“I swear, I don’t know what it is about you guys.”

  Ever was mopping the spot where a child had accidentally dropped their cup of melon sorbet all over the floor.

  “Mmm?”

  “Chaos was spacing out yesterday, just like you do sometimes. He was staring at that corner table over there,” she indicated the spot, standing up on her tiptoes even though she didn’t need to.

  Ever finished mopping up, wringing out the fruity flavor into a bucket before laying the mop stick against the wall. “You’ve never had a deep thought?”

  “What are you talking about, of course I’ve had deep thoughts,” Taylor snapped, “I can be very deep.”

  “Well sometimes when I’m thinking deeply, I’ll space out. It’s not that my brain isn’t working, it’s just that I’m in… another place.”

  “Yeah, la-la land.”

  Aaah good one lass, hi five, Death sniggered.

  The afternoon was unexpectedly quiet, the trees in the park outside where Ever appeared on earth weren’t swaying, almost as if the air was holding its breath.

  “Taylor, do you believe in ghosts?”

  “Why do you ask that?” She replied.

  Ever licked his lips. So far so good. Now all he had to do was go from that question to ‘I’m Death’s apprentice.’

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “Would you believe me if I told you that ghosts have been coming by this ice cream shop wanting to have some ice cream, but they can’t?”

  She jumped slightly and rubbed her arms. “Dude, could you not? That’s super creepy. Besides, what are you trying to tell me,” she pulled her smartphone out, turned on the camera light and held it under her chin, “that you can see ghosts?”

  Ever stared at her, not knowing how to proceed. He changed tack. “If you don’t believe in ghosts, what do you believe in?”

  She switched the light off and sighed. “I don’t know, science? Code? Stuff I can see and feel?”

  Ever sat down on one of the chairs and looked out the window. Clouds had rolled in outside, the humidity was building and the air was heavy. A thunderstorm was coming.

  “I do deal with the dead for my second job,” Ever said.

  Taylor became still. Realizing that he was being serious, she came and sat at the other chair on the same table.

  “OK, soooo… you clean up crime scenes?”

  Ooooh good one, we’ve got to find you one of those souls, Death chirped.

  “Not quite,” Ever said.

  Taylor put her chin in hand and pondered. “You conduct autopsies and cut up cadavers? I’ve considered doing a minor in criminology but my degree doesn’t allow it.”

  “I don’t really deal with bodies.”

  “You’re a priest who speaks at funerals?”

  “My job doesn’t really require that I speak to the families of the dead.”

  “You build coffins?”

  “No.”

  “You run a morgue?”

  “No.”

  Taylor stood up suddenly. “Don’t tell me.”

  “What?”

  She grabbed a scoop and held it in front of her defensively. “Are you actually an axe murderer?”

  “I do actually use a scythe as part of my job.”

  “So what, you’re the Grim Reaper?”

  Ever smiled faintly. “That's one way of putting it.”