Rendezvous with Death

July 2, 1916, The Somme River, France.  

Fighting of the first day of the battle had ceased, several truces had been negotiated so that all sides could retrieve their dead. A man on a pale sickly looking horse rode into no man's land to do the same thing he had been doing for two years and would do for two more. He wore the green uniform and cap of a British officer, a colonel to be precise. The man was very tall, very gaunt and pale. He had sunken in bloodshot green eyes and thinning black hair. He rode across the no man's seeing people gathering their dead on both the allies and central powers, he paid them no mind, they could not see him. He reared his horse to a stop and got off. He went through his pockets and produced a pipe and a match, lit it up and started smoking. He leaned over the body of a young man wearing a German army uniform barely 17. 

Lamenting the pointless death of so many young men he said “what did you die for young man? Was it anything important? No just pointless politics” He then closed the young man’s eyes, finished smoking, put away his pipe and then looked over to see a young woman coming across no man's land. She wore a long flowing white dress, she had right blue eyes and short golden blonde curly hair. He got up from his squatting position and walked to meet her and gave a thin smile. 

“Hello Azreal, another day another group of mortals throwing their lives away for no real reason” Az placed her hand on her companion's shoulder “I know Grim, it is the way man to destroy themselves, it sadly cannot be helped, we just must do our jobs. 

Grim nodded and said “of course heaven and hell must put these soles to rest. He then took his cavalry Saber from out of his scabbard and the sword with a flash transformed into a scythe. At the same time Az produced a scythe of her own and the two raised theirs into the air and touched them together and said in unison “Souls of the dead we lay rest, may they find their afterlife more fulfilling than their mortal coil”. The two then started to glow then the whole battlefield flashed and released the dead mortal souls to the two ferrymen of the dead. With their dead done the two returned them lades back to normal and Az said to grim “you want to get a drink?” Grim nodded and said, “yes that would be great” The two then linked arm in arm and disappeared from the battlefield as if they had never been there. 

London, 

Grim raised his glass in the air as Az did the same grim said “here too the souls of the dead may they find their eternal rest” Az smiled “yes indeed” the two then clinked their glasses together as both took their shot of whiskey together and put their glasses down at the bar. Grim smiled at Az and she smiled back. The two had been working together since time began and had become  good friends in that time.  “Thank you for being a good friend Azrael, this job can very lonely and demoralizing at times I’m glad I have you …. As a friend” Az smiled and took his right hand an kissed him on the lips. With this gesture of love grim breathed a sigh of relief an his skin started to disappear as Az held onto his now cold bony hand revealing his true form. His head was a skull with cold black holes were his eyes should have been, his body was nothing but a skeleton in clothing. His jaw moved up and down as he said, “I find it hard to believe and angel like you would ever love a demon” Az smiled as she held onto his bony hand, “you are beautiful to me you don’t have to be alone, not anymore.” 

1918 

As the war ended the ferrymen of soles had a bit of a respite  from the mass influx of the dead and ha both found time to settle down and express their true feelings without any filters. Az smiled as she sat back in a rocking chair stroking a child in her lap with Grim at her side sitting down as well taking their other hand. The child started to settle down as it rolled over revealing itself. Half of its body was normal looking and the other half was skeletal rotting flesh with half his face being a skull with his mother’s bright blue eyes. Az held their baby to her chest and said “we should read Beelz a poem to put him to sleep”. Grim nodded and picked up a book from the nearby shelf and started reading. 

“I have a rendezvous with Death. 

At some disputed barricade, 

When Spring comes back with rustling shade 

And apple-blossoms fill the air— 

I have a rendezvous with Death 

When Spring brings back blue days and fair. 

It may be he shall take my hand 

And lead me into his dark land 

And close my eyes and quench my breath— 

It may be I shall pass him still. 

I have a rendezvous with Death 

On some scarred slope of battered hill, 

When Spring comes round again this year 

And the first meadow-flowers appear.”