The stranger under the willow tree

Uh, Death?

I work at a hospital, and it's not unusual for me to see distraught family members outside a terminal patient's room. So when a stranger tried to enter, I stopped them and said, "Sorry, family only." But the stranger gave me a strange look, as did those around us. "You can see me?" they asked, their eyes widening in surprise. And then, in a flash of light, they summoned a scythe from thin air. It was at that moment that I realized who I was dealing with. It was Death, and I had just told them they couldn't claim a soul. I tried to back away, but Death was already advancing towards me, their scythe glinting in the overhead lights. I didn't know what to do. I had never faced Death before, and I didn't want to be the first. But then, something strange happened. The patient in the room behind me started to stir, as if they were waking up from a long sleep. And as I watched, Death turned around and looked at the patient, their scythe lowering. "Not today," Death said, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. I was left standing there, stunned and bewildered. Had I just witnessed a miracle? Or was it all just a hallucination brought on by the stress of my job? As I walked away from the patient's room, I couldn't help but feel that something had changed within me. I had come face-to-face with Death and lived to tell the tale. And maybe, just maybe, there was a reason why I was the one who could see them.