pterry

"Well, that's better. Got a big foggy there for a while. Mind if I ask how old I am right now?"

"RIGHT NOW YOU ARE BRAND NEW." Death looked, insofar as it was possible for a skeletal figure to look anything, a touch overexcited. "THIS IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR DEATH. I'VE BEEN WAITING TO SAY THAT." He added. "FOR SOME TIME."

"Er. Yes. Very nice. Are you just here for me?"

"I'M HERE FOR EVERYONE." When the man looked a touch disappointed he added "BUT ESPECIALLY YOU. YOU MADE IT EASIER FOR LOTS OF PEOPLE. ALSO FOR ME. HARDLY ANYONE COMPLAINS. THANK YOU." He leaned in, and down, conspiratorially. "I REALLY ENJOYED THE ONE WITH THE POST OFFICE. VERY AMUSING. NOT ENOUGH ME, THOUGH."

"Aha. Yes. I liked that one too. Um... so what happens now?"

Death squirmed. It looked exactly like a human squirm.

"I WONDERED... IF YOU COULD SIGN THIS FOR ME?" White bony fingers held out a fat paperback book. With no surprise at all, the man read the title. Mort.

"Do you have a pen?"

Death fumbled in his robes for a moment and with a flourish, drew out a quill, a bead of ink ripening at the end. The man took it gingerly, opened the book and, trying not to blot, went about the business of constructing sentences with his old fluid ease.

"To our dear friend Death, for all the times you've showed up, and all the times you didn't. Your pal, humanity." He swirled off his signature at the end, marvelling at the way it had come with him through the fog. You knew you were you when you signed your name.

"And now…?"

"ER. THERE MIGHT BE ONE OR TWO MORE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO MEET YOU." Death now managed to look sheepish. It was clever, really, how he'd mastered such complex human emotions as embarrassment. "THEY ALL KEPT ASKING ME IF I KNEW YOU." He shuffled, and even managed a small cough. "ER...

YOU'LL BE NEEDING THE QUILL."