Death's Life

by B Latif

  Her hand slowly moved down from his cheek and dropped in her lap. Henry didn’t say anything, neither did Rose.

  The silence lengthened and her eyes remained locked on his. His lips moved.

  “Your eyes are like the most enchanting jewels,” he paused his gaze frozen on Rose, “Your hair shines like the golden rays from the sun.

  His eyes didn’t move to any of her facial features as he described them, “You are blushing right now.”

  He didn’t smile, “Your lips are redder than any rose in the world.”

  He didn’t move his gaze and Rose was wonderstruck already. And the next words came from the things he loved most in the world, “And your brows are like the arcs of my bow… and the sight of you strikes me like an arrow. You are more colorful than any rainbow and more beautiful than any butterfly. You are the rose blooming in the orchard of my home.”

  He stopped.

  Finally, Rose blinked, and her lips moved. Her eyes only moved away when Paulo said from a distance, “Uh oh. Henry’s in trouble, guys.”

  Daniel and Alex stopped in their tracks and looked at the couple. Hearing that, Henry got up and started polishing his knee-high boots, ignoring them.

  Daniel started reading his book and Paulo sat by Rose, while Alex was wiping his pistol.

  “Henry isn’t your typical guy,” Paulo explained to Rose.

  “What do you mean?”

  “He means nothing, Rose,” Henry answered. He had his back towards them, but it seemed that he was aware of the conversation.

  “I meant,” Paulo dropped his eyes, “You are the first girl he has dated.”

  “What?” her face was still blank.

  “Yes!” Paulo opened the Pandora box, “Everyone thought that being the son of the president, he would beat all records. He did indeed, in not dating.”

  Rose blinked innocently, “Is that bad?”

  “Shut up, Paulo,” Henry said in an undertone without turning around.

  “For me, it would be bad,” Paulo sneered, “But for Henry, it is a kind of prestige, I suppose.”

  “Shut it.”

  “He is kind of an anti-romantic man. I never thought he would fall for someone younger than himself.”

  Henry’s hands stopped moving, his shoulders rose for a second and hunched again as he relaxed them, “Don’t involve Rose in this. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

  Paulo addressed Henry directly this time, “Everybody falls in love sooner or later in their life. The ones who deny it are just delaying the inevitable.”

  Rose blinked ignorantly when Paulo stopped speaking and looked to Henry for an answer.

  “Henry?” she said politely when he remained silent, “What is he saying?”

  He turned around, his frown deeper than before and his hands clenched in fists, he said indignantly to Paulo.

  “He is talking bullshit!”

  Silence.

  Daniel stopped reading and was looking at Henry incredulously. Rose regarded him with innocence in her eyes. The atmosphere seemed fragile as if the friendship would break at any moment, but it was saved by Rose.

  “Henry?” she began tentatively and sweetly. His posture didn’t change as he kept his infuriated eyes on Paulo. Rose continued in her usual innocent manner, “What is bullshit?”

  Daniel was the first one to burst out laughing, then Alex, and finally Paulo. Henry smiled at her question and busied himself again.

  “Tell her, Henry!” Daniel said, amused.

  Rose was puzzled at the sudden change in the situation.

  Henry walked to her and said, “Come on, let’s go back… and forget that word, it is a bad one. Just don’t tell your mother that I used it, otherwise she will get a bad impression of me. I’m going to see her off, guys, don’t bother to follow us.”

  Rose and Henry began to walk side by side. Their pace wasn’t fast, and they didn’t talk either. Soon, Rose began to look up at the tall trees, which seemed to go on forever. With her neck craned, she was too interested in the trees, while Henry had his eyes on the track.

  Rose seemed to be searching for something, perhaps she wanted to steal a glimpse of the sky. Henry began to play with his dagger, tossing it in the air and catching it with one hand.

  After some time of his playing, his dagger fell among the twigs and leaves. He crouched to pick it up, and as he straightened, Rose ran straight into his back. Jerking forward, he managed to keep his balance, as Rose tumbled to the ground.

