Close Encounter
As I watched the world through eyes of experience from my many years, I began to think about the philosophies of humans. One was clearly obvious in the fact that they craved immortality. Always looking to escape death, creating irrational fears, not realizing that death was not causing their troubles but they themselves were. The act alone of dying was nothing to fear, but rather the messenger that delivered it. For death was a man, my father, a relentlessly mean and cold creature. However, even with my growing frustrations towards humans resentment, I myself sometimes felt that it was in my best interests to avoid him, though the feelings were not based on fear. My thoughts crashed to a halt as he put one thin long finger on my shoulder.
I turned around to glare at him. He was in his natural form, as opposed to the toned-down version of himself. It was something that should have disturbed me and yet I was so immune to it now. He towered over me with his lanky frame, some seven or eight feet tall. His eyes looked eternally tired and bored. His white-as-snow complexion was disturbed by the rot growing on him, and their were gaps in his skin where you could see bone. Silver hair hung around his narrow face, cropped abruptly at his chin. His limp black wings dragged on the floor, patches of feathers missing. I knew that when he extended them, they were longer than his body. He stared at me for a moment, trying to sense what was on my mind. Right now I felt bitter and he could probably only feel the negative emotions. After a minute, he sighed and turned around, not wanting to know what was wrong. He did care about me, but only in vain out of need for my genetics and time control. Otherwise, I was an inconvenience. He slowly strolled back out the room.
“I’ll come back when you want to be pleasant,” he said in a monotone voice.
I groaned and stood up, knowing that we had to be somewhere. I followed him out. He chuckled to himself, pleased with my hovering behind him. I wanted to make it clear that I didn’t follow out of loyalty.
“I’m not doing this for you,” I spat at him, “but for an escape to something enjoyable”.
“Yes ma’am,” he continued smiling at my anger.
As we walked the walls started to evaporate, and we no longer gained ground with our steps, having the same affect as walking on a treadmill. The surrounding building melted away, only to make way for the slowly spreading new walls. The foundation of the building became clearer and clearer. Finally the conference room was fully developed, a simple white room with a large circle of throne-like chairs, and we could stop walking. People started to appear. Hope was the first to notice us. She ran up, embracing me and smiling at Death without fear.
“I believed you would be here!” she burst.
“Yes, I did say we would. I wouldn’t get used to it though,” I said, feeling uncomfortable with the casual contact.
Her smile widened, “Not if I have anything to say about it.”
Hope was a petit young girl, giving the appearance of naïveté. Her face was always sweet and sincere. Her optimism was infectious and inescapable. She grabbed Deaths hand and escorted him to the seat nearest her and her parents. I trailed behind. Destiny and Coincidence sat there waiting, faces looking concerned as they mumbled their wise words to each other. Death took a seat, scooting closer to Destiny. She flinched away. He broke into their conversation, and within seconds a debate was ensued.
“You ruin people! I see so much for them… If only you would allow me to work my magic, I could have great things in store for the human race,” Destiny argued.
“Yes, but if it was meant to be it was meant to be, If it happens then it happens. You just need to wait for the right pattern of good things to occur,” Coincidence interjected, his face irritated with his wife’s ideas.
“It’s all nice in theory,” Death smiled, “but futile in practice.”
“What you need is me!” Luck popped her head in between the three.
And they’re off I thought to myself, quickly walking away. I made my way over to Anticipation and Surprise. They were always the most fun to watch, and better company than my first choice. A chessboard floated between the two of them, both of them intensely staring at each others’ eyes. I stood and watched.
“WAH!” Surprise shouted, one move away from capturing Anticipation’s bishop.
Anticipation sighed in disappointment and took her queen with a waiting knight.
“NOOO!” Surprise screamed, flipping over the board. Once again Anticipation watched her expectantly. Surprise glared at him.
“New challenge!” Surprise yelled as she dropped to the floor.
Anticipation beat her to it, already sitting calmly. He put his hands out, palms down, knowing what she wanted. She slid her hands under his and waited. Every time she tried to twist her wrists up to slap him, his hands moved away with ease. Her expression was the most amusing part; eyebrows crushed together, eyes squinted, lips in a pucker. Then out of nowhere she sprang at him, like an animal, moving to attack her prey. She moved in a blur, but it wasn’t fast enough. In the fraction of a second that Surprise had been in the air, Anticipation had already risen, catching her in midair, holding her by her armpits. She threw her head back and let out a cry of frustration.
He laughed out loud, dangling her in he air, “Give up dear, there’s no chance.”
