Work Text:
She had expected a fight, some kind of impossible challenge, yet all he did was stand there, no scythe in sight. Instead, he watches her for a moment and glances at the compass in his hand which seemed to have no cardinal directions. Instead, its needle was pointing directly at her. The hood of his black cloak covered his face, making it difficult to track where he was looking, but Lola felt when his gaze shift back toward her like cold water. Everything sharpens, the sounds of her son’s cries almost overwhelms her suddenly distant senses.
“You have no right to take me from them,” she she tries to yell but it comes out more like a whisper.
His voice is quieter than she had expected. “I do not wish to take you away from anyone.”
“Then put me back!” she tries to get closer, but he steps further away.
The compass disappears from his hand. “If I could interfere with the living, no mortal would die like you have.” Death’s gaze wanders off to the sluggish movement around them. The quiet tick of the second hand of the old dusty clock on the living room seemed to come further and further apart. Dan was still holding her hand, the tears nearly frozen to his face. The stretcher which has been her prison for so long felt unreachable now. “No, child should see their mother like this.” Death says.
Lola reaches and grabs a hold of his cloak, “Then why kill me?”
Death looks down with eyes like dying flames, “Humans die because their bodies outgrow their souls. Sometimes that is due to age, injury, or sickness. My job is to take your soul to the next part of your existence, not to kill you.”
Lola tries to hold Death’s gaze, but the flames burn away her anger. It morphs into something she dared not name, as doing so would mean she was giving up. Her eyes drop to her hands and the cloth clutched in them. It wasn’t solid black like she previously thought; deep within the darkness she could make out stars and specks of galaxies.
Lola turns to look back at her family, Paul, who has been the best husband she could ask for looks shattered. Time feels real for the first time, it wasn’t just the sound of the clock on the numbers on a phone screen. It was a river rushing far below her feet, and she could see Death within it. He was boulder changing the current, and she can see him shift as her attention falls to Paul. Time flows faster, Paul moves away from the bed and picks up a phone. His voice is too muffled to make out, and his eyes are glossy. He doesn’t deserve this. After some flowing of the river he picks up Dan who was trying so desperately to be strong and wipe away his tears. Soon the people from the funeral home arrived, along with Paul’s parent who would take Dan away from the house so he wouldn’t need to see. Lola didn’t even notice Death’s silence until she catches a glimpse of her face and feels as if the ground falls out from under her feet.
In a voice made of tv static and the very first touches of light Death says, “Don’t look.”
Lola glances away her eyes falling to the floor, “I am dead.” she says. For a moment Lola feels dizzy. “I am dead.” she repeats.
Death places his hands on hers and carefully pries them from his cloak. He holds them and the chill of his hands is a welcoming anchor. “We can stay for a while if you would like?” he mumbles.
She says nothing, but Death lets go of her hands and settles by her side. It seems he heard her answer loud enough. Day turns into night, and they roll her body away. Death tells her to look away when it passes. During the last few years Paul has been so strong, always smiling, taking bad news after bad news like it was nothing. No matter what he was there for Lola, and now there was no way fro her to make that up to him.
Once the funeral home people are gone, In the empty house, Paul breaks down, and Lola’s heart shatters. The sun falls and rises, but Death says nothing. He doesn’t move, doesn’t breathe, he just stands there.
It is late into the night when Paul finally rests. The Hospice nurses have come and collected all the equipment, leaving the dining room, which had been my prison for so many months, empty. Paul stands staring into the empty room, almost as still as Death. Before Finally going to their bedroom and almost immediately falling asleep.
Time passes in a blur, Dan comes home after the sun rises, and for the next few days Lola just watches them. Dan says only a handful of words but Paul says more than Lola has ever said. She knows it is to fill the silence, because when he wasn’t speaking it was when there was some other kind of distraction.
The funeral would happen in a small church on their street. Four days after she died, only moments to Lola, he loves were leaving the house.
Death follows Lola and she can feel the exact moment when something catches his attention. The chill to her existence dulls as he leans closer to Dan who was sitting on the floor in front of the main door. He was clutching a bundle of flowers that became difficult for Lola to quite understand. She feels a ping of worry as Death says something. It isn’t words, It isn’t even a language.