  She just lay there as Henry frowned down at her, as if deciding something, with the dagger twisting in his fingers.

  “What?” she stared at him, her palms pinned to the ground.

  With the frown still ruling his face, the corners of his lips curved, and a smile appeared, “I have something for you.”

  Bringing out something reflective from his pocket, he crouched in front of her. Rose held it and looked at her reflection.

  “Who is this?” then she saw the movement of her own lips in the mirror and whispered, “I can’t hear her.”

  Henry smiled broadly.

  “This girl,” he pointed at the reflection, “is you, Rose.”

  She stared at the girl and then clapped her palm to her mouth, “This is me?”

  She held her hair and kept staring at herself for a long time. It was the kind of impression one got after gaining eyesight after a lifetime of blindness.

  Henry observed her very carefully and then after a long time, he asked, “You don’t like yourself?”

  Rose frowned in a trance and then blinked at herself, “I… I do… but…” she was sounding disappointed, “I… I don’t… look like my mother.”

  “You want to look like her?”

  Rose nodded without casting away her eyes. Henry raised his eyebrows, “Why?”

  “Because she is the most beautiful!” Rose answered in an obviously manner.

  Henry kept his eyes on her face as his tongue rolled in his mouth and he bit the inside of his cheek. Tucking his hand beneath her chin, he turned her face toward him.

  “You are beautiful, Rose,” he told her sincerely, “To me, you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  Her eyes sparkled and the corner of her mouth turned up.

  “But how can this happen? How can one look at oneself?”

  Henry began to explain the physics, and she listened carefully.

  I assume we can see it clearly. I mean, what is coming.

  ***

  “Mama!”

  I didn’t reply because I was feeling the weakest human emotion, which is fear.

  “Mama!”

  My lips trembled. I kept watering the roses without even thinking why I was doing it as I had watered them some hours ago.

  “Mama! There you are!” Rose came in. I still didn’t know how to avoid it as I didn’t have a plan.

  “What are you doing?” Rose asked happily, but continued without waiting for my answer, “I’ve got something for you!”

  “Hmm…”

  Think. Think. Think.

  Thinking has always been a major issue for me. I’m not capable of thinking. I’m only capable of obeying.

  I quickly started walking toward the castle with Rose following me, waiting for me to pay her some attention.

  When I didn’t, she took my hand and stood still, looking at me.

  “I’ve got something for you,” she repeated with the same enthusiasm.

  I blinked and licked my dry lips, “Okay.”

  With this, she brought out her hand with the mirror. I stared at it as if I had never seen a mirror before.

  “What is this?” I asked.

  “A mirror. Mama, we can see ourselves in it! Henry gave it to me!”

  The first materialistic thing she received from the world and the deadliest as well.

  “Look…”

  “No.” I pushed it away.

  “No, look, Mama, how beautiful you are!”

  “No,” I repeated, “Ke
ep it away from me.”

  “Mama,” Rose tried to calm me down, “seriously, it won’t hurt you.”

  “It’s not that, Rose,” I told her evasively.

  “Then why don’t you look at yourself?” her tone gave me the impression that she was annoyed, but so was I.

  “Because…” I couldn’t tell her. But somewhere within me, I knew that a mother could trust her daughter with her secret, “Because my reflection doesn’t appear in the mirror.”

  Rose was silent.

  Was she scared? No… more like sympathetic. Very sympathetic. She just knew Henry’s and her reflection had appeared in the mirror, maybe she would assume not everyone’s did.

  It seemed normal for her to accept what I said.

  “Oh no,” she moaned.

  “Rose?”

  “Mama, you won’t be able to see yourself.”

  I frowned and thought about what I could do to satisfy her. I wanted to see myself. I knew my face changed according to the lives people led, their sins and virtues created my physical appearance and I appeared beautiful to Rose because she had no sin.

  Our discussion came to an end, but my thoughts didn’t.

  I closed my eyes to see the blackness humans see when they sleep, my back against the trunk of a willow. It was noon when I heard her steps approaching me.

