Playing Death |ONC 2021 Longlister

Chapter 23

Death

I felt something burst inside me as I was locked inside the prison cell that Aphrodite had constructed. In that moment, I felt nothing more than a deep regret and sadness. I felt anger but I knew the boy had reasons. After all, we destroyed something of his and he took away what was mine. Nothing seemed to make sense and I watched the heavenly figures smirk at me before they walked away. Hades looked like he would rather be anywhere else than stuck with me at this moment.

"Could you not find a better choice? I mean, it's almost like you want to destroy the festivities going on here."

The gates opened and revealed Aphrodite who looked at me with cold eyes. 

"So," she spit out.

"So?" I ventured back, looking at her. 

"Do you remember this place?" her eyes glinted maliciously. 

I frowned. "No. What do you mean by that?"

"So you don't," she tapped her chin and swiftly came by peering at me between the bars. I was in a dark place, and I could not explore how big or small this room was considering I was chained to the bars. 

She waved her hand as two guards unchained me. I felt my wrists but could feel nothing so I shrugged and decided to move away from her hideous face. 

"Stop right there," she scowled and I turned to look at her. 

"What the fuck do you even want? Do you want me to bow 24/7? Be your personal footrest? Or maybe you want some more souls for your fucking skin," I looked at her closely as I saw her nostrils flare, her eyes widen and then dilate in pure fury. 

"Don't you dare-"

I laughed humorlessly. I was already fucked so why not say what I wanted anyways? 

"Listen Aphrodite," I spat out. "When all of you die, in any way, and I don't care if you are reborn, I am the one who will come to collect your soul. Are you scared of that?"

She turned white. Despite being immortal, gods could be killed and reborn again. But nobody wanted to go through the painstaking process of childhood and be looked down upon. Especially not if they're gods. 

She looked at Hades who nodded at her as they brought out someone else. A  man who looked tired, and weary appeared into the light. His clothes were tattered but when he lifted his eyes, I saw the world shine in them. He looked straight at me and smiled. 

"Long time no see, Kaneh," he smiled. 

I suddenly felt everything crash upon me. Centuries worth of memories rained like hellfire and I felt a swirl of emotions that I never felt. 

"Kaneh. Is that my name? What a beautiful name. Layla never called me anything. It was never needed. What are names even for? One could obviously live without them.

"Kaneh," the tired person was gone and there stood a lean man, as he looked at the skies and knelt down. "You have to learn how to pluck souls. Shall I show you? It's beautiful."

He had eyes like the ocean. But they were so deep that no one ever returned from it.

He showed me how to that day and I cried. I was crying the whole day, the day after, screaming and kicking at him as he resisted my kicks and held my little hands.

"Why do I have to do this?!" I hollered as he watched me in silence. Finally, I had grown tired and sat down and he waited. "Jack, why do I have to do this?"

"You just have to. You were born from the darkness and you have to fulfill your duty. Anubis is the main head, who takes people's souls too. But soon you will have to shoulder some of the work."

He paused and then watched me as I sniffled. "Jack, don't you feel pain?"

"There is a reason that I'm Jack the Ripper," he waved his hand, smiling. He seemed kind. He was kind to me. He killed people while smiling. Not with swords but with words.

"You see, I tell people a better life awaits them. And they listen. I like seeing souls flit out of a body," he chuckled as if he were telling a kid that he liked spiders.

"But...why do you do this?" I felt my eyes start to get moist again and I hastily wiped it.

"Why? Because it is fun," he shrugged, looking at me calmly. "But you've been crying for days now. How will you take souls then?"

"I...I can just take souls from people that are going to die," I replied meekly.

He watched me gravely. "Of course. If Aphrodite lets you that is."

I started screaming again, when I was forced to do it the next time. And the next. And the next. Even after ten tasks, I still howled as I did it. On the eleventh day, Jack took me to the heavens and spoke in low whispers with Aphrodite. Heaven was beautiful. It looked a million times better than the best place on earth. I wanted to live here. When I told Jack this, he laughed like a maniac, clutching his stomach.

"Live here? You cannot live here, child. This is for the all great, worthy people. You and me aren't worthy," he looked away.

"Jack?" I called again.

"Yes, Kaneh," he sighed.

"What if we don't do this?" I looked at him.

"We would be chained. It's okay, I figured out a way," he told me. He smiled as he knelt down and hugged me.

I felt all the warmth in the world in that instant come into me. Then I realized the feeling grew feebler and I felt nothing even though he was holding me. He let go and smiled again. "I took away your feelings. And your memories will fade too, Kaneh. There is no other way."

He turned to go away and I stood there. Alone. I think I heard him say sorry before he left.

I felt my vision get steady again as I looked for Jack. He was gone. Aphrodite was frowning at a piece of paper as she glanced up at me. 

"Now that you finished recollecting...we have been getting some rather unusual requests here," she unrolled a long piece of paper and started reading from it. "Please let me see Death one more time. Please."

She frowned at me. "Now I know people love to die sometimes, but don't you think it's just so weird? It's the same boy whom you saved. How enchanting."

She glared at me, pacing back and forth.

I found this strange but looked at her blankly. "Your point here being?"

"My point being that, it's a rare request. We have never had such an outrageous request in the last hundred years. Also, look at this: It says, let me show Death how to live."

She mused and I found it so strange. I was quite sure the boy would be mad at me and I felt my confusion rise as the bars of the gate were lifted and she smirked at me.

"Don't worry. It's just temporary. You get one day and one night with them," she looked at me, with an evil smile stretching. She waved me off and I felt the chains vanish as I glided aimlessly to where the boy must be.

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