I woke from sleep one winter night.
My heart was beating fast, with fright.
The room was cold, though glowing bright.
A shadow moved into the light.
It came toward me in my bed.
“Be not afraid,” the shadow said.
Then, as my fear turned into dread,
The blackened form began to spread.
A figure then formed in its place,
And of the shadow left no trace.
He raised his arms with flowing grace,
And drew the hood back from his face.
The eyes were gentle, warm and calm.
His icy fingers touched my arm
And, as I drew back in alarm,
His voice seduced me with its charm.
“Before your birth, we set a date
When you would return to the gate
And now you must accept your fate
To reckon debts upon your slate.”
His smile was warm and lacking blame
And, since I knew from whence he came,
The frightening figure now seemed tame.
He drew his list to check my name.
The name he mentioned was not mine!
I felt a tingle in my spine.
“You’re wrong,” I ventured to opine,
“There’s some mistake in the design.”
His kindly face showed shocked surprise,
Truth registered in his wise eyes.
He proceeded to apologise.
Then I began to realise
That I had grown to love this man,
This gentle, calming, guardian.
I begged him disregard the ‘Plan’
And “Take me with you, if you can.”
He warmly hugged me to his chest
And said, “Please do not be distressed.”
He told me now to get some rest
And forget that he had been my guest.
When I questioned his identity,
“I’m the Reaper,” he said, quietly.
“When you’ve fulfilled your destiny,
You’ll have reason to remember me.”