  “Mama! Mama!”

  I didn’t open my eyes. She had found me anyway. When I looked at her, she seemed joyous about something.

  “Rose?”

  “Guess what have I have for you?” she was extremely excited.

  “The mirror,” I said airily.

  “Oh, no. Something better than that!”

  Being Death, I had already condemned the mirror and didn’t feel it worthwhile to consider the matter a second time. As far as I was concerned the subject had been forgotten.

  “I don’t know, Rose,” I kept sitting there as she stepped toward me and slumped down, holding out a paper in front of my eyes.

  Wow.

  I couldn’t stop smiling. How could she even compare an evil thing like a mirror to this?

  “I knew it would make you happy!” she beamed.

  “Is this…?”

  In wonderment, I looked at the perfectly shaded visage with a lovely smile, those almond-shaped eyes with long, sweeping lashes, the hair flowing down like a calm and gentle river.

  “Yes!”

  A sketch.

  A sketch of me.

  I was speechless. I was far more beautiful than the word. The word was too small for me, even the world was too small for me.

  “This is wonderful, Rose,” I finally complimented her.

  “Sure, it is, Mama. Now you can see yourself.”

  I smiled, “I meant, your drawing is wonderful.”

  Her aptitude was rare.

  Rose nudged me, “Oh come on, Mama. We’re talking about you here.”

  I laughed, “I’m glad you see me like this.”

  No, she didn’t understand what I meant, but still it was something worth saying.

  “Thanks, by the way, I’m flattered,” Rose said graciously.

  Just so you know, I have the sketch. Even now.

  ***

  “Tremendous,” Henry uttered.

  “Right?” Rose beamed, “She is beautiful.”

  Henry’s stare at the sketch wasn’t annoying at all. I have seen hunger and lust in men’s eyes when they look at a beautiful woman. But there was respect in his eyes, respect for me, Rose’s mother.

  “She certainly is,” he replied.

  He was the first person who saw Death before dying. But it was good that he didn’t know what he had just seen.

  Henry licked his lips, hesitating. He was going to ask something, and I knew what. I have lived for thousands of years. I know what humans are going to say by their actions.

  Sorry, I used the word ‘live’ for myself. Did it annoy you?

  Oh, please, excuse me but you don’t live either. You all survive.

  “Do you want to come with me to the ball?”

  Rose sat beside him on the jagged forest floor, and asked him curiously,” What’s a ball?”

  “It’s a dance,” he began reluctantly, “Rose. I want you to meet my people, see my world. Will you come with me for a day?”

  Rose thought. Half about what she couldn’t understand and half of about what she was unsure of.

  “Of course!”

  Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no.

  Trouble.

  “I’ll ask Mama.”

  “You need permission from your mother?” Henry sounded bewildered.

  “Obviously, Henry,” she said in a matter of fact tone, “Don’t you ask your mother?”

  “Uh, no,” Henry replied honestly. His honesty wasn’t limited to himself, he referred to all the humans, “I generally just tell her. It doesn’t matter anyway. People don’t have time for each other in my world.”

  He was breaking the ice while she was an open book.

  “Come on, Henry!” Rose said, “Let’s go and ask her now!”

  Henry stared at Rose, as did I. Was she out of her mind? She was bringing an unknown man to my territory? Death’s territory?

  “Now?” Henry raised his eyebrow.

  “I understand if you don’t want to come,” Rose replied.

  “No, I do. But… look at me, Rose.”

  Rose looked at his face, or rather stared.

  “I mean my clothes. They are messy and I haven’t shaved, I don’t want to make a notorious impression on her.”

  Rose was silent. He was waiting for her reply, and when she did, he laughed aloud.

  “Henry, what does notorious mean?”

  He looked at her, laughing at her as if she were an innocent and ignorant child. Then he got up and said, “Let’s meet your mother.”

  Rose led the way cheerfully. I had no plan. The only thing I could think of was to leave or sneak behind them. The latter was the better.

