Skeleton Wars

Skeleton Wars

By Desire Luminsa

Copyright 2015 by Desire Luminsa

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places and incidents are either the product of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any
person or persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely
coincidental.

Skeletons of almost all the dead had gathered
in the Ruthst Square to listen to their elusive leader Lord Ghost
who was set to address them that evening. They were in such a large
number not because they loved him too much but because he had taken
four hundred years without addressing them! Actually, they all
resented him to the full and the expressions on the faces of their
skulls could prove this.

The youngest of all, those that had joined
the planet within those years were eagerly waiting to see him for
the first time. However, the elderly ghosts who had seen him
before, wanted to confirm whether he had not been overthrown by his
deputy, Roth.

Every ghost was wondering why he had chosen
to go into hiding for all that long. Where had he been hiding from
and what had he been doing there for all that long? More still,
what was he going to tell them at that moment? These and many other
questions which were lingering in their minds could only be
answered by Lord Ghost himself!

The young ghosts expected him to introduce
some reforms for the planet especially in terms of their welfare
but the elderly ghosts who knew him very well were very much
skeptical! They believed that he was just going to renew all his
coercive decrees!

The cause of his death was also a subject of
debate among the ordinary ghosts. The elderly ghosts postulated
that he might have lived a miserable life on earth. Probably, he
might have been a thief or a murderer!

The absence of the right arm from his
skeleton was the best evidence they could give. Probably, one day
after stealing or killing someone, an angry mob might have lynched
him to death. His right hand might have been cut off before he
died! But that was just hearsay because none of the ghosts could
prove that they were part of the mob that had killed him.

When he finally appeared, they looked at him
disquietingly as he trudged the five steps that lead to the raised
platform in front of them, from which he was going to deliver his
speech. He was so much impressed by their number that he had to
first look at them before he could start speaking. When compared to
the number he had last addressed four hundred years before, they
had increased by multiples. This made him grin as he raised his arm
to attract their attention. They obeyed him and immediately lapsed
into silence.

Throughout his speech, he talked with such
unwonted enthusiasm and audibility that even the last skeleton at
the back could hear him properly. But as usual, he was somehow
temperamental whenever he was stressing some points!

“Dear comrades,” he began. “Let me use this
moment to welcome all of those that have joined us of recent.
Indeed, many years have passed without us meeting. But as I always
told you, our presence here is irreversible. We are all dead and we
must be proud of it because we shall never be humans again!”

“However, I have one question to ask you! How
many of you have ever forgotten that sweet planet earth? Who cannot
compare Ghostia, the planet of the dead with earth, the most
diverse planet in the universe? Remember the beautiful sceneries on
earth. The snowcapped mountains and the green flora that blooms
with beautiful flowers in spring! What about snowfall in winter,
flowing rivers, lakes and many other lively features."

"Then what about our planet.""Everything that
we have here is either dead or made by us!”

He paused for a moment and looked at them .
They were all standing still and absorbed in thoughts, probably
thinking about their last days on earth! After realizing the effect
of his message on them, he grinned again before he continued.

“Comrades, do not worry! I have brought some
news which will console you. We are going back to earth very
soon.”

“What?!” exclaimed the ghosts. Silence broke
as the ghosts started murmuring amongst themselves in total
dissatisfaction. They could not believe that it could ever be
possible for the ghosts to return to earth. Lord Ghost gave them
time to discuss his point because he had expected them to behave
like that.

“I want to assure you on this, we are going
back to planet earth where we have our origin,” he reaffirmed.

“We are returning to earth soon because we
have reasons to do so. Look at our population. Every day we are
increasing in number yet the size of the planet does not change. We
must take control over man in order to limit their reproduction
rate. That is the only way through which we can guarantee a better
welfare for our planet.”

“But it cannot be an easy take over. We must
be prepared to fight because humans cannot just let us settle
amongst them. Perhaps, we cannot just begin ruling them, unless we
outweigh them militarily."

"If we win this battle then in future,
everyone will be able to choose whether to remain on earth or come
to Ghostia after their death. We are more than ready to fight for
that cause and we have been planning for it for the last four
hundred years."

"However, I strongly want to warn all the
dissidents. Do not think of trying to sabotage our progress because
we shall deal with you in the best way possible.”

“From today onwards, I declare mankind an
enemy to ghostkind!”

He spoke the last statement while moving
towards the palace from which he disappeared, never to be seen
again that day.

The idea of going back to earth sparked
different arguments among the ordinary ghosts. They could not
figure out how such a contentious issue had been developed. They
became divided between those who were still missing earth and felt
like going back and those who were proud of being on Ghostia.

But at least, after that gathering, they
could explain where their leader had been hiding and what he was
doing in his hideout!

<><><><>

Ghostia is an extraterrestrial planet found
outside the solar system. It is very different from earth both in
size and structure. When humans, animals and birds die, their souls
wander through space until when they reach this planet which
becomes their new home. It’s from here that they “Rest in Peace” as
they wait for that fateful day called Judgment Day.

