"Let's go say hi," Calli pulled at my forearm, no brakes in her footsteps towards the lost soul. I couldn't understand what kind of emotions she's going through. She must've seen this unfold too many times as centuries rolled by like the tape reels of a cassette.
I wasn't afraid of ghosts or anything but now recognizing there's a point in my life I could see one paralyzed me in place. That didn't mean Calli had a difficult time dragging me closer to the kid. No, no, no, she practically pulled stronger than any magnet in the world.
In a place where customers and busy mothers were occupied traveling in myriads of directions, the soul who appears to be a little boy stood by the tallest tree's trunk in the garden, apprehensive and wary of anyone who came close to him. His hands were glued close to his chest and his feet were shaking.
He noticed us coming towards him and I was so close to fainting until Calli's voice brought me back. She took a good grasp of both my shoulders and positioned me right behind the boy. "Stand there and act like I'm talking to you."
"Wait... Why-"
"So people won't think I'm an idiot for talking to air, okay?" Oh. It made sense now. They couldn't see the kid. Only I could. Since I could see the distance between me and the kid, it was manageable to assess the proper measurement to stand still in this conversation. If I wasn't granted Calli's vision, I would've unknowingly merged with this kid.
That sounded terrible.
"Hey there, are you lost lil' kid?" Calli's voice flipped a complete 360. Her intonation down to her body posture changed the script of her entire well-being. She sounded like a doting young woman with a caring heart for children. Not a feature I could see during our time back at their building.
"Y-you can see me?" His voice was accompanied by a resonant bell. "N-no one's listening to me... I tried yelling and crying... The adults just walk by like they see nothing... D-did I do something wrong, miss?" he hiccupped.
Shit. Was I supposed to be here?
"Clay's an adult. See? He's right there behind you. He can see you." Calli pointed at me and the kid's appearance now became crystal clear.
His eyes were no longer there. A part of his hair was ripped off and his clothes tattered. It took everything to not shudder. Who wouldn't? But I was taught to have an open mind. I should accept this as part of reality. Despite that, most people would call this kid a ghost.
"... Hi." I waved. This was all real. If this was CGI, Calli might've been the greatest prankster alive. The thing is, I knew her from working. She wasn't one to pull off jokes incredibly well. The first one to awake and never sleep after.
"But calling me miss? You're really well-mannered! What a good kid! Your parents must be really cool! I'm Calli! That's my friend, Clay! What's your name?"
"A lot of fancy people visit our house. I'm always on my best behavior! The name's Ben!" he said with a joyful tone this time. "My mom was busy talking to her friends and dad said he'd pick something up in his car. I think it's my birthday gift but they both hadn't returned yet... That's why I'm still here waiting for them. I think Alexis already went home."
Calli nodded. "What else happened?"
"They said I should go play with the children in this garden. Alexis and I were playing hide-and-seek with them." The kid became a little calmer now but his stance was still quite cautious. "Since me and Alexis are geniuses, we decided to hide in the bathroom! The seeker was a girl so she couldn't have found us no matter what! Hehe~" He jumped in glee, giggling merrily.
"Hmmm? That's cheating, you know?" Calli made the kid laugh. Seeing this side of Calli somehow erased my worries for the day. "There are places where you aren't supposed to hide, after all~ What happened afterward?"
"And then...!" The kid was primarily happy until his lips formed a straight line. "Um... I don't remember... I think Alexis and I won but we didn't come out of the bathroom..."
"Are you sure you can't remember?" she asked.
"... There was uh... oh! Someone banged on the door! I don't remember much after that..." Then suddenly, his happy face was back. "Have you seen my parents then? I don't want them to worry over me."
"Can you tell me your full name, Ben? I need it so I can contact your family right away. If I find out their last name, it should be easy to find them!" Calli smiled.
"Ben Wilhelm!"
This was horrifying. A child was narrating how he died without him knowing.
I covered my mouth, placing my other fist on the tree trunk. Calli rubbed my shoulder. I prevented myself from vomiting. What the f**k am I seeing and experiencing? I wasn't supposed to hear these things in a supernatural sense. These revelations popped out during the news or interrogation videos on the Internet. Never like this...
"U-ugh..." I was holding myself together. This was a murder. A completely brutal murder fell on this innocent child. Worst of all, the kid had no way of knowing who the killer was.
To kill a life instead of passing away naturally. That, to me, was the biggest sin. Having almost committed one, this struck me in some way.
Calli whispered to my ear. "I'm sorry. This might've been excessive. I didn't realize the circumstances were this harsh..."