  Without saying a word, they reached the river. The waterfall was building pressure against the rocks. He shouldered his bow and jumped on the rock, looked back at her, offering his hand.

  Rose looked at his hand, “I can do this.”

  The frown grew on his face, “Seriously?”

  She nodded.

  “You’ll fall, Rose,” Henry warned. Rose glanced at the flowing stream and the rocks.

  “I can do it,” she assured him.

  With a cunning smile, Henry shrugged and moved on, “Suit yourself.”

  Skipping steps on the jagged rocks, Henry crossed the stream and went to the other side of the bank. when he reached there and looked back, Rose was still on her spot.

  “I don’t have all day!” Henry said aloud.

  Tentatively, she stepped on the first rock after a gulp. Henry watched her progress as she hopped on the second one at a turtle’s pace.

  “You’ll fall,” Henry warned her again.

  Rose ignored him and stepped on the third one. Her foot slipped, but she maintained her balance. Stretching out her arms, her eyes fell on Henry and remained on him as he unbuttoned his shirt.

  “What are you doing?” Rose asked, taken aback.

  He took off his shirt and placed it at his feet, casting his playful eyes upon her.

  “Distracting you,” he replied slyly.

  “Why?”

  He moved his naked shoulders, shrugging, and unfolded his arms, “Because I want you to fall.”

  Rose frowned, “You want me to get hurt?”

  Henry smirked, as he knew he was handsome as hell and his plan would work, “No. I want you to obey me.”

  Rose gulped and jumped on the next rock. She didn’t look at him as it was the only strategy to avoid distraction. She never looked up from the stream.

  When she jumped again, Henry started whistling a slow tune.

  Rose looked at him. Now he wasn’t even wearing his vest.

  As she stared at him, he kept whistling. Perhaps sh
e was awed by him as she had never seen a male body before, and I thanked the Lord he didn’t take off his pants. His torso was enough to cause havoc.

  She shook her head and as she stepped again, lost balance, and fell. A smile spread across his face as she splashed in the water. However, it didn’t last long as his prediction was fulfilled, and Rose was moaning with her eyes closed.

  Henry hurried toward her, skipping across the rocks.

  “Hey,” he frowned.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine.” She tried to get up, but it turned into a wince, “Happy now? I’m hurt!”

  “You just fell, Rose. Be strong, get up,” Henry defended himself as if he were teaching her to be strong.

  As the water spoiled her dress, some of it also filled her eyes. Her hands were deep in the water, holding her sprained ankle.

  Henry reacted to the situation and crouched to take her in his arms.

  “What are you doing?” Rose cringed away.

  Henry halted, his frown deepening again, “I’m,” he paused, “trying to help you.”

  Rose still seemed unsure.

  “Come on, Rose!” Henry affirmed for the tenth time, “I don’t bite, alright?”

  She held up her arms hesitatingly, and in a second, Henry was carrying her back. His eyes were on the path, looking sympathetic as Rose locked her fingers at the back of his neck and pressed her face to his shoulder.

  “You’ll fall, Henry,” she told him, “You’ll fall.”

  “Uh-huh,” his eyes were still analyzing the way back to the other side, “We will fall, Rose.”

  He hopped, lost balance, maintained it. Rose’s nails scratching his neck in panic and he winced, “Ah!”

  “What happened?” She looked innocently at his unshaven face.

  His eyes went to her face and he told her in disbelief, “Don’t scratch me.”

  Rose nodded, curling her fingers on his neck, “Are we going to fall?”

  Henry attempted another jump to the next rock and another wince escaped his mouth.

  “I didn’t scratch,” Rose protested immediately.

  Henry looked at her, “You pulled my hair.”

  “I did?”

  But Henry ignored the question and reached the last step. The land was at some distance and there were slippery pebbles on it, making it the riskiest jump.

  Henry’s chest rose and fell heavily, and Rose closed her eyes, burying her face in his chest. His fingers enclosed tightly around her waist and thigh and he jumped.