Skeleton Wars

by Desire Luminsa

  SKELETON WARS

  By

  Desire Luminsa

  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.

  CHAPTER ONE

  PLANET GHOSTIA

  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 socke
ts 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.

  In the struggle that ensued, two of the ten Ghoes managed to escape by disguising as palace servants. They ran away from the palace to the residential areas from where they disappeared completely after mixing with the ordinary ghosts. The remaining eight Ghoes were helpless because by then, they had not yet built a standing army that could have defended them. Even the servants at the palace could do nothing to save them because the bandits were outnumbering them.

  It did not take long before the other ordinary ghosts learnt about the coup. Immediately, they staged a strike and headed straight to the palace to save the Ghoes. However, Roth and Luthus had already planned for them.

  The first group of rioters that arrived at the palace was left to enter through the Western gate without impediment.When all of them were inside, all the gate were closed to prevent more rioters from entering.

  The rioters, who were chanting slogans that were praising the Ghoes, moved straight to the Ruthst Square and started calling Roth and Luthus to come out of the palace. But they were surprised to see that none of the guards that had been deployed at the palace seemed to be bothered by their presence.

  When Luthus came out of the palace to face them, his looks had changed so much because he was putting on a black crown on his skull, which made him look like a monster. He went straight to the platform and stood in front of them. He said no word but instead he raised his one arm and pointed at the sky.

  Immediately a strong lightning came from the clouds and struck into the middle of the rioters. It burnt to ash some of the skeletons that were standing in the middle of the group. Others were lifted up in the air by the violent windstorm that followed the lightning and by the time they returned to the ground, their skeletons had been shattered into pieces.

  The ghosts that remained standing were dispersed in different directions as they tried to run away from this mysterious lightning. The northern gate was intentionally opened to let a few of them escape so that they could spread the information about what had happened to their colleagues so that those who had intentions of striking could be warned in advance.

  Those that were prevented from escaping were arrested and chained by the palace guards. The following day, they were forced to start constructing an underground dungeon which was to be their own prison. For the following seven days, they worked on this site without resting until when it was completed.

  The ordinary ghosts were invited to the Ruthst Square to watch for themselves as their colleagues marched into the underground prison where they were to spend the rest of their time. The eight Ghoes entered into the prison first and were followed by the other ghosts.

  From that day, Luthus announced himself as the new leader of the planet. He gave himself the title “LORD GHOST’’ and made Roth his deputy. The presence of the dungeon and his possession of unknown magical powers instilled fear in the ordinary ghosts. They were always reluctant to rise against his regime for fear of ending up in prison. But the more he stayed in power, the more the ghosts hated him.

  The bandits that had helped him overthrow the Ghoes were further trained militarily and formed a standing army which he used to pass on his decrees to the ordinary ghosts. The army would perform raids in the residential areas of the ordinary ghosts in which it could arrest many that it could suspected to be harboring intentions of rising against Lord Ghost. For his first ten years in power, he concentrated much effort in looking for the two Ghoes that had escaped from the palace on the day he had attacked it.

  Many ghosts who were suspected to be the two Ghoes and those that they suspec
ted to be their accomplices were always arrested and imprisoned without trial, on a daily basis. But with time, Lord Ghost gave up on searching for the two Ghoes, thinking that he might have arrested them among the other prisoners. However, he maintained a strong spy network to track down the dissidents before they could invade the palace.

  But all that had happened hundreds of thousands of years before. Not many ghosts were present in the days of the Ghoes. Actually, to many of the young ghosts, the story of the Ghoes was like a fare tale, that was always being told to them by the pioneer ghosts. Some even thought that the story had been concocted by the pioneer ghosts to make them hate their leader Lord Ghost!

  CHAPTER TWO

  THE FIRST RAID ON EARTH

  From the Ruthst square, Lord Ghost had moved straight to the boardroom of his palace. He had scheduled to attend another meeting with all the ten generals with whom they had been planning for the attack on earth. Four of the generals plus Roth, had remained on planet Ghostia for all the four hundred years. They had been left in charge of the administration of the planet. They would only meet Lord Ghost once in a while for consultations. Lord Ghost and the other six generals had been underneath making preparations for the battle with man which was in the offing.

  In his speech to the generals, Lord Ghost first summarized all the events that had taken place in the four hundred years in their chronological order. They had started with enlarging the prison into a giant science laboratory, arsenal and a training ground for their soldiers and scientists, a process which took them over ten years. The prisoners that had been locked up in the dungeon by then were the ones that were used to construct this underground complex. From above the ground, it still looked like a simple dungeon which made it difficult for the ordinary ghosts to suspect that something different was taking place down there. The opening which served as both exit and entrance was heavily guarded by the palace guards to prevent any unauthorized intruder from ever getting access to it.