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A Good Cookie

The man's cookie crumbled on my lips and bits fell onto my baggy trousers as I nibbled bits off the edge of the half eaten delicacy. Grim was sitting across from me with a face that was everything but pleasant.

"I guess they call you Grim for a reason." My comment brought a small smile to his face.

"Grim by name, grim by nature." Times like these made me glad to have this eccentric reaper as a friend.

"Came up with that one yourself? It's the best one you've thought of so far." Grim was a sensitive at heart and that one of the reasons he hired me to do the killings. We got on well, and shared most days together simply enjoying each others company. Grim gave a miniature laugh and reached out his hand and gave me puppy eyes - the ones I can't resist. Breaking the cookie I gazed at the tiny piece like I was about to send a child away to college. "I will miss you cookie."

"It's a cookie, not your child. Hand it over." His brows were furrowed and he beckoned with his outstretched hand for the broken off cookie fraction. I regretfully handed the cookie bit over to him. "I will never understand your love for food, Avi." He shook his head, his soft smile faced the table.

People avoided our table even though the rest of the tables were overbrimming with people. Granted, Grim looked strange even among the partially starved people with his extremely boney appearance. His skin was wrapped around his bones and there were deep hollows around his eyes and in his cheeks. He looked scary to those who didn't know him.

Clouds began to edge in on our beautiful day out. Grey lizards slithered across a blue blanket and cut holes in the fabric with their claws. Reptiles weren't on my side. Spots of rain flew at the ground like dive-bombing birds who thought the ground was only a layer of paper over more sky. I found rain pretty until it landed in my eye. Standing up in shock, I fell over my own feet and landed in a puddle of spilt water. Grim's laughter bounced around the open area as people ran for shelter and I sat in a puddle pouting.

"First a stomach dragon and now rain lizards!" I let out a huff of frustration at reptiles then attempted to get up and regain some dignity.

Emphasis on attempted.

Back on my soggy butt with a useless reaper not even trying to help. "Asshat." His laughter stopped.

"What?" I turned my head away and fiddled with the end of my three-quarter top.

"I called you an asshat." His laughter was back and much louder.

"Let's get out of the rain."

Together we rushed from the market stalls through several boring alleys to our favourite hangout place. The old clock tower. It had long since gone out of use so no giant clock could patronize me whilst we were there. The view from the clock tower stretched east to the richer side of town, and west to the poorer side.

We sat in the tower with silence dancing between us. Dust fairies crawled up the old stairs and wooden support beams groaned from having little to no visitors. When Grim and I first found this place it was practically seconds away from toppling over and killing a few bystanders.

Within the first few weeks we had already reinforced half the building.

"I don't want time to pass." Grim's speech broke through my train of thought and brought me back to the reality of stomach dragons and rain lizards.

"One more week I promise. Then I'll be a good cookie." I tried to comfort the obviously nervous man in front of me.

"Like the one you brooded over earlier?"

"Hey! I did not!"

"Hmm."