For more information about the author, and to read the author’s blog, please go to:
https://ionospherepress.com/dewight
or follow on Twitter: @EdmunddeWight
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This book is dedicated to my lovely wife, Sarah, who convinced me that I should write.
Death Songs
By: Edmund de Wight
Table of Contents
The Sacrifice
The Revenant
The Cleaning Lady
A Song for the Dying
About the Author
Death Songs
By: Edmund de Wight
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What will you do when Death comes knocking?
Death lurks around every twist in the path, within every dark shadow. The Gods may demand more than humans are willing to give. Spirits from beyond the grave can rise from cursed ground to walk among the living bringing horror and death. Death may come in the most innocuous of guises when one least expects or death may be expected but still fought against to the last breath.
Death Songs presents four short stories of people facing death, or something worse.
A tribe's medicine man must appease the gods before his village drowns.
A woman faces off with vengeful spirits to protect her village from death.
A man encounters a woman with a strange profession after a violent disaster.
A lone man stands up to the spirit world to protect his wife.
The Sacrifice
The rain continued falling as it had for weeks. Tehoca grimaced, had the Gods not deemed the sacrifice worthy?
Looking out from his cliff face dwelling the shaman could see miles of mud and running streams where once stood corn and grazing animals. The best crop had been sacrificed to the Rain God along with the fattest goats. Nothing had appeased the Thunderer's appetite for destruction. The people would begin to starve soon and Tehoca felt the shame of failure.
"My people will not die" he shouted at the sky.
Tehoca had been without food longer than any of the tribe in hopes of attaining a vision from the God. His efforts had been in vain until this moment. As he shouted at the sky a sound came to him on a wave of dizziness.
Yes. God had spoken. Descending from his dwelling he crossed the mud of the small village. His eyes were bright and he moved through the treacherous mud with preternatural grace. Entering a low mud brick building he took the desired sacrifice. So powerful was the God's presence in his face that the family living there could not stop him.
"Come my people," he shouted.
He crossed to the center of the decimated village.
"God has shown me the answer. He has chosen a sacrifice that will stop the flood."
People began to emerge from their leaking homes as the shaman placed the sacrifice on the altar. This one would be pleasing to the God. Had He not shown Tehoca the truth of His desires?
"Come see. Come praise He Who Brings the Rain!"
A wailing intruded on Tehoca's consciousness as he swept his burning gaze across the faces of his people. Why did they fear? Why were they shouting incoherently at him? Did they not know? Could they not see? I will save them, Tehoca thought. God has given me the vision.
He looked down at the face of the small girl held to the altar stone with his manic strength. So innocent, she smiled up at the wisest man in the village. Her guileless laughter had been the sound that the Thunderer had sent to Tehoca. This sacrifice would please the God. Tehoca raised the knife; the thunder of the God's laughter split the sky.