A Walk With Death

Today I decided to go for a walk I was pleasantly surprised to find that death decided to join me on my journey.

The terrain was uneven and more then once did I stumble over a moving rock or a slippery bit of dirt. The walk took place in a mountain range, I was exploring to see beautiful sights and to feel the wind.

I knew the walk vaguely only ever going once before now, but I was excited to explore more.

About half an hour into my walk I looked down from the sky to notice a hooded figure stood still beside me. My heart beat faster and I stepped aside.

“Hello?” I asked timidly.

I was afraid but not enough to run. The person in front of me was in dark robes and held a scythe. The robes showed no body figure and the hood covering his head, covered his face.

“Death?” I asked a bit more sure.

He removed his hood and all of the black robes were replaced with an older mans body, I watched as death became an older man wearing suspenders and a cane now pressed against the ground.

“Hello daughter.” he said, smiling at me.

I decided his smile wasn’t scary and I crinkled my eye brows in confusion.

“I am not your daughter” I said, tilting my head, my father was a carpenter in the city. 

“Well you will be one day,” he said “shall we continue?”

I shrugged my shoulders and continued down the path, he walked beside me when there was room and then behind me when there wasn’t.

“Are you a god?” I asked him, carefully choosing my steps as we went down a steep part of the trail. 

“No I am not."

“Are you immortal?” I asked him looking back. 

“Yes I am and watch your feet,”

He was death I supposed, I chose to listen to him.

“Then shouldn’t that mean you're a god?” I asked

“No” he said “I do not wish to be worshipped.”

I was quiet for a moment thinking that through

“Aren’t you worried I will warship you?” I asked

“Will you warship me?” He asked

Again I was quiet.

“I suppose I wont” I said.

Death was quiet his feet never making a sound in the bush and leaves. I on the other hand made a ruckus, I saw the birds move away from me.

“Do dead people talk to each other?” I asked him. I tripped and caught myself before I fell to my knees.

“I can’t answer that one daughter,” he said.

I sighed heavily.

“Wait” I stopped in my tracks “Are you here because I am going to die?”

I didn’t think about my death very much, there was a lot to live for like the birds and the streams of water.

“No daughter, I am here just for some company” I nodded my head and kept walking down the path.

We were quiet for awhile, I stopped by the small streams and laid my fingers in them.

“What is it like being you?” I asked him looking up over my shoulder.

He was quiet for a time, his head lifted to the sky, “well I suppose its a bit lonely” he said.

“Because you are immortal?” I asked him.

“Yes.” He said, his tone not leaving room for more questions.

I stood up and started walking, soon we would turn around.

“I once heard through music that immortal being were jealous of mortal ones because we can die, is that true?” I asked him jumping from a rock in front of me.

“I do not believe I am jealous of mortals but I am aware every day of the burden my gifts are.”

“Why?” I asked him.

“Why what daughter?” he asked me kindly.

“Why must death exist?”

He was quiet for a while and I thought that he wasn’t going to reply, I continued down the path, heading into a forest with long green grass and trees way higher then me.

“Well I suppose its the cycle of life.”

I rolled my eyes, “That isn’t a good enough answer death.”

“You wouldn’t know a good answer even if it hit you with a barrel,” I smiled at the idea of the old man swinging a big barrel into my head.

“That is maybe true, but I still want my answer” I said still smiling.

Again he went quiet. I stopped in my tracks seeing a deer in the distance,

“death look its beautiful” I whispered.

He looked at the deer then at me. “Well I suppose it is.” I smiled and kept walking on.

“I’ve seen that a being without death doesn’t live life as much as they should,” he paused, “it seems to make it rather meaningless.”

“Do you think your life is meaningless?” I asked him

“I will always have meaning, I am death.” he said. 

I thought about that, turning around our walk and heading out of the forest.

“What meaning does life have for me?” I asked him. I never felt like I needed to have meaning, I just was and I saw what I saw.

“Well my daughter that isn’t something I can offer for you.” he smiled looking down at me.

I sighed again and kept going.

“But you might find that death is meaning enough” I crinkled my eye brows again.

We were quiet for awhile and I found myself comforted by his presence. 

“This is where I should leave” he said after a awhile.

I nodded my head the back of my eyes stinging, the walk was almost over anyway.

“Why did you join me today?” I asked him my voice breaking a little.

He flipped his robes over his head and his cane was again his scythe,

“I had a bad day yesterday.” He simply said and then walked in the other direction

I continued down my path getting closer to my city. The wind dried my tears wind and I made it home.