The Vampire Skull 1.2 The Skull

Ellie looked back at the skull and for a moment she wondered if the skull had talked. It can’t be the skull right? She narrowed her eyes, staring closer at it.

“Did you just talk?” Ellie asked as she lifted the skull in front of her face.

“Of course I just talked! You see anyone else here kid? Well, except for the crow.” The skull replied. Her eyes widened, she couldn’t believe her ears, the skull actually talked?!

He continued loudly “But more importantly, why can you hear me? In all my years wasting away, not a single soul has heard my cries for help…”

Ellie looked at the skull very closely, she felt a sadness wash over her all of a sudden, his voice, his words, all seemed so full of sorrow.

“I don’t really know why.” She replied. “Are you a vampire? Are vampires real? Why are you a skull? Where’s the rest of you? What’s your name? My name is Ellie!” She was too excited now, she had so many things to ask, she wanted answers to everything.

“Whoa there. Too many fudging questions.” The skull seemed a bit annoyed, but he continued. “I don’t know the answer to any of them. Except, wait… Yes, I guess I am a vampire, everything else is so hazy, my body, I don’t know where it is, I don’t remember. My name, I don’t even know.”

She could hear the sorrow talking again but she couldn’t help but think how awesome this was.

“What if I help you remember? And find your body?” She raised her eyebrows, staring at the skull.

The skull hesitated “Help? I- I don’t really know what to say. What can a kid do? This might be too much for you.” He muttered.

But Ellie was determined, she lifted up the skull from the shelf and held him up

“There is one thing you should know about me! I love adventures, and this might be the biggest adventure of my life.” She beamed with confidence.

“So I will help you. And I promise you that one day we will find the rest of you, including your memories. Until then, since you don’t have a name, I will call you… Skully!” She added with a gigantic grin.

“Skully?!? What the fudge?” The skull felt he had no choice but to accept the name.

The crows started cawing loudly again.

“I think for now we should head back to my house,” Ellie swiftly stuffed the skull inside her backpack, the crows seemed agitated for some reason, which was never good.

“Wait, don't fudging put me in here!” Skully yelled, but Ellie wasn’t listening. She quickly climbed over the tree roots and ran through the forest; leaping over a few small creeks, through the trees, and over the small fence that keeps the forest separate from the road. Ellie headed across the road and went straight through the overgrown field in front of her house. She dashed up the creaky staircase to her bedroom. She put down her bag, it was bright yellow; her mother loved yellow, so she tried to love it too. Her hands reached inside and pulled Skully out. She stared at him some more.

She looked for a place in her room to put the skull, she had shelves full of books, animal skulls, little treasures, rocks and gemstones. On her wall was a poster of Nova Blackheart, he was always ready for adventure. Ellie was always ready for adventure.

She pushed a couple of books and some rocks aside and put the skull right in the middle of her bookshelf.

“Perfect” she stated proudly with a huge smile smeared across her face.

“Though there is still a lot of dirt stuck to you.” Ellie mumbled, looking at Skully.

“Let’s give you a bath first.” Ellie remarked, carrying Skully off to the bathroom.

“Bath? What do you mean? Like with water and soap?” Skully asked panickedly, he wasn’t so sure about that bath.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be as clean as new? Hmmm, did you used to have skin?” Ellie asked carefully as she started filling up the sink with water.

“What the fudge do you mean; did I have skin? Of course I had skin, at least I think so… My memories might not be great, but I am pretty sure I had skin, and a body so don’t ask dumb questions, kid.” Skully grunted, this girl was asking way too many questions. Ellie dropped Skully into the water, pouring soap on top of his head.

“Ugh, great.” Skully grumbled as Ellie started rubbing the soap all over him.

“Sorry, that might have been a dumb question. I’m just trying to figure you out.” Ellie smiled, she could smell a great adventure.