“Like hell, there’s no chance,” she grumbled, but finally calmed down.
He patted her on the head, “That’s my girl”.
She growled and started to walk to her seat. Anticipation was by her side, reflecting her every move in his stride. I smiled at their little show and then scanned the room for new entertainment. It seemed that almost everyone had taken a seat, and I was left with only two options for mingling. I watched as Empathy and Guilt stood in the corner, trying to amuse their children. Guilt’s face was so upset when one of the twin girls started to cry that she had to step away, obviously feeling guilty for disturbing the child. Empathy swooped up the two little girls in his arms, bringing comfort to them easily. He gazed at Guilt sympathetically, and eventually she made her way back to the girls. I was curious to see which of the twins had caused the trouble, but it was too far away to tell the difference between Awe and Delight. I decided that I would keep my distance until that was sorted out, and reluctantly moved on.
Karma and Revenge had already taken their seats, but their sons and daughters remained astray. I made my way over to the Seven Deadly Sins. Sloth barely nodded his head in my direction, not seeming to care enough to acknowledge me. Greed and Gluttony seemed to be consumed by an argument and I could not hold their attention, so I tried to move onto Pride. Pride took the form of a beauty queen, and stood very still, staring into a hand-held mirror. She probably wouldn’t have noticed me if I hadn’t appeared in her reflection. She turned for a moment and then back to the mirror.
“Wow, it’s so nice to see you,” she said enthusiastically.
I was taken aback by her warmth. “Oh, well yes. I’ve missed you too. Its been awhile, how have you been?” I stopped talking when she looked at me strangely. I immediately felt embarrassed for the both of us, realizing that she had been speaking to her reflection.
“Oh, nice to see you too,” she quickly added in, but once again lost her focus as she stroked her hair “I think I’ve been doing wonderfully. Let’s see, I have accomplished so much since I last saw you. I don’t know where to start.”
Before she could continue, I slid away, knowing that she wouldn’t have noticed my absence. I considered moving onto Envy, who sat in the corner biting her lip. Her eyes filled with sadness as she stared at her beautiful sister Pride. Wrath sat beside her glaring, mumbling put-downs to her as she stared. His jaw clenched as I got near, so I abandoned that attempt. I was left with their last brother. Before I had time to escape, Lust caught up to me. He slid his arms around my waist hugging me tightly.
“Hi there,” he said in an unsettling voice, “Prettier and prettier every time I see you Rosemary,” he continued as he reached out to tuck a string of hair behind my ear. “We’ve gotta stop pretending like there’s nothing between us love I -”, I stopped him there, quickly silencing him with my hand on his mouth.
Death. Yes, sitting next to Death seemed like the best alternative at that moment. I nearly crashed into my seat from running so fast to get away. I waited patiently until finally, all of the discussion around me had ceased and the meeting could begin. The Meaning of Life got up to speak.
“Hello everybody! Welcome all aspects of life, I believe we should start to get this meeting rolling, how ‘bout you guys?”
…………………………………………
As the meeting went on, different aspects ran updates on what was going on in their part of humanity. There was a proud ranting from the Seven Deadly Sins on their fascination with politics, and their interference. War and Peace began a strongly-worded debate as Peace had put it, on what was the best move for the world. I listened to all of their quarrels, but couldn’t help not being distracted. Death was being uncharacteristically attentive, hanging on every word, and waiting patiently until he had the floor. Death never usually spoke at these mandatory meetings, other than the occasional snide remark. I sat very still in my chair, trying to see what storm was coming. I looked into the future, searching for Deaths purpose, but everything came in an unfocused image. Something was terribly wrong. Finally he spoke.
“Now, the issue I bring before you all today concerns a favor of sorts that would apply to me and my dear daughter Rosemary,” he turned to smile lovingly at me, but the amount of falseness in his tone was too thick to ignore. I knew his tactics, mixing me in with the inspiration behind his request, for people would rather offer their services to me then to him. “I was looking at Destinys’blue prints for humanity, and I couldn’t help but notice something rather peculiar. You see yesterday the worlds population started at 6,887,604,410 people in existence. 488,796 people were meant to be born, and 255,654 were to die. This averages out to about 178 deaths per minute, and 339 births per minute. Now if these facts are all true, then that must mean that at the end of the day 6,887,837,552 people would be in existence. Correct? However at 4:33:11 on Friday, December 17, 2010, or yesterday, something strange happened. This strange occurrence left that one minute short with a total of only 177 deaths that minute, and the days total finalizing at 6,887,837,551!” he spoke with passion and accuracy, as if his words were making any sense. As he sensed the confusion in the room, his eyes widened with a fake sadness, and he pouted. “I feel cheated”.
