I met death on a Thursday

So I wanted to post some of my writing here for a while now but frankly the thought of doing so terrifies me. But I'm finally goig to go for it. So a little background first. This is a kind of poem, it doesn't rhyme though sorry, but it's actually an idea I had for a much longer story. I know it isn' very good but I like it and I keep tweaking it here and there. If it comes off a little emoish to you guys then I'm sorry, I was going for something happy but I don't know if I got it quite right. Oh and I removed my name from it, yeah I'm the male character, I'm not brave enough to put my full name out there. Hope you like it, and if you hate it than I'm sorry you wasted you time.

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            “I met death on a Thursday”
               By Vman

   It was a cold autumn Thursday afternoon when I first meant death, one of those strange days when the sun almost sets but seems to hesitate on the horizon supernaturally. Upon hearing the word death it is only natural for you to make certain assumptions, but let me lay them to rest. I was not in a foggy graveyard and the being of which I speak was not a skeletal figure of black flowing robes who wielded a sickle. In fact it was the common setting which surrounded death at first which made this strange figure seem so out of place and yet absolutely at home all at once. She was simply, yet not so simply a young woman sitting at a bus stop presumably waiting for a bus.

   I’ll be the first to note that my memory is not so great as many other’s which makes it all that much more remarkable that her appearance has remained so fresh in my mind for all the years following her visit. Her hair was black and hung silky and smooth just above her shoulder, the color of it was so pure and shocking it left me feeling cold and tantalized all at once. The very darkness of it seemed to draw in all of the light around her and embrace it as it’s own.

   Though I could only see the skin of her neck and her arms it was more than enough to give me a strong impression of the whole, and oddly enough it was not what I’d have expected. Rather than the usual tone it appeared warm yet at the same time as though it had been starved for light in it’s recent past. All of this was unusual enough to encounter when one wasn’t prepared to do so, but as she turned her head to face me I was reborn because never before had I seen such beauty so every moment following that must be considered part of my rebirth.

   Her eyes were the deepest shade of green and pulled me into them begging for further attention to the many sparkles to be found within. I was so enthralled I could only flow into them and attempt to contemplate where it was I had seen that color before. It wasn’t the bright shining color of a neon light, nor did it carry the natural shade of a rich old vine clinging to the side of a house. Then I recalled where I had first seen this color. It was the deep green of freshly planted grass growing upon a grave, the rich color made all that grander by the will of this little life to exist in a place of fear and sadness.

   Her lips were painted lightly in a pleasant shade of red which trailed at the edges of her mouth, and it was here I noticed how the corners curled pleasantly in to a lazy smile which made her all that more pleasant to behold. All of these traits blended together on a face which was accustomed to smiling and brought each feature together in a pattern of gestalt which is unsurpassed in any canvas. It was precisely at this moment that I realized my feet had carried me on their own path which culminated in standing a few scant inches before this enticing smile, and though social grace begged me to step away to move on a deeper urge demanded that I move closer or be still.

    All of this the woman who I had yet no name for had watched and she calmly appraised me still hosting a smile for several long moments. I realize I must have seemed rather stupid to stand there as long as I did but quite frankly I was like a deer in headlights, afraid to move away but at the same time I knew that I must move. However it seemed this kind lady would take pity on me and she raise her hand, such a pleasant hand, towards the seat beside her and for the first time spoke to me. “You can sit here if you like.”

   Her voice. Her voice was gentle enough that it could reach through you softer than the softest breeze, but at the same time it carried such weight that it could crush mountains beneath it. Though she didn’t speak with a commanding tone I found I could no more resist her than I could my need to breathe. I took the seat next to her. We sat in silence for a moment she turned towards me watching me closely as I had her seconds before, I for my part had taken to staring directly ahead and contemplating cracks in the sidewalk. I absolutely ached to say something, anything. Although I would have preferred it was something very clever or impressive that would raise her opinions of me to a lofty height. In fact I said nothing I merely sat and I’m certain to any passerby it would have seemed Rodan had taken it upon himself to fill benches at bus stops with his new work.

   With what can only be described as absolute terror I raised my eyes from the ground towards the new sun which sat directly to my left. I opened my mouth to speak some soft words to her but it seems my tongue and all of my words had chosen this very moment to rebel and had taken a trip to somewhere less stressful. Once more this kind lady chose to take a measure of pity on me. “You don’t need to be so nervous Jon.”

   At hearing her speak my name, and in hearing the simple joy of her voice once more my mind was quite happy to settle itself in this place forever and to never again entertain thoughts of anything else. But some other part of me had stepped forth and reason made it’s uncomfortable presence known much to my sadness. It is usually quite startling when a strange person knows your name, it is quite another when that stranger happens to be a beautiful woman. Though my memory for names and faces has never been grand I was absolutely certain I had never set eyes on this person before, and that if I’d heard her name it would have been among my dearest treasures.

