by Rosa Lee

Created on: November 01, 2008   Last Updated: November 21, 2009

Friday, April 16, 2005

I was sitting on a bench in the afternoon sun when behind me I heard a chittery-grind sound that I knew so well. From the corner of my eye, I saw the edge of his voluminous robe fluttered in the breeze; a red banner to announce his arrival. I greeted Death and invited him to sit next to me.

Death obliged and graciously confirmed what I already knew deep within; "I have not come to take you just yet." His voice was a deep rumble that shuttered along my spine. "I have a gift for you, "he said. "One that comes with a very heavy price."

He held the gift pinched between his bone forefinger and thumb so that it glittered in the sunlight between us. It was a little golden key.

"What is it for?" I asked without taking it.

"It is for you," Death replied. "You have paid for it already." I held out my hand, afraid to take it, least our fingers should brush. He dropped the key into my open palm and I stared at it. It looked so tiny, yet weighted more than I imagined it possibly could. Twin circles made up the head of it, like a figure 8. It resembled the wind up key for a toy or ancient music box.

"What is it for?" I asked, again. But, even as I voiced the question, the answer rose within me. I picked up the key and pointed it toward my chest. Then, I placed it into my heart and turned it once.

"The key to a heart," Death confirmed as I felt a pressure in my chest release. "Not just to your heart. The key to all hearts."

I thanked him for delivering this gift, although I was not sure what to do with it. He reminded me that I had already paid for it; it was mine by rights.

As he stood to leave, I dared to look straight at him. "When it is time for you to take me, I will be ready to go with honour."

Death paused to look back at me, a scarlet silhouette in the mid-afternoon. The yawning void of his eyes bore into me. I showed him my hands, clean of any wrong-doing. He nodded. A series of images flashed in my mind's eye; all manner of violent deaths and accidents. Among them I saw the things I dreaded most. These images frightened me.

With surprising compassion, Death assured me that these horrors were not for me. "When I come for you, it will be at the hour of your choosing. You will leave with dignity." With that solemn promise, Death turned and vanished from my sight. I was left shaken and humbled.

Learn more about this author, Rosa Lee.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.