Where am I, the boy thought after opening his eyes.

All around him, there was nothing but darkness. Black skies, gray clouds, and withered trees. There was nothing lively in this area, the boy could tell. And as he took each step, he could hear something crunch beneath his feet. One sickening crunch after another. The boy glanced down to see there were bones he stepped on, and, to his horror, there were more up ahead.

Were there many before him that have been in this area?

“Come, my child,” a deep but god-like voice carried through the air, making the boy halt in his tracks. He glanced around, locating where it was coming from. “Come into the light and see to your fate.”

The boy took a step back, his eyes roving more with a nervous movement. “I-I don’t understand. Who are you? Show yourself already!”

For a few seconds of silence, a light appeared in front of him. Emerged was giant cloaked in black rags that could reach the skies. Better yet, the giant could touch the gray clouds and grasp them with the palm of his hands. His back is hunched, but to the boy’s eyes, he looked superior. He didn’t think this colossal figure would emerge like that.

“Are you satisfied?” the giant exclaimed.

After a few seconds from composing himself, he asked again—-louder so he wouldn’t show fear. “Who are you?”

Even though the giant’s eyes have obscured from his hood, it wouldn’t hide the wicked smile blooming from his pale, cracked lips. “People have talked about me from time to time, even used me as some Halloween costume. But I am no joke, for I am the Grim Reaper.”

Part of him wanted to laugh it all out, thinking that it was a joke. But because this huge figure was towering over him, he couldn’t produce it. There was no way the boy would pinpoint that it’s a fake, what with the aura the Grim Reaper was giving off. So, with a shaky voice, he said, “You’re not lying, are you? How can you be the Grim Reaper?”

“I am real, boy,” he answered, not unkindly. “No one knows what a real Grim Reaper looks like, so they would perceive it in different ways. And no one knows what a real Grim Reaper looks like until they get to see me when they’re dead.”

“Is that so?” The boy chuckled half-heartedly. “Well, I guess I’m—-wait, what?”

“It’s sudden, but yes, you are dead.”

The Grim Reaper’s words left him breathless as if he punched him in the stomach. Dead? The boy was not dead. He was healthy and cautious. How on earth was this boy dead all of a sudden? “There has to be a mistake,” he replied.

The tall figure shook his head.

This has to be a dream, the boy thought. By now, he should wake up. He needed to find a way out somehow.

The Grim Reaper sighed. “It is hard to believe, I know.” When the boy flinched by his response, he continued. “Many mortals that I’ve come across would not believe when I tell them that they’re dead. I’ve seen it all, boy. You must accept your fate and that it is time for you to move on from the living.”

It couldn’t be true, though. But the boy's heart panged at the sight of the light behind the Grim Reaper, beckoning him. The boy couldn’t leave, not when his loved ones are worried about his sake. He never managed to say a proper goodbye. No, it shouldn’t be a goodbye. The boy needed to escape. Narrowing his eyes, he said in a stern tone. “You won’t take me, no matter what you do! I will never go into the light!”

He took a head start by sprinting as fast as he could. What the boy needed to do was find a different path to escape this place. There was no doubt that there should be a way out of this depressing world. All he had to do was keep running.

And running.

And running.

But the boy looked back and saw The Grim Reaper was nowhere to be found. Maybe he outran death. He could finally do that! That way, he could tell his loved ones that he escaped death’s hands.

But the victory didn’t last long when he bumped into a wall—-no, the figure cloaked in dark rags. The victory the boy once contained vanished at the sight of the Grim Reaper towering over him once more. And because of that, he couldn’t get up from his fall. Damn the Grim Reaper. Damn this world. Damn him for trying to escape. Now the boy will be humiliated and be tortured by the giant’s hands, and he was not ready for that.

For a few seconds, the Grim Reaper extended his hand toward the boy and hesitated. The boy turned his head to the side, giving it a questioning look. “I’m sorry, boy,” the hooded figure exclaimed. “but you must accept reality. You must accept your fate.”

The boy shook his head. “But I can’t. This is not how it’s supposed to be. I should’ve escaped death.”

“Death is inevitable, boy, whether you like it or not. You must face it like a man.”

The truth hit him once more, and it was more painful than the last. “But I’m afraid to cross this light. What if I’ll never be able to be with my loved ones on the other side? What if I won't go to Heaven? What if—-”

The Grim Reaper stopped him by raising his hand. “The light won’t take you to Hell, but it won’t take you to Heaven either. It will decide your fate, not I. I'm only here to guide you. As for your loved ones, you cannot worry. All you could do is be brave and face what will yet to come.”

Taking a deep breath, the boy—-no, the man—-took the figure’s hand and lifted himself from the ground before shifting his eyes toward the light. Once more, it beckoned him to come, and, this time, he’s going for it. And as the man walked towards it, he felt the light’s aura.

Death embraced and welcomed him with its warmth, and the man took it without fear.