The Weight of a Human Soul

A lot of people ask themselves the immortal questions all their lives without ever coming up with an answer. Questions about the existence of a God, what happens when we die, and countless others. The question I've never heard in my life is "What is the weight of a human soul?"

Anubis sighed and put his pen down. He had been trying to write for a long time but it wasn't going to happen. He had writers block and he had to get ready for work anyway. Stretching and cracking his neck, Anubis stood up and went to go get changed. He was a shinigami, in charge of the collection and sorting of souls. He wore a long black and navy blue robe with a symbol embroidered on it to show his status. He had worked for the department for 600 years, making him a senior. In all those years, he had grown tired of his work. Seeing so many lives ended so short because it was in the ledger had left him hollow inside. As a shinigami, he wasn't allowed to have emotions. They would only cause him to be miserable. Anubis locked his door and prepared to walk to the subway a few blocks away. Most of the shinigami were required to live close to headquarters for at least the first 100 years, and many stay there after their first century has passed. Anubis lived in the human world because he liked seeing people going on with life. It made him feel almost normal. The only part he didn't like was the commute, and seeing the happy couples that made him realize that he was alone. Shinigami rarely worry about relationships. They're generally very absorbed in work and have little time for much else. Still, Anubis couldn't help thinking of the cute girl that worked with sometimes. Her name was Ren, and she was another senior officer at the department. In away she was Anubis's rival. Thinking of her, a small smile graced his lips. He thought about how the first time he met her, she told him he would not be better than her. She was intense; a quality Anubis loved in her. He sighed, realizing that meant they would have no chance. The subway ride took about an hour, an hour of mostly silence among the passengers. It was always full of people this early but today it was just Anubis and a teenage boy, who looked to be about 16, sitting on opposite sides of the train. The boy was wearing a hoodie that obscured some of his face, but his age was evident. Being alone with his thoughts wasn't really good for Anubis. At least when there were more people he could eavesdrop on conversations and pretend the life he heard was his. For a few minutes, he felt human. Today the only sound was the clacking of the train's wheels on the track. When at last they reached their destination, Anubis and the teenager both stepped off. Looking at his watch, Anubis realized he was going to be late if he didn't hurry. He ran along the side walk until he reached the gate with ten minutes to spare, and walked through. The gate doesn't open, it's mostly decoration. Once you pass through, you actually enter another demension altogether. He gasped in air and rested his now burning legs for just a moment before clocking in at 8:30 on the dot. A few of the other shinigami were also checking in and commented on how Anubis looked today. They did tease him a lot, but it was bad today. Going to the bathroom he inspected the damage. His short black hair was wind tossed from his running, but thankfully dry. His cheeks were bright pink instead of the normally milky color, which made his gold eyes pop. He checked his pocket to make sure he had his spectacles, and was grateful that he did. He didn't have eye troubles, in fact very few shinigami actually did. Their only purpose was to let him see the names and life spans of humans so he could confirm he had the right target. He splashed some water on his face and left the bathroom, ready to see what the ledger said today. This was always the worst part of the day for him. Seeing just how many souls were to be collected was nauseating. As soon as he stepped out and began up the staircase, he felt someone bump into him and pat him on the back. "Hey Anubis, I hear we have another case together today." Ren said as she walked with her rival and friend. Anubis couldn't help but stare a little too long at Ren every time he saw her. She always had her long red hair half up, and she kept her glasses on. The black frames sat low on her nose, her green eyes glinting over the top of the frames. Her lips were always painted red and usually smiling. Once or twice before, she had caught him staring, but today was going to be very different. As he was taking in her beauty, Anubis walked into someone without realizing it and fell on his back end. He got up and bowed to apologize, but stopped when he realized who he had hit. It was the teenager from the train. The kid took his hood off, and his headphones out. Anubis could see his blue eyes narrow in annoyance, and his brow furrowed. Ren helped Anubis up, the latter apologizing to the teenager, as they filed into the meeting room to get their ledgers for the day. Ren had to shake Anubis to get his attention. He wasn't sure why he was so spaced out today, but he couldn't get that kid out of his head. Something about him didn't seem right. Getting their assignments, Ren and Anubis headed out. She patted his back, knowing he was probably dreading work. He always did, but for some reason he always felt better about days he had to work with Ren.