Time Of Death

chapter 1

I tilt my head to the side as I contemplate the numbers above his head.

16 years 23 days 47 minutes and 52... 51...50 seconds.

His hair is grey, and his stooped figure leans heavily upon his stick. A stiff breeze could blow him over. His wrinkled face, is pulled into a grimace of pain as my eyes observe him. His free hand reaches back to rub at the aching muscles of his lower back.

A sigh escapes from his lips as he looks around. Looking for somewhere to rest his weary body, for just a minute. Spotting an empty seat in the crowded mall, his body shuffles towards it. Pain screaming through every movement.

No one comes to help him. It's as if he is as invisible as I am. I watch as eyes skate past him. Everyone too involved in their own matters to see the man in front of them.

It seems cruel to make him live for another 16 years.

Pursing my lips, I try to come up with a reasonable amount of time to take away.

Take away his pain, his suffering. Because that is all the next sixteen years contain for him. Pain. Pain as his body slowly and cruelly gives up.

Pain, as he loses who he is.

I raise my left hand, touching those numbers. Pursing my lips, I watch as the years get smaller. 15... 14...8... 2.

2 years, 16 days, 46 minutes and 9... 8...7 seconds.

Satisfied, a smile crosses my lips. A smile he will never see. A kindness he will never know.

The extra time I have collected rests in the palm of my hand. I glance at it, before removing an hourglass from my pocket.

It uncorks with a low pop, my hand tilting as time flows into the glass. Turning into sand the moment it passes the lip of the container.

"Thank you for giving me your time." I whisper to the man. He stills for a moment, and cocks his head to the side, as if he heard my whisper.

Then with a slight shake of his head, he continues towards the seat.

A smile rests upon my face as I contemplate what to do with this extra time. Where... or who it should go to.

Maybe the little girl with cancer, but that would only prolong her pain. There is no cure for her. 

I softly bite my lip, and faces flash through my mind.

Parents begging for their child to hold on "Just for a little bit longer." Just "Until they can be saved."

Families begging doctors to "Save their loved one", or to "Give them the damned cure!"

Children begging their parents to "Not leave them."

I would love to save everyone, but even I; the keeper of time; know that is an impossibility.

I weigh time in my mind. Giving it with one hand, and taking it with the other.

My mind focuses on one person, filling my vision until I am standing behind them.

I look at the girl, standing on the edge of the building. Contemplating her existence. Wondering if she is brave enough to continue living.

My mind flows through the possibilities, and focuses one before pulling it into fruition.

My right hand reaches out, touching the numbers above her head. They increase in number, years being added to her life. Her future stretching out in front of her, no longer ending minutes from now.

A small smile crosses my lips.

"Enjoy your life." I whisper towards her.

A shrill ring erupts from her pocket, ringing and ringing. Until with a heaving sigh, she answers.

I turn my back, knowing she will be okay for this moment in time. So while the rest of her life might not always be sunshine and roses, at least now, she has a chance to live.

I take two steps, and the world changes around me. In the blink of an eye I'm transported somewhere else. My internal clock making me move on. Move forward. Never backwards.