Death was dumbfounded when he saw Shiuli laugh with so much of innocence. His eyes stuck to hers and he just couldn't take his eyes off her. This was definitely not love… Creatures never fall in love, but something about this girl was very fascinating to Death. He forced himself to look down as soon as he saw Shiuli blush and he shut his eyes tight to calm himself down. Is my dark heart beating or what? Death couldn't understand how a human girl could stir up a hurricane of confusion about his feelings. He looked up at her again and his eyes caught her staring at his briefcase with a pained expression. Death immediately knew that she was recalling her talk with her parent's soul back in the hospital. Death saw a hint of purpose take over her eyes and she looked back up at him and smiled brightly.
"So… what am I supposed to do boss?"
"Hold this maybe?" Death offered her the briefcase, "This is something you have to do every time we set out to carry souls."
"Sure."
Death saw no hesitation in her. Shiuli held out her hand and gently took possession of the briefcase. The briefcase already had thousands of souls that Death had taken before coming to get Shiuli. Death's task today was to collect one of the special six souls and Shiuli was to assist him today. It was her first day as his apprentice and it looked like she wasn't nervous at all. Actually, Death seemed more nervous than Shiuli. Death always felt nervous around this girl. How am I supposed to work alongside her? Death cleared his throat and decided to do his job and not to worry about other stupid things.
"Let's go."
"Alright… where are we going anyway? Like a hospital or something? People mostly die in hospitals… right?"
"No… it depends on how they die actually. We are heading to a house."
"House? Someone's going to die inside their own house?"
"Apparently yes." Death was walking ahead of Shiuli, "The girl is twenty years old and is a Micro-Biology student at a college. She is going to die due to blood cancer."
"What?"
Death turned back to look at Shiuli. Her voice was shocked and she just stared at Death like he had just offended her. She looked like the world had collapsed on her and she looked infuriated. Death couldn't understand why her face dropped from all happy to angry.
They were already on the main road. Death was visible to the human world and the streets were deserted because it was really late at night. Insects were singing in the bush around them and the shops were all closed down. There were two homeless men sleeping on the footpath next to them and the sky looked brilliant with a full moon and twinkling stars. Shiuli walked up to Death and looked straight into his eyes.
"You say that like it's no big thing!"
"It is not for Death." Death laughed sarcastically, "What did you think, huh? This job was going to be all fun and jolly? You teenagers nowadays are so influenced by the television that you don't even think about something before getting into it. This is what I do, human… and well, you chose to work alongside me, so why don't you discard your stupid set of human emotions and do your job sincerely?"
"Oh my god! You are such a jerk!"
"Well, congratulations on the late realization."
Death turned around and started to walk. His pace was really fast and aggressive and it took him a while to realize that Shiuli was not following him. He felt a wave of anger take over him and he turned around. What he saw, changed his feelings completely. His anger turned to wonder. Shiuli stood at the same spot where he had last seen her and he saw her breathing hard and trying to calm herself down. Death was shocked at how much the girl had changed since the first time he had talked to her in the hospital. She was a scared girl back then who had given up all hope in the world that she lived in… and now she was so different! So hopeful and calm that she could amaze anyone talking to her.
Death walked back to Shiuli. Though his expression was a poker face, his insides were screaming at him to ask the girl what kind of a human she was… He wanted to know how she could be so calm right after burning with anger and how she could look at everything with a vibrant and colorful perspective. Death suppressed the questions inside of him and approached her with his usual work-oriented demeanor. Shiuli looked up at him with a similar expression as his and straightened herself.
"I'm sorry, I should've known how difficult this job can be at times." Shiuli looked down at her feet, "Let's go… I won't lose my temper again."
"I just want you to know that this job isn't as easy as you think it is. I am a Creature so I don't know about these human feelings of yours, but I would like you to leave them back at your house whenever you are with me."
"Got it."
"And well, I know you have a lot of questions that are unanswered… we can sit down after the job is done and I will try to explain the whole system to you, okay?"
"Okay."
