I am Bexley The Bloodletter’s Scourge chapter 32 “Bhoot Chaturdashi”

Bhavna showed us what she had been writing. She was secretive for so long about her calligraphy. Now, she laid it out for Shadow, Jake and I to look at. Her letters were so delicate, elegant and looked surreal to me. My human mother who gave birth to us would tell us human history, biblical history and principles of life. Bhavna, who took us under her zombie wing, as she called it teasingly, taught us of her lost Bengali culture. Her Indian roots were all lost as zombies typically did not celebrate anything or mark dates for things. There was no markers for time.

“My culture is all about lights. Lights, like oil lanterns. They ward off evil spirits. Diwali is the Festival of Lights. To celebrate knowledge over ignorance, light over darkness. And of course, good over evil,” Bhavna signed to us solemnly.

“Who is the stars that blanket the sky that also cover me?” Shadow asked in a timid sign, pointing to a row of words Bhavna has written.

Bhavna covered her face, looking a little embarrassed.

Jake giggled. “Is that someone Bha-Bha loved?”

I shoved my little brother gently, whispering, “That’s rude!”

Shadow signed, “Who were they?”

Bhavna signed the poem she wrote in the most beautiful form:

Lights sprinkle like a madness that brewed inside of a celestial cocoon

The cocoon opened with a violent burst

Explosions of sinking red, hot white and ocean hue

Wings that flutter and soak the sky as a halo that has no angel

Yet here you are, blanketing me like the stars that cover the sky.

Shadow made an expression that looked like a dreamy sigh.

“Is that romantic? I think that’s how my father and papa act like,” Shadow signed to her. She nodded and patted Shadow’s head.

“You caught on to me,” Bhavna smiled.

“I was a rebel even before I went on to help humans with the Bloodletter raids,” She contained to explain. “Long before I had you two fall into my lap like a mouse to cheese, I met someone. His name was Hassan.” She tickled Jake on the nose and neck, making me laugh, as she mentioned the mouse part. Then, she tapped her lips to tap my forehead. That was how she showed her affection to us.

“Hassan? How did you meet?” I asked her.

“Well, my impatient Jonas, I met him because I saw a string of lights in the sky. I saw him, dark and brooding, as the lanterns flew up into the night air. But his eyes, his eyes, I swear, were the color of the stars…. And that made me feel alive for the first time in my life…” Bhavna signed to us. She never seemed so animated as she did right in this moment. I kept looking at Shadow. Her light eyes made me think of this too. Feeling alive. Really alive. Beyond the way humans or zombies felt!

Shadow had asked a question but I missed it. Jake started fussing and Bhavna made us go into the kitchen as she prepared us food. We were getting so low on food but Bhavna always made sure we had something to eat. She tended the garden and tried so hard to take care of us. I feel bad because she never sleeps or rests (well, she’s a zombie but still!).

It was so annoying too cause Jake is still little and fussed so much, making Bhavna hold him as she cooked.

“I know humans used to celebrate something called Halloween. Like a festival of the harvest. Humans used to dress up like monsters, right, Bhavna?” Shadow asked.

“Well, speaking of that, no I don’t know that variant of the holiday but my people did celebrate something similar. Bhoot Chaturdashi. Both Diwali and this version of our Halloween, we celebrate the defeat of the demon king Narakasura. And both have many lights. Fourteen to be exact! Lord Rama and Lord Krishna kicked that bad old demon’s behind, pardon my language!”

We all giggled as she sparred an imaginary demon, still holding my baby brother.

“Can we celebrate Toot Chandelier too Bha-Bha?! Please?” Jake pleaded with big eyes. I laughed.

“What the… Jake you said it all wrong!” I scolded. Not I that didn’t laugh. That was a funny pronunciation but I didn’t want Shadow or Bhavna to think I didn’t take this seriously.

Bhavna smiled big, and Shadow squeaked out tumbling giggles.

“Your brother’s so cute when he mispronounces things!” Shadow remarked, side-hugging both Bhavna and Jake. She’s so sweet. My whole body feels so warm when I’m with Shadow.

“You can be the Skondhokata!” She told him.

“What is that?” Shadow asked.

“A Headless ghost. Hassan was my Skondhokata. He had a detached head, I teased him often. He kissed me once when we lurked around the train tracks, pretending to wail like a Shakchunni as he would ask me, “Have you seen my head?”

We all laughed at the silliness.

“He gave me a conch shell bangle, which in my culture, means you’re a married woman. However, I was pretending to be a wailing spirit that possessed living married women. This was the first and last time I celebrated such a holiday. That crazy train ran over his wandering head that night, and I really did become a mourning widow….”

She got us all a plate of food. Jake and I ate as Shadow and my zombie mother covered more topics on Bengali customs and culture.

I thought of that conch shell bangle that Bhavna talked about and how important it was. Some people gave their partners a gem or gold to show their love and commitments. I realized then and there that I wanted to make sure Shadow had one for her wrist.