I am the grim reaper by D.A.Sanford - HTML preview

I am the grim reaper

D.A.Sanford

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

 

Readers be advised

Warning: Contains adult content due to graphic descriptions of any or all of the following:

Battles, Language, Sexual

 

Both the cover and images in this book are not photographs or hand drawn art. They were created using AI text to graphics programs by the author.

 

I am the grim reaper © 2026 D. A. Sanford

 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the author or publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

for permission from the author contact danielsanford@sbcglobal.net I heard the sirens wale. The loud speakers were directing this town’s population to go to the public shelter. “All will be safe.” The entrance’s stairway was crowded but everyone was remaining calm. Our government, when they started building these shelters, told us that they would protect all.

At the bottom of the stairs, there was a very long and large room. Places to sit. Tables to eat at. On the left hand side were recesses that were for sleeping. All of those recesses were a little over six feet long, two feet high and two foot deep. They went from floor to ceiling, ten high. These were obviously for sleeping.

They looked like something that you would see in a crypt. I almost pictured those who were claiming their sleeping recesses, as they lay down to test it, as corpses. I had to look away.

To my horror, the whole other side had people sitting in chairs looking out the window at the lake that had some trees around it. When I asked the person in charge, why there were windows in a bomb shelter, I was assured that they were rated to withstand any blast that the enemy could hit us with.

I went over to that glass and rapped my knuckles against one. I could tell that it was ordinary double pane glass. I need to get out of here to somewhere that is safe. Some basement or something like that. This is a death trap.

The stairs that I came in on were filled with people coming in. Can’t go that way. I look and see a door on the opposite end and run for it. I was stopped by a guard.

“Sir, this is an exit. You were logged in. If you leave, you will not be allowed back in. I will not open the door for you and you will not be allowed back in by the front door”

He was very specific in his warning, go out and I die, but I opened that ordinary steel house door and step out. Looking around, I know that I will die but on my terms, on the location I choose. If I stayed in that shelter, I would die anyways so I chose to breathe my last out in the open. I just wished that the siren would stop.

I am standing near an old majestic maple tree. It’s leaves swaying in the gentle breeze. I just look at the lake. The sky reflected a beautiful blue with the clouds seemingly rippling in the water. The sirens stop. I know that impact is very close. If only I had a drink, I would raise it in a salute. At the very last second, I would drink to my death.

Not caring, I am startled. I do have a glass of beer in my hand. I see the missile, raise the glass, then start to drink. Just like the beer appearing in my hand, there is a tall man standing in front of me. Looking at me, he wraps his arms around me. The blast goes off, I don’t hear it. The fire ball engulfs all, I am not burned and do not even feel the heat. The wind of the blast, That wind that would rip apart the mightiest tree, the same thing. It was only a summer breeze.

That man just held on to me, his back to all that carnage, protected me, and smiled. He saved me but why?

I look around. That scenic lake is now a debris filled swamp of dead things. To my horror, that whole shelter complex was no more. All of the surrounding area was nothing but ash and mostly those scorched outlines of whoever was standing there on the remnants of that crypt wall.

Now my mind is no longer functioning other than to still think why?

“You are wondering why I saved you? You were the only one to doubt that shelter. You were the only one that faced the end with dignity. The ones that started this, those politicians and generals, on both sides, are celebrating in their real bunkers. You will be their judge.”

He tells me that I am no longer a mortal. “You do not need to drink or eat. You can but you don’t need to. Before you ask, you are radioactive but it will not make you sick. You can control it. To those who you judge good, they also will not be affected. Those who caused this, you will be able to just put your hand on the door of their shelters. That door will dissolve so you may enter their sanctuary.

Their weapons will not touch you. They will die instantly at your touch but the others will get sick and die a slow lingering death. You, my friend, are the radioactive harbinger of death.”

