*Warning- mention of suicide* 

The figure sighed. “What is your question, human?”

The little girl, no more than twelve, looked up at the hooded figure in front of her. Her eyes were wide, but there was no fear in them.

And from the sweet voice came the question, “What do you remember?”

Flashes of memories. Voices, sounds, explosions. Feelings. Burning hate and overwhelming love. Touch. A stinging slap, a soft caress. Sights. Empires burning to the ground, a single face, a hand reaching out. Smells. Rotting flesh, a field of flowers. Tastes. Cool water from a stream, the burn of whiskey.

“No one has ever asked me that before.” The figure’s rumble had quieted, and now he spoke in a whisper.

The girl’s head turned to the side. “That’s sad.”

“Indeed.” The figure set down the nine-foot scythe and settled onto a rock.

“I will tell you my memories. But I warn you, child, they are not pleasant.” The figure’s head was aimed somewhere in the distance, and all the girl could see was darkness swirling within the hood.

The girl didn’t respond, but only sat herself down next to Death, her eyes staring at the skeletal hand that was braced on the rock.

“I shall tell you my earliest memory. It is pleasant, but it does not have a happy ending. Are you ready?”

“Yes.” The girl’s feet were swinging.

~~~

“Once there was a girl, much like you. She was the kindest being in existence, and because of how sweet this child was, some people, bad people, took advantage of that.

She always came second, and no one considered what she wanted. It was terrible, but there was no one who thought of her feelings.

Except for one boy. This boy had a bad reputation. He lived off scraps and slept somewhere different every night. But sometimes, he would talk with this girl, and those were the happiest moments of his life.

They talked more and more, always meeting under a tree on a hill. It was their place, and slowly, slowly but surely, they both fell in love. The boy wanted nothing more than to marry her, but he had nothing to offer. He owned no money, no home. He barely managed to survive, how could he provide for her?

And so the years flew past, the boy working odd jobs, always keeping her in his mind.

One day, the girl ran to the tree, in tears. She told the boy she had just found out her father had arranged a marriage for her, and it was to happen tomorrow.

The boy, fear in his heart, seized her hands and said they could run away, together.

The girl jumped into his arms, thrilled.

They lived peacefully for several years, but it wasn’t long before the girl was quiet at meals, and her laughter never filled their house anymore. She grew paler and skinnier, and her smiles were a thing of the past.

The boy, now a man, came home one day to find her dead, hanging from the rafters. The boy, in a fit of passion, hung himself next to her, holding her cold hand.”

Death stopped and looked down at the girl.

The girl was still swinging her feet, but now she looked at the ground. “Why did the girl kill herself?”

Death sighed and looked at the ground as well. “I wish I knew.”