This time Death was walking right next to her. He was a hard shell of darkness and he could never understand human emotions. He knew that humans felt happy and sad… sad or misery when they lost their loved ones, Death knew that very well, but with Shiuli it was different. Death had seen her cry with misery and laugh with happiness. He had seen both sides of her and something inside him told him that happiness made her eyes shine. He now knew that whenever Shiuli was happy, something inside him felt light… it weighed less… and whenever Shiuli was sad, something inside him weighed him down. This moment was when his insides felt heavier than usual.
Death looked at the sixteen-year-old girl walking next to him. She looked straight ahead with focus and didn't even blink once. Shiuli's long black tresses were flying in the wind and the moon illuminated her face. She looked so different at the moment that Death wondered why he was always thinking about her these days.
***
The Moon was on the moon. As confusing as that sounds, she was sitting on her throne of pure silver and was looking down in the direction of the earth. Her pure white toga was shining with the light of her throne and her golden hair was braided with silver chains in between them. Her grey eyes gleamed with energy and her long and slender legs bore silver anklets that chimed every time she moved. Moon was waiting for Time to report to her. He was late and the Moon was more worried than angry. Time was the Creature who controlled time, never in his entire existence had he been late and well, it was practically impossible for Time to be late! Moon frowned and a single drop of silver tear escaped her big eyes… Why did my son turn into a monster? Life was Moon's elder son… The day he was born, was the day earth saw the origin of life on it. He was supposed to be the purest Creature ever created, but what had happened?
Moon had sent Time to find out what exactly was Life up to and why was Death helping Life? Death was Moon's youngest son… he was the one she loved the most because he hadn't turned into a monster like his elder brother. Death was quiet and reserved, he had no emotions but that of love towards his kind. He worked solely for the welfare of his kind and the universe. Then why? Moon knew that it was all Life's doing. She trusted Death and she knew it in her heart that he would never disturb the universe's balance. Moon eagerly looked for Time as she sat on her throne and wiped away the liquid silver streaming down her cheeks.
"I'm back, your highness." Time took shape in front of her.
"Thank the universe! I was waiting for you!"
"I was on an extra mission, your highness and thus, I wasn't on time… I hope I haven't offended you."
"No." The Moon walked up to Time, "In fact I was worried… You are like my son after all. Is everything okay down there? Was your mission a success?"
"Well, we were right… It was all Life's doing and Death was blackmailed into keeping a human assistant."
"I knew it! Death would never do anything that would disturb the balance of the universe. But, what is this extra mission you were talking about?"
"Something impossible has occurred, your majesty."
Moon looked at Time like he was out of his mind. What has occurred? Time stood there in front of her with his head bowed down. He was fidgeting with his fingers and his eyebrows twitched into a crisp frown. Moon instantly knew that Time had something really important to tell her and whatever 'it' was… it was definitely something not very pleasing to know.
"What is it?" The Moon took a deep breath, "Is it something to do with Life?"
"No… I've given up on him."
"Time, give me the details, son."
"We Creatures are stone-hearted. We love only our kind and the rest is an object of duty to us. There is no quotient of romance present in us and that makes us so cruel at times… I think something impossible has occurred and it is not a bad, but a good thing… at least to me."
"Romance? Love? Impossible?"
"A Creature has fallen in love with a human, your highness." Time smiled, "It sounded too unbelievable and devastating to me at the outset, but now it makes sense to me… I talked to Love about this… I think it is the start of a better age."
"Who is it?"
Moon's voice was not of wonder, but of fear. Time was wrong. It may be the start of a new age, but not of a better one. There was a reason why the Creatures could not fall in love with others… It was to maintain the strength of the Creatures. Romance was a disaster… It was a weakness when it came into the heart of a strong Creature. Moon knew that it was impossible for Life to fall for a human… He doesn't even love his own mother! Then… was it Love? Moon sensed the hesitation in Time's eyes and immediately pulled up an expression of calm.
"You have to trust me in this, your highness" Time's eyes bore love, "You said I was like your own son."
"Is it Love?"
"It is Death, mother. A girl was supposed to die a few months ago, but Death couldn't take away her soul… in fact, he still doesn't understand what came over him that day. He went down to Life to ask him to spare her soul. Life saw in this an opportunity to weaken his younger brother who is reputed to be better than him in every aspect. Life offered Death to keep her as his assistant in exchange for her life. This is what had happened… the thing Death doesn't understand is that his heart now belongs to this young girl."