Everyone sat in silence, some trying to crunch the numbers in their heads, while others attempted to grasp the basic meaning of what he was saying. Finally Destiny broke the silence with a dramatic gasp, probably realizing what she had done after checking the plans herself.
“Someone chose not to die!” she exclaimed in shock, not as a question, but a statement.
“Well, look who’s catching on now!” Death responded, his friendly tone slowly being washed away with frustration. He quickly rearranged his features into a serene mask.
“How?” Destiny asked sadly, not comprehending what she had done wrong.
“Simply. You presented too many paths of life for a mortal on death row. He happened to choose the one that kept him living,” Death explained slowly.
“In all of my existence this has never happened! I just don’t see how I could have overlooked that! It…I…He…” she couldn’t continue. All of a sudden the seat that her daughter Hope had filled next to her was replaced with Guilt’s. Guilt’s hand drifted to destiny’s shoulder, obviously drawn to her in the circumstance.
“Yes, I know, and I am very sorry about it too, but I’ve come with a solution, you see? Shall I lighten your burden?” Death asked with a smile in his voice.
In any other situation, Destiny would have argued. She would have said that getting help from him was like selling her soul, but she was in too much of shock. Surprise had taken over Coincidences seat as well, occupying the available space next to her with her cheek pressed against Destiny’s side, almost in a cuddle. If they were human, it would seem more like a loving gesture rather than a feeding frenzy. Destiny remained speechless.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Now let us get back to that favor I asked for at the begging of my point. I propose you send me to Earth, not in ghost form, though. I would like the gift of interaction with their kind, so that I may personally take care of this problem,” he said bravely.
Everyone stared at him disgusted, not knowing how to respond. The concept of unleashing Death in that world was unthinkable, and yet it seemed to be the solution to a problem with only one answer. Death knew he was their only option. Coincidence stared at his wife, waiting for her response. When nothing came out of her open mouth, he finally interjected.
“Unthinkable! We all know that you wouldn’t be able to control yourself! That request is a crime against nature! How dare you even try and sneak your way in like that. We all also know very well that there are certain boundaries Destiny could not hold you to if she granted you this. This, this, I, It doesn’t feel right. How could this have happened?!” he said in a rush of words.
“Coincidence oh my, I am just offended by your theory of foul play!” Death delivered that like a bad actor. “After all, how could I deceive you, Coincidence, if this was a planned coincidence?” he asked, a smirk on his face with what he thought to be an ingenious rebuttal. A shiver ran down my spine. Silence filled the room again, until someone cleared her throat.
“I’m rather amazed that none of you have asked my opinion yet. It frustrates me that there is such ignorance in the room,” a quiet and calm voice spoke from the back of the room. Ah, The Voice of Reason. Why hadn’t anyone thought to ask her? From the corner of my eye I could see Deaths confident expression shattered. He hadn’t accounted for this important factor. The Voice of Reason gracefully glided over to us, her every move delicate and fluid. Her chair followed her, and stopped when it paralleled Death’s. She sat down and focused on Death. I found myself fidgeting with anxiety, not knowing what was going to happen. Destiny had made a mistake, and the future was no longer a solid truth for me to see.
“You’re a bad man, Death. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind. Your daughter, however, is something special. Good pumps through her veins as equally as the bad does. So she shall go instead. Now it’s still not ideal, as there are many moral crossroads within her, but I think it’s a much safer bet than letting you alone and free,” she said in a sure voice.
Death stared at her with a darkness too intense for me to bare even a glance. She matched his stare with a calm poker-face, undeterred by the hostility.
“She’s too young! You can’t expose her to that much life and expect a good samaritan!” he snarled at her.
“I agree. That’s why Hope will go along with her as a mentor. You will also be able to oversee what is going on, and if, in the circumstance that Rosemary shall fail, you may intervene. Now, Destiny will not be the one to grant her the ability you crave, but a series of aspects I choose that in total can allow minimum confrontation with maximum restrictions.”
Death growled, but could not argue, for disagreeing with The Voice of Reason was like objecting to the fact that four is the equivalent of two plus two. Finally he calmed down again.
“I guess I can work with that,” he mumbled. I was certain he was already thinking of every loophole in the book.
Finally, The Voice of reason turned to me. “Rosemary, do you accept this responsibility in the name of good?” she asked me gently.
Like I have a choice I thought, but decided to rephrase.
