Death's Apprentice

The smoke from the glass portal dissipated and Lily and Arno were standing in a grand gold room with embroidered turquoise drapes. Standing in front of them was a woman in an elegant silvery dress and jewelry smiling at them. Her blonde hair was almost white.

“Hello Arno and Lily. We’ve been expecting you! Welcome to the Fates. Please follow me.”

Lily held Arno’s hand as they followed her into a large courtyard with marble statues and fountains-ornamented with beautiful stones that sparkled and glimmered. Twinkling lights and lanterns cast a shimmering reflection in a pool.

“My name is Saskia. We have waited so long to finally meet both of you.”

“You mean Lily…”

“No. You too Arno. We’ve watched you from the beginning.”

The Guardian looked around at all the faces peeking out from behind pillars and walls to get a good look at the pair. He didn’t know whether to feel uneasy or not, but he didn’t feel threatened at all…

They walked around a corner and down a hallway only to find themselves on the grounds, with deep dark green grass and a night sky with twinkling stars above them. But what intrigued the newcomers the most-was the paintings. They were everywhere-floating in midair-of all different styles and colors. Of people in different places and scenarios. Lily looked around in wonder. The paintings changed. Not while you were looking at them, but when you looked back at one, it was different. The painting would be of the same person, but in a different position, or place, or action.

“What are these?” Arno asked.

“Why, they’re people of course.” someone said behind them.

They turned around to see an old woman standing there, her silver hair wrapped up into a messy bun, and the wrinkles on her face moving out of the way for her large smile.

“Everyone is different.” Another person mentioned, popping out from behind one of the paintings. She was tall for a woman, with long, straight red hair. The old woman’s dress seemed to rustle, and out from under it, a little girl who appeared to be about ten years old came out.

“Who are you three?”

“The Fates. Nice to finally see you.” they all said in unison. “We knew you would be coming.”

“...Because Death told you?”

“No. Because we know things.”

By this time, Lily was rather distracted by the paintings floating above her little head. She reached out to poke one. Arno caught her and pulled her away from it.

“Lily-you can’t just poke random floating paintings…”

“But I want to touch it…”

“Anyway… Sorry. Er… So, you three are the Fates?”

“Yes. I’m Chin.” the little girl said.

“I’m Brie.” the redhead added.

“And I’m Talin.” The old woman finished.

Arno and Lily stared at the three odd ladies in navy blue dresses ornamented in gold in front of them, wondering what to do next.

“Death said we needed to see you!” Lily piped up.

“Oh yes.”

“Of course.”

“We wanted to explain our realm to you.”

“And there’s also someone who wanted to see Arno.”

“Wait-what? Who would want to see me?” the Guardian wondered.

“So why are there paintings? And are those really stars? And what does fate mean anyway?” Lily asked, interrupting Arno’s train of thought.

The three fates laughed, a twinkling sound that blended together like music.

“So many question!” Talin said cheerfully.

“We’ll get to everything eventually.” Brie told her.

“But as for the paintings…” Chin started.

“It’s how we see everyone.”

“It’s very important to know what everyone is like.”

“To see what they do now,”

“And what they did then.”

“We know that you can see their death,”

“But we can see who they are.”

The way the Fates talked together was like a well-oiled machine. It almost reminded Lily of the way Fish and Star would talk together, but somehow these three seemed more sophisticated and elegant. As for the information about the paintings, the little girl found this fascinating, while Arno thought this a bit invasive. He wasn’t sure if he should feel violated or what.

“This is just one aspect of the Fates.”

“Then there are the golden strings,”

“And the choosings.”

“Don’t forget about the lanterns!”

“We think it will be encouraging for the both of you.”

By this time, Lily had scooted closer to a painting without being noticed by her Guardian. She reached up to touch it…

All in the matter of a second, Lily got a flash of a person. She could see their whole life up to the present. Everything they did, everything they thought, and everything they felt. She jerked back in surprise. The old lady smiled down at her.

“It’s quite the rush, isn’t it?”

Lily nodded, staring at the painting she had just touched.

“We’ll get to what the stars really are later, but as for what fate itself is…”

“It’s what inescapably must be.”

“Not necessarily that all things are predetermined.”

