Mr. Williams

Mr. Williams

By Cody May

Mr. Williams was dressed and ready for his Granddaughter’s 2nd birthday party this afternoon on the 12th of November, 2019. It was a nice arcade buried in this small town of Bedrock, Virginia where his daughter decided to have it. Mr. Williams liked it there, you couldn’t get bored in such a vigorous place, plus they served some damn good pizza. He finished dressing and then picked up the photo of his dear wife, Loretta, which sat on his bed-frame. She had passed away just over seven months ago, and life without her had taken its toll on old Mr. Williams, who had recently turned seventy-two. They had been married for thirty-nine years, and he missed her more and more as each day had passed. He lay by her side in the hospital, and they talked about the days of old; when they first met, their first date, meeting the parents, as her pancreatic cancer slowly took her away from him, day-by-day.

It was the hardest time of Mr. Williams's life, and it has haunted him every-day since. However, it is not merely her death that has haunted Mr. Williams, no, but two instances days before her death that had given Mr. Williams nightmares.

Loretta was a sick woman, and watching her suffer was becoming unbearable. As it got closer and closer, the two accepted what was ultimately going to happen in their hearts, and in many ways, they were ready. The first instance occurred two days before her death. She lay in her bed. Not fully there, but halfway. She still spoke to Him even though most of the time, she lay asleep in the bed as Mr. Williams watched the TV. That night as they lay in bed together, essentially saying their goodbyes, Loretta told Mr. Williams that she would come back for him. She told him she didn't want to explore heaven without him by her side. It brought a tear to his eye, and he told her not to leave without him. Mr. Williams also wanted to explore heaven with Loretta, but at the same time he knew he had children and a grandchild to take care of as well; Mr. Williams wanted to be here for his two sons and daughter; he wanted to be here for their—at the time—one-year-old grandchild.

So Mr. Williams told her, yes, and he sure meant it, but he was also hesitant. He has been worried since that he has sealed his fate, and that time may be running out. Since Loretta's death, his health has deteriorated, and Mr. Williams has begun to believe that Loretta is tenaciously pulling him home. But the icing on the cake is the words that Loretta spoke to him as she lay in her bed, on the night of her death. It was around Nine o'clock, and as Mr. Williams watched a game show, Loretta softly in her croaked voice asked him whom the man was standing at the door. Mr. Williams saw nobody, but she persisted that a hooded man in a black cloak stood at the door, and she said that he was dangling an old silver pocket watch around his wrist.

Mr. Williams just assumed that she was hallucinating; after all, she was on strong pain-killers. But when he was awoken at twelve A.M by the nurses as the doctors stood over her with defibrillators, pumping her chest, trying to bring her back to life, her words cut a little deeper. Her description of the man resembled the Grim Reaper, and ever since that day, Mr. Williams has been perturbed that the Reaper is hunting him next.

He laid the picture back in its place, and he headed to the living room. He ate a banana as he observed himself in the kitchen mirror, slicking his gray, thinning hair to one side and tucking in his blue flannel shirt. He turns the lights off in his house, grabs his keys, and opens the door. As he pulls the white door open, he looks forward, out the glass screen door, and sees him. A man befitting that of who Loretta saw standing at her hospital door that night, and now he stood before Mr. Williams, and the only thing separating them was the glass screen door that Mr. Williams had yet to open. He slammed the white door shut, placed his back against it, and sank to the floor. Fear had overcome old Mr. Williams as he started to sob while on the cold, hardwood floor.

"You get out of here, Reaper!" Mr. Williams screamed while sobbing.

The home phone was conveniently lying on the couch beside him. He reached over, picked it up, and dialed his daughter, who was surely almost finished setting up her daughter's birthday party. She answered quickly and was met immediately with the shaky voice of her Father.

“Cindy, I need you to get over here now!”

“Dad, what’s wrong?”

"He's here, Cindy! He's here!"

“Who in the hell are you talking about?”