This is a lot to take in. If there was one of those lake benches left, I could sit down. All I can do is take another drink of my beer. Funny, it is still almost ice cold. He tells me to up end the glass. I do. Much to my delight, the glass is refilled. He points to the ground. I see that the beer that I poured out is acting like acid. It is eating away at the debris on the ground

“That is another of your resources. For the good people, you can pour it into their glass and it will be cold water. It will be acid to others that take the glass from you. The good people, you will absorb their sickness and just brush it off like dust on your sleeves.”

“Why would I need that? Isn’t it obvious that anyone alive on this world soon will be dead. Me curing them will doom them to a slow death. There is nowhere that can support life for well beyond what was a normal life span. I will be the only one left alive on this world. I thank you for the beer but those scorched outlines, those people did not even feel it. They just were not there anymore. Me, I am doomed to live until time itself ends. I will wander this pathetic dead world alone and insane.

What evil did I do that you have condemned me to this hell?”

Again he is smiling.

“You are not going to roam this dead world. Once you complete your task here on this world, you will go to other worlds, tell your tale and bring death to those who deserve it before they are able to do what those in their bunkers on this world did to this world. You will be able to cure those who need it.”

Now relieved that I will not wander this dead world, I am at least in a better mood. I sip my beer and then a mischievous thought comes to mind.

“Can I ask for one more power? For those who are evil, can I make them see me as that skeleton grim reaper is pictured as. Hooded cloak and scythe also?”

He laughs. “Nice touch. All worlds have almost the same image of what they think death looks like.”

He touches me and now I have all the knowledge I need including where all those bunkers are. I do not need to walk to them, I take on the image and I now can just appear at those sites. I can see inside them. All are patting their backs. All the rabble are gone and they now have all that money they saved building those abattoirs those fools believed they were safe in.

In that grim reaper form, I put my hand on the bunker door. An extremely thick door is melting like butter in a hot pan. I could see them in a panic and the generals had their side arms in the ready.

I cannot help myself. If I am to do this job, I am going to have fun. I melt the door and as I step through it, I say “Honey, I’m home.” As those bullets just disappear without even touching me. “Now was that nice?” I put out a bony finger and touch the first general.

That one dropped like a stone. I reach my finger into the body, pull out the soul and just say “Go to hell”

A scream from the soul and it was gone in a burst of fire.

“Now, who’s next. You non generals, who is the lowest ranking person here?” All point to one person. I ask that person if there is any beer in here. He tells me that there is and he gets me one. I ask him, “Do you have a family?”

With remorse he says that he did but, “The ones in charge put us on a plane before all this went down. When I asked the commanders if I could get my family, they said that families were on another in bound flight. After we locked down, I was told that there was no flight. Families were expendable but I was not.”

“Why were you not expendable?”

“They told me that they needed someone to cook and clean. I was it.”

“Did any of these ask about their family?”

“No”

I come up to him and I ask him to whisper in my ear how he saw me. He did just that. He whispered that I was a glowing man. Giving him that beer that he got for me, I told him to have a drink. As he drank that now really cold beer, I call out to my mentor asking him to take this man and reunite him with his family in the final life. That man vanishes.

Now I am angry but in a calm voice, I ask “All those who have families, raise your hand.”

Most raise their hands.

“Would you please go to your quarters and bring them here.” I point to one that raised his hand.

He did not move. I walk over to him and ask, “Was there even a flight?” He said nothing. I touch him and he drops. Again I reach in and pull out his soul. “Go to hell.” A scream from the soul and it was gone in a burst of fire.

“That really pisses me off. Who is the top politician in here? Generals, don’t feel as if I am forgetting you. Millions upon millions of souls are crying out for justice. You launched that destruction.”

A man is acting all official, like he is better than all the rest. He has the air that I have no legal right to question him let alone pronounce judgement over him. He walks up into my space, puts his finger in my bony face and speaks to me in a scolding tone.

“Who do you think you…”

I touch him and he drops dead. I look at him, “That is who I am. I condemn you to being confined within your important body until it rots away. I am going to put it on the surface that you created. That radioactive waste land. Unlike the other dead, your nerves are now attached to your soul. You will feel the pain of decomposition. Sometime in the very distant future, when even your bones have disintegrated, your soul will be released to wander this barren world for ever alone.”

