Through the Valley: Part 3
Snap back to reality
Welcome to my little corner of the internet! I’m so glad you’re here. Below you’ll find part 3 of my short story about death (and Death). It’s a riot.
Want to start at the beginning? Here you go:
Now that you have a little bit of background, let’s jump forward in time again to the good stuff. Where did I leave off?
Let’s see: Death was in my room, I woke up slightly drunk but quickly became COMPLETELY SOBER, and then, oh, right. The part where he was about to kill me. Let’s pick up the story mid-scream.
The scythe arc toward me and I involuntarily closed my eyes at the last second. I felt a slight pressure, like when you walk through a spider web. My scream petered off as I ran out of breath. Slowly I dared to open one eye. Death was still standing there, scythe by his side. He was shaking. I heard a small rumble coming from his throat, and my fear was quickly replaced with confusion.
“Are you… are you laughing?” I asked. Death began to laugh openly, leaning on his scythe for support towards the end.
“You should have,” he started, then paused for breath. “You should have seen the look on your face! And that scream! God, that never gets old.”
“Okay, jackass. Very funny, but enough with the games. Who are you?” My mind ran through the short list of friends who would go through such lengths to play a joke on me. “Robert? Fat Sal? How did you get in here?”
Death shook his head. “I thought it would have been obvious by now,” he said. Anger replaced confusion, and I reached out to yank off his robe and see who was hiding beneath.
This was a mistake.
As soon as I touched him, I saw…everything. How can I describe it? Do you remember the first time you went to the mall without your parents? Just you, maybe a friend or two. It’s slightly scary, but all of a sudden you realize how free you are. That ten dollar bill in your pocket could be spent on anything. Want twenty-four chocolate chip cookies? Go for it. No one can stop you from buying and then eating every last one of those suckers. It made you realize how big the world is, how many possibilities there are.
That’s what touching Death was like, only it was the opposite. Death is, by definition, the end of all worldly possibilities. And by touching him, I was momentarily linked to all of those endings. Even now I don’t like to think about it. The finality of it. The cold-hearted efficiency of it all.
“I could have warned you about that,” Death said. “Kind of a downer, huh?” I nodded, afraid that trying to speak would lead me to burst into tears.
“Enough… chit chat,” he continued. “We need to get down to business. I assume you know why I’m here?”
I shook my head slowly. “I thought you were here to kill me, but now… I don’t know. I’m still not sure if I actually believe you are here…”
“Believe it,” he said. “You stole something from me, and I’m here to collect.” He saw the confused expression on my face (I was not making a very good first impression, I’m sure) and explained further. “The girl today, at the park?”
You’ll have to forgive me for forgetting what had happened. The excitement of being a hero had been obliterated by the shock of seeing Victoria again.
“Girl?” I said. “You mean my ex-girlfriend?” I guess I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d been meddling in dark arts.
Death put his right hand against where his forehead should have been. “No, numbnuts. The girl you saved, remember? Who fell right into your damn lap?”
“Oh, right,” I said. “Molly, I think. Yeah, what about her?”
“She was mine.” Such a simple statement, but it sent chills down my spine. “You have upset a balance, carefully kept for millennia. It must be restored.”
“Uh, sorry?” I said. I kind of felt out of my league. “Wish I could help you, but I have no idea where she is. Or even who she is, for that matter.” Death shook his head.
“You don’t understand,” he said. “I can’t kill her anymore. I need another in her place.”
That put me back on my guard.
“So you are here to kill me…”
“Nope. Unfortunately I can’t kill you either. You really screwed things up by catching her. Made both of you, well, immortal. For a time.”
Immortal had a nice ring to it. I wondered if I could make any money off of that. “That sounds great, but I don’t see how I can help you.” A thought occurred to me. “Unless…no…”
“That’s right,” he said, nodding. “You get to choose who dies in her place. You decided to stop me from doing my job, so congrats on the promotion.”
“And if I refuse?” I asked. Death rose from my bed, gathering himself up to his full height.
“It would be a shame,” he said, “if little Jenny suffered an accident, don’t you think?”
“…who?” I asked. He put his head down, thinking.
“Jinny? Jenny? Cammy? Damn. What was her name?” His hand reached into his cowl and made a scratching motion where his chin should have been. “The other small child today. The one you care about.”
“Cindy?” I offered.
“Cindy! That’s the one! Wouldn’t it be a shame if Cindy suffered an… accident?”
“You wouldn’t,” I said.
“Wouldn’t what?” Death answered, bringing his hooded head closer to mine. “Wouldn’t kill her? Who do you think you’re talking to? It’s kind of what I do.”
“But how am I supposed to choose?” I complained. “I’m not a murderer!”
“Oh, but you are,” he replied darkly. “That choice has been taken out of your hands. You have two days.”
“Wait,” I said. “Two days from now? Or two from tomorrow?”
“Two days from…” he paused. “now.”
“That doesn’t seem very fair,” I said. “It’s almost tomorrow already!”
He put his skeletal hands on his hips. “Fine. Two days from tomorrow. Better?”
I nodded. “How do I… contact you?” I asked.
“I’ll be watching, Jin.” He began to float backwards, towards the door. “I’ll be watching veeeery cloooos…” He cut off as his head hit the top of the doorframe. “Ouch! Damn!” He faded out of sight, and I was once again alone.
Could what I had seen be real? It sure as hell seemed real enough when I touched his robe. Looking around for something reassuring, my eyes fell upon the bottle of tequila on my nightstand. I saw my tired reflection in its glass as I held it aloft. “Never again, Jose,” I whispered, and set it back down. Sleep would be difficult to come by, but I gave it a shot anyway.
I’d never chosen someone to die.
It seemed like the kind of thing you should be well rested for.
Suggested music for Part 3: Exit Music (For A Film) by Radiohead
Keep reading! Part 4 is ready, for you!
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