   My words and tongue found a new ally in reason and decide to rush the rest of my faculties into action. “Do you know me?” “Yes” Though I was no expert in these matters I found myself certain that such words were not the making of any great romance so I struggled to find a better foundation. “I’m sorry but I can’t seem to remember meeting you before.” Despite my struggle I was certain ensuring an attractive woman you didn’t remember her was the best was not the best way to win her over. “You wouldn’t, but that’s alright no one does at first.” These were certainly strange words but they were accompanied by another smile that made them seem like my dearest fiends.

   Now that the first tracks had been laid it seemed much easier to move forward so I spoke once more. “Well as you already know I’m Jon ---------.” At this I reached my hand forward towards hers in what I hoped would be taken as a polite handshake. She accepted my hand into her own and from the moment my skin touched hers I felt alive for the first time. She was simultaneously warm and cool to the touch in a startling combination unlike anything I’d ever felt, and I was eager to feel more of it. I retained enough presence of mind to actually shake her hand with neither hesitation nor overeagerness and then relinquish my grip. Our eyes locked afterwards and she smiled then tilted hear head back in a laugh.

   If anything before her had seemed beautiful it was paled by her laugh. Like everything else about her it was an exercise in contradictions. It was swift and light like a leaping cat or a chime caught in thick wind but also heavy and slow like the ancient bell of a church. Once more I found myself stricken and desiring for all of the world to simply sit at this beauty’s feet for all eternity gazing upon her. After a moment her laugh bubbled to an end and it seemed to me the world had become a much duller place to walk, but I found my way and struggled onward. “Would you mind if I asked your name?” “Not at all.” A wicked smile creeped back to her face and I felt it’s companion on my own features.

   It seemed she was merciful but she also wasn’t going to make things terribly easy. “Alright, what’s your name?” A long moment passed between us and she seemed at first to hesitate. To see a small measure of discomfort creep into her features made me sick, and to think I’d caused it made me want to crawl into a hole and hide. “I’m death.” Two simple words and yet they carried with them the weight of the world. Like any logical person at first I doubted the truth of these words and thought she was having a joke of me, but she’d spoken with such confidence and her eyes were so firm in their belief I couldn’t find it in me do doubt her long. “Nice to meet you.”

   For the first time I saw surprise weave into her features and I thought it did pleasant things to an already pleasant face. “You believe me?” “Of all the lies you could have told me I don’t think that’s the most convincing, so yeah I believe you.” She nodded in what I hoped was approval, and I was very happy to have been able to make a response to please her. “So are you here to see me?” This question seemed a bit forward but I felt it was a justified one. A quick shake of here head told me all I needed to know and alleviated a knot of fear I hadn’t known to exist until that very moment.

   Death, and I’m now certain that’s who she was, swung her feet beneath the bench and forward into the air in a slow motion while looking ahead. “So what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” Perhaps she was as surprised at the comment as I was at having said it, although I doubt it. Blame the dated content on a youth spent reading detective novels. She laughed again and for a brief moment I wandered in paradise. “Just resting a bit, this seemed as good a place as any.”

   At certain moments in life a person will find courage they never knew they had possessed before . Some use it to charge onto a field of war others to step onto a stage I used my reserves to speak to the woman who had so enthralled my sense. “I’m glad you chose this spot.” She smiled and reached her hand out placing it gently on my own, and I was elated to feel her skin once more. All too soon she pulled her hand back and rose from the bench. “Sorry but I’ve got to get back to work, no rest for the wicked.” “Don’t.” “What?” “Don’t call yourself wicked, you’re not like that.” “You just meant me, how would you know?” I gazed into the eyes I’d wanted to build a life in once more. “I know.”

   A sad smile creeped across death’s face once more and it made me want to weep. She slowly turned and walked away from me and with each step I felt a piece of me wither away into ethereal nothingness. I rose from my seat reaching out after the retreating vision of perfection and in doing so I felt the fullness of my spirit return and grow stronger than ever before. “Wait.” Death turned towards me her hands clasped behind her back and she was still wearing her perfect smile, her green eyes still sang, her dark hair still swept the breeze aside, and her skin still warmed and cooled the air all at once but this time I was able to keep my wits. “Will I see you again?”

   An expression that to this day I can’t describe swept through her face in that moment a strange mixture of sadness, happiness, excitement and many other feelings all blended together. “Once.” She averted her eyes and calmly strode away, and though she took only a few easy steps she faded from my sight in the merest flapping of a wasp’s wings. Even now I recall fondly my meeting with Death and imagine it is a rather rare experience. I also hold no fear for the end as I know that with it will come our second meeting. This knowledge means I know no grim being of darkness waits on the other side, but a smiling face a green green eyes that make me want to lie down and rest for a bit and perhaps if I’m very lucky I’ll feel a cold warm hand wrapped around my own and after years of waiting I’ll finally know what those red red lips might taste like.