It stood quietly. It wore a tattered black robe and seemed to emit a pearlescent, unearthly shimmer. The robe billowed as if it was being blown by some unseen wind from beyond. Its face, if it had one at all, was shrouded in the darkness of the robes hood. In one hand, it held the scythe that is so synonymous with its name. The embers from my wood stove reflected off the sharp blade and it gave off a hellacious glow. I froze. Death had finally come for me.
I cried out and trembled as I slowly stood to face my fate. The moment I had been waiting for was far more terrifying than I expected. “I knew you would come for me.” I said. “I knew it was only a matter of time.” It stood silently staring at me. The vacant space that I could only identify as its head seemed to curiously tilt to one side. “So this is where it ends. For you are the great and powerful Death! This is the auspicious moment that we all must pass through. You are the undeniable force and you came just as I expected. Unannounced, like a thief in the night, ready to strike at any moment. But you’ve failed at that! I’ve known you were coming! Well go on then, take my life. I’ve been waiting for you!”
Death held up it’s skeletal hand and gestured for me to be silent. It seemed to let out a diabolical chuckle. Finally it spoke. “You say that you have been waiting for my arrival but I must ask...do you even know why I am here? And how long have you been rehearsing that eloquent soliloquy? Did you really think you would have time to recite it?” The voice was deep and echoed like it bounced off the walls of an endless cavern. I stood aghast at this statement. Why would Death ask me this? “Great and powerful, you say. I’m sorry to disappoint you but, I am anything but. Your assessment of what I do is also curious. But it only makes sense considering the, how should I put this, powers that be have listed you as ‘Alive yet Dead’ or the equivalent of a lost cause. That, my friend, is why I am here.”
“So then you’ve come to put me out of my misery?” I asked quietly.
“Ahh.” Death chuckled once again.”You are so eager to pass from this world. Maybe I should take you after all and give you what you want.”
“Ha!” I scoffed. “So I want this? Does anybody want this? How dare you imply that anyone WANTS to die. But that is how you operate, I know it. That is what you tell everyone when you get caught, isn’t it?”
“The misconceptions you have about me and what I do are laughable.”
“What kind of game are you playing at here? I don’t understand. If you’re trying to trick me,I can tell you it’s not working.”
“Silence!” The voice of Death boomed and shook the room. It filled me with such dread that I feel to floor trembling. “I am not trying to fool you! Your ignorance will be what dooms you! Now take heed to what I am about to say.” With that, I froze. I nodded silently in agreeance. Whatever Death had come for, whether it be to take my life or not, I would not actively resist but I would watch it carefully. “It is your own unknowing opinion of what we do that brings me to you this night! If you will come with me now, and allow me to show the true nature of Death, I promise that no harm will come to you.” It held out it’s arm swathed in black, tattered cloth.
I stood slowly, still feeling an impenetrable weakness and quivering running up and down my legs. Where would Death take me? Should I trust it, or him or her, or whatever it was? After all I was supposed to be ready for this, wasn’t I? I spoke not a word and cautiously took it’s bony, cold hand. At the moment I knew this was truly real. Death really was standing in front of me and I had made contact with it. There was no turning back now. For all I knew, I could’ve been dead already. What choice did I have? “Very well then. Know this, my friend: Where I am about to take you is a place that few see. A perspective and understanding that very few are able to grasp.”
As it spoke, the walls of my home seemed to melt away like candle wax revealing a velvety blackness intertwined with bits of iridescent silver and gray moving fluidly around us. The floor rippled beneath my feet and it too dripped away, even though I still felt as if I was standing on solid ground. A biting cold breeze swirled around us. The faint glimmer from the wood stove behind me was the last bit of my reality to fade away. I watched as it’s resplendent reflection in the blade faded to nothing more than a candle flicker before it was extinguished completely. I could barely make out my otherworldly guide who stood merely feet in front of me, and whose glacial phalanges still gripped me. The stinging breeze increased to a wintry storm force gale and cut right through me like a hot knife through butter. I shivered throughout.
After several excruciating minutes being pummeled by the numbing cyclone, it came to an abrupt end. Low and behold, bits of white light shone through the void. The swirling stopped and the blackness faded. The scene beginning to emerge around us none other than the stark white cleanliness of a hospital wing. We stood in the middle of a long hallway with wooden double doors in front of us and a set of clunky old elevators which clunkily churned to our right. Various precautionary signs lined the walls. I turned to ask the spirit of Death Incarnate why we had come here, only to find that it was not the being I had exited my home with. What stood before me can be described only as a form of angel. Death now wore a long, white, silk robe and bore no staff or devilish sycthe. It had human-looking hands and a face. It’s golden hair settled neatly on it’s shoulders. I was no longer afraid of this form of Death. But why had it changed forms? What was going on? What was I about to witness? I opened my mouth to speak but it chimed in before I could even utter a syllable.
“From this point on, you are nothing but a mere shadow of yourself. No one will be able to see you or interact with you. What brings us here today is the true nature of what I do. You seem to think you understand what my job is. Today you will learn. I am more than just a harbinger of sadness and woe.”
Look for Part 3 of 'The Job" coming soon!!
P.S. It has nothing do with Animaniacs or checkers, i've just always loved this portrayal of Death and needed to include it somewhere! You can watch an excerot from the episode here!
P.S. It has nothing do with Animaniacs or checkers, i've just always loved this portrayal of Death and needed to include it somewhere! You can watch an excerot from the episode here!
No comments:
Post a Comment