With that he is now on that surface. His soul is now in constant pain.

“Anyone else want to cop an attitude? No one? Well how about this, Who can tell me if there is a way for you to contact the other countries bunkers?”

One of the generals tells me that they can. I order that one to link all the bunkers on the call. I do not want to have to repeat my message over and over. I am informed that all are on line. I again order him to tell them exactly who I am and what you have seen me do.

He does that and the response is that they do not believe that I exist. Those hear the screams of the remaining souls being told to go to hell. Now there is no one left in this bunker so I address those on line.

“I do exist. I am the Grim Reaper. I know where each and every bunker is located. I will have each bunker make that call. The remaining bunkers will hear the screams of those I condemn to hell. Have a nice day.”

I blow up the communications in this bunker.

After I was finished with this group, I walked out of the now dead bunker. I noticed that there was one thing living. A crow that was missing one leg. Somehow it survived but it looked like it would not live very much longer. I walk over to it and picked the dying bird up.

“You, my friend, look like you have had a hard time of it.” I concentrate and I take its injuries away. The crow perked up but it still did not have its leg. It was just acting normal. It flapped its wings and landed on my shoulder.

It must see me as a man not the grim reaper. It caws loudly and then ruffles it’s feathers as if to say, “Let’s get moving.” I just look at it. The Grim Reaper and a crow. In this world, a pair that are the same symbols.

“Okay Stumpy, let’s go.”

I know that I can just appear at the next bunker location but I want to get to know Stumpy. He is a wonder, he will fly but always will come back to me. I really think that my mentor is involved. I did tell my mentor that it would be hell to be alone on this dead world.

We walk and talk to each other. It seemed strange to me at first. I would say something, ask a question and Stumpy would answer me in different tones. It was as if he knew what I was saying and he was answering. The funny thing is, I seem to understand what he is saying. At least he does not give me the angry response when I say what I think he means.

I will always repeat back to him what I think he said. If I get it wrong, I get a look, he will ruffle his feathers and fly off. I sometimes need to dodge one of his droppings. It does not faze him when I tell him that the next time he tries to bomb me, I will pluck him bald and send him to the next life. He will just perch on something and give me his equivalent of a long laugh.

This went on and I now know we have that relationship that he feels that he is in charge. I can tell when he perceives something and flies off. He will come back. This time he seems almost frantic. He comes back, caws loudly then flies off once again. This goes on for a few moments.

I come around a corner. There I see two things that were once people. Between the sores and burnt flesh, I could not tell what they were. Of course I knew that they were human but their condition was such that I really could not tell even what sex they were. Naked and just walking. They were holding hands. Those hands were obviously full of sores and must hurt immensely but that was the only way they could cling to each outer.

Stumpy cawed twice. That caught the two’s attention. They stopped in their tracks and dropped to their knees. Still holding hands they raised their hands up to me in a pleading way. I know how they saw me. That glowing man.

“I can cure you as I did with this crow. Is that what you want?”

They frantically shake their heads as to tell me NO. They point to the sky. I now know what they want. They know that this world is dead. They want no part of this hell.

“You both are now going to get your wish. You will go to meet God and he will send you to heaven.” I now touch them both and they fall dead. I reach into both at the same time and pull out their souls. Stumpy is cawing in what can only be a happy tone. We both see two, now fully healed souls. The two women are now embracing like they could have never done. I look at both then smile.

“You go to heaven and God will be there to greet you.”

They both smile and then disappear.

For the first time since I got into this mess, I feel really good. That feeling is short lived. It is being replaced by the anger that I am feeling for those two. The suffering that they went through only because they did have the misfortune of being shielded enough as to not being vaporized in an instant.

“Stumpy my friend, it is now time to go to the next bunker.” Now we are outside the next country’s governmental bunker. Stumpy is very agitated. I get the feeling that there is something in there that will cause us to get very angry and it will not be pretty.