"What rubbish! This is impossible! I'm sure you're mistaken, my child… this cannot happen!"
"I know… it sounds impossible because it has never happened before. I'm not mistaken… My extra mission was to go to Love and talk to her about this. She verified."
"She knows?"
"Not really… I talked to her like I was measuring the possibilities."
"Who is this human?"
"Her name is Shiuli Basu. She lives in India, your highness." Time smiled slightly, "I went to see her right before Death reached there to meet her for their first assignment. She is a pure soul filled with innocence. She is no harm to us."
"No harm to us? What about my son? What do you think she will do to him?"
"What can a sixteen-year-old human do to Death anyway?"
Moon was shocked to hear Time supported Death. Time was the wisest Creature of them all! Then why was he taking Death's side? Why was he acting so immature in this situation? Moon looked at Time with a fixed stare… I have to do something!
***
Shiuli's heart was furious with anger. She was angry not at the Creature walking next to her, after all, it was how he was supposed to be… Death was supposed to be dark, cold, and emotionless. She was angry at herself, for believing in him and thinking of the world as the peachiest thing ever. She should have known that this was not a movie… this is real life. Here, things don't always end happily. Sometimes things can take a nasty turn as well. Shiuli was wrong. Sure, it was an honor to serve the universe, but it was going to be really hard. Shiuli was standing in front of the house of the college student who was going to die in some time. Death was standing right next to her and she just couldn't face him. He stood there next to her for a while and then slowly turned to her.
"We're here. Let's go in."
"They will see us. We will look like thieves." Shiuli calmly replied.
"We're both invisible right now. I cast a spell when we were walking."
The house was a medium-sized middle-class home. The walls were painted white and the roof was brown, the natural color of the tiles. One of the windows did not have a curtain and thus, Shiuli could clearly see what was going on inside. A woman in her forties was cooking in the kitchen and a man who seemed to be her husband sat on the dining table with his forehead resting on his palms. Both of them looked miserable and exhausted and Shiuli's heart throbbed in its cage. She knew that they were worried about their ailing daughter, it was obvious from their faces. Shiuli tried to look for a young girl in her twenties, but she couldn't spot her.
"I'm going to walk through the walls in the back of the house. Hold my hands while I'm doing so, we will both be able to get in."
"Through the wall? You can do that?"
"Just do as I tell you."
They walked towards the back of the house and stood there for a while. Death walked around the backyard trying to see which way will be the best to enter. Shiuli stood there in the middle of the yard waiting for Death to come. When he finally came back after a minute or so, he offered her his hand. Shiuli's cheeks turned red as she bowed her head to look at Death's huge palms.
"We have to go… quick, take my hand."
Shiuli held his palms gently and looked at him. He looked sternly towards the wall ahead of them. He frowned a little and then turned to her. He motioned towards the wall by cocking his head and turned straight ahead and squeezed her hand tightly under his grip. Then without any notice, ran towards the wall pulling Shiuli by his side… taking the hint, Shiuli tried to match his pace and closed her eyes shut tightly. Shiuli had no idea how long their sprint had lasted, but when she realized that Death had stopped running and was letting go of his grip over her palm, she slowly opened her eyes.
"You're okay?" Death asked.
Shiuli looked around her once then nodded to say 'yes'. The house looked quite lavish from the outside, but the inside seemed a little off. Though they were standing at a passage that linked two bedrooms, the setting of the interior wasn't paid any attention to. As Shiuli turned to the wall they had just run through, she spotted a framed picture of a young girl, around twelve or thirteen years old, smiling vibrantly towards the camera. The girl's hair was black and she was wearing a yellow summer dress… the backdrop was of the backyard of this house, but the grass was well-maintained back then.
"Death?" Shiuli looked at him, "Is that her? The girl about to die?"
"Yes… that was when she was a schoolgirl."
Shiuli sighed. She wasn't feeling right and she knew why. This was her first time doing this and somehow it felt like she was just going to be killing this girl. Shiuli knew that it was supposed to happen and this was exactly how the universe worked, but no matter how much she tried to calm herself down with some made-up positive thoughts, she came back feeling nauseated. Shiuli looked at Death and realized that he had started to walk towards the bedroom at the end of the hallway and Shiuli shut all her thoughts and rushed towards him. As soon as they reached the room, they saw that the room was empty.
