LIFE AND DEATH

“This job is the worst.” He muttered to himself as he paced up and down the hall.

He walked closer to the walls to avoid the people that rushed past, some were running into wards as quickly as they could, trying to save the lives that waited for them, others seemed to be in a state of quiet panic. None of them saw him as he walked about the hall, waiting for the time to come.

He finally stopped and stood in front of the door of his final visit, even though he knew the time had come, he didn’t want to go in and see the chaos that lay behind the door. The alarmed voices that came through the walls told him they were still trying.

Trying to save a life that couldn’t be saved.

That wasn’t his fault though, he argued with himself, he hadn’t caused whatever illness that plagued the patient. Not that anyone believed that, they all believed that it was all his fault. It was always his fault.

After taking in a deep breath, he stepped through the door to see one of the medics administering chest compressions to the fading life, they were really trying all they could, but it was out of their hands now. This was where he came in.

Like a feather lost to the wind, he rose off the hospital floor and allowed his body to drift over to where the patient lay. He hovered over the physicians as he stared down at the ailed body, the dying adolescent’s eyes had drooped shut even as the they raced around to place an oxygen mask over the nose.

He knew this one was young, every human seemed young to him since they didn’t last very long, but he could tell this one hadn’t lived out their full life span. He watched as the life slowly faded from the child’s body, then he gently reached down into the chest cavity and pulled out the life source.

It came out as a gold sphere of light, pulsing and glowing, trying to break free from what constrained it. He held unto it tightly then flew up out of the room, leaving behind the dull beeping noise that now filled the room.

He flew up until he was out of the building, where he met a gray, rainy day. The people below ran to find cover but the rain made no difference to him, as he could not feel its drops. Still holding on to the bright sphere, he reached into his pocket and picked out one of the tiny red orbs that were in it, he brought it to his lips and whispered some words in a now forgotten tongue, then threw it up into the air.

It sailed up to the clouds and exploded, sending sharp waves throughout the sky. When the waves receded, he could see it had done its work. Everything had stopped where they were, the helicopter above him had halted in the sky, the raindrops paused where they were, the bustle of the city beneath him had quietened.

It was best to stop time while he worked, as he had come to learn, as these things tend to run long. This way nothing could happen that would require his attention.

He turned his attention back to the sphere, after studying for a bit, he tapped his finger softly against it, and the light within burst out from it.

This was probably the best part of the job, watching it finally break free. The dust-like, golden light scattered about him, he watched it cavort around with a small smile on his face, for the first time since its existence, it was truly free.

The gold swirling glow settled into a humanoid form, the essence of the once child hovered next to him, studying itself with wonder.

“What’s happening?” the former child asked. “Did I die?”

“Yes, you did.” he answered.

“Oh, that’s not good, is it?”

“No, I guess it isn’t.”

“So, what happens to me now?”

The question was asked more out of curiosity than anything else, no sense of panic or fear. It was always better when they came to terms with their reality quickly, he thought, it made it easier for both of them.

“I’m supposed to lead you to your after life.” He replied.

“So, you’re like the Grim Reaper? Like Death?”

He sighed. “I don’t fancy any of those names, but yes, that is what most people call me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. What would you prefer I call you?” the child-essence apologized.

“Never mind,” he shrugged. “We won’t be together for long anyways, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Will you be taking me to my new life now?”

“I’m not taking you anywhere, I only point the way.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

He waved his hand and reverted back to his original tongue and called out some words, and a blast of light exploded in front of them, creating a whirling entrance. The newly deceased human tried to peep through it to see what it held, and saw nothing but the luminous light it emitted.

“What does this door hold?” he inquired.

“I don’t know, I have never stepped through it.”

“Why?”

“It’s a path for the dead, and I have not died.”

The child's new face showed confusion. “That’s a bit ironic, don’t you think? That you have never died.”

“I suppose, the world has a strange sense of humour.”

“Then how did you become this?”

“It’s what I’ve always been, I didn’t become it, I am it.”

“That sounds terrible.”

The bluntness of the words took him by surprise, he let out a laugh with a shake of his head. Well, that wasn’t a lie.

He flew over to the swirling entry. “Now, are you ready to go?”

“I don’t know,” the glowing form hesitated. “What happens if I don’t step through?”.

“It has a time period before it closes, if that happens and you’re still here then you’re stuck here.”

“That might not be so bad. After all, I’m more familiar with this world and I’d get to stay with my family.”

“You’re dead now, they can’t see you.” He stated plainly. “You’d simply be a ghost, going around and haunting people.”

“Oh.”

He was used to all these questions from people as they settled into their new reality, the older ones where always more stubborn and unwillingly to accept their options.

“Have you seen it happen?” the body asked after sometime.

“Yes, some people wish to say good bye to their loved ones, or to simply be around them again but that’s not possible.”

He waited for a reaction to his words, this was where most people told him it would be different for them, that their loved one would sense their presence. When he didn’t get one, he continued on.

“Since they can’t go to the other world that had been prepared for them anymore, they stay here following people around and hoping they’d see them.”

There was a long silence between them, before the child’s essence whispered, “When this loved one dies, do they finally see them?”

“Yes, but they often choose to leave to the other world, as they may have already moved on from the person’s death. And now the first person is truly alone, without hope, without the one they wanted.”

“What do they do then?”

He shrugged, “It depends, some try to help people out be sending them subtle signs, some go to decrepit sites and wallow in their loneliness. Over time, it’s enough to drive them to madness.”

“Whatever lies beyond there has to be better than that, right.?”

“I’d like to think so.”

The former human child came over to Death, next to the new path that lay open in front of them. He watched patiently as the young soul left his side and moved closer to the glowing entry, and continued to stare into the beautiful blend of colours, like answers to the current dilemma would burst out from it.

He raised an eyebrow when the child-essence turned back to him, “Has anyone ever stayed behind, and reunited with their love?”

He gave a sad smile, “Yes.”

“And?”

“One couple reunited after 17 years, and decided to live here together as ghosts.”

“It has only ever happened once?”

“No, there were a few others that it worked out for, but theirs is the one I like best.”

The dust-like features on the body’s face formed a smile. “You should have told me that story to begin with.”

Without another thought, the body leaped through the swirling gateway.

He watched in surprise as the body disappeared into a new life, then the entrance began to dim and then finally disappeared, like hadn’t just been there.

Letting out a deep sigh, he looked around at the raindrops that hung about him, he would now have to release the flow of time, and allow things to proceed as they did. Stretching out his hands, he began forming a pattern in the air while muttering words underneath his breath.

A quiet voice spoke behind him, and interrupted his process.

“Hello, Zae. It’s been a long time.”

The words he spoke froze on his lips at the sound, he would recognize that voice anywhere, no matter how long it had been since he had last heard it.

He slowly spun around and saw her hovering next to him, gauging his reaction.

“What are you doing here?” he whispered.

She smiled, “I thought you’d be happy to see me.”

He couldn’t help but smile back at her, after all this time she was still the same, nothing about her had changed. The same singsong voice that led one to believe she couldn’t be angered. The same pale, smooth skin that contrasted with her coal black eyes, her auburn hair still flowed like a river down her back. The years hadn’t changed anything about her, she was as perfect he remembered.

“I am, I just wasn’t expecting you.”

“Very well, but you will be following somewhere.”

Without waiting for a response, she snapped her fingers and caused a new entrance appeared.

“I can’t leave,” he protested. “I have to set things right and f-”

“It's fine, I'll take care of it. Let’s go.” She gestured for him to follow her, then stepped through the floating entrance.

Resigning to his fate, he followed.