Time to taunt, I knock on the door. “Today is trash day and you have not put out your bins. OPEN THE DOOR, I NEED TO TAKE OUT THE TRASH!”

No answer so this time I just appear on the other side. “Where’s your families?” I demand in an ominous tone. Again it is one of their military that tries to shoot.

When I was a young child, I loved cartoons. They were slapstick in my day. There was always some sort of accident, someone blown up, someone always trying to shoot someone else. I remember the protagonists action. I stick my bony finger into the barrel. The pistol explodes with such force that it does take out the shooter and a few of the ones near him.

Stumpy lets out his laugh. I look at stumpy, “That worked just like I remembered. I agree with you, my friend, it was funny as hell.” We both laugh then I get serious.

As with the other bunker, I reach into those who are dead, pull out their souls and tell them to go to hell.

Now my attention is drawn to two young ladies. Stumpy had perched on one then jumped to the other. I walk to them and they are crying. “They kidnapped us. We were told that these needed us. They took us repeatedly.” is what one of them said.

Stumpy is nuzzling both. I know what I need to do.

“The world out there is no longer inhabitable. In the last bunker, those had taken someone that had a family and brough him to the bunker to cook and clean. I sent him to heaven and God reunited him with his family in the final life. I offer you the same. You will not feel any pain. All those feelings of the hurt they inflected on you will be gone.”

Before they could answer, I touched them. I removed their souls and sent them to heaven.

“Open the communication channel!” I demand. They do and I broadcast to the remaining bunkers. “I am judgement itself. I am the Grim Reaper. This bunker will not receive the same treatment that the other did. They have a special fate instore for them.”

I tell one of them to check their stores. That one comes back and tells all that all the food has gone rotten. The canned foods are all bulging out almost to the point of exploding.

The other bunkers are hearing that. “I realize that the first bunker’s inhabitants, I was too easy on them. Sudden death was not what all those who you murdered are demanding as retribution for what you monsters did.

I was one of those who you tricked with the bogus shelters. I stepped out but was protected by my mentor and I became what I am. The Grim Reaper. Each one of you in the other bunkers pay heed, I have something different instore for each. Don’t think that suicide will let you escape. Anyone that does that will get the same treatment as that pompous ass got in the first bunker.

Your souls will stay in that rotting body. You will feel the pain of being dead. Every nerve will stay active and directly connected to your soul. I will leave this communication station open. These will never be able to turn it off as will yours.

I am coming to visit all of you.”

Erasing the bodies of the two women, I now touch the inside of their door to the outside. My touch melts the keypad and all the internal moving parts. “You will never be able to leave here. Your food is spoiled. Soon your water will run out. Have fun trying to avoid being that day’s meal.”

Stumpy is again laughing as we both just disappear. We are now on the other side of their door. We can hear banging on their side. They are panicking and trying to break out. I thought out loud to Stumpy, “Don’t they know that those doors were made to withstand a nuclear blast? All they can think of is to escape. If they could get out, it is death out here for them anyways.

He just looks at the door. His caw is more like a taunt, a “how stupid can you be. Just die.”

“You are right Stumpy. I told the other bunkers the consequences of suicide but these I did not. Oops.”

We start to walk. We need to see if there are others that need the glowing man’s help.

As we walk, I tell Stumpy that we will take the long way to the next bunker. “There are only three of these left. Let them all stew and fret over who is next. Wouldn’t it be hilarious if they open their doors and make a run for it. We could have a hunt. You spot them from the air, I will make it so they live a very long time. The captive innocents will meet the glowing man. I will give them the same relief as I have given. I have an idea for the next bunker. Stumpy, you will love it.”

I laugh just thinking about it. He is giving me a look that I must have lost my mind. He caws that he may need to watch me closely.

Much to my horror, there are other walking corpses. All are people in various stages of a slow death. All just walking to some unknown location. It is Stumpy that makes me realize that they are ambling along being guided to me, the glowing man.

