There was a cold wind against her face, the moon peaked out between three trees, lighting the patch she was walking. She could see it in the distance, the flickering headlights of a car that had went off the road. She knew who was there too, a middle-aged man called Tony who had until ten minutes ago been on route to an important business meeting. A deer that jumped out on the windy road had set a quick end to his plan, leading him across her path instead.
“Help me. Please!”
“Are
you sure you want that. Don’t you want to see your daughter again?”
The man blinked and looked
at her again.
“Are you…?”
“Yes.”
There was a familiar
silence, they often needed the time to wrap the severity of their own
fate when face to face with a reaper.
“You look different than I expected.”
“Let me guess, you expected black robe, large scythe and so on?”
“Well yes actually…”
“Some still wear that, but most of us have fund a suit to be more suited for the job.”
She noticed the smile on
the man’s face, she had found that many reacted that way to her
word puns.
“So now
what?”
“You have a couple of choices. We can wait, see if you
get rescued before that internal damage you have becomes too
much.”
“Or?”
“You can give up, and I’ll take you with
me.”
“Does everyone have a choice?”
“No, some die on
impact, or have too much damage to survive.”
“Do you have a
name?”
“Yes, but I am willing to bet you can’t pronounce
it.”
“Try me?”
“Náttsól,
but you can honestly just call me Nat.”
He looked at her for a
while. He was proving to be her favorite type of customer, the type
that listened and understood what she was and why she was there.
“Nat
it is then.”
Some saw her as a demon and evil, others thought she was an angel of death. There were those that would scream at her, those that would pray, and those that would just try and ignore her presence.
“Here, let me help you.”
She took a blanket from
the blanket from the aid bag of the car and moved him a little, so he
would be comfortable before putting the blanket over him.
“Are you really
allowed to help.”
“This won’t change the outcome; just how
comfortable you are until the time comes.”
“So if it could
change the outcome, you are not allowed too.”
“No.”
“I
don’t think anyone uses this road…”
She looked up, it was
indeed not a well-traveled road. She knew why he had taken it, to
reach that meeting that might change his and his family’s future.
“You’d be amazed where
people are found.”
“I guess you have some stories about
that?”
“Many, you want to hear one?”
“Yes.”