SEVEN
1553 Words
--25 YEARS LATER--
“What?! You haven’t still found Sally? Really Thanatos, Really?” Nemesis immediately grabbed my hand and it made me stop walking away.
“Hey, the world is big Nemesis!” I said with frustration. I actually don’t get it. After I saw Sally in that house twenty-five years ago, I have never seen her ever again. For twenty-five years I don’t even have a clue where to find her. She is just gone. Without leaving marks or anything. She vanished. How am I going to search for her?
“After all these years you still haven’t found her?! You haven’t explored the whole world in twenty-five years of you being the grim reaper?”
“I am trying okay!”
“You know that your time for retirement is already near right?”
Retirement. I do not know if I would be happy with that or not. After everything that I did in this world, I still felt empty… as if I am missing something.
“Yeah, I know”
“You can’t retire as a grim reaper if you have unfinished business like that. I don’t even know if up above knows about that mistake of yours”
I just let out a big sigh in front of her. I am in a mess right now. My mind is not in the right state. I don’t know what I am going to do next.
“Thanatos? Listen, you should finish that before you retire”
“I know, I know.” then I turned around and started to walk away from her slowly. But Nemesis stopped me again.
“That’s it? What is your plan?”
“I don’t know”
“What is happening to you?” I am shocked when she pushed me. WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO DO THAT?
And…
What is she talking about?
“What? Nothing?”
“You know what? I notice it from the start.”
What is the matter with her? I have no idea about what she is referring to.
“What?”
“After you sent Mara to the afterlife you became like that”
Mara…
For a moment I felt my heart pound as if something is wrong with me. I feel something in my chest, I feel some pain. What is this? Why am I feeling this kind of thing?
“What are you talking about?”
“You cannot hide it from me, Thanatos, I have been with you for a very long time. When Mara is already gone you start to be like that. You are not thinking straight, you always don’t know what to do as if you are absent-minded or something. You are not the same, you have changed”
“Everything is changing, Nemesis you know that”
“Yes but not us. We should not change”
When she said that, I pause for a moment. I don’t know what to tell her, I don’t know how to respond to that. I don’t even know myself anymore.
“Tell me, for those days that you’ve been together… it feels real to you? You fell for her?” She stared at my eyes seriously but I looked away. I don’t want her to see me like this. “Thanatos answer me!”
“No”
*snap*
I cannot stay there any longer. I cannot look Nemesis right into her eyes. I cannot answer her straight.
BUT WHY?
What happened Thanatos? Her question is easy, you can answer it right away but... now what? You just left her after saying ‘no’ as if you are really hiding something from her?
I sat down on one of the benches here in the abandoned church…
Wait, what? Did I really bring myself here? In this church? I realized it just now. That when I snapped my fingers, I brought myself to this abandoned church where Mara and I got married.
WHY? I DIDN’T KNOW THAT…
Or am I always thinking about this place? Why? It reminds me of her. Do I really have feelings for her? When Mara asked me…
“Dark, do you like me?”
That question…
“Yes”
And that answer of mine…
Do I really mean it?
“Mara Delavega, do you take Thanatos to be your wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till afterlife do you part."
“I do”
“Thanatos, do you take Mara Delavega to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till afterlife do you part."
“I… I do”
“Very well said, you may now kiss the bride”
Why am I like this? Those moments are stuck in my head as if I live for it all over again. Those times… I admit those times are weird but magical. The first time...I kissed somebody, I kissed her.
I slowly touched my lips as I remember that moment.
Oh no, this couldn’t be happening…
Do I really like Mara?
*woosh!*
I was surprised when I felt a strong wind all over this place. What is happening?
I looked all around and the dust, leaves, and anything flies all over the place because of the very strong breeze. Even I was almost carried by it, I can’t even open my eyes. I manage to stand and grab one of the benches. I held on. I don’t know what is going on...is there a tornado or something? My hat was carried out! It flew away!
After a few minutes, the wind stopped. I tried to open my eyes and it is very bright inside this place right now. What?
I turned around only to see…
“Rafael…”
He’s one of my superiors, he’s shining bright wearing the all-white suit. He is holding my hat that flew earlier.
Now I know why the wind is so strong, it is because of him. But why is he here?
“Thanatos, it’s been a long time. Good to see you again”
I don’t feel good about this. We seldomly meet. Actually, it is just my second time meeting him. The first was when it is my first day being the grim reaper and that is a very very long time ago.
MY GOODNESS IS IT BECAUSE OF SALLY? MAYBE THEY KNEW ABOUT SALLY? I HAVE NEVER SEEN SALLY YET. MAYBE HE WENT HERE TO SEE ME BECAUSE OF HER?
Oh no.
“Good to see you,” I said before I scratch the back of my head. I feel very nervous right now.
He went towards me and gave me back my hat. I immediately wear it and looked at him. He’s just smiling at me.
“So… Thanatos. Your retirement is near”
“Ah, yes”
"You've been a very good reaper"
"Thank--"
“But… I heard that you broke one of the rules”
“W-what?”
Damn it. So it is not about Sally? It is about Mara? How did he know that? Did Nemesis tell him? But I didn’t even admit it.
“We heard you, Thanatos. We heard your heart. Your mouth can lie but your heart doesn’t”
I am shocked by what he said. Is he a mind reader or something? He just answer the question in my head.
So what is this? all along, up above there...they already knew?
“I’m… I am still not sure, Rafael”
“Yes, you are not sure because you don’t want to admit it. You grew feelings to one of the souls”
I stopped looking at him. I just looked down on the ground. I don’t know what to say. I’m doomed.
I let out a big sigh.
“I… I don’t know”
“You always remember her, you reminisce the moments that you were together, you actually miss her”
I just bit my lips. Every single word he said is true.
“So, what can you say? Am I right?” he pats my back and it gives me chills.
“I am sorry, Rafael”
“You know that if you broke one of the rules there will be a punishment, right? I told you that before when we first met”
“Y-yes. I am very sorry. I am sorry that I was not able to stop this feeling of mine”
I don’t know but I feel like I am about to cry. This should not be like this. I need to hold my tears back. No, No, No.
“Well, we cannot do anything about it anymore. All you need to do now is to face your consequences”
“Don’t worry, I will face it”
I am nervous but I don’t even have a choice. I don’t have any idea what I will be going to have but I need to be ready.
“Wow, brave. I admire that. But do you know what your punishment is?”
“No, Rafael.”
“You’ll become human”
- Writer
