When I was ten my pet Labrador died. He was my best friend and I had the horrible misfortune of seeing him get hit by a speeding Land Rover. My dog was actually called Rover so it was a bitter lesson in the meaning of irony that day.

It had taken me a while to get used to Rover. He annoyed me when he was a puppy. He was full of energy and jumped up at me all the time. He was this black blur leaping up and down. He'd steal my inhaler out my pocket and my parents would tell me off like it was my fault. Then one day my dad left my mum for another woman and took Rover with him. That was a painful period in my life, hearing my mum cry in her bedroom every night for I don't know how long. When I was eventually allowed to visit my dad, Rover was much bigger and barked as he no longer recognised me. I was terrified. I used to sit on the sofa in a panic, my legs pulled up in front of me to protect my body. It was only when my dad's girlfriend; who turned out to be lovely; brought Rover over to sniff me, that we were able to start feeling comfortable around each other. Over time I noticed that Rover just liked to lay around the house minding his own business, perfectly content. Atleast when certain things didn't set him off. I began to warm to him and thought to myself: He's alright after all. One day he sat next to me and put his head on my knee. My dad said: "Why don't you give him a stroke, Tim?" Reluctantly I agreed and I nervously stroked the top of his head. He stayed there, enjoying it and I started to feel safer around him. Even when I came over and his territorial instincts made him bark at me, I just said to him: "What's up Rover? You forgotten me already?" Then he'd soon settle down. I asked my dad if I could join him when he walked the dog and I got to enjoy the company of both of them. We became so close Rover would spend hours with his head on my lap as I watched telly. It had taken a good while but we were finally firm freinds.

So when I saw poor Rover run over, I was devastated. And the bright red Land Rover that hit him never even stopped. To this day I am furious about that!

As I knelt over Rover, crying distraught tears, I watched as he sighed out his last breath. Then through my blurred vision I saw something materialise before me. It was a man in a black cloak. His shadowy features hidden by a hood. And in his skeletal hand he grasped a long staff with a strangely curved blade at the top. He hovered over Rovers corpse but paused suddenly to study my tear soaked face. I was paralyzed by fear and would have screamed, but then he spoke.

"Your pet will be going to a good place." His deep voice resonated, reassuringly from within his hood. My terror subsided and I noticed he seemed as surprised as I had been scared. For some reason I had the urge to open up to him."I'm going to miss him" I said to the strange apparition.

The mans bony hand reached forward and touched my chest. "He is always with you in your heart and here...." the icy finger touched my temple. "In your mind."

A warm feeling of gratitude surged through me and I asked: Will you be my friend?" I couldn't see his face to see his response but I thought I could sense him smile.

"That would be nice." The dark figure said. "What is your name little man?"

Now it was my turn to smile. "My name is Tim."

So I had met Death himself. They do say that when you are very young you can perceive things that adults can't. Supernatural things! Or maybe I was special. Maybe, somehow, I was the only one. I don't know. But from that day onward he was my new best friend. He would come and visit me on my loneliest days and remind me that Rover was in a happy place and that I was surrounded by living people who loved me. He told me stories of Rovers afterlife. How he ran through fields with other dogs, chasing sticks thrown by his new owner. How he got to chew on big tasty bones and was allowed to dig as many holes in the fields to bury bones as he wanted. And there were no painful high pitched noises or scary exploding fireworks to upset him. And he no longer had to see animals on the television that would set him off barking at the screen which in turn would make my dad blast him with a can that makes a hissing noise. Rover was in Heaven.

After hearing these wonderful stories and been given a renewed awareness of the loved ones around me I felt at peace. And over time Deaths visits became few and far between then stopped altogether. But that was okay because my life was good and he must have decided he was no longer needed.

Years later when I was in my mid-twenties life was still good. I'd met this girl called Jen who I'd had a real connection with. We'd talk for hours about everything and anything. She was interesting and interested. She appreciated me and the feeling was mutual. We made each other laugh. She loved my sense of humour. Sometimes I'd say something that made her laugh until there were tears in her eyes. Nobody else made me feel like this. Most other people are too distracted by their phones or their own thoughts or others around them to truly notice me fully. They like me, they find me fun and funny but they don't see the real me because they can't concentrate long enough to do so. But my Jen could! And how I loved her for it.