"The Reaper, the one that stood at your Mother's door that night. He's here. I told you he'd come for me!"

“Dad, just calm down, have you taken your medication today?”

"Of course I have, Cindy, I'm not lying!"

“Well… ugh, can you check again? Maybe you were hallucinating or something.”

At once a strong and slow knock banged on the door behind him. A Deep voice seemed to echo throughout the house and walls “Mr.Williams…” The voice said.

Mr. Williams got up and slowly peaked out the front window. Same as before, the Reaper stood there, standing at the door in his black cloak and hood, staring directly at Mr. Williams. This time Mr. Williams noticed the same silver pocket watch dangling from his wrist, just as Loretta mentioned the man at her door had. It swayed slow;y to the left, slowly to the right. Mr. Williams quickly sank back down to his original position at the base of the door and told Cindy that the Reaper still stood there. She said to him that she would be right over.

Cindy went and got her Brothers Michael and Timothy and explained to them what the situation was. Her husband agreed to watch their child as they headed to their Father's house to clear this up.

They hopped in her SUV and headed down the highway as quickly as they could.

"Maybe Dad is losing it, Cindy." Michael said.

"Don't say that." Timothy replied. Cindy sat in silence with a face of sadness.

"He's been going downhill ever since Mom died. He's talked this craziness about a Grim Reaper, and now apparently he's standing outside his house."

Michael said.

"I think he just has it rough. Losing Mom was hard on him."

Timothy replied

"Michael is right, Timothy. Dad isn't the same as he once was." Cindy said.

" You both can claim Dad is going crazy, but I don't think so. If this Reaper is real he’s probably some lunatic in a costume in a costume who thinks it’s funny to scare old people."

"Dad said, Mom saw him, but He didn't." Cindy said.

"So what? You two believe in the Grim Reaper now? Be serious, please."

"I'm not saying that. It's just weird, you know? Dad just isn't the type of person to lie."

Mr. William’s children cruised down the highway as he sat at his door. They still had a Thirty-minute drive ahead of them, but the trip may not be necessary, because old Mr. Williams just got a grand idea. His idea was to take his keys and sneak out the back door. He figured the old Reaper was too transfixed on the front door that he wouldn't even notice when Williams gave him the slip.

Mr. Williams picked up his keys from the floor (He dropped them when he saw the Reaper), and he walked to the back of the house. He stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of his hallway. He had his sights on the back-door, the Reaper in clear-view, looking directly at him through the four-squared glass in the door, pocket-watch swaying. He turned and ran back to the front door, opened it quickly, and then shut it when he saw the Reaper standing there also. Once again, he placed his back on the door and sank. This time he started crying instead of sobbing. Old Mr. Williams realized then that the Reaper wasn't going to let him leave this house alive.

“You’re not gonna take me reaper-” Williams said as tears streamed down his face “-You’re not gonna take me away from my family!”

His cell phone was ringing, but Mr. Williams wasn't picking it up. He was too busy crying in his hands to be bothered by a call. The call was from Cindy, who was worried about him.

“Why isn’t he picking up the phone?” Michael said.

“He probably realized the boogeyman wasn’t there and drove on to the party.” Timothy said.

“ I hope he’s okay.” Cindy said as she waited for him to pick up.

Cindy stopped trying to reach him and continued down the highway. Even though what Timothy was saying was the logical explanation, She got that horrible feeling that something wasn’t right.

Mr. Williams sat with his face in his hands, crying. Today was his grandchild's birthday, and he wanted to be there for her more than anything. He wasn't ready to leave this life, but it seemed Mr. Death had other plans.

"Please-please don't take me away from them, Reaper. They already lost their Mother; they can't lose me as well. I ain't ready to go."

He continued sobbing for a few minutes, but then a voice, from the other side of the door, ended his tears.

"Robert! Robert, are you in there?"

“Lo-my God-Loretta!”