Skully couldn’t remember the last time anyone had shown him this much care, she was so sweet and careful, her smile warmed his soul. He wanted to stay with this girl forever if he could. Ellie lifted him out of the water and patted him dry with a towel.”All clean! Can I paint you?” Ellie asked Skully, her wide grin was right in his face. “Absolutely not! I’m not some prop.” Skully hissed, he couldn’t believe the nerve of this girl. Paint him? Ellie giggled. “That was a joke anyway, you silly grumpy skull.” She sighed as she sat down with the skull on her lap.

Everything so far seemed a dream to Skully, he had not expected anyone to find him let alone hear and talk to him, he had not expected to ever see the stars again, yet here he was.

“Imagine all the adventures we will have! Wait… First we have to establish what memories you have, if any!” She exclaimed, too excited for words, a vampire skull that could talk, it seemed like something from her wildest imagination or the books she devoured every day.

“Skully! We are gonna have so much fun together, you should tell me everything you remember! All of it!” She added.

Skully thought about it. What did he actually remember? He felt like he was floating, lost at sea, no islands, nothing, just a big dark storm overhead.

“A city? Dawn. I remember it faintly, I don’t know my connection to it, and a tree?” Skully recollected, then he felt himself float away from those things, even though he wanted to go nearer.

“So who am I? I know I’m a vampire and I have a body somewhere, but that seems to be all I know, and no matter how hard I try to remember my life I just can’t.” Skully added before stopping, Ellie could feel his sorrow filling up the room.

“Maybe we can do something else?” She asked.

“I am certain of something.” Skully suddenly said. “I am not dead. I can feel my body waiting for me, I am alive, if I could just find it, everything will come back. I will be whole again.” His voice sounded desolate, lonely.

Ellie felt her eyes fill up with tears. “That’s so sad! You’re gonna make me cry now.”

She held Skully close “I promise we will find your body someday. Until then, at least you have someone to talk to now.” She gave the biggest grin, teeth and gums beaming at Skully. And for a brief moment he felt ok, he had seen an island in that great sea of darkness.

They both startled and snapped right back to the reality of her room when two loud knocks hammered on the door. “Ellie?” A voice inquired.

“It’s my dad!” Ellie whispered, she hurried to the door, only opening it slightly so he would not see Skully. She glared at her dad through the narrow gap.

“Ellie, do you want pizza or pizza for dinner?” He asked, chuckling quietly. Ellie’s father was a tall man, his black long hair a bit unkempt in an utterly random hairstyle, some of it reaching his shoulders, some tickling his face. His eyes found her through the narrow door opening.

Ellie felt a bit annoyed, she was tired of always eating the same thing when he was home.

“Pizza or pizza? It doesn’t really matter, I’m kinda busy anyways.” She grumbled, just wanting him to leave. Out of the room she could hear Skully saying “Pizza!? I could go for some Pizza.”

Ellie looked at her dad’s face, wondering if he heard the skull. She didn’t want him to hear it, the skull was her discovery. Ellie did not want her dad to take another thing away from her.

Nervously Ellie exclaimed “ Ahhh, you know what I am actually really hungry! Like starving. You should go get that pizza right now!” Closing the door a bit more to make him go.

He raised an eyebrow. “Ok… I guess I better go buy the pizza then. Everything ok there Ellie?” His voice had that worried tone to it, she hated it.

“Everything is peachy! Nothing weird going on here. Bye now, see you later, and the pizza too, see it later.” She yelled as she withdrew into the room.

She shut the door quickly, leaning her back against it, she let herself slide down to the floor for a moment.

“Phew, you shouldn’t just speak loudly like that, Skully. What if he heard you?” Ellie stammered before she put her head against the door to make sure he had left.

“He would freak out if he heard you, my dad is not good with these kinds of things. He would probably faint or something then he would throw you far away.” She stated as she got back up and went over to Skully, picking him up and placing him back on the shelf.

“Listen kid…” Skully began “I am pretty sure you are the only one that can hear me, like I told you before, in all my years I have called out to many others, but only you answered back.” He remarked with a sombre undertone.

Her face started looking lively again, she smiled and put her hand on top of the skull. “Alright then Skully. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”

A friendship that would last for years.