GS: Tanis' Origins

I hope I don't disappoint anyone. My story's not as long as the other ghouls', but I'll try to repeat everything I can remember, okay?

From what my Mummy-Daddy told me, I was born, dead. This was back in ancient Egypt times. My mother gave birth to me, only to find I was already dead. She passed away not long after. Most say it was from all the stress of giving birth. Others say it was from a broken heart. Back in those times, they honored the dead with special Sarcophagi and secret tombs, where the bodies would be left, undisturbed. My Daddy was already dead, so all three of us were placed in our own sarcophagi. But my story doesn't end there. You see, ancient Egypt was known for its Dark Magic, ancient words contained within heavy books of gold and silver. An explorer got hold of one of the books, unknowingly reciting the words to bring the dead back to life.

I was one of those that woke, my sarcophagus echoing with a baby's screams. A long time passed before the lid of my "bed" was opened. Very little light greeted me, but that was because I was still in a tomb. At least that's what my Mummy-Daddy told me. Bandaged hands gently picked me up, and I looked to meet the glowing red eyes of my Daddy. I couldn't talk at the time, but I remember him telling me we were brought back to life by magic. The only way we could sustain our lives now was to drain it from the living. I was a baby, so I couldn't do that. My Daddy did this for me, dragging curious explorers into my tomb. He'd always put me on a table, restraining his prey on the table beside mine. I remember seeing Daddy with a gold book, Egyptian writing all over the cover. My Mummy-Daddy then recited something from the book, and an odd half gel, half mist object would slither up from between the tables. It split in two, one over my face, the other over the explorer's.

My Daddy told me during this, all the life essence would be drained from our prey, and then transferred into me. My skinny mummy form became plump, the other's body the same as I was: all dried up and mummified. This process was how my Daddy "fed" me, at least until I was big enough to walk. But when I tried to learn to speak, my voice never came. That was when my Daddy realized he'd never spoken the words to give me a voice. As a present on my first re-birthday, he granted me the gift of speech. That's when I finally learned to speak. It was also on my first birthday that we decided on a name for myself, since my Daddy was always busy looking for explorers for us to drain. "Tanis" was the name my Daddy liked the best. I didn't know what it meant, but if he was happy, I was too. I'd then asked the first question that had been on my mind for the longest time, or since I could finally talk: I wanted to know about my mother. My Daddy frowned and told me the words that brought us to life failed to give her life, as well. He explained that my Mum's spirit didn't wish to return to the living, mostly because of the sorrow of my birth that may or may not have caused her death. She had already Crossed Over, while our spirits had been held within the tombs, waiting for someone to say the words. I was sad my Mum wouldn't be around, but I was at least happy to know what had become of her.

When I was a little older, I realized I looked a lot like my Daddy, in the sense that I looked like a boy, not a girl. To fix this, I found some extra wrappings, and made a dress out of them, which I now wear. I also took a bow from one of my Daddy's victims, and used it to tie up some of the wrappings into "hair". My new look stunned my Daddy, but when I told him it was to make me look like a girl, not a boy, he quickly adjusted. I WAS supposed to be his daughter, not his son, after all. No sense in looking like a boy if I didn't have to.

It didn't take too long for me to grow bored of the treasure-filled tomb. I wanted to see the world, something beyond the darkness of the tombs. My Daddy was against it, saying I was far too young for exploration. I got mad and decided I'd prove him wrong. Under the cover of night, I left the tombs, getting to feel outdoor sand for the first time. After that, I just walked. I didn't know where I was going. Just walked. And I kept walking until the land gave up a forest, which led to a swamp. This was a huge change from the dryness of the desert, so I quickly grew to love it. My walking brought me to Miss Grimwood's, where she allowed me to stay after I told her my story. My Daddy found me a few days later, and while he was furious I left home like I did, he soon admitted this was for the best when I told him why I wanted to leave the tombs. I was happier among the swamp, a humid environment compared to the dry and dusty one of the desert. He told me he'd returned to protecting the family's treasure back at the tombs, but would visit every Halloween to see how I was doing. I was sad to see him go, but the friends I made at this Finishing School, I'd learned, made my decision to leave home worth it. Hey, I was now friends with a vampire, a werewolf, a ghost, and a Frankenstein girl! What more could a little mummy girl want? Plus, I was getting to eat a lot of yummy treats, and I could tell the other ghouls of my life in Egypt, and how I just walked my way to the school. (I was Undead; I never got tired.)

I know I'm not as scary as the other ghouls, but when I'm older, I'm giving it everything I've got. One day, I'll make my Mummy-Daddy proud, and maybe one day I'll take up his duty of guarding the family's wealth. But first, I've got to practice.

Perhaps I'll start with the new teacher we're going to have soon...