"No... You didn't know so it's okay... What are... you going to do about this kid?"
"Traditionally speaking, I have to reap. Sending him to the afterlife is the only choice. His body's long gone and his mind's stuck in time. He can no longer return."
F**k. F**king hell, this kid didn't know what happened. His parents must've been worried sick trying to find him. And even if they did find his body, the killer might've been gone too. What the f**k. This kid was supposed to be in school and learn addition and herbivores.
I got down to my knees, genuinely frustrated that I got to witness this.
"C-Clay? Let's stand up, okay?" Calli put my arm around her shoulder, helping me stand up. "I don't know what you're thinking but this is the way things are done... Though, maybe showing you how I work is probably still too early... I'm really sorry even if you say you don't mind..."
"I'm just..." I was looking at Ben. He was trying to climb the tree. The f**k. He was still thinking of playing hide-and-seek. He doesn't know he can't feel pain after falling down the trunk... "I think it's a shame... Dying like this." Today was supposed to be a nice day. The others around me who can't see Ben were looking at us weirdly now. "He can't return back to his family. All he has is one path. That's... That's f**ked up."
"I think so too... He could've grown into an admirable person." Calli's hands were on my chest and back. Standing up was harder than I thought. "The souls of people who've lived for a long time past their 60-80's learn both reality and fantasy. Their appreciation of things cease once they leave and they realize that their journey comes to an end. But what of the children who pass away too soon?"
She looked at me, a smile I could comprehend as trying to sew me back in one piece on her face. "The children do not love endings. They yearn for what's to come next. They stay the way they are, even in death."
"Y-you're saying..."
"Death isn't always the end. Ben will realize that soon enough with what I'm about to do." She knelt down in front of the kid. "Listen up kiddo, I need you to promise me something before I tell you where your parents are."
The kid vigorously obliged.
"No matter what you see from this point on, always remember your parents are safe and sound and that they still think of you."
Maybe it was me just going crazy but the whole place turned into the shade of platinum. The interior of the mall was no longer in my sights but a clear and translucent world filled with big mirrors. Calli must've warped us someplace else.
"This place is too shiny! So bright!" he exclaimed.
"Don't worry. This place's fine. You can find out more about your parents and even you by looking at the mirrors." She shooed him jazzily. Ben immediately dashed for them, placing his face against the mirror.
Calli faced me. "What are you thinking so far? Learned a bit about me yet?"
"Are you in the process of reaping?"
"Yep. Remember how I told my master I found my own way of reaping?" I recalled her saying that when Kiara granted me super hearing. "Well, Death doesn't take the time to make souls grieve. They reap without a second thought and learn less about who they guide to the afterlife. That's how reapers have always been. Humans have ample time to mourn but the souls could never join them."
I don't know what she found interesting about empty skies but she was gazing at nothing, a smile on her face. "Upon staying on Earth for hundreds of years, lost souls might have a lot more regrets and problems than people who are still alive. Second chances, gifts, a future. These are instantly lost and taken away from them. When the person dies, I am quite limited. I don't have the ability to bring them back but moments like these," She gestures to the kid watching his parents being happy in the mirror. "I hope to give these souls closure and unforgettable memories before they venture to the afterlife. To give them hope and bring them back from their illusions. Ben probably couldn't believe he was dead. He had known it for a long time."
Ben's eyeless but his tears were so full of life watching the mirror display his life like a movie.
"To remind him of his death, his parents' smiles and faces through reflection. I want the kid to think it didn't matter if he lived long or short. His parents would be proud of him no matter what."
The mirror showed various things. How Ben enjoyed picnics with his parents, their dog pooping in the backyard, fishing with his dad. His parents were shown to have cried and sought help from the authorities for a missing child. It had been going on for months, with them not realizing he had already passed. All the way to the moment Ben's life ended. Now, his parents were in the house, gathered with their relatives having a barbecue.
Good for you, Ben.
"M-mom, dad... Forgive me... I didn't get a perfect score at school... I was gonna study... I'm sorry..."
In a noiseless world like this without rules or common sense, falling liquid wouldn't be a problem at all.
~*~
"Are you feeling better now?" Calli had been embracing the kid for a good five minutes.
"I-I'm okay now. I'm just not sure about leaving since my parents hadn't caught the killer yet. I've been unable to move on cause there were so many things in my mind..."
"I have your back. Don't worry. I'll pay your parents a visit about that. Do you want to send them a final message before going?"
"You can do that for me?!"
"Leave it to me and my dependable personal assistant," she smacked my chest. I coughed.
