I recognize the soul that waits before me. Their last life was peaceful and pleasant, and they’ve still returned for re-placement. Most others have completed all their lessons and moved on to their permanent afterlife by now… But not this one. They’ve barely completed a fraction of what is expected of them. It’s time for me to investigate. I reach into the soul’s memories, reliving their previous death and rebirth for any evidence of their reasoning for needing so many return trips…

The chaotic screech of tires and frantic car horns barely registered as I felt my form make contact with the highway. Almost immediately, I felt myself become weightless. I looked down at my own body, broken and mangled — aptly so, a perfect mirror of my mind — and then up at the scene on the overpass I’d just been thrown off of. The broken concrete barrier remained crumbled, large chunks fallen into the center lane around what used to be my motorcycle, and the front end of the offending truck dangled precariously from the open edge.

Had I lungs to sigh, I surely would. This was neither the first nor the last time I could recall meeting such a grisly end. I felt oddly at peace this time, however: once my past memories had begun to leak back into my mind, I had forsaken the pursuit of love and friendship. After all, it would inevitably end in their grief and misery far too soon, and I always leave with a profound sense of guilt for it. This is my thirteenth death, and I still don’t know how old age feels. I imagine it must feel a lot like this tired weariness.

Suddenly I feel a strong pull, and I am yanked roughly out of this plane of existence. I am surrounded by darkness, and an old familiar voice causes my attention to turn in his direction.

“You again? You still have much to learn; you have no place in the afterlife yet. You will only keep returning to me and being reborn, until you complete your lessons.”

I can feel a smile forming at my core. I move in closer to the figure of Death as the formless orb of my existence takes on a more humanoid shape. I reach up toward his face, enchanted — for the personification of death itself, I have always found his appearance hauntingly beautiful. I cannot bring myself to hold back any longer — this is our auspicious thirteenth meeting, after all.

“I know,” I respond softly. “That is why I keep returning. I don’t care about lessons, or Heaven and Hell, or any of the afterlives I might have chosen from at the end of all this.”

He looks at me strangely, then with a trace of surprise as he reads between the lines of what I’ve just said. His brow furrows in confusion.

“…why? What is it you are after, then?”

I reach up to run my fingers through the lengths of his hair. So beautiful… quiet, soothing, reliable soul that he is…

“Every life I have lived has been one of abuse, hardship, and loneliness. From cat and dog, to caged bird, to human. And in all of these, you are always the one I can count on to never be cruel to me, to never deprive me of anything, and never to abandon me when I need you. In the between times, we’ve had some wonderful conversations — about everything from the cosmos to human philosophy, science to spirituality, and where they meet. I have grown quite fond of these between-times.”

He stands there a moment, silent. I cannot read his expression — he could be repulsed, or moved that someone does not fear him for once, or numb to the entire notion. So, I continue.

“I know I must go through these lessons regardless — so I will continue completing one for each iteration of my life. But only one — as before I am forced to choose my final destination, I want to spend as much time as possible with the one I have come to love so dearly.”

There is a still silence between us for several moments before he pulls me in to embrace me. I hold fast to him, and I can feel the flickering gray of my heart begin to shine golden. Is this… peace?

The golden light at my core grows, until it blinds me entirely. Then, my vision fades. The blackness of my vision begins to break open in a great “x”, and soon the warmth of the sun is seeping into the darkness. I feel…radiant, and joyful. I could sing! I reach for the jubilant warmth of the sun as my swirling petals begin to unfold.

I know I have such a long way to go… but here, surrounded by my brothers and sisters and loved by the bees and the birds, and the human gaze, I am no longer alone, no longer deprived, no longer tormented. I still eagerly await my next between-time with my beloved — but I feel like now I can finally face my lessons with courage, even if I’m in no hurry to do so just yet.

I believe I have seen enough. I open my eyes and look up at the soul in question, brow raised. I take a deep breath in, pinching the bridge of my nose. They don’t exactly train you on what to do in cases like this. Who the hell falls in love with —

“Death! I need to see you, immediately.” I call out. He appears in short order, looking at the soul in clear surprise.

“I imagine you know why you’re both in front of me right now…” I sigh impatiently, tapping against the table in front of me. He nods nervously, and the soul remains cautiously quiet. I can read in the countenance of Death his attitude toward the soul before us who he’s grown so familiar with.

“If I allow you the option of remaining with Death upon graduation, will you stop dawdling and take your assignments seriously from now on? If you haven’t shown significant progress in your next three vessels, you will forfeit that opportunity and be settled apart permanently in the place of my choosing, and it will be most unpleasant. Do you both agree?”

They both perk up and nod in agreement, and I shoo them out without another word. They leave hurriedly, hand-in-hand, and I can’t help but smile to myself. I have a feeling I won’t see them again for a while.