Meeting Mr. Reaper

The Rapport

Kid sat by the bushes near the gates of the graveyard where her grandmother was buried. The sky is all indigo as she anticipated meeting someone. An entity. An idea.

Hours passed and the sky was black. The only light that shone came from the cathedral beside the graveyard. Time ticked and so was her hope. Then she saw him—Grim Reaper, headed towards the graveyard. She hid from him as he approached the gate. As Reaper walked deeper into the place, she followed him quietly.

Reaper then stopped in front of her grandma's tombstone. Kid hid behind a fig tree and peeked through to observe what Reaper would do next. He pulled out a metal stick from his cloak and after a swish, became a gigantic scythe. How'd it happen? Kid did not know. But she was amazed and it's all that mattered for her. After a firm hold on the scythe, Reaper examined the tombstone.

Then, his deep voice echoed to the ground.

"You know, I tend to not get my work properly done when someone's watching." Reaper said to the air, deadpan. Kid shivered and tried to hide behind the fig tree.

"Just—come out please, I don't like the smell of you' fear." Kid's heart skipped a beat. She slowly faced Reaper and went to him.

"W-what does my fear smell like?" Kid spoke with her hoarse, high-pitched voice.

"Like moss. With sea salt in it. No, like seaweeds. Plus, tangerine." Grim Reaper still did not give a glance to Kid.

"Wha-"

"That's why I don't like it okay. Your fear is sweet. It shouldn't be sweet. Comm'n fear smells bitter. Like rust gushing down a stream or river." Grim Reaper blabbered as if he was performing a declamation. He faced Kid who now stood beside him. An uncanny distance between him and a human being almost gave him a shock.

"But you don't have a nose, Mr. Reaper." Kid looked directly at Reaper's nonexistent nose, then at his hollow eye sockets. After all, Reaper's all bones.

Reaper, however, was not amused.

"Why you here, kid?" Reaper attempted to divert the topic.

Kid just looked at the tombstone of her grandma, then at her feet. She's not ready to disclose her motives yet.

"Well, if you still dunno what to say then might as well take some steps back so I can now do my job."

And so, she did. Having found herself a large cut of rock where she could sit and watch Reaper. Meanwhile, Reaper swung his scythe to properly hold it. He then started to mow the grass around the tombstone.

"You are not as scary as I thought you would be." Kid broke the silence, seeing that Reaper does his job in a harmless manner.

"I don't know what to feel about that, kid."

"Why are you cleaning her tomb though?" Kid thought that Grim Reaper could just supernaturally get the soul. Cleaning the tomb first was inefficient.

"I do this so I can properly take her soul to my Master. Then, He judges where her soul would rightfully be."

"You do that to all of the souls?"

"Yes."

"Why? Shouldn't there be like, a special-tomb-cleaning for good people only?" Grim Reaper scoffed.

"You are making me laugh kid." Reaper told her in a quick glance. "Ah, innocence."

"Well?" Kid demanded an answer.

"It's fine kid. The cleaning is not fo' the sleeping souls but fo' my Master. Without this process the soul cannot go to my Master. Besides, if things would work that way, no one would be worthy of my 'special tomb cleaning services', if you will." Reaper explained.

"Why? Is no one good?"

Reaper was about to answer her but then he stopped himself.

"That, you'll have to find out."

Reaper went back to what he was doing. Meanwhile, Kid furrowed her forehead on the things she had questions about.

Reaper made a small shake to his scythe and it became a broomstick. There, he started sweeping off the grass that he mowed. Kid, then, was able to put a question into words.

"Mr. Reaper, where do souls go?" Grim Reaper stopped sweeping and faced Kid.

"Where'd they say the souls would go?"

"There are 3 places. Heaven, hell, and purgatory."

"And what are those?" Reaper again asked nonchalantly.

"Heaven is where God is, where all good people go. Hell is where bad people go. And purgatory is where good people who made mistakes will go, which is most of us, I guess."

"Huh." Reaper looked at the sky and went back to sweeping.

"Where'd you believe souls will go, kid?"

Kid shrugged.

"I think only heaven and hell are possible options, Mr. Reaper."

"How so?"

"Well, I just don't think God is an indecisive God. So, there should be no room for gray areas."

Reaper looked at her again, this time with a smile on his face.

"You have a bright future in you, kid."

"Does that mean I'm right?"

Reaper just gave her a thumbs-up as he finished sweeping and prepared cloth to remove the moss around the tombstone.

"I guess I'm doomed then." Kid whispered to herself. Although Reaper heard about it, he did not mind asking her.