Did Naive die? Was that the blue tube creatures goal? To make the skeleton die?

Naive, having expertly discovered what dying was, answered with confidence.

“Yes, I died already.”

A chuckle sounded out in reply. Natus was sitting on the top of a coffin, accompanied by an unknown skeleton making a noise unlike Naive had ever heard. It wondered if the sound held a meaning but was interrupted by the gentle voice of Natus.

“I’m surprised you died so quickly, you should have been able to pass through that cavern with my teachings. What caused you to die Naive?”

Naive was ready to waggle its jawbone and speak its answer but the mysterious third party interrupted.

“You can’t tell a story starting from the end! Young idiot, come over here and take a seat.”

Patting a part of the coffin lid unadorned by skeleton bottom, the newest figure in Naive’s life invited it over. Naive stumbled over, earning a chuckle, and surveyed the indicated coffin. Was this a seat? Taking but a moment to come to its conclusion, Naive grabbed the so called seat and hoisted, to no result. This earned a much louder laughter.

“Oh, the young ones are such a joy! To take a seat means to sit. I appreciate your motivation though, trying to lift someone else's coffin.”

Natus cut in just as Naives’ mind scrambled to piece together how to do a sit.

“Just copy the way we’re on top of the coffin. If you intend to teach an idiot something new you have to make use of what it knows.”

Another chuckle.

“Oh, is that right? Would you mind gracing me with the tale of this discovery?”

“I can tell you.”

Natus slid to the edge of its seat and stated with excitement.

“Tagliare taught me.”

Naive jerked its gaze from checking the two sitting skeleton’s posture and position, to looking down at itself, ensuring that it had properly learned the enigmatic “sit”. Successfully lowering itself to a gentle hipbone - coffin lid impact.

“Introductions are in order I believe, call me Talis. How might I refer to you, my dear idiot?”

Naive thought about that. So far Talis hadn’t referred to it by name once.

“I think you might refer to me as idiot.”

Laughter once again. Naive wondered what the sound meant as Talis carried the conversation.

“I’ve acted as welcomer to a great many young skeletons but you are by far the most fun. Our introductions are a way of telling each other who we are.”

Concluding that this meant that Naive was the who and idiot was the what, it wondered what Talis was? A short moment of contemplation later, Naive spoke and introductions the finalized.

“With that underway, tell us of your first expedition into the great unknown.”

Naive found it apt that the strange cavern had such a title. It was quite great and very much unknown.

So it told its tale, less a regaling and more a listing of events. The list had difficulty reaching its end as voices kept interrupting.

“They’re called pondlets”

“You stood still? I told you specifically not to do that.”

“You just let it swallow you?”

“You stuffed the dead pondlet into your chest?”

Naive looked down in realization. The pondlet with a custom made hand hole in it was nowhere to be seen. Natus explained that when you die, your coffin makes new bones and your old ones disappear, leaving what was with it behind.

“I wanted to show Natus the dead pondlet and learn its name.”

Talis spoke in a voice that was quiet, lacking the usual cheer.

“Naive, that little one had no name. It's your duty as the one who killed it to give it a name and tell its story to any who ask.”

Naive thought hard on what to name it. How could you give a name? Naive knew of only one thing which gave names and Naive was an idiot, not a nameplate. A memory came of how the skeleton considered the pondlets’ shape, realizing that it had in fact given a name.

“I name it Blob.”