Thank God I had Jen by my side when my mother was diagnosed with cancer. The diagnosis was far too late and she only had a few weeks left. That night I cried myself to sleep in Jens arms.

Since my dad had left my mum, forcing her to be a single parent we'd become so much closer. As bad as they are, hard times bring people together and they make each other stronger. Jens embrace was giving me strength then, which only occurs to me as I look back now.

Two weeks later I was holding my mothers hand as her life slipped away. What was I going to do without her? I felt desperate. Unfortunately Jen wasn't with me. She felt terrible about it but she had had to work that day as her employer had made it clear she had no choice as she had had enough time off for me already. "Heartless bastard" was the term she'd used to describe her boss.

My father had moved away with his new wife two years ago to escape my mums burning resentment so he couldn't be here either. So there I was on my own beside my mothers death bed feeling more alone than I ever had.

We were in a private room rather than a big ward so there really was no one else around. But yet I suddenly heard, a deep, echoing voice in my ear.

"She is in a good place, Tim."

"What!" I looked around startled. "Who's there?" I called out to the empty room. My heart beat faster as my body was filled with adrenaline. "Show yourself damn it!"

Then before my eyes a black mist began to appear in front of me until it formed a familiar solid shape. Stood before me was the cloaked figure I'd met as a child. "I thought I'd imagined you. But you're real!"

"Yes," Death said. "I am very real."

"You killed my mother! ....And my dog!" I burst out furiously.

Death just stood there. Calm and stoic. "No. I never kill anyone. I just come for them when it's their time."

"And who makes that decision? God?... You?"

"No ones fate is decided. Circumstances occur, choices are made, actions take place and consequences happen. No one is in control. My job is to watch as situations unfold and if death is a result it is my duty to escort them to the afterlife. Which department I lead them to is also down to circumstance.

My heart rate slowed as my anger ebbed away. "So my mum is ok?"

"She is in a good place," Death repeated.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I took it out on you. I shouldn't have."

"I understand. I have observed human reactions to death since the beginning of time. You neither surprised me nor offended me. I understand."

"I appreciate that. So you've been around, pretty much forever! That's incredible! You must have seen so much. All that history! Are you allowed to tell me about it?"

"It would have to remain a secret. If you were to speak of your knowledge; knowledge that could not be verified by any sources; they would surely declare you mad and lock you up. I would not wish that upon you."

"Of course. I won't say a word."

Yet again I was grateful towards Death for reassuring me that a lost loved one was safe, well and happy rather than suffering or simply not existing. And over time he told me the most amazing stories of the past that no one else could possibly know. I would sit and listen to Death in complete awe. He was the most fascinating person; if you could call him a person; that I knew. I was glad he was my friend.

My relationship with Jen was going from strength to strength. We'd met each others parents and we'd all got on surprisingly well. Jens parents were initially wary, not wanting their wonderful daughter to end up with some dodgy character. The atmosphere was uncomfortable to start with but I braved the tension and chatted cheerfully with them, occasionally making them smile and laugh until they finally warmed to me. It was different with my dad and his wife. They were more welcoming from the start, just glad that I'd met a nice girl who made me happy. Shortly after my mum had died we moved in together.

One day we were out clothes shopping, which is far from my favourite thing to do, but all her friends were busy and she wanted some company. So I found myself traipsing around the shops after her. Occasionally I was waiting outside changing cubicles whilst she spent seemingly forever and a day trying on outfits. She would ask me what I thought which of course was never the right answer. If I said I liked it she would wrinkle her nose and say "It's not for me," then the garments were immediately discarded. If I said I wasn't keen she'd say she loved it and she didn't know what my problem was. Why ask someone's opinion when you've already made your decision. I don't know! And of course I was lumbered with carrying all the bags. She didn't want company, she wanted a donkey! Oh well! She was worth it.