“I do”.
“Then let me call to the center The Meaning of Life, Submission, Restraint, and Hope. Bestow your gifts.”
* * *
Derek M Joans
Life expectancy 1993 - Pending
It all felt like a dream, and yet it was so real. I knew I was dreaming when I woke up to begin the day that had just ended. It felt like a never ending stream of deja vu.
Everything had gone as usual until I reached nearby the park where I came to study. Two girls stood across the street from me. One was tall and slim, black hair falling around her like a curtain, while the other was shorter with waved carmel colored hair and bright green eyes. Staring at them was like looking at a dark cloud next to the sun, and I was curious where they would lead the dream.
“Who are you?” I asked.
With one swift pivot turn, the tall girl started to walk away. The other followed, struggling to keep up with the aggressive pace. I ran for them, drawn by an unidentifiable pull. I knew within me that there was something I needed from them, knew somehow that I couldn’t lose them. I ran across the street without thinking. All of a sudden a car came out of no where, skimming my back as it slid by me. I halted mid stride, in too much shock to move. The girls had turned in time to see what had happened, and the tall girls’ face twisted into a teeth bearing snarl, the smaller ones’ face frozen like mine. I was close enough to hear the inhuman growl slip through the girl’s lips, and clenched teeth told you so.
She turned back and continued into the park. I followed, but they were gone. I went through the brush, running into trees, tripping over roots and branches. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach, and I was determined to find them. What a strange dream this was. Not only was the dream’s events strange, but also how realistic it was. I could feel the soil sink under me as I ran, and the wind hit my face all too real.
I ran for the break in the trees where light streamed through its cracks, and it lead me to a dirt patch. The two girls stood at the very edge of it, looking like they were about to make another escape into the trees. I tensed, preparing for another chase. They stood with their backs to me, even though I was sure they had heard my entrance with my haggard breathing. I stared at them more closely trying to figure out what was going on. They seemed to be…talking to someone. I realized that my feet were moving without my permission, drifting towards them.
Finally when I was a few feet away, the smaller girl turned to face me, confusion clear in her expression. She slowly took a step back, and I was tempted to go closer. We began a dance, every step I took closer, she countered, keeping the distance. My frustrations grew to a breaking point and I jumped to her, the pull becoming to strong. I was immediately launched backwards into the air. My breath escaped me, and I braced myself for the crash. I tumbled to the ground and stood back up. I looked to see what had caused my turn in direction and realized that the other girl was now in a defensive position in front of her. My jaw clenched, I was offended by the aggression she used to keep me from them. Now they both stood together and I couldn’t resist walking forward again. I watched them, keeping my eyes pealed for any more surprise attacks. A foot away from them and I was slammed back to the ground, backward summersaulting into a sitting position. I had seen nothing happen, felt no force, heard no indication that their was a third party assisting, and yet something had to have pushed me. I sat frozen on the ground while the girls stared down at me.
“Please tell me who you are, please?” I begged.
The small girl spoke first, “I’m Hope, and this is Rosemary. Pardon our hostility, but you see there is a bit of a dilemma going on, and we’re not sure how to respond. Why have you followed us?”
“My dream is telling me to,” I answered, confused as to why she asked.
“Dream? Oh my…you think you’re dreaming. Rose I told you this was a bad idea, we should have found another way!” Hope said, disappointment in her voice.
“Could you give me a moment? Someo-,” she cleared her throat to correct herself, “something’s bothering me…” Rosemary interjected in a thoughtful voice.
Before I could rebut, I was suddenly zoned out, in such an intense daydream that it seemed that everything else around me stood still. I didn’t know how long I was under, like I couldn’t grasp time anymore, but I eventually came to. Everything was exactly the way it had been when Rosemary had finished her sentence, except for her expression. Her face was torn, like making an important decision. The corners of her lips twitched up as if to smile, but she restrained herself. When she gained control of her expression, the anger that had held her features evaporated, going into a more gentle set than before.
“Okay I’ll do it,” she mumbled, a hint of surprise in her tone. Hope turned to her in amazement, and I could practically feel her emotions, the relief, the fright, the excitement. I was too confused to know how I was feeling.
“Can someone please tell me what’s going on!” I yelled, my voice breaking with the frustration.
Hope turned to Rosemary for confirmation and then back to me. “Okay, but before I tell you, you must be sure to keep an open mind, and let us finish talking before you start making judgments.”
I didn’t see what other option I had, so I nodded, not able to find my voice.