“What?” she asks.
Reality comes through clearer when Death was paying attention to her again. For a moment it feels like too much, the house warps, she can see parts of the universe a part of her mind knows she isn’t ready for. In that second, mili second even, she sees a black thread around Dan’s neck. Just as suddenly everything is back to normal.
“I was talking to a niece,” he answers. “I will be back.”
She reaches for Death’s arms and she lets her grab hold of his his sleeve. “What was that?”
“One of Fate’s threads.” he answers.
Lola wants to ask what he means, but from one imaginary moment to the next Death is gone. She shuffles forward to catch up with her family who were both walking out of the door. They lived on a main street, and the Church was adjsentform their house give or take a few houses. Paul leads Dan to the crosswalk at the far end of the street just to be safe. An older man wearing a pair of sunglasses comes out of a cafe and joins them at the light. It took about twenty seconds before it was safe to go, and Dan took the first step forward. The old man sticks his hand out just as a car runs the red light.
“Careful,” the old man mumbles in a familiar voice.
Paul’s face has lost all of its color, and he turns to thank the old man, but he is already gone. Death appears by her side with no sound.
“I thought you couldn’t interfere.” Lola asks in a whisper.
Death looks down at her, “Fate is a petty child, who’s I gave domain to her in part by myself. Neither her domain nor she will notice me interfering with the small things.”
“My death wasn’t a small thing?” Lola asks.
Death pauses for a moment, “Your death wasn’t Fate’s writing, it was just something that happened by chance. What Fate did was write a tragedy, she wrote in Dan’s death, she wanted to see what would happen next.”
“Why?” Lola asks with venom.
“She has grown cruel, I wish I could tell you a reason other than that.” Death answers.
— — —
The funeral is quiet and is only attended by Paul’s parents, Paul himself and Dan. The priest asks if anyone else is coming, a small part of lola hoped that maybe her parents would be walking in the door. But Paul shake his head just as his mother answers with a voice full of disgust. The funeral goes on, and Lola can feel her thoughts drifting.
“How long can I stay?” Lola finally asks.
Death hums, “As long as you need.”
She looks up at him.. “Don’t you have to go do your job?”
“Right now, my job is to watch you,” he answers, all of his attention falling onto her.
“I don’t need to be watched like some child,” she argues.
Death chuckles, “In mortal terms, you may not be a child, but on this plane, you are a mere infant. You have no idea of what the dangers this part of existence holds.”
They fall back into silence for a few minutes. Everyone is gathering their things to leave. “What happens next?”
“You are Catholic, so I shall bring you to your God’s domain. He will care for you and once you find your way, you can go anywhere, and do anything you want,” Death answers.
“I’m scared,” Lola whispers.
Death tilts his head. “Why wouldn’t you be? This is something new, and even my brothers, sisters, and I are afraid of the unknown.”
Lola begins to follow Dan and Paul, but falters, “What should I do?”
“You can’t do anything for them here, and they wouldn’t want you putting yourself in danger by staying.” Death answers. “You can learn about this world, so when it is their time, you can teach them about it.”
Lola closes her eyes. “Okay.”
Death shifts closer, and she doesn’t open her eyes when his hand falls onto her shoulder. The ground falls from under her feet, but she keeps her eyes shut.
Then there is far too much light, “Lola!” her mother calls.
Her eyes snap open. She is standing in front of a gate. Her mother is there, as well as countless relatives she has only seen in photos. She spins around and Death is still there, looking out at the gathering of people.
“Good luck, little one.” He says, reaching down to place a hand on her head. She doesn’t know what to say, so as he disappears, she says nothing.
— — —
Somewhere in a place frozen in time, Death steps out into a garden and joins his Life at her side.
“You have been gone for a while,” Life says with a smile. “A troublemaker again?”
Death lets her reach up and pull the hood of his cloak down. “No,” he answers quietly.
Life hums. “Knowledge had something he wanted to show us something. Do you want to go now, or?”
Death looks out toward the flowers, “I think I want to stay here for a while”
Life smiles brightly, full of joy, and open trust, all things he only sees from her, “Come on then, you can reach the apples better than I can.”