As we were leaving a shop that was at a crossroads I was walking slowly behind her weighed down by the cumbersome bags.The traffic was busy and chaotic. As Jen was preparing to cross the road I heard a familiar voice in my ear.

"Drop your bags and grab Jen!"

Time seemed to slow down as I saw Jen stepping into the road and I heard the screeching of tyres. I obeyed the voice and dropped the bags, spilling clothes onto the pavement. I saw a silver Nissan speed around the corner towards Jen. I reached out with my now empty hands and yanked Jen out of the road. The Nissan zoomed past. Jen regained her balance after stumbling then turned and looked at me. Her face expressed a mixure of horror, relief and gratitude. She burst into tears and hugged me with all that she had.

Jen was asleep beside me the night of the incident. She was emotionally exhausted. But I could not sleep. I was stunned! If it wasn't for Death Jen would have been killed. The irony was mind-boggling! Death saved a life! Was that even allowed? Had he broken some sort of law that forbids intervention in human life? I couldn't help but feel a churning anxiety in the pit of my stomach. Don't get me wrong. I was incredibly grateful for what Death had done. I'd just lost my mum. The idea of losing Jen too was unbearable! But something didn't feel right. Like we'd taken the wrong route at the fork in the road of our lives. And that was deeply unsettling! I felt I had some sort of sixth sense that something bad was going to happen. I got out of bed and crept downstairs into the lounge. "Death," I called out in a hushed voice as not to wake Jen. "Are you there?"

I stood in the stillness of the room, waiting. Gradually the black mist emerged from nowhere and Death took shape and solidified before me.

"Yes. We should talk. You are right to be concerned."

"Are you in trouble?"

"I am. I'm afraid my actions have consequences. I'm sorry! I allowed myself to get too close to you. I acted irrationally in a way that conflicts with my duty. What I have done is unprecedented. I have been sent by the Afterlife Administration to collect you and Jen....."

"No!" I cried.

"You are both to be witnesses at my trial. They will decide my punishment for crossing professional boundaries and preventing the natural course of human events. Wake Jen. They are waiting for us."

Jen was snoring gently in the cute way that she does. I really didn't want to wake her. She looked so peaceful and I was about to introduce her to a mysterious realm that the living had no knowledge of. She would be terrified. But what choice did I have. Who was I to defy the forces of the Underworld? These were beings who were not to be messed with. So gingerly I shook her shoulder. She stirred then opened her eyes.

"What the fuck, Tim! What time is it?"

In that moment I considered the possibility that waking a woman in the middle of the night is probably more dangerous than being dragged to the Underworld for the trial of Death himself.

"What's going on, Tim?"

"Err!" Where should I begin? How could I even convince her?

"TIM!"

"Ok. Don't be scared."

"Now you're making me nervous. What is happening?"

And so I just blurted it out. "You're supposed to be dead!"

Jens jaw dropped. I could see how hurt she was from her pained expression. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

"I can't believe you said that!"

"I know it's a horrible thing to say and it's not how I feel, of course it isn't, but it's a fact."

"What!? What the fuck, Tim!?"

"Ok. This is a lot to take in but hear me out."

I quickly explained how I'd met Death and become his friend. I watched as her face went from anger to incredulity to a deep concern for my mental stability. The way she looked at me made me feel sick. It felt like she'd lost respect for me. Her face said it all. She could no longer take me seriously.

"Oh Tim! You're not well. Let me make a phone call."

I couldn't bear the idea that she thought that she'd lost me. Mentally rather than physically. I was here in body but in mind Jen thought I was gone. The real me was gone atleast. Washed away and drowned by a flood of brain chemicals. That is what Jen thought of me now. It made me angry.

"Damn it Jen!" I grabbed her hand as she reached for her mobile phone. Now she looked frightened. Her eyes widened.

"You're hurting me, Tim!"

"I'm sorry but you must come with me. You have to see for yourself. Right now!"

