Graduation morning had finally arrived, and I slowly stretched and stirred awake in the heavy air, redolent with sweat and sulfur. My sheets felt alive as they slithered tightly around my body like a mummy being prepared for eternal internment. Struggling was futile and only entangled me deeper and tighter into the Gordian knot’s grip.
“Don’t you dare! It’s not your time,” a familiar voice said.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a sinister-looking shadow scurry across the walls before ominously perching above my head.
“Good morning, Ryan. Your chariot awaits,” Death said.
“To where?”
“Why, to the ceremony, of course.”
“Which ceremony?”
“To the grandest ceremony of them all.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“I’m afraid you have little choice.”
“Do you want to harm me?”
“I only want what’s best for you.”
“Then why torture and torment me as you do?”
“You punish yourself enough without my help.”
“I don’t believe you. You’re a fake and a liar, just like everyone else!”
“Follow your instincts, and your inherent nature will blossom.”
“My nature?”
“You deny yourself the truth with such determination that you can no longer distinguish between reality and fantasy. What are you afraid of?”
“Nothing.”
“Then embrace the metamorphosis–be free. Live because you will die. But not today. Or tomorrow. You still have time to enjoy your life, but living is not forever. Nothing is forever, not even death.”
“Break free from what?”
“Free from worry and accountability, at least until judgment day.”
“When will that be?”
“When your vision fades, and you notice a sharp piercing pain in your lower spine that metastasizes, rendering you paralyzed. But all your aches, pains, and ailments will merely be the welcoming party, escorting you to the main event…me.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“My mere existence alone should terrorize you, so I do not need to threaten you, but then again, I may be lying. Trust me, at your peril or not. But I don’t see that you have much choice.”
“Have I ever had a choice?”
“Word of advice, my dear friend. Slow down; it’s a long race to finish, and you must learn to pace yourself. Rest assured, I’ll be waiting for you at the end with open arms.”
I lay there motionless, questioning the futile nature of living, knowing the inevitable awaited regardless of my desperate longing to the contrary. Irrespective of circumstances, we’re all headed in the same direction, to the same destination. Death…the great equalizer.