Corpse Bride Fan Fiction ❯ Brother of the CORPSE BRIDE. ❯ Give a little, and Get a little ( Chapter 4 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

CHAPTER FOUR
 
 
“I can't believe I let you talk me into this!” I said as Emily and Victor pulled me through town.
 
“Trust me.” My sister said, “Elder Gutknecht will know exactly how to help you out!”
 
“Trust us,” added Victor, “He even made the potion to make me dead so I could stay here.”
 
Elder Gutknecht was the oldest skeleton in all our Dead-land. He served as a Wiseman of deep knowledge and had a great fondness of my sister.
 
I wasn't so sure about this, for the Elder was also someone I had never met before.
 
How was I to know he would be willing to help me? How was even going to treat me?
 
* * *
 
We arrived at Elder Gutknecht's laboratory. The old skeleton was over thrilled to see Emily and Victor.
 
Emily and Victor hadn't seen the Elder since their big wedding, before I ever met Victor.
 
Once Emily told the Elder who I was, he was even more excited than ever. “Ah, yes.” He said to me.
 
“Mykan, the greatest Wedding gown designer in the world.”
 
“Correction…” I said, “You mean… Ex-greatest Wedding dress designer in the world.”
 
“Oh… Sorry about that.” Said the Elder, “Now then, what you here?” he replied.
 
Emily and Victor decided to tell him why we had come to make it easier for me.
“Young man, come forward!” said Elder I walked up to him with my corpse quivering nervously.
 
“Emily and Victor have told me of your problems.” He said, “And I think I may be able to help you out.”
 
“But… on one condition!”
 
I began sweating like my boots. “I want you…” he paused, “…To teach me how make such elegant gowns… there for my wife you know.”
 
That was it? That was all he wanted, me to teach how to make dresses? I expected him to want something more, such as half my body.
 
“Teach you how to design a dress?” I asked. Elder nodded his head, “I've always wanted to be taught a delicate art such as yours.”
 
“Well; what say? Do we have deal?” he said holding his hand, or what was his hand.
 
There was no way I could lose… I took his hand and shook it.
 
* * *
 
A while later Elder Gutknecht and I got down to business. He would only help me after he knew all there was to know.
 
So I started him off by sketching a design of what he wanted the dress for his wife to look like.
 
Unfortunately he was having a hard time holding the pencil and keeping the paper straight.
 
I soon discovered the problem why, “Elder, how soon do you want this gown completed?” I asked.
 
Elder looked up at me and said, “As soon as possible, or at least until my wife gets home from her trip.”
“Well Elder there's your problem.” I said, “You're trying to get this done as quickly as you can.”
 
“And the problem is…?” he asked me. “Well there's one thing every Artist knows about things like this…” I said.
 
“You Can't Rush Art!”
 
“I…I can't?” asked the elder. I nodded, “You see, even my easiest of Wedding gowns took me almost a week to perfect.”
 
“A week?!” cried Elder. “Don't worry, that was only because I worked alone.” I said.
 
Emily and Victor agreed at once, “Yes, but we're here.” said Emily, “We'll help you, won't we dear.”
 
Victor nodded, “Don't worry Elder.” He said, “We'll succeed, you'll see.”
 
The mountain bugs' music was heard again, this time in the lab. “Courage Elder, you can do it.”
 
 
[Mykan]:
Every bursted bubble has a glory!
[Emily]:
Each abysmal failure makes a point!
[Victor]:
Every glowing path that goes astray,
Shows you how to find a better way.
[Emily'sHeadMaggot]< i>:
So every time you stumble never grumble.
[TwoSpiders]:
Next time you'll bumble even less!
[ALL(Except Elder)]:
For up from the ashes,
Up from the ashes,
Grow the roses of success!
-Grow the roses!
Grow the roses!
Grow the roses of success!
Oh yes!
Grow the roses!
Those rosy roses!
From the ashes of disa
ster
Grow the roses of success!
* * *
 
“Yes I know that.” Said Elder, but I must have it done by tomorrow night!”
 
“It will be.” I said sowing the completed design already.
 
