Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness is originally a Swedish story akin to The Christmas Carol. I took this story and placed it in Mumbai, India in the 1930s. I really wanted to create a sense of magic in the slums of my Mumbai; that even though these were considered one of the poorest parts of the country that the homes and buildings built by the inhabitants was a way to express their own version of beauty and artistry.
My death character, Jabir, is an eccentric man who turns the dead into coins. He collects and holds them in his turban until he can get back to his carriage before riding elsewhere. When he travels he transforms into a spirit shaped like a monkey.
Jabir’s Death Carriage that houses the soul’s he collects.