I remember the first time I died, I was an old man of 60 years. It was during the late 1500s and the plague was raging across the land. Dying felt like falling asleep but when I woke there was a strange robed man standing before me and in his outstretched hand was a coin.

"Greetings mortal" he said in a raspy voice. "I am death."

"Oh..." I said. I wasn't too surprised, I had been sick with the plague after all. "So am I off to my heavenly reward then? Or was I not good enough?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps not." he replied. "It depends on your luck."

I was never what anyone would call lucky so I didn't get my hopes up.

"I will toss this coin into the air and you will guess what side lands face up. If you guess correctly, you will return to the land of the living at the age of your choosing. Choose incorrectly and I will take you to your afterlife."

"Alright, I choose heads" I replied.

"Of course you can choose not to wager" he continued.

"No, I'll try it. Heads please" I answered.

The coin floated up in the air spinning and catching the light. When it fell to the ground I saw it was heads facing up.

"You win mortal. I will return you to the world. What age do you wish to be?"

I thought for a moment and then decided on the age of 17. It was a good age I thought, for I was still young and strong.

"Done." he said. And once again I fell asleep. When I awoke I was in a strange place and for a moment I thought maybe it was a dream. But after getting to my feet I realized that things were different. The chronic pain in my back and shoulders was gone and the skin of my arms was firm as it was in my youth. I ventured out into the world to forge a new life for myself.

And a good life it was! The plague had ended and a new age of prosperity was to follow. I met a comely young lass and married her, and she gave me several fine sons. All was well and this time around I lived to be 70. Once again I awoke to see the strange man before me.

"Greetings mortal." he said. "Care to try again?" he asked holding up the coin.

"Oh hello again!" I replied. "Yes, I'll play."

With that he tossed the coin and this time I chose tails.

"You win again" he said "What age do you want to be?"

I replied that 17 was a good starting point for me last time, so I would choose it again. And with that I again woke in a strange place, my youth restored. But things were not as well this time around. There was a war brewing and the local lord had drafted all of the young men to be soldiers. I didn't last too terribly long, about a year later I was grievously wounded in battle and once more I awoke to death and his coin.

Another coin toss, another lucky guess. Death looked mildly annoyed but honored his bet. This time I chose the age of 30. Too old to be cannon fodder, yet still young enough to enjoy life. I met and married another woman, and started a successful business as a shop owner. My new wife did not give me any more children and worse still, she was unfaithful. This time my death was from syphilis.

When I woke death was before me yet again. Gone were the tattered robes, now he was wearing a frock coat with lace cuffs and white stockings. Again he offered the coin.

"I remind you that you don't have to guess" he said "Your last two lives weren't exactly the best."

"Heads." I said.

"Very well." And I won yet again.

I decided to return to my childhood this time, choosing the age of 5. Too young for war or women I thought, and this time around my life was largely uneventful. I was neither rich nor poor and avoided illness and war. I met my demise by a blow to my head from slipping on the wet cobblestones after an evening at the tavern.

When I saw death again he looked visibly annoyed and tried once more to talk me out of playing, but I cut him short and said I would guess tails. He tossed the coin and again I won. I chose the age of 20 and once more I woke in my new body. I decided to go to the new world across the sea, unfortunately my ship sank during the voyage.

I saw death several more times over the years, and each time I won the coin toss. Some of my lives were longer than others, and some of my deaths more tragic, but by then I was enthralled with the many changes that had taken place in the world. Life was in many ways easier than they were in my original time, but no less perilous. Over the centuries I have had several wives and multitudes of children. I once served in the military with my own great grandson from one of my former lives. It was hard not to tell him who I was, but the last time I made that mistake I was burned as a witch so I kept silent.

I've lost count of how many times I've won the coin toss, but the last few times I noticed that death was becoming increasingly upset when he saw me. My last win he let loose with a torrent of expletives and sent me on my way. It's been a little over 500 years, some of them good and some bad - but the only constant has been death. I've started to consider him a friend and I feel bad that I'm making him upset.

So this time I've decided not to play.