Death's Timer

Water Butterflies

I don't remember how it came about, but when I was little. My Mum told me how the water when it fell and hit the ground it was called butterflies. The water splattering looked like a butterfly and from that day forth I always looked at heavy rain and smiled at the water butterflies racing across the ground

Looking out my bedroom window as I wrote those words down, I fought against the burning sensation in my eyes. I'd spent the last six months lying through my teeth that I was fine. I lied and I deceived everyone around me into believing that I was coping, that I was handling it all. The simple truth? No child ever handles the death of their parent. We live in a world where centuries ago, in a time where gods and heroes still walked amongst us on the earth the very essence of death himself, He who goes by many names but is the greeter of us all at the end of our days. Well he gave us a parting gift when the age of the gods came to its final end and all gods simply vanished. The God of death; death personified. He gifted us with the will and the single choice of the greatest question ever asked: How will I die?

Death with that single 'gift' changed the entire world, bringing it to a massage standstill. Suddenly humans could choose the type of death they wanted and how they could die, suddenly the world population explored for people chose to live long lives dying old and peacefully. Governments crumbled over night by those who chose to die in wars for honour and valour. Chaos ran supreme for a time while humanity fell to ruins before a new order was brought forth, a new world born with a new order and system in play. Those who chose their death and knew exactly when and how they would die were labelled 'Timers'. A Timer at the age of ten would be brought to the government department of death registration and confirmation. Once in the department the young child would be taken to an interview room and for three days they would be educated on death. The styles of death, the levels of death and how one can choose to die. By the end of the three days the child was expected to find it in themselves the death they wish to have, once they have chosen then they are asked to give a time for it. The more actuate the time of the death the more the department liked, once the death is finalized you move onto stage two where you spend two days learning of the rituals of death; burial, cremation, scattering ashes or entombment. Many different ways on how to burry a person is learnt and the child is expected to find what they want and choose it.
Once all is done the death, its time along with the death ritual is then formed into a mark that is tattooed onto the right inner wrist of the timer. The slight ultra violet mark is able to be scanned by the system and the data brought up for the officials to see. Later that mark would come to be their identification mark and number for life, all important documents would be stored in it. "Hey....Nardia, I'm going to come in, okay Hun?" The bedroom door opened a shadow slipping through before the door closed with a soft click, my older sister Risa a silhouette against the wall; silently watched me for a few moments as I closed the journal I had been writing in. The counsellor had recommended I write my thoughts and feelings down to help me deal with the event of six months ago, but honestly I thought it was a waste of time. I knew what happened, I had been there to witness the event and lived it every night in vivid dreams and terrors.

My sister who had nine years on me was the closest person to me now and the one person in the world I adored and loved. Flicking my eyes up I turned to give her my full attention as she ran her hand through her lose hair tired from her long shift in the Medics intensive care ward. "Hey Kiddo, I didn't see you at lunch. The commander was after you, she seemed pretty pissed you werent at lunch" setting the journal down completely, I adjusted my wrist so she didn't see the mark tattooed there as I replied with a half shrug. "I wasn't hungry so I decided I'd get in extra hand to hand training, did you know they brought selections up for the barracks? If I want to get into the right field I need to get into one of the fifth or sixth barrack units." Risa's eyebrows shot up surprise written all over her as I swung around whipping my shirt off over my head as I stood up, moving for the wardrobe to get a fresh clean kaki shirt tossing it on over the tan tank as my fingers so used to doing the buttons moved on their own accord as I dressed in full uniform. "If the commander is after me I mustn't keep her waiting, you know how she is" Risa's mocking laugh was matched with a dramatic eye roll as I finished off my tie, patted my pants down and laced up my black Combats. Moving for my olive green jacket and weapon belt, Risa replied with a rather dry sense of humour. "Yes, her lady-ship the almighty commander and shut off if it doesn't involve me wants to see you kid" pausing to make sure my eyes caught with hers, Risa reached out as I moved for the door stopping me with a serious note in her voice.

Why my sister was so concerned all the time never made sense to me. She worked as head of the medic unit yet in all her calm focus in the unit, with me she was overly motherly and always fussing; a complete disorganised  wreck. "Nardia...... Go easy on her ...okay? She does out rank us and her word can make or break us both. You cant keep avoiding her forever little sis not with her patronage." Narrowing my eyes I clamped down on the heat that rose in me nodding sharply as my reply slithered out cold and hard. "Understood." Moving past Risa, I opened the door ready to storm out when the guilt caught me, making me turn back with a sigh evident as I apologized. "I don't mean to be harsh..... I love you Risa."
"Love you too Kiddo, now go before its both our heads. The commander isnt known for being patient even with us." feeling a smile crack the side of my mouth I nodded once more mouthing "understood" before tipping my invisible hat and moving off down the hallway of the apartment we lived in.

Grabbing my thick woollen trench coat and officers hat which displayed my rank of lieutenant. I opened the front door to a blast of freezing wind and chilling misty rain. Reaching over I snatched my scarf wrapping it around before stepping out the door hearing it close shut behind me as I made my way down the stone steps of the apartment. The forecast was for either icy rain or snow and by the look of it an incoming storm later on toppled with a south wind just to make it that little but more miserable. Looking up at the golden skies slowly darkening with the sinister clouds the further I walked towards the command headquarters in the centre of the city. I couldnt help but feel that the weather was playing a cruel trick and trying to reflect the colour of my feelings. Just what did the Commander and general want with me now I wondered as I jogged for the undercover walkways as the rain butterflies came back to do there timeless dances on the footpaths and roads.