Mister Skellington
As Skellington entered his cabin, the three curious, newly bonded ducklings followed right after him. They were still traumatized and in shock after what had happened, so they stayed silent the entire walk there. They settled inside, splaying their calloused toes at the lack of a floor. It was then that the girl piped up.
“Mister, why don’t ya got a floor?” she said, tilting her head at him. Skellington sat down against one of the walls, glancing at the ground, then at the girl. A floor? Skellington had no concept of such a thing, nor any need for it for that matter.
“Flooor?” he said in his raspy voice, like grinding stones. The younger of the boys twitched as he heard Skellington speak for the first time, startled by hearing such an alien voice. The older boy kicked the dirt floor, stones flying across the cabin.
“You’re askin’ da skeleton why him don’t have a floor?” the boy said, staring right at Skellington.
“W-what’s your name, mister skeleton? Mister? Wh-what’s your name?” Greta said, tilting her head at him twice. A name? He had heard the people call each other by various names, but never did he think he himself had a name. Skellington looked at the girl in confusion.
“Name? Mister… Skele-ton?…” he rasped.
“Skelling-ton?” the young boy said, the mole on his lip still trembling.
“Ohoo! Nice to meet you, Mister Skellington!” the girl piped up again. “I’m Greta, and that’s Nilo and Noah! They’re a bit mean, and hopeless, and I’m better at all sorts of things! Oh, and also, my favourite colour is red, and I’m five summers old! Nilo and Noah are only four!”
“Hopless!? Dummy Greta! Yous the hoppless one! Look, dummy Greta got her dress torn-ed!” Noah quipped, while Nilo nervously hid behind him. Greta looked at her favourite red dress and instantly burst into a bawling wail.
“Waaahhh! My dress!!! Waaaaaaahhh!!!” Her tears flew with the intensity of a roaring stream. The tear in her dress was only a tiny broken seam by her sleeve; nevertheless, it felt like the end of the world. Skellington stared at the chaos with deep confusion, taking a glance at his own, utterly tattered robes. If it weren’t for Nilo finding the stuffed teddy bear in Skellington’s pile of oddities, who knows how long she might’ve cried. Nilo handed the teddy bear to Greta, extending it towards her with a shy expression.
“H-hele Gleta,” he said, still struggling with his r’s. Greta grabbed the stuffed toy and hugged it tight, not even noticing the eye hanging by a thread. Her cries slowly turned to sobs as she took the stuffed animal to bed, though it was still just an empty spot in the dirt at the time. Before long, the exhaustion got all three of them. It wasn’t the best night, that’s for sure; the dirt was cold and uncomfortable, many things running through their little minds. However, despite everything, they had a new home, and someone, or something, was just about to learn all it meant to be a parent.
The World Stones 