“Alright, well I’ve never had to explain this before, let’s see… So we were sent here to fulfill our duties. You see human nature wasn’t necessarily designed as imperfectly as it may seem. You weren’t made with all the disaster that comes with your kind, but rather with only one weakness. An infinite amount of impressionability. Now with the creation of you, came the creation of us” Hope waved her hand between her and Rosemary “and others, that added twists and meaning to your otherwise useless existence.”
She stared at my face like she was reading a book, and then began to speak again “Let us try a new approach! Okay so you and your life are game pieces, and we are the game board. We are aspects of life that control your next move. I am what gives you hope…I’m the chance card you pick up in monopoly, but you don’t know if I’m a good thing or not!”, she smiled widely, proud of her comparison, “Oh and Rosemary is death. Well…not death, that positions been filled. Death needed supervision, so Destiny put Rosemary together and well she’s like the assistant or the apprentice, oh oh I got it! The understudy!” she spoke with excitement, staring at Rosemary idly as she spoke of her, while Rosemary continued to watch me. I was still confused and decided that I’d turn this nightmare into something amusing, test my imagination.
“Prove it” I focused to keep my voice steady and certain.
Rosemary and Hope raised their eyebrows at each other, and Rosemary began to smile. Hope shook her head at her, like a parent scolding their child, but it didn’t touch Rosemary. She began to snicker.
“Uh, you don’t even believe us now, what’s the point. Dreaming? Ha! This is real you fool” she let out another laugh, sounding slightly hysterical. “ ‘Sides, how can we prove it? What? Do you want Hope to give that little fuzzy feeling inside, make you have faith? Oh no no let me go! Let me just kill you instead. Thats proof enough!” She spoke bitterly, and I stared at her astonished, that being the first time she addressed me directly. Hope put one restraining hand on Rosemary’s shoulder, and poked her in the ribs with the other, prodding her to behave, but Rosemary ignored her.
“Remember your decision dear Rose, do not betray your morality” Hope reminded her gently.
“You’re gonna have to explain more. Like what is that supposed to mean?! I’m still as lost as ever.”
“Dreaming…ridiculous!” Rosemary barked out another laugh then bared her teeth at me “I’m gonna go through hell for him and he doesn’t wish to acknowledge me realistically! Its like I’m offering a blind man sight, to see what no one else like him can, and he’s refusing me!” she shrieked. “You want answers, fine, but you need to believe that you are awake,” she stepped closer to me and I was pushed down again, this time more aggressively. My head hit the ground with a loud thud and the pain was almost immediate. I touched my forehead, then stared at my fingers which were painted with blood. That wasn’t right. This was real. No dream could have produced the reality of the pain I was feeling, all of my senses taking in things that were not illusions. I was awake, and had just followed two psychiatric patients into the woods of the park who thought they were some great gods.
“Oh my god, what is wrong with you two?!” I shouted at them
“And now he’s insulting us! You imbecile! Let me show you how special we are!” she yelled back.
Rosemary shook free from Hope’s grasp, getting space between them, and then turned to smile at me. After a moment of staring she began to dance around the field. She glided her way over to a pale boulder and began to spin. The black coloring of her hair turned liquid like ink, and flew off her hair as if she were shaking off water. The black hit the boulder and spread like a weed, turning the rock into a natural dark color, and leaving her waist long hair platinum blonde. She stopped twirling and transitioned into a leap. The aggressive launch brought the sand colored dirt in the air with her, covering her in a light mist. When she landed, the sand fell a second behind her. When it came down it brushed her skin and stole the cream coloring with it, leaving her with only a vibrant white tone. She threw her hands in the air like a gymnast sticking the landing, and flowed smoothly back into the graceful dance.
She made her way over to a shrub at the corner of the dirt patch and skipped around it, letting her loose clothing catch on its branches. The fabric tore, leaving long strips of fabric hanging off. Rosemary spun, and the fabric twisted to her body in a new way. The tattered clothing became a gown that swayed easily with Rosemary’s every move. Finally she made her way back over to us. Her hands fluttered around her face delicately, pressing her fingertips to her cheeks, defining her once broad features to a sculpted sharpness. She finished her dance with a bow, and as she dipped, white wings fell to the ground, leaving a train of feathers behind her. She rose and pressed her lips together, holding back a smile. When she did smile, her lips turned a dark blue color, looking like a corpse that had died of suffocation. The smile faded, and she glared at me with startling eyes, a mixture of blue and silver.
I stared at her wide eyed, trying to close my open mouth. Hope stood beside me and sighed.
