Death Dancer

Chapter Five

I found out that morning that his name was Nathaniel Barker, a twenty-seven-year-old artist. His neighbour said that he lived alone, and no one ever came by, so she was surprised and all together far too nosy about my presence on his doorstep.

I didn't really know what my intention of going back to his apartment was, apart from finding out if he was OK or not. His neighbour informed me that the ambulance had left with him in the early hours of the morning and he hadn't been seen since.

Death had told me in our fleeting talk that he would only see me again had I failed in my job, I was hoping that because he had not paid me a visit the worst had not happened.

I came back to his flat in the morning for the next few days, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. After three days of randomly stopping by to see If I could catch a glimpse of him, I decided it was best to stay away from the prying eyes of the neighbour. I ended up settling into the corner booth of the coffee shop opposite the road. It was the paintings on the wall that had drawn my attention to this little place. They were his, only not so macabre and gloomy as the ones that lined the walls and floor of his home. There was one painting of an angel, her wings spread wide, hair fluttering against an invisible wind, her back to me as she stared out into the white abyss in front of her. On the second day of me sitting there staring at her I decided to check the balance on the bank card Dagon had given me.

It hadn't occurred to me that in the job I was doing I would get a wage, my house was paid for and I technically didn't need to eat or drink, my life could be an incredibly frugal one if I wanted it to be.

Imagine my surprise when I click the balance to find a series of zeros, so long I did not know a card was able to hold so much. My eyes widened in shock and disbelief as I stifled a laugh. I had never been this rich before in my life! I quickly withdrew the 200 dollars that would cover the painting and headed back into the coffee shop.

I ordered a coffee to go, knowing I needed to move on from this place, and bought the painting, to be sent to my address in the next few days. Looking up to collect my drink, my breath caught in my throat. Nathaniel walked into the shop. his hood was drawn up around his face, his eyes sad and sunken and skin still pale and clammy. But he was alive and that was all that mattered.

"Can I get something else, actually." I said, before the cashier could ring me up. "I want to buy the man that just walked in a cup of coffee, one of your house special sandwiches and a slice of cake." I said, handing over enough money to cover everything.

The woman glanced at Nathaniel stood in the queue behind me, and then back to me confused.

"Don't tell him it was me, just tell him someone has already paid for it and let him choose what he wants, please? Whatever money is left you can add it to your tip jar." I smiled, pressing her to agree to my plan.

"Sure, why not." She kept the money to the side and nodded to me before giving me a sly wink as I left the shop and Nathaniel stepped up to the counter.

I turned back around, and watched from the corner of a nearby alleyway, my heart lifting as I saw one of the members of staff put a large 'sold' sticker under the drawing of the angel, Nathaniel stood gaping from the cashier to the sold sign. He slowly lowered his hood and looked around with a smile and wide searching eyes, in that moment I Jumped back to my apartment, coffee tightly held in my hand and smile plastered onto my lips.

I hoped that maybe, just maybe, I had lifted some of the weights holding him down and let him rise to the surface for air.

I hope that this chapter has inspired you to do a random act of kindness! Whether It is buying the person behind you a drink, handing someone in the street a bunch of flowers, or leaving books on trains and busses for other people to find and read- there is no limit to the kindness we can give others.

Have you ever done a random act of kindness? What was it?