Grim

Chapter 3 - Penny Matrum

The swirl of black smoke envelops my being. It pulls and claws at me. I remember my first time many years ago and how horrifying it was. Now I am a veteran of this transition. It only lasts moments, but it feels like several minutes. When you move that fast time warps around you. The power to teleport is essential to a reaper's work.

The smoke evaporates revealing a middle class home. The drapes have stripes that match the chocolate colored furniture. The tables a bit darker than the reclining chair and couch. I imagine that it smells of fresh apple pie. The kind with cinnamon sprinkled on top and fried apples in the middle. That is what I miss most about being alive. As a reaper you lose your sense of taste and smell.

I check my list. I am here for Penny Matrum who is scheduled to die at 5:22:32. I am a little early. She walks into the room taking small steps. A bit overweight and starting to lose her mobility she makes her way towards the chair. She sits down a bit out of breath. I can almost hear her heart pumping hard from where I stand. She fans herself with a newspaper. After a few moments, she leans the recliner back and opens the paper.

It won't be long now. I attempt to read her newspaper over her shoulder. I wonder if she realizes that death is looking over her shoulder. She's reading the obituaries. How fitting. She should be expiring in five seconds. The time expires. Instead of seeing her life flash before her eyes, she turns the page in the paper. An error. I'll have to report this once my assignments are done. Usually the errors are on the hell list, but she is supposed to be headed to heaven. This is very rare. The only thing I can do is wait.

Consulting my list, I have ten minutes before I must be at the next one. She sighs and looks towards her kitchen. She braces herself to get up then scoots up further in her chair. She gets up about half way when it hits her. She falls face first onto the floor.

Her life is filled with happy times with her family, but she was deeply racist. She will be surprised to find that heaven is not segregated. We are all equal in the eyes of God. She takes her last breath then I suck her soul from her body. As I exhale the soul shoots up to heaven.

Something bothers me about this assignment. These usually run like clockwork. It's also a bit strange that a demon handed me the list for souls going to heaven and an angel handed me the list for those going to hell. Every once in a while the demons will try to play tricks on reapers, but it has been years since the last time someone tried that on me.

The black smoke engulfs me again. I have one minute to get to the next assignment.