“That was unnecessary,” Hope spoke with disapproval in her tone.
“Look at him! That was completely necessary” she rebutted, amusement clear in her tone.
“Can you do that?” I finally spoke, turning to Hope.
She sighed again and shook delicately. I could barely see the transition, but when she turned to me I was looking at someone new. Hope was still there in this persons features, but intensified. Her hair was slightly longer, and a warm honey color. Her skin had a glow to it, and the green in her eyes also had silver mixed in. Her bone structure had shifted to a more angular set, and her attire had changed as well to a floor-length dress.
“You’re angels” I gasped “This is some sort of sign from God!” I started to look back at my past atheist beliefs, slowly retracting the ideas I previously had on religion.
Rosemary giggled and then interjected.
“Sure, I’ll go with it. As long as you believe enough. Now you’re ready for why we are here”
I nodded at her, still seeing her as a higher power. When Rosemary spoke again, , I noticed she sounded much younger than Hope
“Okay, so basically I’m Death’s understudy,” her eyes darted to Hopes face then back to mine “and I was sent to fix something for him. So you screwed up and didn’t die, twice may I add” her jaw clenched and she mumbled something unintelligible “ I told Hope that the car wouldn’t work…. anyway, you beat the odds and didn’t die. So the Meaning of Life was all Death dude you can’t go down and fix the problem ‘cause you’re like an unimaginable evil, but you’re daughters only half that so she’ll do the job” she said, taking on a new voice for her impersonation, “So I went back in time to rearrange your day so you’d die,” she saw the confusion on my face and cleared her throat, “ yeah I mess with time, whatever. Anyway you still wouldn’t die, so then we took off, but Destiny came down out of nowhere and was like hey I shouldn’t be here I’m breaking all the rules cause I’m bad like that but I see a chance for him to survive. So I was like so? and she said well if you keep him living you can break your tie with Death and you’ll be free of him. His super powers would be no more with you not around, and it would go back to the way it should be with him only able to make people die, you know? Cause you see since I’m his creation there is like this whole ‘eternal servitude’ bull I owe him so I agreed to go against him!” she said in a rush.
I was still trying to swallow the news of my expected death when she continued.
“Don’t get all excited though. You’re probably thinking cool I’m not dead, but Death won’t give up that easy, so now we have to run from him until his time on earth expires and he can’t touch you, ‘ya know? He’s got around a month to catch us so… we kinda have to go hide. Don’t worry about an alibi though, you’re all covered. For now your existence has been temporarily erased and no one will notice you’re missing,” she watched me patiently as my face went through a series of expressions.
Minutes went by, and even though this was in theory, fantasy, it felt too real. Every word she said I was compelled to believe. All of the impossibilities seemed to be coming true, and I was living a horror I could not wake up from.
I threw my head into my hands, and I knew there was no point in arguing. I felt hopeless. After a moment of thought, I wondered if the feeling had anything to do with Hopes. She could probably take away my hope just as easily as she could give it to me. There was nothing I could do. I shook my head once, and then started to walk.
“Where are you going?” Rosemary asked, irritation in her voice.
“We have to go, don’t we?” I said weakly. Hope’s powers engulfed me, and I was compelled to do as I was told, led to believe.
“We have to go,” Hope agreed.
…………………………………………
We traveled the world blind, not knowing what our next move would be. We were strangers stuck together, but the drive of desperation for life brought us to acquaintanceship. Bonding with Hope was the easiest. As simple as breathing, and she had explained why.
“Yes, people are often reluctant to hope, and some find it best to be avoided, but when you’re in the moment of feeling the emotion, you don’t usually resent it. Being around me is like always feeling hope, and so it’s unlikely that you won’t like me.”
Hope was also very human in her personality, with exception to the excessive positivity. She had adapted to the way I behaved, and mirrored my behavior until she was no longer something of a higher-power to me.
With Rosemary it was necessary to keep a line between us, and the only relationship that had formed within us was my curiosity. My questions and her answers. When forced into discussion, Rosemary told me about herself, never caring to learn about me. I didn’t mind though, for speaking to Rosemary was like being told stories, and I enjoyed listening to the twists and turns she brought to the table.
She had revealed her powers in depth to me, had explained pointedly that the fault of my life had made our coarse of future disappear, and that there were very few things she could see coming, including how this would all end.
“If you have time control, what can Death do?” I asked, wondering how powerful my hit-man was.
“I’ve never known the extent of his powers, he won’t tell me, but from what I believe, I’ve seen the very least of his abilities,” she said in a grave voice.