"She's not here," Shiuli whispered.
"She's in the bathroom… she'll be out soon. As soon as she comes out, you must stand right here without moving… I will cast a spell and her soul will fly out of her body and enter the briefcase you are holding. Make sure you are closing your eyes till I ask you to open them."
"Wait… she'll just die? Just like that?"
"Yes… she'll be in a lot of pain and I don't think you can handle all that. So, make sure your eyes are closed… I think you will have to keep them closed for more than ten minutes or so."
"Okay… what's her name?"
Shiuli looked down at the briefcase she was holding. Something inside Shiuli wanted to know about this girl. Shiuli knew that it would just make her feel worse, but she just couldn't stand there in silence. The atmosphere felt really uncomfortable and the silence would just make it worse… Shiuli made sure she kept talking to Death till the girl came out. Death sighed and the sternness in his eyes vanished and an understanding expression took over his eerily handsome face.
"Isra Qureshi."
"She must be in a lot of pain… in that case, death will give her peace, I guess."
"Look, I understand that it can be a little hard for you as it is your first time helping me, but I think as time goes by, you'll be fine." Death sighed, "After we've taken her soul, I would like to talk to you and clear things out."
"Clear things out? What kind of things?"
"Everything… about this job and well, I have some important things to tell you."
Shiuli started fidgeting with her fingers and looked down at them. What does he want to tell me? Shiuli wondered what important things were missing that weren't told to her. Shiuli had thought that Death had said everything to her and she was content with whatever information he had given to her till now. She did not expect anything more than he had already told her, but Death just said that it was something important… so, maybe there was some important piece of information that Death had missed out on or maybe left it out on purpose so that he could say it to her at the right time.
Just as Shiuli was busy wondering about the weight of the information still hidden from her, she saw a young girl in her twenties step out of the bathroom. She was bald and she looked really sick, but even with a sick face and the nightgown loosely hanging on her bony frame, Shiuli could see the beauty her round face held. The girl resembled the little girl in the picture they had just seen in the passage to the bedroom and Shiuli's heart sank like the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean. This is Isra and I'm technically going to kill her.
***
Love was in Paris. It was rare that she came to Paris, though ironically, Paris is popularly known as the City of Love. Paris was also one of the liveliest of the cities in the world and well, Love was here to visit her cousin brother Life. Though Time hadn't given out any hints at who was the creature who had defied the laws of the universe and fallen in love, Love knew what exactly had happened… One of the creatures has fallen in love with a human. When this realization hit Love, she immediately put her supernatural powers to test. Love was the creature responsible to maintain, balance and monitor the sacred emotion of love in the universe… love was a very versatile emotion in itself, it had many meanings and forms… one of them was romance, the most dangerous and the most sacred of all forms. As Love had the power to monitor love, she could also use her powers to sense the fragrance of romance among the living. Therefore, Love had set out on a mission to track which creature was powerful enough to bend the protocols of existence.
Love decided to start with Life. Though she knew that among all the creatures, Life was the nastiest when it came to the quality of the soul, at the end of the day he was the only creature who was in contact with the humans. Life was infamous for having human assistants who were supposedly granted immortality in exchange for their help. Love doubted even a drop of love inside of that creature, but Love's brain was constantly giving her logical reasons to start her mission with Life.
Love was in the Parc Floral de Paris. This was where Love was supposed to meet her little brother, Life. The Parc Floral de Paris is a botanical garden and a public park. It is one of the most beautiful parks in the world and it is situated within the Bois de Vincennes, which in itself is a public park in the beautiful city of Paris. Love was stalling the park and admiring the beauty of nature when she spotted a café around the corner. It was a typical 17th-century establishment buzzing with tourists. Love went inside the café and sat down on a couch facing the gardens outside. The view was splendid and Love was literally mesmerized by the beauty of this place.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Love looked at the couch opposite her and realized that she was so caught up in appreciating the beauty of this place that she hadn't realized when Life had come in and sat across her. He was wearing a loose yellow-colored Linen shirt and his denim was ripped. His blonde hair gleamed in the café lights and his crooked smile just made him look younger than he was. Love smiled back at her cousin and realized that the creature sitting in front of her was barren… there was no essence of love inside his wretched heart.