“Of course not. There is freedom of choice after all.”

“But there is such a thing as destiny. And Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, etcetera.”

“You see, if something is destined to happen, sometimes it can be changed depending on someone’s actions.”

“Doesn’t mean that the destiny of that person or thing is lost forever.”

“There are many options of how something might happen.”

“The reason why we know so many things is because we know everyone so well.”

“Thanks to the paintings you see.”

“If you know everything about a person, you can basically know what they will do and what that will lead to.”

“It doesn’t mean that they don’t have a choice, but past actions and personalities have never failed us before.”

To Lily, this made perfect sense, but to Arno, it seemed like the Fates were making no sense at all.

“All right then, let’s show them the strings!!” Chin exclaimed.

Brie nodded in her controlled manner. “Yes. Follow us.”

The little girl and her Guardian walked behind the three Fates to a door that stood on its own. Arno wondered what they were going to do with an empty door. But when Talin opened it, they could see another place inside.

“I should be used to all this weird stuff by now…” Arno muttered to himself as they stepped through the door.

They seemed to be in a vast expanse of mist and nothingness. In this nothingness was a web of golden strings-intersecting and intertwining with each other in interesting places. Lily looked around in awe at the sheer magnitude of the place she was in. In all directions the strings went as far as she could see. Parts were masked in the mist, but it was still all very beautiful.

An old woman ducked underneath some strings and came towards them, a big smile on her face. Her white hair blowing gently in the mist. Without warning, she threw her arms around Arno in a hug, pinning the Guardian’s arms by his side and catching him off guard.

“Arno!! I can’t believe you’re here!! It’s been so long…”

“Uh… Sorry, but… who are you?”

The old woman took a step back and gave him another warm smile.

“Don’t you remember me?”

“Uh…. Not… Really...”

“Remember dear-he probably doesn’t recognize you.”

“That’s right. It’s been a while.”

“Oh of course!! My apologies. Arno, all this time, I’ve been wanting to tell you-and to thank you for helping me. I made it. I found my father.”

Arno’s mind was working in overdrive, his face twisted in confusion. Suddenly, a light bulb seemed to come on, and he looked at her inquisitively.

“...Eva?”

The old woman sighed, looking to be very happy.

“Yes Arno…. Yes…”

“What are the strings for?” She asked of the Fates who were sitting beside her.

“Each string is a person.” Chin answered.

“Just like the paintings?”

“Yes. But instead of showing who they are as a person, it shows all the connections between everyone. All the times your path crosses with everyone else-or when you go your separate ways.” Talin responded.

“Oh. Ok. So what do you do with the strings?”

“Well, unlike popular belief, the strings don’t start in the living world. That’s the interesting thing, because no one knows why that is. We can tell when a person is supposed to die because the string will turn a brighter shade of gold. At that point, we cut the string and take it to the Inbetween section. That’s how the Reapers get their orders that people are supposed to die.”

“As we watch a person’s life, we make sure that people they are supposed to meet will run into them. We help them find love, friends, and even strangers that they need just a moment with.”

“Nothing is by chance.”

“We can tell just by knowing a person if they will help a person who needs help.”

“Even if you only give someone a smile as you are passing them on the street,”

“You never know the impact you may make on someone.”

The four of them were silent for a moment, as Lily pondered this new information. So the fates was all about giving people the chance to help people-at least, that’s what the strings were for. And if you did well, they could use you more.

“Lily. I want to ask you a question.” Brie said seriously.

“...Ok.”

“You’re going to take Death’s place, so you have some kind of understanding about this that no one else does. Correct?”

“I guess so.”

“So tell me. What’s the point of the living life anyway?”

“What do you mean?”

Chin and Talin exchanged glances as if they had heard this before.

“Now Brie...”

“We’ve been over this countless times…”

“You haven’t been here as long as we have-you’ll understand eventually-.”

“No.” Brie said obstinately, her jaw set. “I want to hear what she has to say.”

Lily waited expectantly as the old woman and the little girl sighed in exasperation, and the red headed woman took a deep breath.

“Well, for example-Chin and Talin didn’t have much of a living life in the first place. Chin died when she was a baby and Talin was labeled as mentally ill and died in an asylum. So what’s the point?”

