet they would," Didi agreed, craning her neck to look around the graveyard. "D'you think I could pick enough flowers to put some on every single grave? I'd give them to ghosts but I don't see any."

[therewaslife]

"I don't see any either," he said, trying not to sound too dejected about that. "I used to be able to see all of them. I could play with them and talk to them. I don't know what's wrong."

Bod made a face before shaking his head, trying to push away those feelings. "I could help, if you want. The ghosts deserve flowers. Not everyone thinks of them."

[living_endless]

"Maybe there just aren't any here," Didi suggested. "Maybe they all got bored and went other places. There are lots of other places."

She grinned at him, starting to push off of the tombstone so they could go pick more flowers. "Thanks for helping me, anyhow."

[therewaslife]

Bod pushed himself up so he could follow her to find the flowers. "Maybe. I didn't know ghosts could move like that. I thought they couldn't leave their graveyard. It's their home."