Sovay has a minion!

Bub the Tiny Harbinger

Peppermint tea. Cream. Sugar cubes. Two cups, two saucers, two spoons. One chair.

This was how Sovay had set up tea every day for the last ten years, and he didn't plan to stop any time soon. Every day the same, though he was so fond of it that the ritual felt more like tradition than monotony. He sat in the single cushioned chair in front of the table. The room around him was warmly lit by oil lamp - it was small and comfortable, enough for one person. The living space above his business - Timberdell Mortuary - consisted of four rooms, and the tearoom was the largest, though it felt smaller since he had put a large bookshelf in every corner.

Sovay was well known in Timberdell - he owned the only mortuary and funeral home in the town. Timberdell was a superstitious town, and although they required his services, the other citizens were wary of him. Not that he minded much - he had plenty of other friends.

He sighed lightly, and slipped a hand under the scarf draped over his shoulders, gently touching the amulet hidden beneath the warm cloth. It was silver, with a single gemstone in the middle. It had been given to him by his aunt when she had been on her deathbed. Her amulet and her business. Her final gifts to her nephew, and his most treasured possessions.

He pressed his thumb into the stone, which glowed dimly under his scarf. The room around him seemed to darken, and the same dull blue glow from his amulet materialized into a phantasmic shape across the table from him. Gradually it formed into a recognizable shape - a woman, small in stature, who appeared only slightly confused at her surroundings. The lights in the room returned to their normal brightness, though the flame in the lamps flickered faster than usual. Sovay set himself to work pouring tea into both their cups.

"Ah, I know you. You're the undertaker, aren't you? Thank you. My funeral was lovely, better than I could have hoped for."

"You're quite welcome, Miss Julia. It's a shame though, you died so young." Julia had passed away last week in an unfortunate house fire at the tender age of nineteen.

She laughed lightly and shook her head. "Yes, a real pity. Though I suppose there's nothing I can do about it now. It's been a nice few days - I already haunted all of my ex-boyfriends! You should have seen the looks on their faces! They all left flowers on my grave after that, ha! Poor fools." The ghost closed her eyes, smiling softly. "Is that peppermint? It was my favorite. I bet it's delicious. Two sugars, please."

Sovay obediently dropped two cubes into the tea on the other side of the table, taking the liberty to also stir for his ghostly companion. "What are your plans now, Miss Julia?"

The woman sighed, watching the sugar melt inside her teacup. "Now... I think I'm ready to be off. It makes me sad, seeing my family and my friends every day and not being able to speak to them. When do I cross over, to the other side?"

The mortician bit his lip; he hated being the bearer of bad news. "Well, Miss Julia... here's the thing. You should have crossed over immediately; that's what happens to most people. But since you're here now, that means you have unfinished business here in the mortal realm you need to take care of before you can go. You have to... find your purpose, so to speak."

"My purpose..." Julia trailed off, lost briefly in thought. Despite the fact that she hadn't taken a sip and couldn't because she was a spirit, Sovay poured more tea into her cup. "I will try my best to find my purpose. You don't suppose you could... come with me?"

Sovay shook his head. "No ma'am. I'm sorry. My purpose is right here."

"I figured as much," Julia responded, smiling sadly at Sovay, the man who just a week ago had gathered her charred remains and wrapped them in silk so that her family could bear to look at her in her coffin. "Thank you. I hope our paths cross again someday."

With those final words, the apparition that had been Julia faded into nothing, leaving Sovay with two untouched cups of peppermint tea in front of him.

Yes, he would be joining her someday, but not now.
He still had unfinished business.