"Yes… indeed it is." Love looked back at the gardens.
"So… You here on a mission too, sis?" Life laughed, "Like your elder brother."
"I was, but now it looks like I am at the wrong place and I wasted my precious time, dear brother."
"Ah… look at you echoing your brother's words with so much love."
"Love is what I was made for… I remember my job and I do it quite well actually, unlike some who do not realize the importance of their existence."
"Whoa! Quit spitting venom, lady!" Life giggled, "That was a joke… at least, show some love, Love."
Life… the very word was supposed to fill everyone's heart with warmth and happiness, whereas, this creature was doing the right opposite. Love felt disgusted to look at her own kind behave like a monster. I had filled so much love into him... oh! What a waste! Love was furious at him. He was loved so much by everyone… Moon must be devastated! Love got up to leave, but Life caught her left arm and pushed her down on her seat.
"Sit down… I ordered two Irish Lattes… I don't think I can finish both of them… have one."
"I had come here with a purpose and I think I'm done. I will be leaving."
"I don't think so."
Life's eyes were filled with hatred and that made Lovesick. Life surely wanted to discuss something with Love and that's why he was here. The Irish Lattes arrived and Life happily took a sip of his coffee. He smiled at the taste and urged Love to drink hers. Love felt so sick that she rejected a perfect aromatic cup of coffee. Love looked straight at Life.
"What do you want?" Love's eyes held anger.
"I want to help you out, sis" Life smiled, "And in return, obviously, I want a favor."
"You know I won't help you at any cost!"
"Even if I tell you straight away who is the creature that fell in love?"
"It's not you, it can't be Death, I don't think it is Time… or Faith, or…"
"You can go on and take as many names you want, sis." Life laughed, "Our family is quite big, isn't it?"
"I can just go around meeting every creature and use my superpowers to track the romance-hit creature. What makes you think I will need your help?"
"Because… that will take you a very long time… and well, wouldn't this be easier? After all, the favor I was going to ask you was to explain to me what exactly is going on with that creature. You are the only one who can sense this and communicate it to me."
Love couldn't believe in what Life was saying. He could never be content with just that and use it against that creature. Love understood Life's intentions perfectly… He wants me to take his side. But this wasn't a war! Love knew that the Moon saw a threat in this phenomenon and Life definitely had some personal reason to be against it, but Love saw it as a new beginning. According to Love, the creature who had fallen in love with a human… whoever it was, had just stepped into a world of beauty and wonder. But for now, Love had to know who the creature was and for that, she had to pretend.
"Who is it?" Love leaned forward, "This is a deal, you tell me the name of the creature in love, with all the details you know and I will try to understand how the phenomena occurred and let you know."
"Sounds good to me."
***
Death looked at Shiuli as she closed her eyes and sat down on the bed nearby. She looked like she was sick. Death saw Isra walk out of the bathroom wearing a loose nightgown that hung to her frame. The girl was pretty but was bald due to her chemotherapy. Isra saw Death and shock took over her eyes. Death was used to this expression. Every human soul he had come to take, had taken him as either a kidnapper or a ghost. Death worked his spell. Fiat tibi in morte solatium. Isra immediately fell down lifeless. Her scream resonated and Death saw Shiuli stand up with her palms pressed against her ears. Her eyes were shut close, but tears still rolled down her eyes. Death's heart felt heavy… like it had suddenly turned into metal. Prohibere Tempus. Death stopped time in order to collect Isra's soul into the briefcase. He knew that her parents had heard her scream and were on their way to the room. Death wanted to get out before Isra's parents got into the room because he didn't want Shiuli to see Isra's parents find out that their only daughter was dead. Death placed his briefcase on the floor and opened it… the incense inside the briefcase lured in Isra's soul. Death sealed the briefcase and stood up. He glanced at the lifeless body of Isra lying in front of him and a shiver ran down his spine. This never happens to me. Death looked away and glanced at Shiuli.
"Time froze you too. I'm glad he did."
Death slowly went over to Shiuli and picked her up on his back. He thought it was better to unfreeze time outside than here. They disappeared into thin air and reappeared in front of Shiuli's room, right outside the window she had jumped out of. He carefully placed her on the fine grass and sat down next to her. Satus tempus.
