Ceremony

So, she was supposed to be resting. This didn’t exactly qualify as work, besides it was time. She’d left word for Asche that she was going to perform the ceremony today at sunset. Bliss set the supplies down in the ambulance bay area. She was glad she’d thought to scout out the area and ask permission ahead of time. This was the perfect area to perform the old rite her grandmother had taught her. Laying the heavy metal bowl in the spot she had picked, she grabbed up the chalk and started drawing on the ground. This was going to be the most difficult part of the whole ceremony, getting the symbols right.

With a rock, the chalk and a piece of string she carefully measured out a circle out on the ground. Shortening the string she made a second smaller circle inside the first. It was a bit more difficult but she repeated drawing the circles on the wall behind her. Then she started drawing the symbols in-between the two circles on the ground. First Lurudd, his symbol put her left so that she would be sitting at his right hand. On her right she carefully drew they symbol of Oponn. Directly in front of her went Sabatt, then to the right Venexx, to the left Derell. Behind her went the symbols of Makabb, Korogg and Tumukk. She repeated the process in the circles on the wall.

Lifting the heavy metal bowl she drew the symbol for Imikk upon the ground beneath it then set the bowl back down upon it. That was the last symbol. She gathered up her supplies and settled into the center of the inner circle. She placed candles between each symbol but only lit the ones in front of her and to her sides. The candles between the symbols for Makabb, Korogg and Tumukk were laid on their sides. Inside the big metal bowl she placed a smaller bowl which contained a candle. In the empty space between the bowls she dropped small cones of incense. They had been the most expensive of the supplies she had gathered.

Oponn and Lurudd were low in the sky. She lit the candle in the inner bowl then open the two satchels she had with her. Bowing her head she ran the words her grandmother used to say through her head. Her hands reached into the first satchel. Apples, pears and other food items were placed around the bowl. A small jug of water set to the side of it. Flowers made of thin paper were laid upon the incense. All was ready.

There was no need to say the words aloud but she did so anyway. For some reason saying them out loud made her feel better. Her voice kept soft for there was no need to shout at the spirits. "I sit at Lurudd’s right hand. Oponn guides my left. May Imikk speed my wishes to their destination. Makabb, Korogg, Tumukk sit behind me, silent and powerless. I bring offerings of food, water, flowers and incense so that Sabatt will smile, Venexx be content, and Derell pleased." She lifted a flower from the bowl and held it over the candle’s flame. "I’m sorry they are not real flowers Lady Sabatt but I could not find any. I made these for you myself." When the simple flower had caught fire she set it upon the others. Flames licked up the sides of the inner bowl. The incense beneath the flowers caught and it’s sweet fragrance wafted through the ambulance bay.

Bliss opened the second satchel, it contained small gifts made of paper. Gifts for the spirits of the dead. "I call to the shadows the still walk in the land of the living. I bring you gifts." She removed several odd paper shapes from the bag. She held a small brightly colored square over the flame. "I thought you might like your quilt back Grandmother. Grandfather, I know you are lost without your watch." Dropping the square upon the burning flowers she placed a round gold piece with a watch face drawn on it over the flame. A small gold circle quickly joined it. "Mother, I’m sending the ‘Angel’s’ ring back to you. May having it bring you some measure of peace." She drew out more paper pieces from the bag. Shapes resembling shirts, pants, shoes and other mundane objects joined the first few in the fire. "To the shadows I send these things so that you will never be without them as you were in life." All the small paper shapes were as brightly colored as she could make them. Her grandmother had taught her that the spirits liked to see the colors they had missed in life. Bliss didn’t quite understand what good burning little pieces of paper would do to appease the wandering souls but her grandmother had said that once the paper was consumed by the fire that the gifts entered the spirit world. Once there the gifts became real to the spirits, so a spirit could pick up the shoes and put them on his or her feet. Next she sprinkled paper cut outs shaped like toys. Brightly colored kites, yo-yos and dolls were consumed by the fire. "All the little ones will have toys now." She smiled softly watching as the items burned. Small envelopes followed, each one no more than an inch square. Names were inscribed in a neat hand on each envelope. "While I cannot apologize for any life I have taken during mine for I feel no remorse for my deeds. Neither do I revel in what I have done. You would have done the same to me if I had not been quicker. I removed the last hope any of you ever had to change, to become more than you were and for doing that I send you wishes that Lurudd will someday forgive you and let you sit at his right hand." She dropped an envelope that had her name on it into the fire. "And because they do not know how nor would most of them do so if they did, I send these same wishes on to the slain enemies and victims of those I know." More envelopes follow the first each with a name upon it. Garth, One-eye, Siena, Caine, Quent, Shad, Daniel, Prophet, Holliss, Brice, Boyle, Seth, Sierra. She dropped them singly into the fire so as not to mix the wishes up. "I also send such wishes to the friends and family any of them may have loved and lost." Mera, Asche, Terra, Chumba, Jansenn and quite a few similarly marked envelopes were quickly turned to ash by the small fire in the bowl.

That done she brushed her hands off on her lap. "Hear me spirits. Those who linger in hopes of revenge, know there will be none for you in the realm of the living. Those who haunt out of spite, no one can see or hear you. You only waste your energy. There is nothing left for you in the realm of the living. Move on now. Be content in Lurudd’s realm for that is where you belong. Grandfather, Grandmother, I call you back to this realm. Please guide the lost souls to their new home." Her eyes did not lift from the bowl in spite of her desire to look up and perhaps catch a glimpse of her greatly missed grandparents. "Guide them in their new existence as you always guided me in life, with patience, understanding and love."

She remained as she was until the fire consumed the last scrap of paper and the incense burned out. Only then was the ceremony done. Bliss lifted her head slowly, a small smile on her face. She didn’t have any way of knowing if the ceremony was at all successful in doing what was intended but it didn’t really matter to her. If nothing else, the ceremony made her feel better. She had honored what her grandmother had taught her and that was as important to her as putting wandering spirits to rest was to her grandmother.

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