Stumpy always spots them, they always see me and cry out for mercy. All is so many words and gestures tell me that they wish death. True death is not frightening to them anymore. The slow one they are in is worse. In pain, rotting while every movement is torture. This is truly hell. That is why all their souls show smiles when I send them on their final journey.

All make Stumpy and I more vindictive, more imaginative on our walk towards the next bunker. We walk slowly because each bunker knows we will come for them. Each know they are doomed. Each know they will be condemned to hell.

They all thought that they were brilliant. They had more than enough supplies to last for a few years. Food, drink and yes, entertainment. All they needed to survive. Fools. They, in their brilliant minds, expected to one day open the doors and resume their lives. Go back to their offices and rule. Rule over what?

This world is dead. Only direct intervention from God would make this world inhabitable again. Those bunkers only delayed their inevitable death.

We feel that the wait for us to arrive is what they need to experience. After all, that is what they did to the general population. Those people knew that the war was coming. They knew it was inevitable. They knew they were going to most likely die. The not knowing when was shear torture.

I will tell you right now that we know that there are a lot of those rich privileged people that had their own bunkers just for the purpose of surviving this holocaust. They put a lot of money into those bunkers but they also did not put any thought into what the condition the world would be in afterwords.

There were nuclear test sites that were still radioactive, to the point that no one could live there without contracting radiation sickness and death from the cancers that would emerge from that radiation. This world will not be inhabitable for thousands of years, if ever. None have provisions past a few years.

The other thing is that most do not know how to do things for themselves. Servants were mostly left to die on the surface. Who will do their work? They blindly think that they can emerge to the world they left and return to that lifestyle they lived.

Little do they realize that those servants that they brought with them will see that they are the ones that really control that bunker. Don’t do what the servants order them to do, they starve or worse. Get thrown out of the bunker. Revolt of the servants will happen. Since they chose to go in to their bunkers but did not cause the launch command to be given, Stumpy and I will leave them to their fate. After all, it was their choice. All on this world will die eventually.

We make it to the next bunker and again just appear in the midst of them. This time is different. Instead of hostility they are on their knees telling us how much they regret what was done to the world.

I look at Stumpy and say to him “You know, my friend, I really think that they have repented. What do you think, do we let them go?” He does his laugh but this time I detect a slight taunt to it. He must be able to read my thoughts.

“You have convinced me that you have had a change of heart. We will let you go free.”

I put my hand on the door. This time I melt the entire door, then make a bowing gesture towards the now open passage to the outside.

“Please feel free to leave or stay here.” I tell them. Now I straighten up and get serious.

“There are many walking dead out here. They need to be the ones you owe an apology. Only thing is that you now have each received lethal doses of radiation but don’t worry, I have made you so you will not die, even if you beg, until you have walked this world for ten years. Nothing to eat out there, nothing to drink but you still will not die. Your flesh will rot. Even when you are just like me, walking bones, you will still feel the pain.

Know this, you have it better than the last two bunkers.”

We start to throw each out the door. They are crying. Those brave generals and politicians that condemned millions to death now have their sentence.

They see one of the walking dead come over to us and do the motions that all have been doing. “This is one of the ones that you did not kill outright.” Looking to the one, “You have suffered unjustly. I now give you peace.”

I touch it and the body falls to the ground. I reach in and release the soul. All those who I expelled from that bunker see the smile on the soul when I release it and tell it to go to heaven.

“None of you will get even a modicum of that mercy. Your souls are attached to your bones. When the ten years are up. You will just fall to the ground but your souls will still be attached to those bones. It will be up to God as to when, if ever, you will be sent to oblivion. I think that will not happen. You see, this world will someday be reborn to be a eutopia. Your souls will see it and never be able to enjoy it. Your memories will survive. Each second will be remembered. That eutopia will also be torture because you could have made it in your lives but you chose to kill those millions while you partied in those bunkers.”

Stumpy and I just walk away while listening to them start the blame game with each other. They will not learn, maybe never, that their selfish attitudes are the very reason they are on this dead world.

