As you can see from the headline, this story is about death,
my death, if to be precise.
But I guess, that before I can tell you about death, I
should tell you about life:

Life.

First of all, let me begin by saying, that I wanted to tell
you my name, I think that it's custom to tell people your
name before you bore them with your life story, well, I
would tell you my name, but I don't know what it is.
You see, after you've been dead for a while, you forget
names, yours and everyone else's. After death, names have no
meaning.  
Anyway, where were we? Ohh yeah, my life, well like I said,
it was rather boring, I had an ordinary life, just like
everyone else's, at the age of 22, I found myself mostly
just wasting time, hanging out at the corer bar with a few
friends, watching TV, surfing the internet and playing video
games, nothing special - with the possible exception of my
obsession with death.
I've always had that obsession, for as long as I can
remember, I don't really know why, but I spent a lot of time
reading everything I could found about death, every theory,
every aspect, everything, you'd be surprised how much stuff
you can find on this subject.
One day, while I was sitting at home, in the late afternoon,
minding my own business, death came calling.

Death.

Yep, you've read correctly, death himself! Or so I thought,
ok, that's not true, at first I thought it was my kid sister
playing a joke at my expense, but then I noticed that the
person in the black robe standing in front of me, was not
actually standing as much as he was floating.
Then death touched me, and then I was standing in a circle
of light, in a very large and dark room, dark enough so I
couldn't see just how large it was.
I heard a voice: "you are now dead", and then I saw him
again, death was standing right in front of me.
Having reading so much, I knew (or thought I knew) just
about everything there was to know about death, and I could
remember that death was a gambler, and could never refuse a
challenge, so before anything else happened I said: "death,
I wish to challenge you to a contest."
"Shit, I hate when that happens" was my reply, as death took
off his hood.
And you wouldn't have believed it; death was a short blonde
skinny 16-year-old boy with glasses. I myself was shocked.
"Well, what is your challenge?" he said.
Now here my immense knowledge came into play, most people
choose a game of wits, like chess, thinking that they could
outwit the ripper, this was stupid, death could read minds,
you couldn't trick him.
The really stupid people, who were just smart enough to
challenge death, asked for a game of strength, like they
could outrun or outfight death.
I knew better, what I needed was a game of skill, a game I
couldn't be beat at...
I chose a video game, I can't remember it's name anymore,
but it was the most popular game at the time, we played and
I won! I've beat death!
And he wasn't happy about it at all.
"I suppose you want your life back now," he mumbled.
I smiled.
Few people know this, but when you challenge death and win,
you don't get your life back, you get a wish, one wish, any
wish, and it has to be granted (within death limits, death
can't make you god), it's just that most people ask for
their lives back (the few that win), which is also dumb if
you ask me, I mean, what stops death from re-killing you a
second after you return to life?
No, I had a better request: "I want your job" a replied.
He smiled, "ohh, your one of those huh?" he said, "good,
with the population growth we are a little short staffed".
Than he explained that he wasn't THE death, he was just one
worker in the office of death, he gave me a crush course and
sent me to work.

A day job

The rules were simple; you get to kill (or "take" as we call
it) whoever you want, you just touch them and they die, if
they challenge, like I did, I had to accept (one of the
rules that remained from the ancient times).
Also, if I thought a quick death was in appropriate for
someone, I could think of a disease and he/she would get it,
and I'm talking about the cureless illnesses of course.
The victims were allowed to see me just before they die, and
those were the rules.
You have to understand, not all deaths are ours, some are
caused by other humans, like car crushes, murder or war, the
"office of death" as I like calling it, is responsible to
only natural deaths.
And so, I was sent to work, roaming the earth, ripping. Time
had no meaning, and I enjoyed my work, I found new and
interesting ways to take people, I guess it's safe to say; I
liked my death more than my life.
Until one day...

Name

One day, actually, one night I think, just because it was
dark, in a city (I don't know which city), I was walking
(floating) in the dark street, there wasn't a singe person
there for the taking, just as I thought to go into one
building and see what I could get, I noticed a silhouette
getting our of a dark diner, locking the door, and walking
away, I thought to myself: "why not" and gave chase.
It took me just a few seconds to catch up to her, as I did
she turned around and saw me, death, standing in front of
her.
I reached to her neck with both my hands, as she choked for
air in my hands, I looked in her eyes, she had the most
beautiful big blue eyes, big sad blue eyes, she had tears in
her eyes as she gave up and died.
One of the tears fell down, I followed the tear with my
eyes, it fell on her nametag, the kind diner waitresses
wear, it said HOLY.
At that instant, in the split second before we were both
standing in the transfer chamber (the large dark room) I
knew that I shouldn't have taken her, I felt something
inside that I thought the dead never felt, I felt love.

Challenge

She stood there, In front of me, so beautiful, so perfect
(don't forget, as death, I could read minds), I allowed her
to see me, still with my hood on, she said: "I'm dead now,
aren't I?"
"Yes" I said, "but if you want you can challenge me to a
contest, and if you win, you get a wish and can wish for
your life back".
So she did, she challenged me to a game of cards, now like I
told you, as death I could have easily won (although games
of luck are a bit more tricky, no card game was entirely
based upon luck) but I let her win.
After she won I said: "ok, lets get you back to life",
"wait" she replied, "you said I get a wish, what if my wish
isn't my life, what if I have a different wish?"
I turned to her, and took off my hood, I smiled at hr, to my
surprise, she smiled back, what a smile! "What is your wish
then?" I asked, "Why did you let me win?" she answered with
a question. Smart girl!
We talked, for a long time, I don't know for how long, time
is not important when your dead, I told her the story of my
life, and the story of my death, she told me about her life,
and then it was time for her wish, she asked for us to be
happy together.

Heaven

We got to heaven, if there is indeed such a place,
apparently, death has to be lonely, otherwise death will
lose the will to kill, and hell will not allow happiness,
and we were both dead, so we couldn't be sent to live on
earth, so by default, we got into heaven, even though none
of us were pure or even good.

And that's the end of my story, I now, for the first time in
my life and death, am happy, although sometimes I miss my
job as death.