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The three of us walked into my grandmother’s house and after my mom tucked Gram into bed, she cornered me in the living room. “Nick, you need to tell me exactly what you saw today,” she said in hushed tone that belied her intense stare and trembling hands.
“I didn’t see anything.”
My mother’s hands suddenly clasped my arms, her grip almost painful and her face rigid in her intent. “Nick, don’t lie to me.”
I should have known. Her ability to detect a lie was epic.
She released me and took a step back, taking a deep breath before framing the question again.
I didn’t give her a chance. “Death, I saw Death.”
Her expression became guarded in a way I have never seen. “What did he look like?”
The question threw me and I stumbled on words trying to describe the manifestation. “He looked like those cheesy Halloween costumes. You know. The skeleton in a black robe thing.”
Concern spread into the lines in her face. “That’s not what Death looks like honey.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure it was Death, Mom.”
“Death never wears black. What you saw was a reaper.”
I usually don’t question my mom when she tells me something, but I saw the thing with my own eyes. I should know. “How do you know it wasn’t Death?”
“I know.”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, Mom, whatever you say. Can we go home now?”
“Don’t you roll your eyes at me, young man.”
I didn’t know where my mother was going with this and I didn’t understand her reaction at all, but I didn’t want to argue with her either. At least not at Gram’s house. “I’m sorry, Mom. Can we go now?”
She glanced at the ceiling and nodded. “Just as soon as I can get a visiting nurse lined up. I’ll be back down once I get that arranged and have your grandmother settled in for the night.”
I breathed a sigh of relief when my mother disappeared from view, but it was short lived. She came back a few minutes later with that determined look that meant she wasn’t going to let up on this, but at least I had a reprieve from the battery of questions until the visiting nurse arrived.
Once we were in the car, I slumped in the passenger seat, and fidgeted with the zipper on my sweatshirt all the way home.
As soon as we walked into the house, my mom started in again.
“I’m sorry for getting upset with you at Grandma’s house, but I’ve seen a reaper before and they aren’t very nice, but Death is a whole other matter.”
“How do you know the difference?”
“Death is a man, not a skeleton and he rules over the reapers,” she said.
A chill bit the air and my skin broke out in little goosebumps. I wanted to ask more, but I couldn’t find the words. Something about her tone told me she knew more than she was telling me and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“I don’t really want to talk about this now, Mom,” I said and yawned, hoping it was convincing enough to let me escape to my room. “It’s been a really long day.”
She sighed and nodded and I turned, trotting upstairs with both relief and dread pumping through my skin. I knew this was just the beginning and tomorrow might bring on another set of dark figures.