I was sitting at the bar. It was a familiar scene for me; the marble floors, the redwood bar, the dim but not too dark lights, the unlimited drinks but no bartender, and finally, the grumpy but attractive man sitting next to me.
Another guest arrived, and he stood from the comfortable silence. “This is how it works,” death started, “you pick the gam,e and we play. Cheating is allowed, but if either one of us is caught by the other, they lose. If you win, you’ll wake up back in the hospital, and I’ll give you another ten years. If you lose, then it’s time for judgment. Understood?” death said, sitting done and gesturing for the person to sit as well.
“What about her?” the person gestured to me sitting at the bar. “Oh, I’m here often, don’t worry, you can go first,” I said, not even looking at them, and gave a wave of my hand. “How is she here often?” they whisper to death. Death let out a sigh and pinched his nose. He was used to the question and would answer differently every time, so I looked forward to today’s explanation.
“Because she fails at dying,” death grumbled, but it only made the person question it more. “Sweetheart, you should be worried about what game you wish to play,” I replied, turning around, finally seeing the new guest.
It seemed to be a young child. They were wearing a hospital gown and seemed to shiver at the coldness of the room. “Death always the ass hole,” I muttered, slapping him up the back of the head. “Are you even trying into day’s competition?” I questioned, picking up the child.
“Let’s get you dressed and something to eat, then you can tell me what game you want to play, k?” I said, walking to the back room. Dressing the child in leggings and a bagy shirt, I walked them over to the bar. There waiting was mac n cheese. Could the child at least have an original idea for favorite food? I thought, helping them up.
The kid ate, and I talked to death. “you’re supposed to make the guest like you that way. I can finally die,” I grumbled, glaring at the man. “You realize you are asking the imposable, right? I have no need nor want for the child to like me. I just need to see if today will be the day on their stone,” he replied, ever the stoic. “And what about me? you know I’m over a thousand years old, and I still look 17 because of you, right?!” I growled only to stop when I felt a tug at my leg.
“Miss, I think I found the game I want to play…” the child said, hands clenching tightly to my pants. “Alright, and what might that be?” I questioned my hand on top of their head. “I want to play tag… I wasn’t allowed to play it, so I want to try it,” they whispered, looking at the ground.
Children have it rough in the world, I thought thinking about the strangely high number of children I’ve seen come through this room. The game started, and I keep death in line so that the child could experience some joy in their short life. They giggled and laughed and seemed to have a good time which made a dull pain settle in my chest. I finally caught them, and the game was over.
“Thank you, miss. I hope to see you again,” they said, smiling brightly as their body shattered to the ground like crystal. “And it seems that yet again you have won,” death muttered, rubbing my back as I cried. “I will never become cold like you; this is proof that I have yet to become heartless in the years in which I’ve lived,” I growled but still leaned into his touch for comfort.
“You forever will be too good of a person for the world in which you are trying to save. I remember when you first came here, you were so determined to return with more information to help save more people, the same people who later that week burned you at the stake. You repeat the same process over and over again. Here is the next thing you asked for, a cure for pneumonia.” death muttered soothingly.
“I’ll see you again soon, my dear friend, and with this, I will save more of the world,” I muttered before waking up in my room. Curling tighter in the covers, I mourned the child’s death.
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