A Final Song

As I stare at the drug-addled man sitting on the toilet, I can't help but feel disappointed. This is the last soul to collect? I thought to myself. And a supposed rock star, at that.

I sigh and knock my scythe against his head. He lifts his head, dazed and confused, until his vision finally focuses on me.

"Huh, I didn't know it's Halloween already."

Again with this? I sigh. "Actually, this isn't a costume. I'm the grim reaper; I'm here to send you to the afterlife."

I pause. This is the point where they would usually laugh. For children or gullible people, they would cry. For elders, they would nod understandably.

The rock star lets out a sigh of relief and say: "Finally, I've been trying to get in touch with you for forever!"

I blink. "Do you crave death?"

"Of course. Why do you think that I pumped myself with so many drugs everyday?"

Normally, I would shrug and bring the soul with me. Some people are just tired of life and voluntarily sought me. However, in front of me is the supposed "Rock Star of the Century," so I would be lying if I am not curious as to why he would crave death at the height of his career. Besides, this is my last soul, so I can take my time.

"Why do you crave death?"

"Because everyone everywhere expects me to be miserable." The rock star stares vacantly ahead. "How do you think I get these inspirations for my songs? There are days where I would just lie in the bed all days, feeling sad for no reason. Those are the days when these song ideas would just come to me. When I tried to get out of this loop, though, my fans and manager would criticize me, questioning why my quality has dropped. I've been stuck in this cycle for years now."

"Well, why did you become a rock star in the first place, if this is so bad?"

The rock star looks down. "It's for my sister." He whispers. "I used to play songs for her in the hospital all the time. Playing songs often rake in a lot of cash, so I turned it into a career. She's dead now, though."

Looking at the rock star, I realized that his face does resemble a girl I met years ago. Still, the faces in the afterlife are numerous, and the girl is likely lost by this point. Still, after all the misery I caused, maybe I can bring peace to someone, for once.

"Come on, let's go look for your sister." I replied gently, holding the rock star by his hand. "I'm sure she's missing you dearly."