"Helping me like this... You guys must have really good families too! Thank you!"
Well...
"Dad, we might not be able to go to the next baseball game but I'm glad we got to play catch every day. You don't need to drive me to school anymore so you can give mom all the time in the world. I'm not a grown-up but I think I could've gone to law school if I were given the chance. Tell my friends I hope to see them again. Surely, I'll see all of you again and when the time comes, I'll take you lots of places. This wasn't the way to go but I'll be patiently waiting for the day we can be together again. I love you."
Ben waved goodbye to us and It didn't take long for Calli to whip out her scythe, slashing away the invisible chains that locked Ben from moving on. He was sent to the Underworld, where he'd await judgement from a god.
"Hey Calli?"
"What's up?"
"I feel both happy and sad."
"You are. But don't- whoa-"
I hugged her from behind for some reason. I didn't think a kid's words could be like this in a desolate world.
"Can I hold you for a sec...?"
This wasn't the way to go but I'll be patiently waiting for the day we can be together again. I love you.
"Don't show your face to him as he leaves." She took hold of my hands which were encircled around her waist, the tears on my face staining the fabric on her shoulder.
There wasn't anything I could do but accept reality.
~*~
6am was an asshole. I got up as usual today, wore my best clothes for work and ate cereal with milk for breakfast on a bowl. Paying Calli a visit was the norm already. I ate my food while walking and always remembered her door was open to anyone. And so, I opened it and the volume of her TV was the first to greet my ears.
"This just in, a first-degree murder case which involved several suspects have now finally come to light in court. Mr. Edison Gonzales, who was working as a janitor at Camwell Mall, was the murderer of eight-year old Ben Wilhelm. Authorities are now-"
I spit the cereal out of my mouth when I walked in Calli's room. She was on her office chair, strumming at her guitar.
"Hey... Calli. Isn't this... We just met the kid yesterday-"
"Lock the door. It seems like I was the only one who shared about my background. Why don't I ask you questions this time?"
"But it's still early morn-"
"Close the door."
"Yes ma'am." I closed the door like a good boy scout.
"I'm sure you know where this is going."
I wiggled my eyebrows. She slapped my cheek.
"Okay... So maybe it wasn't what I was thinking of... Then what is it?" I say with a red cheek.
Her eyes were moving from left to right like she wasn't sure if she could talk about it. She blinked, let out a breath of confidence and crossed her legs. "I get that it's not normal for you to see souls of the dead. That's totally understandable."
"No kidding. Oh, can I propose something?" She sat a little straighter now at that. "When you're reaping in the sidelines, is it okay if I stay out of it unless you require me?"
"... I see no problem with it. I was actually going to tell you firsthand but you beat me to it. I don't want you depressed over things like these. They're a part of life. Though, I suppose exposing you to the process is inhuman."
"Thank you. Oh by the way, I just messaged a group of talented artists in your email regarding your thumbnails. They're excited for you and want to be partners. You have variety now when you decide to play more games or collaborations in the future."
"Did you tell them anything else?"
"No. Just that I'd searched the messaging history between you and them. Seems that a straightforward reply is sufficient."
"Very good. What about my subscriptions and in-game purchases for the next game I'll play?"
"I had that one covered with your credit card that you trusted me with. In case you forgot, your username and password is stamped on your desk. There's enough to shell in if your in-game currency's depleted. There are still four hours until you go live so please take your time to relax."
"Then, is the-"
"I picked up your favorite food on an online app. It's in a plastic bag but it won't take long to bring it here. I made sure to countercheck if there was cutlery in the order and your scythe 'Ricky' is well-kept. I called your professional scythe regulators regarding its maintenance. It's in top condition." I almost dropped my spoon on the floor. "Oh shit. Uh, oh yeah, I purchased a batch of clothes for you when you want to feel comfortable. They're a bunch of sweaters and pajamas along with sleeveless ones when the weather's hot. I wasn't sure what you meant with picking whatever I want but I made sure they were black and red."
"Clay?"
Oh. My cereal bowl's empty.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. I'm also sorry for giving you a hard time the day we met."
I was just doing my job but there's something about Calli playfully punching my shoulder that I interpreted it as a special gesture.
"My question would have to wait another day then," she smiled at me, grabbing another chair for me to sit. "For now. Why don't I get to know you? I've told you a lot about myself yesterday. I wanna get to know the guy who takes care of my stuff and food."
Calli started the stream late that day. The empty cereal bowl I was supposed to clean remained on her desk. I forgot to bring it since Calli was a good talker.