I dragged her downstairs with me as she protested wildly. She screamed and tried desperately to tug her arm from my grip. She was truly panicking now and it took all my strength to get her down the stairs. I finally managed to pull her through the lounge door. By this point she'd resorted to violence and was just raking her sharp nails down my forearm when she stopped and gasped. She was frozen in place staring past me at the dark figure in front of us. I winced at the searing pain as blood seeped from my shredded skin. I let go of Jens arm before the scarlet rivulets dripped on her hand. She contined to stare at the being before us.

Death stared back then said "We're out of time. We must go."

With that the room started spinning around us in a dizzying whirl. The colours around us began to change and gradually the spinning slowed then came to a stop. We were in a dark and eerie place. A white fog drifted around our feet. Rows of Reapers cloaked in claret, hooded gowns surrounded us. Jen and I huddled together fearfully. Next to us Death stood tall and strong, his scythe held at the ready, like a sentry protecting us. One of the Reapers stepped out from the crowd. He stood before the three of us. His hands raised towards his hood and slowly lowered it from his head. He looked like a normal man. His hair and eyes were dark brown, his face pale and gaunt. His expression was severe as he gazed at the them.

"Reaper 591. I see you have your witnesses. You have all been brought before The Afterlife Administration as part of the investigation into the appalling misconduct of 591. He has broken the number one rule which is to never intervene in the lives of mortals. You 591 not only made friends with a mortal but saved the life of one also. This is unprecedented in all of our history. 591, do you have anything to say in your defence?"

"Only that I do not regret my friendship with Tim."

"What of your actions that may have infinite and damaging repercussions? The differences in the world caused by you saving Jens life could have a devastating, exponential knock on effect. What of that?"

"I acted irrationally and I am prepared for any punishment you see fit for me." Death bowed his head in remorse.

The Head Reapers eyes slitted, staring daggers of malice. "Are you? Let us see. You are charged with the duty of rectifying your actions. You are to put an end to the life that you recklessly saved!"

Jen gasped. She understood what was happening now and she was shivering with fear in my arms. I was a nervous wreck also. I couldn't believe this was happening to us. I was going to lose Jen and I was powerless to stop it. "Please don't take her from me. I love her!"

"This is not the time for compassion, 591! Do your duty!"

Death or 591, as I now knew he was referred to, spoke up defiantly."

"I SHALL NOT!!"

The Head Reaper grimaced scornfully. "Then we shall do it for you!" Four Reapers armed with scythes stepped forward as the Head signalled with a hand gesture. They advanced upon Death, wielding their weapons and encircling him. Death took a defensive stance. They came at him together in a coordinated, almost choreographed attack. Death parried the scythe strikes, spinning, sending them flying from their hands and clattering to the floor. His black robe whirled around him as he continued to spin, his scythe severing the heads of his attackers. The decapitated Reapers disintegrated into glowing embers that drifted away. I watched this in shock and awe. The surrounding hordes stepped forwards determined to overwhelm him.

"ENOUGH!" The Head Reaper cried out. "Your eagerness to protect these mortal beings surprises me greatly, 591. If you are willing to wipe your fellow Reapers from existence then they must mean a very great deal to you. I respect that. I don't understand it, but I respect it. Jen shall live!"

I was engulfed by such a feeling of relief I almost collapsed. Jen and I almost fell down together with all the emotions running through us but we managed to stay standing. We clung together, touching and kissing, grateful it was over and we could still be with each other.

"But you must still be punished, 591."

It wasn't over. My friend was still in trouble. I let go of Jen and stood next to him. "I feel responsible for all this. Punish me."

"NO!" Jen cried.

The Head Reaper looked at me considering his options. "You shall all be punished! As you are all such good companions you shall suffer together." He looked back at Death. "Being wiped from existence is too good for you. Too easy. I want your punishment to be long, difficult and painful. You have let down The Afterlife Administration in the worst possible way. Therefore you must be penalised in a way that reflects that." A blue shimmering light appeared in the hand of the Head Reaper. He now aimed his hand at Death and beamed the blue light towards him. Death cried out in agony as his arms were thrown outwards, his head thrown back, his mouth gaping wide.
© Andrew J Sinclair