* * *
 
[Mykan and Victor]:
For every big mistake you make be grateful!
Here, here!
[Emily and her Maggot]:
That mistake you'll never make again!
No sir!
[The Spiders]
Every shiny dream that fades and dies,
Generates the steam for two more tries!
[Elder]
(Oh) There's magic in the wake of a fiasco!
(Correct!)
It gives you that chance to second guess!
(Oh yes!)
 
[All]:
Then up from the ashes,
Up from the ashes
Grow the roses of success!
-Grow the roses!
Grow the roses!
Grow the roses of success!
Grow the roses!
Those rosy roses!
From the ashes of disaster
Grow the roses of success!
* * *
 
The fabric was already measured and trimmed. Now we just had to fit it on a model.
 
Emily volunteered.
 
* * *
 
[Elder]
Disaster didn't stymie Louis Pasteur!
(No sir!)
Edison took years to see the light!
(Right)
Alexander Graham
Knew failure well;
He took a lot of knocks
To ring that bell!
[ALL]
-So when it gets distressing it's a blessing!
Onward and upward you must press!
Yes, Yes!
Till up from the ashes,
Up from the ashes
Grow the roses of success.
-Grow the ro
Grow the ro

Grow the roses!
Grow the ro
Grow the ro

Grow the roses!
Grow the roses of success!
-Grow the ro
Grow the ro
Grow the roses!
Those rosy ro
Those rosy ro

Those rosy roses!
From the ashes of disaster,
Grow the roses of success!
(It's beautiful)!
Success!
(Thank you, Mykan!)
Success!
(Now as promised)
(I shall help you!)

SUCCESS!!!
 
* * *
 
After gift wrapping the Gown up, it was Elder's turn to live up to his end of the bargain.
 
He handed me a small Harp made of gold and covered with jewels. “Now this,” he said, “Is your ticket to the world above.”
 
I didn't understand that at all. During my life I did know how to play things like the piano, and the flute, but never anything with strings.
 
“Elder, I don't know how to play a harp.” I said. “You don't have my boy.” He replied.
 
“This is a transporter Harp. All you have to do is think of where you want to be, and then twang on these three simple notes.”
 
He whistled the notes…and then “Now let us assume that I need to be at the top of my bookshelf there.”
 
He closed his eye sockets, and played the notes on the harp, and in a puff of smoke he vanished.
 
“You see.” He said up from his shelf, “But be sure to think carefully, or you might end up in a sticky spot.”
 
He popped back down, and handed me the harp, “...but Remember this!” he said to me.
 
“The Harp's power will be completely drained out 720 hours after you leave here.”
 
“In other words, you only have one month to stay on the surface-world, after that, you will return here, unable to go back.”
 
“However, that is only half of it.” He replied, “If the Harp is destroyed, you will automatically return here, empty handed.”
 
Only one month in land of the living, if that was all he could give me, I had to take my chance.
 
I was almost read to leave, but didn't play the harp just yet. There was still one problem.
 
“But Elder, I'm still dead.” I said, “Yes. He's falling apart.” Added Victor, “How do you expect him to stay up there in one piece?”
 
Elder knew we would ask, so he reached into his drawers and pulled out a small packet with seven gumballs in side it.
 
They were in all six colors of the rainbow; Red, yellow, orange, green, blue, and violet, and last one was black, but it was in the very center.
 
The Elder reached into the packet and handed to me the red one. “Chew this.” He told me “…And whatever you do, don't spit it out or swallow it!”
 
As hard as it was to understand, I popped the gum in my mouth and chewed it until I managed to wedge it in between my teeth.
 
Suddenly: I felt my Corpse shaking, and there before my eyes like magic, my flesh was returning to me.
 
My bones became in tact, the paleness on my skin had gone, my clothes were mending up, and before I knew it, my body seemed to be restored.
 
“This gum and the others, allow you to cover up your Corpse-body with artificial flesh.” said Elder.
 
“However, the gum itself comes with side effects.”
 
“And they are exactly what?” I asked.
 
 
Elder continued right through the night, explaining to me what to expect on my quest.
 
I sure hope I was making the right choice. After all, it's not right for the dead to walk amongst the living.