"Please don't freak out and scream!" Death hurriedly whispered even before Shiuli started moving.
"Can I open my eyes?" Shiuli was sobbing.
"Yes, you may."
Shiuli slowly opened her eyes. She looked at Death with pain-filled in her eyes, but suddenly when she realized that she was no longer sitting on a bed, but on grass, she panicked. She was just about to scream when Death shut her mouth with his palms. Shh… calm down. He whispered and saw the panic vanish eventually.
"I had stopped the time to take Isra's soul… I thought it would be difficult for you to look at her die, so I brought you here and then unfroze time."
"You…" Shiuli's eyes were filled with wonder, "Can stop time?"
"Well, it is not me actually. I send a request to another creature called Time and he stops the time. We can ask for mutual help sometimes."
"Time… the creature is assigned to take care of time like you are to take care of Death?"
"Yes."
Shiuli sighed. Death was sitting right in front of her and he still sensed pain in her eyes. This time it worked, but Death could not keep asking for Time's help all the time. Freezing time has its side effects on the universe. Death felt like he had to open up to this human sitting right in front of him. It was time.
"It's time… to talk about what this whole thing is."
"You're going to tell me everything right?" Shiuli frowned, "No secrets?"
"I'll try to be as honest as possible."
Shiuli smiled slightly. Death had made up his mind this time. There was so much this girl didn't know and it was time that he told her everything. She couldn't work with him if she didn't know what she had to be up for. She had to deal with the souls of the dead. She had to literally watch people die in front of her. For Death it might not seem like a big deal… obviously that's what he is been doing since he was created, he's been dealing with the dead, but as a human of mere sixteen years of age, it was really difficult for Shiuli.
"That night of the accident, you were supposed to die with your parents… I was there outside your house waiting to do my job, but as soon as I saw you stride through the front porch of your house, I… for the first time in my existence, thought that my job was a difficult one. Your parents were to die on spot, right there as soon as the accident took place, but you were to die in the hospital. I took your parent's souls and rushed to the hospital where you were taken. I couldn't just get myself to take your soul away… something inside me was telling me that I couldn't."
"So… you talked to my parent's souls?"
"Yes." Death's eyes hardened, "That was the only thing I could think of, I don't know why!"
Death looked at Shiuli's palms and realized she was shivering. Her eyes were moist with tears and she was trying really hard from bursting out into crying. Death knew that his confessions were conjuring up Shiuli's past memories of pain… the sad memories of losing her loved ones. Death took out his crisp and ironed white handkerchief and offered it to Shiuli. She looked at him with uncertainty for a while, but after realizing Death's understanding of her pain, she slowly accepted his kind gesture.
"Your parents asked me to do whatever I could to save your life. At first, I wasn't really sure what I had to do, but then I went to my elder brother, Life. He is the one I report to. As you know, Life and Death are two sides of the same coin. He is in charge of Life while I'm in charge of Death. We work hand-in-hand. My brother is not exactly what his name seems like… all sunshine and fun, no. I had to offer him something in return for your life. He is not exactly the kind of person who does a favor without a favor in return."
"What did you have to offer?"
"Well, all he wanted for me was to keep you as my assistant. I really don't understand how that is going to be useful to him in any way, Life is mysterious. He told me all he wanted for him was a chance to meet you once."
"Me? Why would he be interested to meet me?"
"I don't really know. He is my elder brother and my senior… I can't ask him the details of his decision." Death sighed, "Well, there is something else that I have to tell you."
"What is it?" Shiuli frowned.
Death was fidgeting with his fingers. How do I tell her? Death realized that it is much more difficult to actually say it in person! He could just write her a letter or something! Stupid! Death took a deep breath and calmed his nerves down. Shiuli was the only human to have ever made Death nervous… like ever!
"When you were given back your life and made to be my assistant… you… well… uh… Were made Immortal."
"Wait what?" Shiuli laughed sarcastically, "Yea… and now I can fly? Stop joking!"
"I'm serious… I'm always serious, human" Death frowned, "Immortality is something that has to be given to a dying person so that they can have their life back. It wasn't a choice that you could make. It's a bonus."