It's finally summer, school ended yesterday, yet here I am waking up to my alarm. I forgot to turn it off. I know I won’t fall back asleep, so see you in the evening, dear bed.

I put on shorts and my favourite salamander-wizard T-shirt. I ruffle through the fridge. Behold! A sweet lemon and fairy bread. Treats go in my bag. Slippers go on my feet. They're yellow. I look like a duck in them and I love it. I grab my fishing tools and run to the river.

There's freezing water everywhere. Dew, fog, puddles. I reach the rotten deck.

I dig up two wiggly worms, prep my weapon, and sit down to wait. My stomach gurgles and I remember my treats. Mama says it's unsanitary to eat with dirty hands, so I rub them with sand and water. My geography teacher says there are many healthy minerals in the earth. I say fairy bread is the best mineral out there. But first, the lemon.

Something tugs at the wire. It's weak. Could be the waves. Then it gets stronger. I put down my lemon, wait, waaaaaait, and tug! I roll up the wire to find an ordinary green ruff.

It doesn't put up much of a fight while I get it off, but it's spine is spiky. I search under the deck. There! The fish pot I forgot last time. I fill it with water and drop my ruff into it.

I dig up two more worms, fit them on, and settle back. So I sit until dawn, the ruff swirling about in its pot, keeping me company. Oh pretty dawn. Like a rainbow zebra. With sun comes warmth, yet the fog still stands.

A boat arrives from the white wisps. A dark, wooden boat and in it a tall, hooded something.

"Hi fish. Hop on," it says in a cold but warm voice.

But no fish comes. The hooded thing waits. It waaaaaaits. Then it looks into my fish pot and sighs.

"Are you, like, death? You look like death," I whisper.

It startles. "Um? Uh, kind of. I'm an apprentice. I'm nothing."

"That's so cool,'' I scream. Oh. Now all the fish know I'm here. Oh well. ''But, shouldn't you be invisible? The whole, no one knows what comes after?"

It sighs again. "I'm an apprentice."

I look wistfully at the rocking boat. Or it's shadow. Is is really there? Anyway, it looks neat.

"If I step into your boat, will I fall through?"

"You can try it out."

"Thanks! I'll stay here though, I'm not good with boats. Mama says I get sick from the sea.''

The hungry wolf in my stomach growls. I take out my fairy bread and offer half to the nothing.

''So are you here for me?" Nothing takes my bread and says thank you. A ladybug lands on it.

‘’Don’t know.’’

‘’What? They sent you all the way here and didn't tell you?’’

Nothing stays silent. The waves slurp under the deck. I finish my sweet lemon. Zesty.

‘’Aren’t kids usually scared of death?’’

‘’My mama buries people sometimes. The films are fake, don’t worry. No zombies yet.’’

‘’Ah.’’

Nothing flicks the lady bug off. It flies over to my shoulder.

‘’Does everyone learn to be death?’’

Something gently tugs at the fishing rod.

‘’It was my choice.’’

‘’Why?’’

I reel in seaweed.

‘’I chose death over life.’’

‘’I would too!’’

Nothing glances at me weirdly. Did I say something wrong? My teachers always tell me I’m not good with words.

‘’Life makes amazing things, like ladybugs, watermelons, dolphins, but if there was only Life, and no Death, zombies would be sad as they'd see their bodies go sour from old age, and their twisted wrists wouldn't stop hurting.

On the other hand, if we had only Death left, the pretty lands would turn into deserts and the ladybugs would be sad, but once He comes to bury the last lady, the world would be finally at peace.’’

I lie down on the wooden planks, a bit winded after such a speech. ‘’It’s what my mama says.’’

I finish my half of the fairy bread.

''But I guess, since lizards love warm rocks, it wouldn't make them all that sad.''

A bird goes kit-kit-kitkitkitTSRURURUwipwip.

Nothing smiles at me. ‘’You’re a pretty weird kiddo, huh?’’

I sit up so violently, my vision blurs, and I fall from the deck into the water. ‘’I’m not weird! My mama isn’t weird too!’’ I shout at it with all my might, fists ready to swing.

Sea water got into my nose. I want to cry, but I hold it in. ‘’Even Death thinks I'm weird.’’

It looks down. ‘’I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it in a bad way.’’

‘’It still hurts!’’

Nothing wants to say something, tries to use its hands, but stutters either way.

‘’You’re right. Can I make it up to you?’’

My tears retreat right away. ‘’Yeah! Catch me a fish! A huge one, or I’ll stay mad!”

''Sure.''

"Bailey!" I hear my mom call me. Her voice is stained with worry.

''Hey Death, my mom is worried about me.'' I swim towards the shore. I lost my slippers to the sea again. ‘’You look for that fish, I'll just tell her good morning and will be right back! I'll run like the wind, okay?’’

My feet stomps scare a lounge of tiny salamanders who came out to sunbathe. When I return to the deck, nothing's gone. It left me a fish on the deck. A big, spiky, pink fish. It looks enough for a whole pot of soup.