White Orchids {BOOK 1 COMPLETED}

Chapter 20

I've lost count of how many souls I've reaped. Four of them asked me to go to hell. Most were scared and hadn't realized they'd died, and some welcomed me. They were happy that someone came to take them away from this godforsaken mountain.

I wonder how Clover would handle the four that refused, mostly how he would have dealt with the religious woman. It feels like I've let her down. If I had another chance, would I have told her I was an angel on a mission from God? I feel dirty when I realize it might have been a better solution, to use someone's religion against them with false promises. Being stuck on this mountain had to be a bigger punishment.

I look around, I'm not sure I've been here before. After a while the places on this mountain look the same. At the edge of a cliff stands an old man, he watches over the mountain chain and is dressed in a black suit, on the top of his head lays thin, white hair.

He watches me with warm eyes as I approach him. He looks around eighty, and out of all the souls I have reaped today, he seems to be the most peaceful one.

"I wondered when it was time," he says.

The man gazes out over the mountain chain again. The sun is going down and soon there will only be the clear star-filled sky with its moon lightning up the night.

"You know who I am," I say; it almost sounds like a question.

"Yes, I have waited for a while now. I didn't think it'd be an accident that took my life." He chuckles like he wasn't speaking of his own death. "Tell me, is heaven this beautiful?"

Another religious person. I decide not to lie and hope that it won't end up the same way as it did with the woman.

"I don't know. I've never seen it."

The man's clasped hands rest against his stomach, he continues to stare at the view for a little longer.

He turns to me. "I am ready."

I pick up the soul stone from my pocket, it opens up and the soul-dust makes its poetic dance. The man smiles.

"Beautiful," he says before his face and body becomes soul-dust and slowly transfers to my stone.

I stand alone at the top of the mountain, a peaceful sorrow dances around my fingers before it continues in between the stones halves. They shut together with a quiet thud.

I observe the snow-covered mountaintop while I pick up the orange stone. The gate unfolds itself for what feels like the hundred time today. I do the same routine, think of the souls, knock, and open the door.

I step into the airplane – where we began. They're back already. Eclipse is sitting at one of the seats with her legs pulled close, so her knees touch her chin. Clover is leaning against one of the seats with his arms crossed.

"Are we done?" I ask

"Yes, good work," he says and smiles.

He actually looks like he's proud that I've been able to convince most souls.

Eclipse holds the soul stone in her palm while she moves her fingers over it with her other hand. "Clover, why is it that we cannot feel anything?"

"Because you don't have a body."

"But I felt pain after I died."

"That wasn't physical pain."

In his face there's the same annoyance I had seen whenever I asked my unending questions.

"It feels like it is," she answers absent-mindedly.

Clover looks at me with pleading eyes. "Please take over."