The Messenger of Death

“Dead!?”, Leo stared at the pale man in utter disbelief.

“Yes, you are dead and from now on, you will act as one of the messengers of death here in the wonderful place called Neverland”, the pale man smiled even harder.

“No, you are kidding. Stop lying to me.”, Leo started to scream at the pale man and slowly stood up getting ready to hit him.

“Awww, now this is getting tiresome”, the pale man's smile vanished and he took his scythe and sliced off Leo's hand within the blink of an eye.

Leo stared at his flying severed hand as he let out a bone-chilling cry. His feet got cold and his voice failed him.

‘What is this!!... How...how is it happening...Mom...Dad...Silvia... Someone....someone please help me. I can’t take this anymore’ all these thoughts flooded his brain but failed to come out of his mouth.

“Please, stop screaming and look at your arm”, the pale man said to Leo.

“No, I can’t. It’s hurting like crazy... Wait....”, Leo turned to this hand. There was not a single drop of blood anywhere and instead of seeing a severed hand he saw his hand still attached to his body. He looked at the pale man with distrust in his eyes.

“I am sure I saw my hand getting sliced apart and I also felt the pain but....”, Leo couldn’t finish his words as the pale man started speaking.

“That just because you’re in Neverland. Even though you’re dead, the grips of the living forces are not yet severed. Now, let us stop this shit talk and get to the real deal. My name is Mierulo, and I am your guide to this place.”

“Ok”, Leo replied.

“Now that’s more like that. It is easy when you’re all cooperative. Now say it a curse or a blessing, you were chosen by the higher-ups to be the mediator between the dead and the living.”, Mierulo stopped to bring out a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. After taking one for him, he raised his packet to Leo. He rejected Mierulo’s proposal. Mierulo shrugged his shoulders and lit his cigarette on fire and took a puff.

“You have those things here?”, Leo asked.

“Yup, we have these things here but it’s different than those you had on the living world. It cleanses your insides. But before we go off-track, I want to be clear with you- this will be a tough job for you both physically and mentally. Are you ready to go?”, by saying so Mierulo takes the last of his cigarette and stands up.

“It’s not like I have a choice, right?”, Leo answered. Mierulo smiled at him and said, “Now that’s a good boy. Let us go then.”

By saying so, Mierulo started to walk towards the dark shrouded path.

“Watch your step. You might slip”, Mierulo yelled while disappearing in the shroud. Leo pressed on through the dark passage. After a few steps in the darkness, he saw a glimpse of shining light.

“I am at our destination. Follow my voice and come here.”, Leo carried on through the darkness. Suddenly, the pale hands of Mierulo grabbed him and pulled him out of the darkness. “So here we are.”, Mierulo exclaimed.

Leo's eyes went from Mierulo pale dry face to the huge white ornate door in front of him. The door was so bright that it illuminated the darkroom. The gold ornaments on the door were full of slithering flower tendrils and enormous wings among them. Leo touched the door and it was cold as ice. Leo felt a chill in his spine. “Let’s go in, shall we?”, saying this Mierulo pushed the door with his might.

The door opened smoothly and Leo was greeted with an unusual scene before him. ‘There lots of people here, so many that they can fill up a small town. And all of them are active and working.’, Leo thought as he scanned through the huge room he entered right now. It was nothing like the other room he just left.

“Didn’t think it would be so lively out here, did you? Well, everyone would make the same mistake if their first representative of this place was me. Come on, we have a lot of work to do.”, Mierulo started walking towards the crowd. Leo followed him.

“New one, eh?”, a guy from the desk said.

“Yes and a good one, Peter.”, Mierulo replied.

“Oh the poor thing, I feel sad for him. He’s gonna turn a gloomy person just like you.”, a woman laughed.

“No, he is not.”, Mierulo yelled at her while storming through the crowd reaching a man standing in front of a wooden door. The man was of short stature and had blonde hair. His eyes were blue as the calm waters of a lake yet it was filled with a hidden rage.

“That was fast.”, the man said.

“Yeah, it took only one demonstration. Our new guy over here is the quite the understanding fellow.”, Mierulo replied.

Now turning to Leo, Mierulo said, “Come here, Norn will now give you your weapon.”

“Weapons!?”, Leo stared at him bewildered.

“Yes, what do you think? People will not severe their ties with the mortal world if you just ask them to do so. You have to fight them to bring them over to their next life.”, Mierulo answered.

With just this one line, Leo’s whole world flipped over.