The tree was a bitch to climb with all his stuff weighing him down, but David somehow managed. He didnât have a build for athletic feats but reached the branch to the kidâs window even so. The branch wavered under his weight, but it didnât worry him much.
Christopher gawked with his mouth wide open, staring at this man in dark clothes standing on a branch. The man who claimed to be the Grim Reaper. The one he knew about from television, movies, and old fables that Mom told him. But the old drawings depicted the Grim Reaper differently than this guy. For he was dressed in modern, cool clothes.
âYou donât look like the Grim Reaper.â Christopher challenged David.
âI get that more often than youâd believe,â he said, adjusting his coat as the branch moved with his weight. âHowever, I can prove it to you.â
âHow?â Christopher asked. This David guy was making a big claim, and Christopher needed proof. He watched the man claiming to be the Grim Reaper reach into his coat.
David pulled out a mobile device. âHere, take a look,â he said while holding the deviceâs screen in Christopherâs eye line. Christopher leaned over the window sill to make out small pictures of his mom. There was some text, but it was difficult to read it. âIf you canât read it,â he said, but the boy raised an eyebrow. David had to think quick. âLet me in, and all will be clear. Plus, you have a document you have to sign.â
âWhat was this mistake with my mom?â Christopher asked in a monotone voice. What kind of place would Heaven be if they made mistakes like taking his mom away? God and Heaven were perfect. The facts about them were shaken inside Christopher.
âYes, that, uh,â David stumbled to find his words, all the while balancing on the branch. âOkay, so we reap souls. Before you ask, yes, there are more than one grim reaper. Weâre assigned to different areas of the world. Sometimes, depending on the location, the area could need more than a few, but thatâs neither here nor there. So, your mother was scheduled to die. I was assigned to bring her in, but later, I found out there was a clerical error, and she wasnât supposed to pass away.â
âWhat does that mean?â Christopher asked. âDoes that mean sheâs coming back?â Another chance with his mom filled Christopher with hope. This mistake would be a funny memory he and his parents would reminisce about later.
âOkay, whoa there!â David stopped the boy from assuming further. âThereâs the complicated part of the whole thing. Once the soul leaves the body and crosses through the veil from the Living World to the Departing World, thatâs it. A one-way ticket for the most part.â
âThatâs not fair,â exclaimed Christopher. Although you wouldnât tell from his monotone voice. Who was this David to say such a thing?! There were powers higher than him! If someone like Lazurus could be resurrected, then why not Mom! Christopher glared at David, but the expression didnât seem to match.Â
âI know, boyo. Life sucks, and I get that. But the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can all move on. Could you let me in?â
âI canât let strangers into my house, and why not bring this to my father.âÂ
âMy seniors at the top said you had to sign it. Also, Iâm not a stranger because I told you that I know who your mom is.â
âSaying you know my mom is something a stranger would say.â
âYeah,â Davidâs voice trailed off. âThey would, wouldnât they. . .â He adjusted his bagâs strap under his coat.
âCanât you just come closer to my window, and Iâll sign it?â
âUhâŚâ David looked down toward the end, gauging the effort necessary to reach the window. Heâd have to jump toward the window and grab on. âOkay, stay right there,â he said. He assured himself that he could do it and started for the window. Just get this done, he thought.
Christopher turned around and headed for his desk to grab a pen for this whole thing. What else could be done? Mom was gone. She crossed into Heaven as David pointed out to him. Just sign the stupid thing, he thought. The sooner we can get this done, the sooner he could move on with his life without his mom. He sniffled, returning to the window. He heard a yelp followed by sounds of something hitting the roof. It finally ended with a painful grunt that struck the grass below.
He looked over toward the window to see David was missing. Dashing over his window, he peered down at him lying on the ground. David moved his arm back and forth, trying to get back up, but all the wind knocked out of him. âMr. David,â Christopher asked. âAre you okay?â
âYep,â David said, the pain from the fall strained his voice. He held his hand against his head that bumped into the roof. âIâm just⌠I need a minute.â Being a cosmic entity meant one didnât die in the most earthly conventional ways. They still felt pain, and this fall hurt. âOh crap!â He grunted as he sat up erratically, patting his body. âOh crap! Where is it?!â
âWhat is it?â Christopher asked, watching David fumbling on the ground. âAre you hurt? Do you need 9-1-1?â
âThatâs not it! I canât find my mobile device. Ugh, could you help me find it? Another pair of eyes would be helpful.â David threw off his coat to go through his satchel. âAnd it would not hurt if you could also bring a flashlight.â
âOkay,â said Christopher. He turned away from the window while shoving the pencil into his pocket. As slow as he could, he opened the door. The door still creaked as it opened in such a way as if it was asking Christopher where he was going. Ignoring it, he tiptoed downstairs, where he found a flashlight in a drawer. He flicked it on to see if it worked and turned it off.