“Then why hasn’t he found us yet?”
“When I was made, it was to keep an eye out for good, but with Death in my gene pool, it would have been hard to fight the genetic bad in me. Human gene’s however are more powerful than the supernaturals, believe it or not. So Destiny made me half human to give me morals. Supernatural genetics are different in other ways too though. Not only do I pull from his genetic pool, but he gets to dip into mine as well, which is what is supposed to bound us, but the human in me also intensified his strength, giving him unintentional superior powers. Now he has a fraction of human in him, but when I’m around he can pull strength from me as well, and he becomes really powerful. But I’m away from him now, so he’s not nearly as strong and the longer I’m away from him, the more he weakens. Right now his senses are duller, and if this works in our favor, then I’ll be able to assert my independence and bring him down,” she explained.
“Ha, so there was good in me not dying, right?” I asked, fishing for a first complement from her.
“Eh, I would have found a way out. You however screwed with the laws of nature. You’re a walking screw up that has guaranteed nothing good yet,” she smiled back at me, gloating at my failed attempt.
I grew tired of her blaming me, so she moved onto a new topic of her restrictions.
“You know I can’t touch you , like in the dirt meadow. If you come too close to me with intent to touch a…force field of sorts prevents it from occurring. It’s all in the name of humanities safety, you know, no mass slaughter is gonna happen from these hands directly,” she held up her hands and giggled. After a certain point, it was hard to be around her alone, and the cynicysm was unbearable at times.
…………………………………………
Oscar Wilde once said, “Man can believe the impossible, but man can never believe the improbable”, and I hadn’t understood the meaning until now. Four weeks was all it took to change everything, and during those four weeks, thought was the most enriching entertainment. I mulled over the words, finding the irony amusing. For it was completely true. Those who say they believe in the impossible, I have little respect for, as believing in the impossible gives a wave of reassurance to the subconscious, by giving it such a label, and no matter how hard you believe, you know that it’s not going to happen. No, those who stood by the impossible were blind fools, cowards to life, but those who stood by the improbable? They were the people I looked up to, as it went against every instinct someone has to do it, and those who truly mean it, are the bravest of us all.
I myself wished that I could claim the title of believing in the improbable, but couldn’t find the strength to do it. I was doomed with the rest of the world, searching for something more than what was in store for me, when I was faced with a future of only improbability.
January 7, 2011 was to be a day of one completely unreasonable, impossibly improbable event.
We were preparing to move to our next destination, Greenland and I was beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. According to Rosemary, we had about a week more to go, and I was ecstatic.
It was bucketing where we stayed in London, and flights had been delayed due to the poor weather. We left the hotel to go out to eat while we waited for the clouds to clear. As we walked, the wind began to pick up. The rain stung as it hit my face, its iciness bringing an ache in my muscles, my stomach churned with unease. I wasn’t used to the chill. It was beginning to get dark and the streets became shadowed mazes.
Eventually we found our way to the restaurant. The matre d’ seated us and I waited for the uncomfortable feelings of cold to pass. Hope was in the middle of a rambling story when someone approached us. I was intent on quickly reading the menu, preparing myself for the waiter, and was late to realize the silence that had fell around me. Everyone stood still, and I frantically searched for the cause; a gunman possibly or some sort of spectacular event. After a moment of panicked scrutinization, awareness sunk in. I wasn’t used to my supernatural friends, and Rosemary’s ability was not something you easily became accustomed to. I watched the statues around us for one more moment, and then turned to Rosemary.
I began to ask about the stunt, but refrained when I saw both their faces. I followed their bewildered stares and was met by a pair of sadistic eyes too similar to Rosemary’s. I broke from his gaze to take in the rest of him, and realized the sickness I had felt were instincts not cold. They intensified as I continued to stare. He wasn’t like Hope and Rosemary with their angel-like-qaulities, but rather similar to what is imagined as the antagonist in a slasher film. This could be no one else but Death. No amount of description or caution could have prepared me for his presence, the physical manner, the pure hatred in his eyes, the smell of rotting animal thick in the air. I pushed away from the table and quickly jerked up, about to run. Hope’s fingers curled around my wrist, and with a surprising amount of force pulled me back to my seat.
“We have to go!” I half shrieked in the whisper.
Hope met my gaze with a startling expression, “Our time is up”, she said blankly, and I knew what she meant when she said our.
I shook my head in denial, and couldn’t let myself believe so. I couldn’t move as he walked closer to us, stopping mere inches from the table. He joined me in shaking heads, and then started to speak, keeping his eyes on me.
