Jackalopes

Bear, Bird, Rabbit

"HAHA YES, you know me all too well!" Urminora smiled widely. "It is just that I am tired of each and every soul in paradise that gets some kind of survivor's guilt, come down to the underworld to help and then go back again as soon as things turn pear-shaped. But you seem different, Jane! Tell me, do you remember how you died?" Jane was surprised, because she assumed that nobody remembered that.

"Most do remember eventually" Jessica explained. "But some do not remember, even after reaching paradise."

"And for some reason, these people often return to work with the jackalopes!" Urminora interrupted.

"Does that mean....?" Jane began.

"Yep" Jessica said. "Urminora and I can remember everything about our lives; we do know that we knew each other in life..."

"A very rare occurrence to awaken together in the underworld!" Urminora interrupted.

"Yes" Jessica admitted. "We can remember everything up to the day we died, but not the actual cause and even if somebody tells us the memory instantly disappear! I mean, you must have asked your family in paradise about it, right?" Jane knew that she had, but the memory was gone. Now it felt like she had something in common with both. Urminora and Jessica and evidently they felt it too, because they were now both far friendlier to her. They sat up the whole night, just talking and sharing their former life and new-found friendship with each other.

Jane never could adjust to the ice-cream salesman that drove past the pylons every Tuesday, its hellish noise waking her from her sleep as she took an afternoon nap. Despite having experienced the same thing in life (although only the richest areas got ice-cream when she was alive) Jane never did get used to it. One day she actually decided to go out into the cold and misty air and buy ice-cream with some money her family had sent her, despite being deadly afraid of the clown covered in band-aids that sold them.

As she did so she met a thin and slender lizard-woman, wearing nothing but a loincloth and a bow. She was licking a strawberry-flavoured ice-cream with delight, her tongue swirling all over the melting candy. Perhaps this was Gallinega, the one who had saved the shade a couple of nights before.

"Hello" Jane said, thinking to thank her. "I do not think we have been properly introduced yet? I am Jane!" At this, Gallinegga just sniffed Jane's outstretched hand and then licked it, causing Jane to pull it back towards her body. "I will never understand the underworld..." Jane said to herself more than anybody else. Gallinega simply scurried of into the cliffs, carrying her ice-cream with her.  Jane took her own ice-cream (hay-flavored) and wandered back to the pylon. Jane had just gotten back from her little snack-adventure when she could hear somebody knocking on Jessica's and Urminora's room. (Jane could not quite think of it as her own yet). It was Mrs Wild, which surprised Jane slightly. "Hello...Jane, was it?" she said and smiled pleasantly. "I just came to check up on you and that the people you are partnered with give you the help that you need!" Jane nodded and opened the door fully for her. She noticed that Mrs Wild had changed her hair into something more light-bluish. It still looked like it was melting, and she still carried the bow. Jane had not seen it before but the feet of Mrs Wild's were melting too. She was no normal woman!

"I am a Pooka" Mrs Wild shortly offered as an explanation when she saw how Jane stared. "Surely you have read and remember everything about them from your training?"

"Yes, I have" Jane lied. "You must remember all that you read because mistakes out there in the underworld will not only put your own soul at stake but the souls of the poor defenseless shades out there, walking and beset by demons! I do not mind telling you that recently many of the hidden paths that only the jackalopes know of have been blocked up, and more and more demon portals have popped up near the main road, threatening the shades and keeping them back in the lower paths of the underworld. I am working overtime to keep the situation under control and I need to keep everyone working as a team, understand!?"