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Death walks around aimlessly in a room with no walls, with nothing and everything inside of it, as they help people who wander through the Inbetween where nothing is set in stone. They have seen it all, the young, the old, the angry, the saddened, they have seen defiance, they have seen hopelessness. But what they have not seen before is this boy, he looks scared, head swerving at the people around him. He looks around five at most, Death walks up to him putting more effort into their steps then their usual silent walk.
“Hello young one” Death says with no tone “ Is there something I could help you with” the boy looks up shocked, as if surprised someone talked to him.
“Where am I? Who are you.” He asked with a small voice.
“I am Death, and you are in the Inbetween.”
“The Inbetween? What's that?”
“It is the place between life and death. So souls can air out their grievances before going to their place in the beyond.”
“Oh,” he says looking down “I"m dead.”
“Yes young one, you are dead” Death says.
“Can I go back?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I don't know, people have tried but no one has yet to succeed.”
“What do I do?”
“You move on, you go through to the beyond.”
“What's it like?”
“I don't know, I have never been.”
The boy pauses at that, looking down at his feet, he seemed to make a decision as he walked to death and grabbed hold of their leg. Death freezes and looks down at the boy.
“What are you doing? '' Death asks, the boy stays silent just hugging their leg tighter.
“Get off of me, I have things to do” Death says, shaking their leg a little. The boy shakes his head
“And why not?”
“I don't want to go.”
“But you have to young one.”
“Why? you've been nice to me and i don't know anyone here.”
“Because you have to move on.”
“Will you come with me?” the boy looks up then staring intently into Deaths eyes
“No.”
“But why not.” the boy asks, voice getting a little shaky.
“I am not allowed to leave this place, so I must stay.”
“Don't you ever wish you could go.” Death pauses at that, a simple question with such a complicated answer.
“I am not dead so I may not go” the boy loosens his hold as he looks down in thought
“What happens if I don't go?” questend the boy
“I do not know, no one has ever tried to stay before”
“Doesn't that get lonely?”
Death passed before they answered “No, it does not get lonely”
“So if I do leave, will you be alright” you could hear the boy's concern bleeding from his voice.
“I will be fine”
“Ok. Will you walk with me”
“Yes, of course”
They both walked in silence, the boy grabbing Death's hand, Death looks down but says nothing. The get to the bright entrance to a place Death has never gone but always longed to go.
“Are you sure you can't come with me?” asked the boy
“I am sure. Goodbye young one”
The boy looked up at death and started walking to the light
“Bye bye death”
As the boy disappears from the Inbetween, Death realizes that was the first time someone ever said goodbye to them. They turned around walking away from the light, to help the lost souls no matter how lost they felt themself.