When Death Comes to Visit |ONC 2021

Giorgio

I slumped against a neighbours wall a few streets away from my own house and rummaged through the white backpack Thanatos had given me. Inside the main compartment, I first noticed a wallet, in it was a wad of colourful paper I immediately recognised. Excitement bubbled in me as I counted more than three hundred euros.

I gaped at the amount, fanning it open as I recounted it. This was the most money I'd ever had in my possession. I let out an excited whoop and put it away, I didn't need anyone to know I had valuables. My neighbourhood was relatively safe, it was tourist central, so it had to be but you can never be too sure. I pulled out a plastic wallet holding two pieces of paper, they were return bus tickets to Roma. Tucked into the corner of the wallet was a small raffle ticket, as I inspected it further I saw the word Colosseum.

"So I need to visit the Colosseum," I murmured to myself, what could possibly help save the world at the age-old Colosseum?

I hesitated, I'd never gone further than my little town and even then I was always accompanied by my mother. I slowly grinned, this would be the first taste of independence but I had a task to complete if I were to save my mother. My poor mother stuck in the clutches of death, literally. I wasn't ever one to believe in the Greek myths, maybe more so the Roman gods, but if they were one and the same did it matter?

I shoved all the contents back into the bag, I didn't have time to waste, not when so many lives depended on it. A part of me wondered if this was one of those times where creepy adults lied to you to get you far away from home and do despicable things. The wings though, Thanatos's black leathery wings had me believing otherwise. He was telling the truth, so I needed to do this thing for him and save the world.

As I walked to the nearest bus station the rest of the world finally came to life. People left their homes for work and school but it felt all wrong. It wasn't fair that they could carry on with their lives while I was suddenly thrust into a life or death situation. On the plus side, I got to skip school with a full ride to Rome. That maths homework still on the kitchen counter would have to wait and don't get me started on my English paper I'd had to write. I guess today wasn't going to be as terrible as I initially thought.

It was just past ten when I found myself boarding the coach to Rome, the driver had inspected my ticket a lot longer than the other passengers and for a moment I thought I'd be caught with a forgery and thrown into jail. I wasn't though, he'd grunted and gestured for me to move along. I squeezed through the narrow aisle smiling politely at the other passengers until I wedged myself into the back right corner and sunk into my seat.

I stared out of the window watching the town slowly bleed out and turn into dirt rocky roads; eventually, the bus jolted and jerked coming to a stop. I peered over the empty seat in front of me and watched as the coach door opened to let a teenage girl onto the bus. She was wearing blue denim jeans and a black band T-shirt, she was dark-skinned and very pretty. Her eyes locked with mine as she strode towards me, a small smirk on her face.

My heart pounded and my palms began to sweat, I'd never been one to talk to girls I just met, so I had no idea what to say as she sat in the seat in front of me. She turned sideways propping her feet on the seat next to her and leaned her head back onto the window. The bus restarted, jarring back to life down the rocky road.

"Where you headed?" the girl asked before blowing a bubble of gum.

I let out a squeaky, "Rome,"

I cleared my throat and tried again, "Rome."

"Rome, huh," she looked around, "All by yourself?"

I clutched my backpack close to my body, "Could say that about you, you're a bit young to be travelling on your own."