“Where are you taking me?” Taylor asked.

  Cars crawled past, their drivers already living the dinners and numbing relaxation they were going to experience while staring at the bumpers in front of them.

  Ever looked left and right then crossed the road. “I want to show you where I arrived.”

  “Arrived?” Taylor asked. Her strides were quicker as she tried to keep up with Ever.

  It didn’t take them long to get to the park. There were a few runners here and there, but it was mostly people who were half-jogging, half-walking to catch a train home. Ever walked on the grass slowly. He turned and faced back abruptly.

  “What is it?” Taylor asked.

  Ever looked past her at Pagotos’ dark windows. Had it always been this close to the park? On that first day many weeks ago, it felt like a trek across treacherous unknowns. In a way, that’s exactly what had happened.

  “It’s here,” Ever said, looking down at the grass. “I woke up here.” He lay down and spread his arms and legs. Taylor’s face floated into view.

  “Was it that day that we met?” She asked.

  Ever nodded, a smile breaking out across his face. “It was.”

  She hesitated, then lay down on the grass next to her. “All those times you asked those weird questions…” she turned her head and looked at Ever through the blades of grass.

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  He nodded with his eyes closed. “Mmhmm”.

  “How did you become Death’s apprentice?”

  “I’m actually not sure.”

  “You’ve never asked him?”

  “No.”

  “Why don’t you ask him now?”

  Ever looked at Taylor. Her earnest gaze made him feel so seen. Talking to his mentor was the last thing on his mind.

  “I’ll do it later.”

  Taylor pouted playfully then turned and looked back up at the leaves.

  “So how does it all work?” She asked, “do you use a scythe to cut the soul away from the body?”

  “Not quite,” Ever said. “Souls that choose to stay here after death do so because something’s keeping them here. My job is to listen and if I understand what that thing is, the scythe will transform into a sensory bridge to help them experience something important to them one more time before they leave.”

  “So…” Taylor said, furrowing her brows. “You’re like a spiritual shrink.”

  “What’s a shrink?”

  “Oh right. A psychologist. Someone who listens to people who have mental issues talk it out.”

  “I don’t know, maybe.”

  Ever lost track of how long they lay side by side. The twilight colours splashed across the sky were fading. There was also the slightest chill in the air; Taylor pulled her black cardigan around her shoulders a bit closer.

  “Have you got a bit more time?” Ever asked. “I don’t want to be keeping you away from your studies.”

  She looked at her phone and sighed dramatically. “I should be, but… it’s not everyday I get to meet the next Grim Reaper.” Taylor asked. “Why? Got somewhere else to take me?”

  “Yes,” Ever said, a ghost of a smile skipping across his lips. “I’ve got a soul who wants to see you.”