Lily thought about this for a long time.

“Well, this is the Inbetween right?”

“Yes.”

“Or the Place of Second chances?”

“Yes.”

“We need to learn. And if you don’t get to live that long there, you get a chance to here! And then there’s the helping people like with the strings. If someone from the Inbetween needs help, maybe a person from the Inbetween is supposed to do it.”

“Well, I guess that part makes sense, but in the larger scheme of things what’s the point? I mean, where are we going? What happens next?”

Lily shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m only five and a half.”

The little girl looked back over to Arno and Eva to see that her Guardian had his head down like he was crying.

“Arno?” She jumped up and ran to him. She didn’t like it when he was sad.

“Arno, what’s the matter? Are you ok? Are you sad?” she asked, tugging on his pant leg.

He sniffled and wiped the tears from his face. “I’m ok Lily. It’s just... complicated.”

“He had no idea what happened after he died.” Eva explained. “It’s a lot to take in.”

“What did happen?”

“Well, I found my father and survived. Then I grew up and had a family and lived a long happy life. I just wanted him to know how grateful I was. Without him, my family wouldn’t have even come to be.”

Lily looked up proudly at her Guardian. “Good job Arno!!” She said in her tiny high pitched voice. Arno managed a smile.

“Lily, you would you like to see all the things he really did to help me?” Eva asked cheerfully.

“Yeah!”

“Wait what now?”

The little girl followed her through the golden web and then she stopped.

“This golden string is Arno.” She said simply.

“What?!” the Guardian asked in surprise.

“Yes. This is my string. See how they intersect and intertwine for a time? Right here is when we first met.”

With that, she took Lily’s and Arno’s hand and placed it on the string, where it started to glow. She was suddenly standing in a different place-a place ravaged by war. She looked over to see her Guardian looking around in surprise, with Eva standing there smiling at him.

“This-this place-.” He stammered.

“Yes Arno. Now just watch. There are some things I want to remind you of.”

“Where are we Arno?” Lily asked, reaching up to hold his hand.

“This is-this is-where I used to live…”

Lily looked around in surprise. Her Guardian used to live here? But it was so broken… She looked over and noticed a man as he walked down a desolate street in a uniform and army helmet-holding on tightly to a gun. She gasped.

“Arno! It’s you!” she exclaimed, pointing. Arno whirled around to see the past version of himself carefully stepping down the street, his eyes on the lookout for any movement. The man stopped when he heard something from one of the old abandoned buildings. Slowly, he turned and headed towards the old compound, papers and personal belongings still strewn here and there as the people from the past had left in their hurry. Lily, Eva, and Arno followed him.

He crept up the dilapidated steps and made his way around the broken down door, stepping gingerly over an old teddy bear and then accidentally crunching on someone’s old glasses. There was movement from around the corner. He turned slowly and approached an old mattress leaning up against the wall. Then he kicked it out of the way and pointed his gun.

A fifteen year old girl cowered there against the wall, her long dark hair masking half her face.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded. The girl simply stared at him, tears starting to roll down her face. The gun in his hands started to shake.

“No one is supposed to be here. I’m told to shoot anyone on sight.”

At this point the girl started to cry.

“Please-don’t-”

Arno stood there shaking for a moment, struggling with what to do. Lily could see the anguish on his face and finally he sighed and lowered his gun as he realized that he simply could not do it.

“Look. I’ve never killed anyone before, and I don’t plan on it now, so just-make sure to…” He trailed off, not knowing what to say to the girl who was putting his own life in jeopardy simply by sparing her life. What would he do in a normal situation? In a world without war?

“Hi. I’m Arno.”

The girl sniffled. “I-I’m Eva.”

Arno took this chance to sit in one of the old grimy chairs in the room, resting the gun on his lap.

“So what are you doing here all alone?”

Eva held her knees up to her chest and took a deep breath. “I was separated from my father… We were going to escape to Switzerland.”

“You don’t have any other family?”

“They’ve all been relocated with the others.”

“Oh…”

There was an awkward silence as the two of them sat there. The soldier and the fugitive. Eva still seemed wary of him, as she leaned away as far as she dared, scared that any sudden movement would mean the end of her life.

