The girl paused her pacing and looked up suddenly as a thought struck her. She looked around at the few faces around her, knowing each of their names as she saw them, though she had never met them. At the railing were Alice and Richard, the old pair holding hands that fit together in a way that only comes with familiarity and much practice. Sitting on a bench was Nicole, with an ipod and a thick book. Anthony and Ben laughed as they chased each other, born 10 minutes apart and were never to be found any farther away than that. By just looking, she knew them all. There was Tom, whistling and patiently pushing a broom across the wooden boards, just as he had for the past fifteen years. If any of them knew who she was, they would run for their lives. Not that it mattered; she wasn’t here for any of them. It wasn’t their time yet. She could see that too, the time when she would go to visit each of them. Kelly had 14 years, and 9 days. Alice had 5 years, 7 months and 3 days; Richard would be 3 months, 16 days after that. Ben, 13 years, 5 months. Anthony, 42 years later. A tear ran down her cheek, thinking about how much hurt she would cause them, how much she had already caused. She visited Nicole’s dad 3 years, 2 months and 11 days ago and Kelly’s grandma 7 years and 8 months ago.
A large group of teenagers walked past her, laughing and joking carelessly. A sullen looking teenage boy followed them at a distance, occasionally casting gloomy looks in their direction. The girl knew all of them. Three of them, Albert, Jen and Alicia, had 13 months and 17 days. She wouldn’t have to visit Tess for 83 years, but she would meet Adam’s mom in 7 months. Her eyes found all their faces and knew, and cried silently for them. They were all so different; 39 years and 24, 16 years and 73. That one had 47 years, 9 days or another had 54 years, 2 months. Each new face was more painful than the next. Amy had 3 months, Alex had 62 years.
And Bill had 11 minutes. She found him.
She stared at this boy and imagined she could hear his heart beating, pumping his body with vibrant life.
7 minutes.
She took a step back, shaking her head jerkily, still staring at the boy. She couldn’t do it. Not to this boy, not today. She would wait, meet him some other time.
6 minutes.
The girl took another silent step back, closing her eyes as she heard the splash of a body hitting the water.
3 minutes.
Amy screamed. There was a commotion over a boy who had jumped in the water and had not resurfaced yet. It seemed as if he wasn’t trying to. Someone called for help. The girl turned her back on the scene as Tom ran over to see what had happened.
2 minutes. There was another splash. Another boy from the group had jumped in to help.
She tried to leave, to run away just this once, but she was held in place by something stronger, by what she was.
The two boys resurfaced, the boy who had tried to commit suicide and his rescuer. They had drifted out quite far and both were getting tired. The one tried to help the other and together they swam toward the Boardwalk. The group on the pier started calling out their names for encouragement.
“Go Adam!”
“You got him Bill. Keep swimming!”
1 minute. She tried to take another step. She struggled to get away, to leave this one person for another day.
Tom reached out to the boys with his broom. The rescuer let the other boy grab it first, even as he felt his strength running out. Richard helped Tom pull the first boy up onto the planks. Adam fell back on the wood, dripping and coughing, as people crowded around to see if he was alright.
35 seconds. Bill slipped under the water.
The girl stopped fighting, just as Bill did the same. She bowed her head in defeat, tears streaming down her face.
10 seconds.
Why! Why did she have to do this? Every day, she hurt so many people. Even now, she could feel whose life she would destroy next. Why was she never strong enough to walk away and let them live?
Why did she have to be Death?
1second.
“I’m sorry Bill.”
