Lessons of a Reaper

Don't fear the reaper

It wasn't Death's favourite spot amongst the hospital, filled with mostly drunken patients and crying children. Today, however, there was a rather interesting casualty; two twins had been brought in with severe injuries caused from a car crash. Death stood amongst the doctors, or rather in the doctors as his incorporeal state meant many passed through him without their awareness.

"This patient here sir-" she said as she point to the patient blood covering her face "- injuries assessed as of yet is damage to the skull but a scan will be needed to assess the damage. A scan will also be done to assess internal damage".

The doctor turned towards the second patient, who like the first was also covered in blood "This patient appear to a fractured tibia bone, but again x-rays and scans will need to be done to assess internal damage. There is also damage and trauma to her chest. "

"Okay, let's get this up to x-rays as soon as possible. Their heart rate seems to be stable so lets get them off the monitors and then take them. I'll get the reports sent up" The senior doctors advised as he turned to exit.

However, just as he drew the curtain open he heard the ominous sound of the heart monitor, singing its song of death. "She's going into cardiac arrest", informed one of the junior doctors, panic laced into her words. With the speed and precision of a doctor all too familiar with such occurrences, he got the defibulators and set them up.

Death had been witness to many scenes like this, with the doctors trying everything they can to makes sure the patient survives, all the while unaware of his intention to undo all their efforts. He thought he might as well wait as although he did not feel the compulsion to take their life at that moment, he expected it to occur soon as he was familiar with the outcome of these situations. However, what he wasn't expecting was the other sister to go into cardiac arrest too. Both heart monitors in sync as they flat lined. The doctor said in disbelief "They've both flat lined." He turned to the doctor next to him and ordered "we'll do CPR on both and give them epinephrine". He placed the defibulators aside and delivered CPR to the patient, using the adrenaline between pumps to get the heart going. The other doctor followed suit and did the same on the other patient.

Both patients had died yet he felt no desire to take their life, no compulsion, no beckoning call. For that reason alone, he knew they'd cheat death. What intrigued him however was the synchronicity of the girls,who were evidently twins. Twins were always fascinating, at least to many of his kind. Life and Death are components of the same cycle, acting in accordance with each other to create a beautiful equilibrium. Both are occurrences destined to be experienced alone by a single individual. Twins resisted this, making life a shared experience. The balance is typically restored upon their death as no twins ever died at the exact same time. That of course was until now. He had never seen, nor head of, twins dying at the same time, albeit momentarily. With intrigue and curiosity enticing him, he walked through the doctors to get a closer look. It would be completely miraculous if they were to be revived at the same moment too, he thought.

On cue their monitors revived back to life, a slow but steady heart was restored. A sign of relief was expressed by all of those in the room, along with a wave of satisfaction at having saved a life. The senior doctor, however, was still tense, brining all his staff back to the harsh reality of life as he said " we need to get them into x-rays as soon as their stable and then we'll send them to the cardiovascular department. Surgery may be needed"

Before Death was able to follow them up to the x-ray department, he felt himself being beckoned by the all too familiar pull of nature. Despite his interest of the twins before him he was unable to resist the call, it was his duty and therefore his sole purpose. So reluctantly he went off to deliver death.