Christopher came outside and saw David on his hands and knees. He was searching for his thing. Christopher knew how difficult it was to look for something in the grass. Especially when it was dark. He flicked on the flashlight and shined where David was looking. He appreciated the help and kept combing through the grass.
âPerfect!â David thanked him. âSo I fell over here,â he pointed to a spot, âAnd my mobile was in my coat pocket just before I fell.â He and Christopher started searching through the grass. The flashlight revealed Davidâs device near the treeâs base. âA-ha!â He picked it up and gasped when he saw it was cracked. âOh no,â he rubbed his eyes and groaned.
âWhatâs wrong, mister?â Christopher asked, turning off the flashlight.
âMy screen is cracked!â David yelled. âSorry, thatâs not at you. Iâm mostly upset with myself.â
âWell, could I at least sign your thing?â
âYeah, thatâs the thing. The document was gonna be signed electronically, and I forgot to bring a hard copy.â David stared at Christopher. He saw the boy, who had a blank look on his face. âYep, that happened.â He groaned at his stupid mistake.
âSo what does that mean now?â
âIt means now I have to go to the repair shop. And they bugger me with offers about newer models. Although, I could hear them ou-â
âIâm talking about my mom.â
âYes, that. Yes.â David rubbed at his chin strap facial hair, going deep into thought. What was left to do at this point?Â
âI could go with you,â Christopher suggested.Â
âNo. No. Maybe. That could be. . .â David trailed off. He looked at Christopher deep into his sunken expression. âWhat are you gonna get out of this?â He held up a finger.
âJust a chance to get Mom back is all I ask.â Christopher fiddled at the end of his shirt. âJust a chance to speak to your boss.â
David rubbed his forehead, frustrated with how things played out tonight. âOkay,â he said, holding his hand up. âLetâs get some things straight. Rules, if you will. First, stay by me the entire time. Second, anything I say goes; we go by my lead. Third⌠are you okay with walking?â
âYes.â Christopherâs tone came off as more of a question than an acknowledgment. âCouldnât we just appear in heaven?â
âUh⌠no. You see, my device was a portal key back and forth between worlds. That being said, we now have to travel through the Hereafter.â
âThe Hereafter?â
âYes, the Hereafter. The Power that Be made some changes.â
âGod?â
âLetâs not get ahead of ourselves, boyo. Letâs go.â David picked up his coat. He started walking with a direction in mind as Christopher followed him.
They walked for a long time past all the Fall Festival setups. There were empty tents, stages, games, and rides that werenât moving. The town seemed so devoid of all life. Felt like something out of an apocalypse or a scary movie. Those movies he and Dad watched when Mom was out of town. Christopher remembered the one where a monster terrorized a group of friends on a farm. It gave him nightmares until he told his mom. She chewed out Dad so bad that night.
They came to the Timberlake Fields Memorial Cemeteryâs front gates, which were locked. Momâs final resting place was here, too. Christopher sniffled as he pictured his mom being put to rest here under hollow grounds. âWhy are we here?â he asked.
âItâs our way into the Hereafter,â David said, pulling out a key from his bag to unlock the gate and pushing it open. âOkay, letâs go.â
âHow do you have a key for the gate here?â asked Christopher, following behind Davidâs footsteps. The tombstones, trees, and how the wind moaned through the graveyard unsettled his nerves. He hugged himself.
âI have a key that lets me in anywhere, so long as my permission settings allow it. Before you ask, I couldnât use it with your house because there wasnât a soul to reap there. At least not now, so I must be invited in like a vampire.â
Given whatâs happened so far, Christopher guessed that made sense. Although he surprised himself that he had followed this guy so far. He seemed harmless up to this point.Â
They came to an unmarked mausoleum near the far end of the graveyard, with trees surrounding it. David pushed on the door, but it stayed in place. âDamn it,â he cursed. âThere should be something that unlocks this thing.â He padded around the door. âLike a button or something.â
Christopher eyed a nearby stone with one side covered in moss. He picked up the very light stone as if it had no substance at all. He turned it over, and it revealed a button. Without a second thought, he pressed it down, and the stone door opened.Â
David snatched the stone from Christopherâs grasp and gawked at it. âWell, Iâll be damned,â he scoffed, putting the stone back in its place. The door opened, and inside, there was a staircase that impossibly led past the mausoleumâs roof. âLook at that,â he said, impressed with the fancy stone door. âItâs like TARDIS rules.â
âLike from Doctor Who,â said Christopher. He used to watch the show with Mom. David snapped his fingers and pointed at him for catching the reference. He followed David up the stairs into the unknown. Into the Hereafter. For Mom.
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