“Someone has been very naughty, haven’t they?”, his voice was a piercing tone. “Well, more than just one of you. Ah but see not to worry, I don’t hold grudges,” he chuckled to himself, “not for long at least. Then again, when you’re immortal, no time seems long so to speak. Pity. In all fairness though, you brought this on yourselves, really. It’s all your fault, so I don’t need to feel guilty!” he squealed with delight, “And I was just so worried!”
He drifted to Rosemary’s side and put a hand on her shoulder, “Oh my Rosemary I’ve missed you so! You had Daddy panicked, but you’ve brought him to me my wonderful child. It was just so thoughtful of you to allow me the honor! I am so proud right now!”, his sincerity brought shivers down my spine, and the sound of his false gratitude was unbelievable. He bent down to kiss her lightly on the forehead, and then turned to Hope.
“And as for you,” he stuck one long finger in her face, “Well, thanks for babysitting. I’d give you a tip but I left the wallet at home. Whoops! Oh but you did it for the better good, yes? Really, just a saint in disguise,” he smiled, and then turned his attention back to me. He leaned down with his hands behind his back, his face uncomfortably close to mine, half a foot of space between us, and his eyes scanned my face.
“You know, I’m just a little bit disappointed. I was expecting more. No offense at all really, I just was picturing someone that looked like he had a spine, more of a man you know?” he shrugged, “What a shame, but don’t you worry, I’ll let you go easily! I need to save my strength for other discipline,” he smiled, and shot a glance to Rosemary who growled in her seat.
One hand fell from behind him and lightly brushed my throat. He hesitated at the spot where my heart throbbed, and then his hand formed a collar around my neck. He picked me up easily, and held me in the air as I choked. I looked at the two girls, begging with my eyes for help, but was disheartened with their lack of action. With a flick of his wrist, the pressure from my throat was gone and I was flying through the air. With an ear shattering crack, I landed on a shelving display. My body dropped to the floor, and my head spun. Relief swelled through me as the headache was the only consequence of the fall. With that amount of force used, I expected to be dead. I stared at Death, waiting for the next blow.
For the first time Death’s expression did not hold any bitterness or amusement, but rather shock mixed in with the hate. Someone new had joined the scene, a young female, eyes as wide as could be, a small smile on her lips. She clung to Death like a backpack, and stared at me curiously. I knew that Rosemary’s gift was meant to isolate humans, and decided that the girl was a hallucination from the after math of the unnatural state of time I was in.
“Impossible!”, Death shouted and I jumped at the volume.
“Yes,” an unfamiliar voice agreed, “yes it certainly is.”
Another woman had joined us, and her godly appearance was not something my mind could have imagined. She smiled at me and my heart stuttered.
“Hi, I’m Destiny. Lovely to meet you, I’ve heard so much about you!” she giggled lightly.
“You did this, you saved him! Now I know that that is forbidden! How dare you!” Death’s enraged voice echoed through the walls.
“Sorry to burst your bubble dear, but I have not done one thing to interfere with your malicious attempt. I am in no way the cause of your failure,” she smiled again, finding a joke in Death’s mistake.
“Impossible!”, Death repeated.
“Exactly,” Destiny responded.
“Excuse me?!”
“You’re excused.”
“I am not amused Destiny!”
“Oh but I am, truly!”
“Destiny!”
“Oh fine, fine, don’t let me have my fun. Though you have already pointed out what’s wrong,” she said in a condescending voice.
“That you’ve interfered, because I know this situation is impossible?” he asked crudely.
“Well part two is right, it is impossible,” Destiny countered.
“So you’re saying that this didn’t just occur? That I’m making it all up because the situation is so absurd!”
“No, no, no, it did happen. Let’s just consider this an introduction, not a death sentence. Don’t feel left out though, I myself just found out,” she said slowly.
“Introduction!” Death rebutted.
“Mmhmm,” she said with a smile, “Death, meet the newest member of the aspects of life, meet the Impossible.”
With one last parting smile, Destiny walked away, vanishing into nowhere. Everyone else stared at me, including two twin babies that were now randomly cradled in Hopes arms. Everyone was in awe, except for Death who’s anger had reached a point of furious speechlessness. The girl that resided on Death’s back hoped off, and deliberately walked slowly towards me. Her wide eyes stared at me for a moment, and then she embraced me in an unbreakable hold. The scattered emotions that were going through me intensified, and the silence continued.
Her wide eyes remained on my face and her words came out like pure enthusiasm, “Welcome!”
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