Death's Helm

There it is, the ship on the horizon. I hadn't been expecting it so soon. I thought I had more time.

Clara sat in the sands of the serene beach, letting the sand run through her fingers as she turned away from the ship and let a sigh escape her lips.

Why so soon? I had plans. I was almost done with my masters. I had a new job lined up. I was going to get Danny into a new school. We were finally going to move up in the world... But I'm stuck here on this beach. I shouldn't be here.

Clara turned her gaze back to the sea. The ship was closer. There were no sails and she wondered how it sailed since there was no wind. A pier had appeared down the shoreline.

I guess that's where I'm supposed to go to get on. I was going to take Danny to the park on Sunday. I wonder what will happen to him. I'm sure mom will take care of him.

The ship finally docked at the end of the pier. Clara couldn't begin to guess how it was sailed since there was no crew. The world was silent. There was no sound from the waves, not even a creak from the massive wooden ship. She forced herself to stand and slowly began to make her way towards the pier. A figure stood waiting for her, cloaked in darkness.

When Clara finally reached it, it held out its hand. Its voice echoed all around her when it spoke. "Come. Come with me now."

Clara hesitated and her voice trembled. "I... I don't want to go. Why do I have to go?" Tears started to stream down her face. Everything was so unfair. The weight of her situation had finally hit her. I'll never be able to see him again. My baby boy... "Why can't I go back? WHY CAN'T I GO BACK?" Clara shouted at the being, but her shoulders slumped and sobs racked her throat.

"There is only forward."

"Where... Where are we going?"

"I cannot say." Its hand was still outstretched. "Come."

There was no urgency, no sense of impatience. It had an eternity to wait for Clara to reach out and grab its hand. She knew there was nothing else she could do, there was nowhere else to go, but she continued to stare at its outstretched hand.

Finally, she looked up at its cloaked face and in a desperate whisper, "He needs me..."

Death was silent, its hand open for Clara. Goodbye Danny. Clara took Death's hand and let it lead her onto the ship.

Once on board, hands began to reach out to Clara patting her on the back, giving gentle squeezes of her shoulder. Voices saying, "There there. It's alright." Where once Clara had seen an empty ship, she was now surrounded by people, all trying to offer their assurances.

Death had left her side and took its place at the helm. Still with no wind and no crew, the ship sailed away from the beach.

Looking around at the crowd of faces, Clara asked, "Are you all... dead? Like me?"

A chorus of "yeah," "yes dear," and "sadly," responded.

"Where are we going then?"

Death's voice carried around the crowd of the dead. "We must pick up one more. Then I will take you to the gate."

One old man braved to ask what the crowd was thinking, "What's the gate?" Death only continued to steer the ship.

With the lack of response, the crowd dispersed and people found places to hunker down and wait until their next stop. Clara found a crate and sat down, staring out into the open ocean. It seemed like there was no day and no night, the world was in a constant state of dusk. Even now, with the ship crashing through the water, there was no sound. There were only the whispered conversations and sniffling cries of the dead.

Clara could only think of Danny and tried to summon every cherished memory she could. I'm going to miss everything, his whole life... People began to stand up and lean against the rails. One pointed off into the distance and Clara saw they were approaching another beach.

"Oh dear," one woman exclaimed as they docked at the pier. Sitting on the beach was the small figure of a young boy. His arms were wrapped around his legs, his face buried in his knees.

They were too far away to really see the boy or hear what Death spoke to him. Clara was dazed and could hardly pay attention to what was happening and she found herself in the back of the crowd. She was still trying to come to terms with her own death.

The voices of the crowd, cooing over the approaching boy drew Clara back. She finally got a good look at him walking down the pier, hand-in-hand with Death. She gasped, "no."

Clara's chest felt tight and she began to push her way through the crowd. "No. No. No." Death and the boy stepped on board the ship. Clara stopped and let out in a strangled voice, "Danny?"

The boy looked up at her. This can't be happening. "Mommy?" Clara collapsed to her knees and wrapped her arms around her son. The crowd was buzzing with whispers and sad remarks. She finally pulled away and grasped Danny's face in her hands, "Danny, what are you doing here? What happened? You're not supposed to be here, not yet." But Clara faded off.

Tears were streaking down Danny's face and his nose was running. "Aren't you happy to see me?" He threw his arms around his mother's neck and cried.

"Oh baby, of course I am. I'm just..." Clara squeezed him as hard as she could as she struggled for words. "I'm just sorry it had to be here. It shouldn't have been your time."

Through choked sobs, Danny asked, "What do you mean? Where are we mommy?" Still hugging him tight, Clara made her way through the crowd. Once again, there were consoling hands and tears of shared sorrow. Death had long since steered them away from Danny's beach and was once again taking them through open waters.

With Danny cuddled on her lap, Clara stroked his hair. "I don't know where we're going Danny, but everything will be ok. We're together now."