He stood up, opened the door and saw his lovely wife, young and healthy, standing next to a man with slicked-back, blacked hair, wearing a suit and tie. This time, he immediately opened the glass screen door; there was no reaper in-sight. He hugged his wife, who looked the same as she did when they first met.

“My god- Loretta, look at you!”

"It's so nice to see you again, Robert. Oh, how I've missed you."

"How are you doing today, Mr. Williams." The man in the suit said.

“Well, great now! I couldn’t have said the same ten minutes ago.”

He looked back to Loretta, put a hand up, beside his mouth, in the direction the man was standing, and asked Loretta a question, in a hushed voice, “Is that who I think it is?”

"No, Mr. Williams, I'm not Death, nor God, if that's what you're asking."

"Well, who are you. And who was that cloaked feller who was here a little while ago?"

"That was Death Mr. Williams; I am death's messenger. It's my job to step in when death is having trouble getting the attention of whom they are scheduled to get. They are a rather scary and unprofessional sort, I stay busy because of it Ha-ha."

“They? Scheduled?”

"Well, yes, Mr. Williams. Death is not one man but an infinite party. That's why you couldn't escape out of either exit of your house. In terms of the schedule, yes, you were scheduled to depart this world today Mr. Williams."

"I'm guessing she had a say-so in that, huh?" Mr. Williams said as he pointed his thumb in Loretta's direction.

The man in the suit chuckled then said. "She certainly helped in persuading us, but ultimately, it's our final decision on when it's time for somebody to depart. After your wife's departure, we didn't think it was right to leave you two separated for long."

"Oh, honey, Look at you! Just as you were when we first met!" Loretta said to Mr. Williams.

Mr. Williams lifted his hands and saw no wrinkles. He placed his hands on his head and felt the luscious shaggy hair he once had when he was young. His bones no longer ached, his knees no longer buckled. Mr. Williams felt better than he ever had.

"I- I don't understand. What about-" Mr. Williams turned, looking towards the glass screen door. He saw his older body lying inside his house, eyes closed, not moving.

“That’s, me?”

"That's your old body, Mr. Williams, you've officially departed."

“Now hold on just a minute I didn’t agree to no departure! I’ve got children Mr, Children that need their old man!”

“Unfortunately Mr. Williams you don’t have a say-so in when you depart; we’ve already decided that for you-”

Loretta interrupted the two by exclaiming to Robert, "Look, honey! Look!"

She pointed out towards their driveway, which no longer connected to the road, but instead connected to a street of gold, which lead on forever into luscious fields, and winding mountains. Animals walked happily through the forests and ponds. Robert saw Waterfalls and rivers, lakes, and tunnels. It was the prettiest sight he had ever laid eyes on. Loretta took Robert's hand as they walked to the edge of the driveway, and the man in the suit followed.

"Isn't it wonderful, honey!"

"Yes- yes, it is dear. It's magnificent!"

"To answer your final question, Mr. Williams. Your family. They have their own lives now. The hardest part of our journey through life is letting go. Like you, they will grow old, have children, and live out their lives. Don't worry; they will join you one day. Everyone has a departure date, Mr. Williams."

“Can you do me a favor and put in a good word for them with the big guy, Mr. Just ask him to please be there for my little granddaughter, and my children.”

"I'm assuming you mean God, right, Mr. Williams?"

“Yes.”

The man in the suit chuckled. "Okay, Mr. Williams, I can do that for you. We'll also let you check in on them, so you can see how they’re doing. If they have any big life events such as having another child, big job promotion, child's graduation, those sorts of things. We'll be sure to let you know so you can see for yourself.”

"Thank you, Mr."

The man in the suit began to walk away, but Robert stopped him, "Hey, Mr!" The man in the suit stopped and turned. Robert pointed out into the street of gold and luscious green mountains. "What's out there, Mr?"

“Eternity, Mr. Williams. Enjoy.” The man in the suit said, then smiled and walked away.

Robert and Loretta took hold of each other's hands. They walked together down the streets of gold, as they departed their old lives.

Hand in hand, with eternity ahead of them.