The last two bunkers, I just do not have it in me to do more than let their supplies runout while waiting for us to show up. That is the best torture for them. I do ask my mentor to take any in there that are innocent hostages. He does and approves of what I am doing with the last two bunkers.

He tells me “They will inevitably come to the conclusion that they will open the door to their fate or stay inside and be hunted as food until there is only one left. All in those last two will be attached to this world. Your last bunker’s sentence was just and all the souls left on this world in these two bunkers will be doomed to roam that refreshed Eden world. Forever to see just what they cannot have.”

He now gives me the locations of the remainder of the walking dead. There are only a few left that have not died of starvation or the disease. We made short work of them. All had smiles as we sent them to heaven.

With the last one, we were in front of my mentor. “You have done well. Your actions have been correct in your judgment. There are many that thank you for their release from hell. Know this, those in those bunkers who did not order or push the buttons will die.

They will be put on that road they call oblivion. To forever walk in that never ending circle. Only a few will hear someone in bib overalls singing off key and inviting them to come down to his path.

Now what to do with you both. Do you want to be sent to another world as you are?”

I look at Stumpy. He just bobs his head up and down. He knows what I want to do.

“This has been both hard and happy. Hard to see all those who all they wanted was to have us release them. Happy to see their smile as we released their souls. As far as those who caused that world to die, we both are tired of their attitudes of superiority. The anger and delight in what we doled out wore heavily on us both. Could you just send us to oblivion. Erase all the memories of what has happened and what we did.

How about it old buddy, want to just rest?”

He just ruffles his feathers and leaned against my neck.

I look at my mentor and just tell him that we both need to rest. “That was enough for us. I do not want to dismiss what those innocent walking dead went through. After all, you shielded us both. Stumpy was the only animal that I encountered so you must have shielded him.”

My mentor stopped me there. “Yes I shielded that bird but you have something wrong. He is a she.” He touched Stumpy and the crow was changed into a human female. “She is a changeling. The blasts killed off all of her kind but she was needed for your sake. That is why you found her outside that first bunker. She is your mate now.”

She is very nice to look at. Plain in appearance. Slim in figure with black hair. Her skin is almost black as the darkest night but she is that one that I had as a companion all the time we were there. I now find that I love her.

Before you ask, my mentor healed her lost leg. She is smiling and holding me tightly while looking at me with those eyes of hers. I could not help myself. I hugged her then kissed her.

“Thank you for being there for me.” I tell her.

“No thank you for finding me and healing me. I loved you from the start but there were times that I wished you hadn’t stepped out of the way of my droppings. You always thought of me as a male.”

She tried to act angry but could not keep a straight face. She smiled and cawed at me.

My mentor told us that he was not going to send us to oblivion.

“With what you both have done, I am sending you on the road. There are other worlds that need your help. This time, they will be before the end. You two will walk and investigate. You will both appear as you are. Normal. When you need to execute judgement you will appear to the innocent as the glowing man and a dove. To the evil you will be the Grim Reaper and a one legged crow named Stumpy.

You can now cure those innocents. You can release those innocents who are terminal. You can eliminate those who you deem evil. If you are agreeable, we will give you the ability to be able to travel from world to world.”

I stop him there. Looking at the woman next to me, “What name do you go by?” She tells me, “I really do not have a name, Stumpy will do.” She is looking at me with the please say that it is not what you want me to be called”

“Nope, Stumpy is what the bird you are is called.” I think and then say, “Clawdia is your name. What do you think of it?” Her eyes light up then gives me such a look. “Clawdia? Is that because of my bird sounds or the one claw?”

I tell her “Both. I always liked your vocal tones and admired how you never let the one leg bother you. I admire both.” I took the safe way out. She looked pleased “Clawdia it is.”

Now to my mentor, “Could you just send us to another good peaceful world. We would like to live a long normal life as a married couple. Maybe have children. We will spread our tale of the world gone wrong. Our life as the Grim Reaper and his one legged crow, Stumpy.”

