Interview with Death: Tales from the Afterworld Book 1 by V. K. Pasanen

Author:V. K. Pasanen [Pasanen, V. K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-04-15T16:00:00+00:00

Forty-Two

Morton left the library. I finished the last cookie then followed Gladys to where I’d be staying. It was a simple room with a mattress, a thin pillow, and no sheets. That was okay since the Home of Fate and Death was perfectly warm, not cold and drafty as one might expect.

Inside was a barren desk with padded, rounded edges and a simple stool. There was a single open window too high to reach. I could smell the aroma of roses outside.

On the walls were photos of me, but none I’d ever seen. Morton was in each, but we were never side by side, except in one. It was of us standing at Ryan Mender’s grave. Funeral attendants were shoveling dirt to fill a hole that could never be filled. I remembered a breeze on my shoulder on that breezeless day. It was Morton.

“I figured you would want a desk in case you felt like writing,” said Gladys.

“But, there’s no paper or anything to write with.”

“Oh, that. Can’t give you anything sharp. You’re apt to slit your wrists open when things get rough. And I’m sorry to break it to you―they will, and you will want to die. As weird as it sounds in this interdimensional realm, you won’t age, but if you die, you’re still dead. It just won’t mess up Morton’s schedule like other work-ins do. Look, you don’t need paper, a pen, or even a typewriter. Just use your finger, and the sheets of paper will appear, and ink will flow from your veins. That Hemingway said it best. Or at least he was credited for saying it best. Writing’s easy. You just open your wrist and bleed on the page. Or something like that. Fortunately, I don’t mean it literally, but you’ll want to open your wrists for real before you’re well. Anyway, sit down. Give it a try.”

I sat at the desk and moved a finger in a circular motion. A sheet of paper appeared with a crimson spiral.

“See. Simple,” said Fate. “And don’t worry, the blood you let will be filled with all the humors and demons feasting on your soul. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating bloodletting. That was just plain silly. I can’t tell you how many appointments I had to set up for Morton because of that foolishness.”

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