Devaki

Oh how I wish I would have crushed that wicked old fool's skull with the axe, for I would not suffer now if I had! Instead I found myself sitting at a small round table in my bedroom, looking over what he called "the paper of life".

"As I have already stated" said Devaki, "you will be passing away very soon, and nothing can prevent this. Nothing except the purchase of your name being signed upon this paper." A small candle on the table provided just enough light in the room to see Devaki sitting across from me. He looked even more serious than before in this lighting, and rather menacing at that.

"You continue to speak of purchase, yet you mention no rates." I still was not taking him seriously, yet I had decided to humor him with conversation.

"What do rates matter if you are dead? Would you reserve payment and take your riches to the grave? What good would all the money in the world do you there?"

"This is true, however how am I to know that I am able to afford what you sell?"

"Believe me, you will be able to purchase it from me. All who are offered can. You will not be able to give everything at once but you can make payments for the rest of your life if you must. You have to agree that it is better than dying."

"You said earlier that you 'give that away which nobody wants'. Do tell, please, what that could be."

"Death of course." He spoke this very carefully. I quickly jumped to my feet and slammed my hands on the table.

"So! You did plan on killing me then!"

"Not at all sir." Said he, calmly rising to his feet, "I wish you no harm at all, and none will come if you just sign this paper." My thoughts suddenly cleared. I had grown tired of the conversation and wanted to go back to sleep and forget this whole matter. Still thinking Devaki to be mad, I took the paper and slammed it on the table.

"Will you leave if I sign?" I asked in an annoyed tone of voice.

"Most definitely." The way he spoke made me shudder once again and I had to look away. But I didn't shrink back this time. I was tired and reached for a pen that was sitting on the table. I had not noticed it before and did not know where it had come from, but I did not care. I autographed the paper with a few quick strokes.

"Now leave!" I yelled and looked up, yet no one was there. Devaki had vanished. I whirled around the room expecting him to be sneaking up behind me, yet there was no sign of him. At that point I noticed that I was dressed in the same manner that he had been dressed in, black clothes from head to toe! I started to panic, thinking I must have been drugged, yet there was no recollection in my mind of having passed out. I quickly reached for my pocket watch only to find that the time had just now begun to advance from 3:02am! Had time truly stopped upon meeting Devaki? I was ready to run in to the other room to see if there was some sign of him, yet on my first step I tripped and fell over something large. I hit the floor and quickly turned around, only to fund the old man crumpled in a ball on the floor.