“And now to breaking news, after weeks of searching, the remains of Peter Ridley have been found today in dense vegetation in the Yang Ranges…”

  Taylor slowed down while wiping the table, her eyes losing focus as she listened to the news through the radio. “Sssshhh,” she raised a finger to her mouth.

  Ever stopped putting the ice cream away under the freezer and looked at her. He’d quickly learned that ‘breaking news’ was considered a big thing that didn’t happen too often. Breaking news that featured someone who had died was less common. It was fascinating how there was a morbid curiosity from those alive of those who had died in these situations. For Ever, it was just business as usual.

  “Peter had always wanted to free climb Mount Kragg. He told us that he was ready and that he knew the risks.” The voice was teary, a parent perhaps. “He died doing what he loved.”

  “Poor dude,” Taylor said, resumed wiping the table. “Wonder how long he actually survived after falling from that height.”

  “Is Mount Kragg pretty high?” Ever asked.

  Taylor looked at Ever, thought about giving him one of her looks, then stopped herself. “It’s only like the tallest mountain in the state. Three hours west of here, snows during the winter but popular for hikers and climbers in the summer.”

  Ever nodded and kept packing up. It wasn’t as busy today for some reason and it meant that cleaning up was happening quicker than usual.

  “Before you ask, free climbing is climbing without any protective equipment.”

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Ever paused to think. “The protective equipment protects you when you fall?”

  “Yeah, it basically stops you falling all the way down and splattering on the ground.”

  “And dying.”

  “Hard to splatter and not die.”

  Hey Ev, just found out this guy’s soul is still stuck up in the mountain, let’s go reap him, pronto. He heard rattling in his head as Death ran on the spot.

  Ev? When had Death ever called him Ev?

  “Dude, you alright?” Taylor asked, “You look like you’re either super confused or like you trusted a fart you shouldn’t have - and I hope it’s the first thing.”

  “I’m fine,” Ever said. “I’m going to go a bit early if that’s OK,” he paused and gave her a conspiratorial look. “I’ve got to go to my second job.”

  —--

  Ever actually enjoyed the commute to his second job. He left the familiar buildings, hustle and bustle of the city, accelerated through the highway out east, past all the cars that looked like they were crawling relative to his speed, until he reached the outer suburbs.

  Further and further out he went, some fields green and others golden in the dying sunlight. There was a sharp change in direction, the inertia having no effect on his soul as he zipped through a forest towards a looming mountain range with one more imperious than them all.

  Taylor wasn’t kidding, Mount Kragg was tall. Ever got a good look at it before Death took him headfirst into the shrubs, trees and vegetation. He raised his hands on impulse needlessly. By the time he realized and dropped them, all the greenery had cleared.

  Alright, we’re here.

  Ever took a few steps and looked around. *Where’s the soul to reap?*

  Not sure - guess we’ve got to look for him.