The Grim Reaper

The Grim Reaper

The old woman was taking a walk through the forest, like she did every day before breakfast.  She enjoyed the  fresh morning air and the silence. There was hardly anyone outside at this early hour. To her surprise she saw a young woman sitting on a wooden bench beneath an old oak tree, motionless like a statue, her head down. Coming closer, the old woman saw tears flowing down the girl’s face. Neither the running mascara nor her swollen face could hide her beauty. The old lady asked compassionately, 

‘What’s the matter, my dear?’

‘Nothing!’ was the harsh answer.

Nevertheless the old woman continued to speak.

‘It can be very helpful to pour your heart out to a stranger. Tell me about your sorrow! ‘ 

The girl crossed her arms defensively in front of her chest and exclaimed, 

‘Leave me alone! ‘

‘I don’t want to bother you… ‘

‘Why are you doing it then?! Buzz off! ‘

‘Come on, tell me! I’m a good listener! ‘

‘That can’t be true! You never give up, hu? ‘

The old lady contemplated the girl musingly,

‘You look somehow familiar to me. What’s your name, my dear?’

The young woman’s pitch black eyes sparkled with anger. 

‘Certainly I’ll tell you my name. This way I’ll get rid of you immediately! I am Death!’

’Oh, yes of course, I remember!’ the older woman exclaimed delightfully. ’Yóu have taught me some of the most precious lessons I have learned in life!’

‘Well, I see, you are old and maybe demented’, the girl said with a look at 

the wrinkled face in front of her. 

‘I think you don’t understand. I am DEATH! Nobody likes me!’

’I know who you are, and I really appreciate you! I just didn’t remember that you are a beautiful young woman.’

The girl laughed sardonically. ‘Well, that is just one of my many manifestations.  It’s one of my favorites, because everybody thinks that I’m a dark and grumpy old man. The Grim Reaper! Ugh! The truth is that I am the responsible gardener in the greenhouse of God! I take good care of the souls before they incarnate on this earth, and when their time has come, I am the one who guides them on their way back to the source. But people only acknowledge the cruel reaper in me!’ A big tear rollled down her cheek.  

‘You’re doing a great job, my dear!’ confirmed the old woman, tenderly caressing the girl’s shoulder. 

‘Look, in our world of duality everything is two-fold: Without darkness, you can’t see any stars. Without sadness, nobody would know happiness. Both sides complement one another. They are equally important!’

‘Okay, so you are one of these crazy fools who see everything through rose-colored glasses. Believe me: In reality, things are quite different! People focus only on the bright side of life! They are ashamed of being sad, and they don’t want anybody to see their tears.’

The old lady nodded. ‘Exactly that is the problem! But the dark sides of life also want to be seen. When they are suppressed, they appear in the form of different diseases or accidents and cause even more pain!’

‘That’s a vicious circle! Now you know why I am not welcome, wherever I go!’

The old woman looked attentively at the younger one. 

‘Listen’, she said. ‘My problems are similar to yours: I feel misunderstood by nearly everyone. Some want to possess me, others try to put me in a cage, or they think they can buy me! Maybe, together we can be more successful. So, would you like to continue your journey with me?’

The girl kept silent for a while, staring at the old woman’s extraordinarily blue eyes that seemed to be as young as the early morning amid the wrinkled face. Then she answered, ‘Okay, for my part, it’s worth a try. But first of all, it’s your turn to tell me who you are! ‘

‘Oh, please pardon my discourtesy! I forgot to introduce myself’, the old lady said smiling. 

‘My name is Love!’