I learned today that three-hundred feet is the size of the inside of ten school buses.
I googled it on Death’s iPad.
As for the second step, I am still having some trouble accepting it. Death gave me some books to read so I can understand it better. My whole life we were taught everyone gets what they deserve or in concepts like karma. Apparently, in Death’s company, all that is bogus. What a person thinks is what will happen to them.
Marlon wasn’t a religious person. What did he believe in? I know he was superstitious… I look over to Death from the couch of his lavish study. He is buried in paperwork and reading ten books at once.
I have to know.
“Death, can I borrow your iPad again?”
“No, you cannot. I already deducted 100 gold coins from your salary for the first time,” Death says, lowering his reading glasses “You want me to deduct another 100,”
“Why not?”
Death stares at me. “You do know I’ve been using your pay to give you what you need. Your clothes, your food, those pajamas you begged me to give you, all of them came out of your thousand gold coin salary. Another 100 coins and that’s your dinner,”
I frown. I guess I can do a night without sugary cereal. “Okay, take the 100 coins,”
I get up, dragging my feet. I reach for the iPad on the desk and wallow back to my sad position. I put in the pass code.
“4-5-1-2-0-8,” I whisper, typing it in.
“If you could not say my password out loud, that would be fantastic,” Death says, his eyes still on the page.
“Whatever,” I say, opening the incognito tab.
My fingers hoover on the search bar. I type the M, the A, the R, and then I stop. Do I really want to see his face? I just started feeling better. That took three bowls of coco puffs for four consecutive nights.
I end up typing my brother’s Instagram. I click on my brother’s account. I have tried messaging him before but the message always comes out looking like a virus source code so I just scroll through his pictures.
It seems like he’s happy. He’s moved in the dorms and he’s going to parties. He has a life now. Wow, never thought I’d see the day. Sure, I had to wait until I was dead but I thought he’d stay a loser forever.
He cheesing so hard in this picture. He has a girl snaked around his waist. She looks smart and has kind eyes. She kind of looks like Death. Except a much kinder version. What’s her name? Stacy?
I dive into his social hole and find myself wishing to be with him. I am happy for him though. I am so happy for him. He is living his best life. I am sure he’s struggling with school work but I know he’ll overcome it. He has his family.
I close the Instagram and go to my mom’s Facebook page. The first picture has me squealing. My mom got into nursing again. She is holding up an acceptance letter to a local nursing school. She is gleaming. The next picture shows her taking pictures of her textbooks and school supplies.
My heart melts at the sight.
“Your time is up,” Death calls out.
“O-Okay, just a moment,”
I stare at the picture for a few more moments. Once I know I memorized it, I give it back to Death.
“Why are you smiling like an idiot?” He mumbles.
“What?” I ask. I’m not sure if I heard right. His mouth was still basically closed.
“Nothing, just go back over there. Your presence is interrupting my work flow,”