Don't apologize! I like long. And I love the "familiar but new" kinds of stories, especially those that put a twist on the regular old world. It makes the fantasy of it more relateable in a way that high fantasy and hard sci-fi sometimes don't. Kind of like the way Hogwarts exists in the real world, just hidden from all us muggles. I wouldn't want to be a part of the Ferryman Institute--though I think I'd make a fabulous navigator--but it's an intriguing "what if" that I really liked.
And don't worry; your autobiographical core seems well-hidden, but it's easy to see that it's there, if that makes sense. And I'm certain the story is better with the personal touch. It felt personal to me just in the tone. I find that the themes of life and death and everything in between are usually treated very seriously. There's nothing wrong with that, per se, but in my experience, death is so much. At times, it's also hilarious and horrifying and ironic and irreverent and so many other things. I've never met a story that captured that tone quite like yours did. I suppose that's what made it personal to me, so thank you. I really enjoyed it.
And don't worry; your autobiographical core seems well-hidden, but it's easy to see that it's there, if that makes sense. And I'm certain the story is better with the personal touch. It felt personal to me just in the tone. I find that the themes of life and death and everything in between are usually treated very seriously. There's nothing wrong with that, per se, but in my experience, death is so much. At times, it's also hilarious and horrifying and ironic and irreverent and so many other things. I've never met a story that captured that tone quite like yours did. I suppose that's what made it personal to me, so thank you. I really enjoyed it.