May I have a word with Death?

V. May I have a word with God?

Finally, Derek was able to pick himself up and wander around. There was nowhere else to go but home, so up he went to the city. On his way back, Derek saw a man bathing in the sun and he immediately caught his interest, he did not know what or why but he was pulled towards him. As he approached the man, Derek realised he was probably homeless. Not unusual in this place. His curls were greying and coarse like steel wool. The morning sun tinted his black skin with a warmth that seemed unthought of because of its dry condition. He was slowly tearing apart a loaf of stale bread. His hands shake as if all of his joints hurt by doing so. Derek observed him, not knowing why. The man had big hands with tough black and chipped nails and rough, dry skin. His face was looking directly at the sun, eyes closed, smiling at the warmth it provided on such a beautiful winter morning. Suddenly he turned his head as if he could see or sense Derek standing behind him,

"Whatcha looking at?" he said.

"I'm - I'm sorry to bother you" Derek replied awkwardly.

The man laughed lightly. Seemed to Derek everyone laughed at him lately.

"You look terrible," he said as he extended his hand, offering some stale bread. "Come, sit. Enjoy the sun." he smiled, sweetly.

His teeth, the ones he had, were either yellow or black, eroded by the passage of time and poverty. Derek could not say no, so he just sat a couple of metres away. His back slouched to the front, knees up to his chest with both of his arms around the legs as if they were supporting them.

"You look terrible," he repeated, "you look like you cried a ton," he said nonchalantly, almost as if he were scolding him.

Derek could not contain it and left out a little scoff. "Yeah I guess I did cry a ton, let me tell you...that's exhausting" he replied.

"Whatchu crying about?" the man asked.

"Everything." Derek sighed, "and nothing, I guess." he scoffed.

"That's a lot," he replied. "You have lost eyes." He changed the tone of his voice, there was pity in it now.

"Yeah, that's about right, '' Derek said. He had no energy left to lie or pretend.

"You look well off, what's there to be lost about?" he asked.

"I guess not much, huh?" he replied. "But if I wallow enough I might end up losing my mind," he continued.

"You look like you already did, child" the man laughed again leaning against the tree he was sitting below.

"Do you believe in Destiny?" Derek said out of nowhere, now looking at the sky, not paying attention to their conversation anymore.

The man smiled and showed his teeth once again which were pale white. He tilted his head back and sighed,

"So you fought her," he said in a serious tone, "and you lost," he paused. "They all do," he finished.

"Yeah, I did. Well...not really.

He did. I'm not much of a fighter" Derek's whole body expressed defeat.

The man stood up and blocked the sun. Looking down at him, Derek thought "Ah, here it is again. The sudden sense of helplessness."

"You know, even with your pathetic defeated demeanour you don't seem to want to die," he said abruptly. This ticked Derek off, his eyebrows closed in together and his upper lip scrunched upwards.

"Whatcha said?" he said, aggressively. He looked straight into the old man's eyes and saw, standing before him, someone who wasn't there a minute ago. White teeth, silky skin, soft-looking hands.