Before we knew it, we were on a world that looked peaceful, Modern but peaceful. We were in a house that sat on a large plot of land. Looking around the house, it was not small but it was one that the two of us did not need any servants.

In what appeared as a study, there were a lot of books but we saw that there were a few books with either one or both of our names as authors. At the laptops, it shows a file called Justice after the apocalypse. I opened mine and it was the start of my tale from the sirens to my mentor saving me.

Clawdia opened hers and it was from her prospective as the one legged crow named Stumpy.

We both looked at each other and laughed. Then we got up and explored the home. After all, we now had a lifetime ahead of us. Although we did feel that there is a need to write.

In the morning, after a wonderful night, we sat at those computers and the words just flowed. The dual book was a big hit. Reviews all said that the chilling tale was one that this world must take to heart. This could be us if we go down the wrong road.

It was a long run as the number one best seller.

We had a large turnout for the book signing. All told us that it was a lesson that now is in their heart. There were two, in the line, that we both recognized. One was our mentor and the other one had a comforting voice. He had on those bib overalls and white t shirt. As he walked away with his signed book, you could hear him singing off key but it sounded comforting to all there.

Made you want to follow him.

We had a long life together, wrote many books that most were best sellers. We traveled all over on tours. We had made a show where we acted out the parts in the book.

I was reading what I wrote and Clawdia would read her words. We had recorded Stumpy’s caws then she would say what each meant. I had recorded the parts needed to set up the situation.

We each divided the bunker inhabitants roles.

In the end, we both did the epilog.

“Believe us or not, we both experienced this in real life. We want each of you to put yourselves into each of the roles. As punishers, as victims and as the culprits. All roles are important to understand. By feeling all the roles you will each know what you need to do to prevent our world from becoming hell.”

Since we knew they would see this as special effects, a clear curtain would drop. We then said to them which would you rather face, The glowing man,” we changed into the Glowing Man with a dove on his shoulder. “Or the Grim Reaper?” I was now the Grim Reaper with Stumpy.”

The audience was shocked and silent at the sight. We changed back to the two writers as the clear curtain raised. We bowed to the thunderous applause.

Back stage the crews gave us a wide berth. They were sworn to secrecy but they knew that those were no projections. They knew that we are both the redemption figures and the aberration of death.

Those crews went on to live a life that would make sure that they would meet the glowing man and his dove. Others that knew them and questioned their change were invited, with our blessing to watch from back stage.

Over our lifetime here, there were many crews that were changed. After a while, our mentor came and we did go to another world. We needed to because we both are immortal.

We again were the authors. Again did the play and again let crews see the change. We have come to the realization that this is what our mentor really wanted. We are those roles but now we did not need to perform those roles other than to put them into each of those worlds lore.

After a very long run, Clawdia and I decided that it was time to close the show and we were allowed to go to that final life. It was a pleasurable welcome to have those two women come to us and hug us a long time. Each of the walking dead came to us and thanked us for saving them from that hell.

Others told us of the play and our books were the influence they needed. The crews also were there.

It made us very thankful. We knew we made a difference but not to the extent that they showed us.

Eternity will be fun.

 

Authors note:

For those who have read a lot of my books, this will seem just normal to them. For those who are not familiar with my works, just know that I often have very weird dreams. The very beginning of this story is exactly from one of my dreams. The bunker was exactly what I dreamed about. I did go outside and was protected from the blast by an entity.

I have a note book by my bed to record those dreams that I do not lose when waking. This dream sat for a few years until I could see what direction it needed to take. It was January when I was watching the birds eat the seeds I put out for them. I also throw out peanuts for the squirrels.

That is when I saw an adult crow hopping to each peanut and break it open to eat it. The crow was hopping because it had only one leg. Thus Stumpy was born. With Stumpy aboard, the grim reaper had to follow. That is how I was able to write this short story.

I am now working on a story that will be a single large story. In the mean time here is another story that involves a world of sand. The oasis system is the only way they survive. The population are water slaves to the oasis owners.

Please enjoy this second story.