There are only two gateways to this planet.
The first one is located on what would be the planet’s North Pole.
It serves as an entry point for only the souls of animals and birds
that die from earth.

The second gateway is on the South Pole and
it is called Arcacidia. It is a complex tunnel that was made above
the ground. The tunnel has unusual gravitational forces which pull
all human souls into it but repels any other thing, including
animal souls. It takes each soul only ten minutes to pass through
the tunnel but more than one hundred human souls can be taken in at
ago.

By the time the souls come out of the tunnel
from the other side, they would have been dressed in new skeletons.
These new skeletons are all similar in size and height but the
difference is in their shapes. This is because each soul receives
an exact replica of the skeletons they would have left on earth.
For example, if someone at the time of death was lacking a leg or
hand, even the skeleton that they receive would be lacking such
parts.

At the joints, like the ankles and knees, the
bones of the new skeletons are held in place by bands of strong
ligaments. The skeletons can thus move freely like humans but
without muscles to operate on their bones.

The most interesting thing about these
skeletons is their ability to talk yet they possess no vocal cords.
It’s a matter of lifting their jaw bones and sound is produced! The
only additional parts on these skeletons are the two unusual lenses
that are fitted in their eye sockets to enable the ghosts to see
properly. The skeletons do not eat nor sleep, but simply live in
harmony with each other, day and night.

After coming out of Arcacidia, each skeleton
is welcomed by a group of pioneer ghosts who help them fit into
their new society. The new skeletons are always presented with a
list of names to choose from, with guidance from their hosts.

In terms of structure, the equator of the
planet is marked by a very large ocean that is almost twice larger
than all the oceans of earth combined. The ocean acts as the
dwelling place for the skeletons of all the dead fish. Actually, in
some parts of this ocean, skeletons of dolphins can be seen jumping
out of the water body and then diving back, reminiscent of their
mortal days on earth!

The ocean also separates the planet into the
northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere. The mainland of the
Northern hemisphere is the dwelling place for the skeletons of all
types of animals. Organization in this part of the planet is
however not known clearly even to the ghosts themselves.

There are very turbulent waters in the ocean
near the coastal lands of this hemisphere which none of the
skeletons can dare navigate so as to reach there. It’s however
thought that skeletons of all animals, starting from the ancestral
dinosaurs to the present day mammals live there in peace without
any preying on the other.

The planet is as old as the earth. The first
human being to have died on earth was also the first ghost to
settle on Ghostia. When the population of humans on earth increased
so did their mortality rate and hence an increase in the population
of the ghosts on this planet.

Initially, each skeleton was living on its
own, without any cooperation amongst themselves. Some years later,
a group of ten skeletons decided to organize themselves into a
government that started leading the other ghosts. By title, these
ten were referred to as the “Ghoes” which means leader of the
ghosts.

Each Gho always put on a golden crown on
their skull. The crown was ever shining spontaneously, whether in
light or darkness. The most thrilling thing about these crowns was
that whenever they put them on their skulls, the whole of their
skeletons would become whiter than before and could illuminate this
white color to the surrounding. With such supernatural powers, the
Ghoes commanded much respect from the ordinary ghosts.

The Ghoes mobilized the pioneer ghosts to
build almost all the structures that are found on the planet. They
built houses to shelter themselves from the hotness during day and
the coldness at night. They also set up entertainment centers like
theatres and stadiums from which they would often gather to have
fun. With all these structures in place, the ghosts lived in
tranquility and were in position to forget about earth.

The palace of the Ghoes was built almost in
the middle of the Southern hemisphere. Surrounding it is a tall
perimeter wall that was made from iron only. The palace can be
accessed by the ordinary ghosts from their residential areas
through four gates which are found in all the four directions,
North, East, South and West. In front of the palace is a large open
field known as the Ruthst Square. The ordinary ghosts gather up
from here once in a while to listen to speeches from their
leaders.

During their reign, the Ghoes had chosen two
ghosts to act as their deputies. The two, Roth and Luthus, always
acted as a bridge between the Ghoes and the ordinary ghosts. They
would solicit complaints from the ordinary ghosts which they would
present to the Ghoes on their behalf. At the same time, they would
take the feedback from the Ghoes to the ordinary ghosts.

Unfortunately, the more the Ghoes trusted
them, the more they became proud and arrogant! Time reached when
the ordinary ghosts were fed up with them and started demanding for
their resignation. The Ghoes however were hesitant to fire them.
They wanted to quell them down through dialogue.

As pressure mounted on them, the two deputies
started living in suspicion as they believed that they were to be
fired soon. Out of this panic, they secretly formed different
groups of bandits from the ordinary ghosts and started training
them in military tactics. They also armed them with stones and
metallic clubs to use as weapons. After training for some time,
they led the banditry to the palace to overthrow the government of
the Ghoes.

At the time of the attack, the Ghoes were
seated in a meeting in which they were coincidentally discussing
about the future of their two deputies. They were taken by surprise
by the thugs who stormed the boardroom at once. In no time, the
thugs pulled off the crowns from their skulls before they could
react.