July 2020 Storytime Blog Hop |

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image.png

Once again it’s time for a fun adventure. Enjoy my story below, then follow the links to other stories of participating authors in the blog hop. Leave us comments. We love hearing from you!

Near Success

I turned my head as the car reached the young boy. It was over in seconds. I calmed my queasy stomach and ran to toward the lifeless body.

“Damn!” The boy’s soul was gone. I had lost another one.

Then I saw something disappear behind the sky scraper in the next block.

“Wait!”

I soared over the building, in time to see the soul fly under a bridge and vanish into the ground. I dove hard. My chances of catching it were slimming.

Before I reached the ground it popped up and whizzed by me. I screamed and changed direction. I didn’t have time to chase souls around town. I had another death scheduled soon.

Around a corner; across an empty lot; into the woods. He will be hard to keep up with in there.

Before I reached the tree line I heard a sound that made me stop.

“Hi, G.R.”

“Shiela!”

Dale’s sister. The beast. And I don’t mean that in the good way.

“I don’t have time.”

I tried to dart around her but she quickly blocked my path.

“Ah!” I shouted into the air. The soul was gone. I would be in so much trouble.

“Did you lose one?”

“I, I had it until you came along,” I said through gritted teeth.

She stood with her hands on her hips. “I came along because you still owe me a date.”

“I had almost caught up to him.”

“You made a deal with my brother. You promised.”

“I’m busy.” And you’re scary. I didn’t have time for this…for her. “I’m in my probation period and I need to focus on my job.”

“You’re so important, aren’t you?”

I puffed my chest. “I finished top of my class.”

“You are so awesome you had to bribe my brother for the easiest job on the first day?”

“I made that trade as a favor to him and you,” I shouted. “That was not an easy collection.”

“It was rated the easiest and you let the old geezer get away.”

“What? But how…” She couldn’t possibly know that. “You’re following me!”

“Everybody knows your first got away!”

I sank against a tree. The records were supposed to be private, but of course someone leaked when the top student failed.

But maybe I could use it to my advantage. Sheila wouldn’t want to go out with a loser!

I spit out the truth. “Already a week into my solo probation period and I haven’t caught a single soul.”

Sheila giggled. I glared.

A single soul…Soon we both were laughing uncontrollably. More reaper school humor!

Once we settled down Sheila offered, “I can help.”

“You’re not old enough for Reaper School for another year,” I sulked.

“I don’t need Reaper school. I have eight older siblings,” She countered. “When’s your next death?”

“This evening.”

“We better hurry, then.”

Soon we were in the back seat watching Julie, my next collection, drive.

“I don’t understand. How will watching her before her death help?”

“It gives you time to prepare,” Sheila explained. “You know, so you don’t miss it.”

“You have been following me!”

“No, look, you scored nearly perfect in school but can’t catch the real thing. It could only mean one thing—death bothers you.”

“But—”

“It’s normal,” she said understandingly. “But you need to adapt. Just picture the death over and over in your mind. Then the real event will seem like a thought.”

So I did. I must have seen Julie crash into the telephone poll a hundred times.

Then the moment came. She pulled out her cell phone and stared down. Up and down her head bobbed. She squealed excitedly, took one final look up, then tried to steer with her knee while typing.

I visualized the crash one final time, then Bam! She wrapped the Civic around the pole, dying instantly.

I didn’t flinch. I thought I might get sick at the sight, but I watched. I watched the whole thing.

“I did it!” Thrilled, I gave Sheila a tight hug before my cheeks burned with embarrassment and I quickly let go. We both laughed.

“Best date ever!” she screamed.

She had saved my career, my pride. “I can’t count this as a date. I owe you one proper.”

“Really?” she squealed.

“Yes.” I held out my arm for her to take. “Shall we?”

She giggled. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

I followed her gaze.

Fading in the distance was Julie’s soul.