Arno on the other hand, just seemed tired. He wiped away at some of the dirt on his face, revealing frown lines and worry lines that had etched themselves into his skin.

“I don’t like war.” He said quietly, breaking the silence. “I never have. I mean-what’s the point? We just kill each other until one side gets what they want?” He sighed.

Eva didn’t answer, but stared at him with her big brown eyes in return.

I never even wanted to be a soldier in the first place…” he mumbled.

“A-Arno? D-do you know where they relocate my people?” she asked hesitantly, drawing in a sharp breath like he might hit or kill her for just asking.

The soldier stared at her.

“I-I’ve heard terrible things… People get on the trains and are never seen again. I’ve heard rumors that… that their just killing us all!” This was the breaking point, as she started to sob uncontrollably, gulping and gasping for air. She buried herself in her hands, her long dark hair masking her face as she shook and shivered.

Lily could tell from Arno’s face that this news was not new to him. He looked ashamed and sad as he stared down at the floor. She looked up at her Guardian to see that his face was white as he watched his own memory.

“I’m sorry…” he muttered a bit awkwardly. “I’ve heard the murmurs too, but I can neither confirm nor deny them…”

“And yet you do nothing!!” Eva exclaimed, a look of anger now on her tear stained face.

“You’ve probably seen them corralled onto the trains and did nothing-my mother and little sister being among them!”

Arno’s face paled as the teenage girl yelled at him. He said nothing to retort or defend himself.

“Do you know where your father is now?” he asked gently.

“He’s probably at the docks by the old fishing store waiting for me. That’s what we planned if we ever got separated.” she said miserably. “But he’ll be waiting for someone who will never come. It’s no use. I’d never make it there.”

Arno stared at her, sitting very still.

“I could help you…” he said mousily. Eva looked up slowly at him, acting like she hadn’t heard right.

“What?”

“I can help you.” He said with a bit more confidence this time. “No one would suspect it. I am a soldier after all.”

She regarded him warily, narrowing her eyes. “How do I know I can trust you? You might be just saying that so I’ll come quietly.”

Arno sighed again. “Eva, as I told you before, my orders were to kill anyone on sight. You’re still alive aren’t you? I’m risking enough as it is. Just let me get you to your father.”

Eva looked scared and yet hopeful at the same time.

“All right.”

The scene before them suddenly twisted and changed, and Lily saw the unlikely pair in different situations. Camping out in a barn, Arno getting them food, wading through a river… Lily watched as Arno protected her in many different situations where many times other soldiers tried to take Eva away, and he talked his way out of it or helped her out of the situation one way or another. They eventually came up to a scene that she had seen before, ending with a bang and a scream as Arno lost his life. The world around them went dark for a moment, and then from beside them, the old woman version of Eva said,

“Now for my timeline.”

Lily felt herself pulled up and thrown into another scene-where the young teenager was sitting alone in a dark abandoned building, crying quietly to herself.

“Arno… You stupid man-you stupid, stupid man…”

And then finally, Lily watched as Eva was sneaking down an alleyway and as she silently climbed over a fence, her dress a little more ragged than it was before. She looked up to see a little fishing shop on the edge of the sea, and with one quick look to make sure no one was watching, she ran for it. She burst through the faded green door with a gasp, causing the two men sitting down at a table to jump up, their chairs knocking over in the process.

“Eva??” an older man with a burly brown beard and small round glasses questioned. Tears filled her eyes as she ran to him and threw her arms around him.

“Papa!!”

“I thought I’d never see you again…” the man sobbed as they both fell to their knees in an embrace.

“I probably wouldn’t have, but I had help… Arno…”

“Who’s Arno?”

Eva wiped away her tears and gave him a sad smile.

“I’ll tell you on the way to Switzerland…”

Lily was being pulled up again, but instead of seeing anything else, they were standing back in the room with thousands and thousands of golden strings going every which way-farther than the eye could see. She looked up at her Guardian to see that there were tears streaming down his face.

“Arno? Why are you sad?” she asked as he sniffled.

“He’s not sad Lily.” Eva said kindly. “He’s happy.”

Arno slowly nodded his head, unable to speak.