Death

Billie and Darcy were busy playing in the field. They were throwing the ball here and there and were having a blast. The smile on their faces is all that’s needed to know that they were enjoying themselves so much.

“Come Darcy. Let’s go to that place on the other side.”

“But mommy told us not to go there.”

“Actually, no one dares to go there. I wonder why. Come let’s investigate.”

“No Billie, I don’t think that’s a good thing to do.”

“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen. We’re just going to have a look and come back soon enough.”

“Well… ok”

And off they went to a place called Land of Death where many have disappeared after visiting. It is said there is someone or something that prevents anyone from going there. Billie loved all the stories that he had heard about this place and wanted to see what that place actually was, for so long, but no one let him.

They walked on until they landed on the edge. The land was brittle and broke and off he went down. Oh, how he cried!

“Billie… Billie…”

Darcy ran after him carefully.

“Are you ok?”

“I think so, just a few scratches here and there, I guess.”

“Thank God”

“Hey look, is that an entrance to somewhere. Let’s go and see.”

“No Billie, I’m getting scared. Please don’t”

“We’ve come this far. We’ll be careful. Nothing will happen to you.”

They walked inside to a dreaded sight. It was pitch black with light in some places through the cracks above. It was a pathway made of stones as cold as ice. The air too was cool giving a chilling sensation down their spines. They walked inside slowly so as to discover the mysteries that lay inside these walls. They walked a few meters to find a maze-like pathway inside. They continued walking on and on until they were lost.

Just then something ran and Darcy shouted.

“It’s only a rat, scaredy-cat.”

“Who’s there?” – A voice called out and both of them startled.

They walked slowly to find a door and peered inside only to find a well-lit room with colours here and there and on the bed laid a small young girl in a black velvet dress with black eye-lined eyes, black lips, but soothing white complexion.

“Hello, who are you?”

“I’m Billie and this is Darcy”

“Why did you come here? My father doesn’t like people coming in his lair.”

“Sorry. We didn’t mean to barge in here like this. We were just curious about this place and wished to explore here.”

“That’s alright. My father’s out in the jungle to make some medicines for me.”

“Oh, are you ill?”

“A little.”

“Sorry to hear that. Can we spend some time here with you? Give you a little company.”

“I think you can stay for some time. But you must go before he comes.”

They sat near her and talked and joked and laughed together. That young girl was so happy that she forgot about her illness.

“KILL” – a voice spoke from the corridor.

“That’s my father. He has arrived. Oh, what will we do now?”

Just then he barged inside. He wore a long black robe and had the blackest hair that the children had ever seen. He held a scythe in his hand and that scared the children more.

“I smell humans here. Oh, there they are.”

“Sorry sir, we didn’t mean to barge into here. Please don’t kill us.”

“Kill you?”

That man laughed so loud that the children were smiling but scared at the same time. The children wondered what that person was going to do to them.

“I’m not going to kill you.”

“But you said, kill when you were coming.”

“Oh, that’s my name. I’m Kill, daughter of Death.” – The young lady spoke.

“You’re… He’s… You… Wait what?”

The children were all pale, dumbstruck and scared at the same time. Death came near her daughter, gave the medicine to her and patted on her head as she drank it.

“But isn’t death like cruel and terrifying?” – Billie asked.

“Well, that’s what you humans term me as. That doesn’t mean that I’m actually that bad.”

“But haven’t you killed many people who have come here earlier.”

“No, they’re just lost in this maze. Only people with pure hearts and good intentions can find our lair.”

“That’s ironic.”

“Well, I never take anyone that is not mine to take. I am given a period table for everyone by Life when she creates something. She’s a beauty, you know, my wife.”

“WHAT? Life’s your wife?”

“Well, yes. We are the two entities that are created by God to regulate the creation and destruction of beings and now we have two children. Kill and Soul. Soul is now with his mother on a journey and I take care of her, my darling Kill.”

“I never wondered such a thing was possible ever.” – said Darcy.

“Well, humans have a way of saying that death means a bad thing that happens to them. But has anyone wondered what a life I’m living? Has anyone wondered what I am doing after your time is over? I have to put your name on the dead list, carry your souls to the other world, make sure that you are taken to your rightful place. But no, no humans ever care for me. And even there are humans out there who murder and suicide. Do you know how hard it is for me when someone is dead before their time? I have to do a lot more work than usual and all that time I’m away from my daughter and look what it bought. My daughter is ill because I couldn’t care for her more. I wasn’t there for her like I promised her I would. But I couldn’t and that’s because of all you humans who think life given to you is a joke. No one knows that the life that you’re all living is a part of my wife. She takes a part of herself to create something and plots a time period to it so that she can receive the life she spent back after I take the soul to the Collection. But nowadays, my wife suffers because she can’t get the life she spent back when a human dies before their time. That life gets destroyed. I fear whether my wife will soon fade away and rest assure that if she fades away, everyone dies.”

Billie and Darcy listened to him speak so still and dumb as tears rolled down his eyes.

“I think you should go back to your home now and please don’t say a word of seeing me ever because once you say anything, you will forget everything that you’ve seen or heard here.”

“Ok, sir.”

They went outside the door to find themselves in their own home. They looked around to see that they were indeed back.