Ralph Douglas was so glad that he took a gap year to travel. Walking over hills and through green valleys was just what he needed to destress. He carried nothing in his backpack but his own thoughts. The computer tech degree he’d earned had taken all of his time and effort for the last several years. He needed this time to just exist before beginning the process of starting his career.
The green hills of the Loire Valley in France were the most peaceful place he’d ever been to. It was like walking through a fairytale. Of course, Ralph’s dirty sneakers and travel-worn clothes didn’t exactly scream knight errant, but he could pretend he was while walking past castles and through green forests.
He made his way down a quaint dirt road in between stops on his planned route. The birds sang in the trees to his left and everything was perfect.
At least until he saw the body. Ralph’s steps faltered, and he looked all around to see if anyone else was nearby. Seeing no one but himself he took a deep breath and walked up to the body. But once he got closer he could hear a soft moan of pain and his hesitant steps sped up.
“Oh, man! Oh, man! Hey, are you alive?” Ralph knelt down and turned the black-clad older gentleman on his side. His white hair was clumped to his temple with dried blood, the blow he’d taken already scabbed over and dry
. He blinked up at Ralph with the deepest black eyes the young man had ever seen. Wrinkles moved as the man slowly became more aware of his surroundings, while Ralph panicked about how to help the gentleman.
“Can you speak? Who do I call? 911?” He used a gentle hand to guide the older man into a seated position as his babbling increased in speed and incoherency. “What’s the number for emergencies in France?” The gentleman coughed, his frail body jerking with the movement. So Ralph took a deep breath and swung off his backpack.
“Here,” he held out a bottle of water, and the older gentleman quickly gulped down the whole thing. With nothing else he could do Ralph also offered him the leftover turkey sandwich he’d bought in town that morning. But the food and water seemed to do the trick and soon the gentleman was motioning for Ralph to help him onto his feet.
It was a relief once the man started speaking. Ralph had begun to wonder if the hit on the head had rendered the older man mute.
“...you don’t know who I am, do you, lad?” The gentleman stared at him with those deep black eyes, and even though the man hadn’t said or done anything nefarious Ralph felt a chill run up his spine. He shrugged it off, more concerned with getting the black-clad man help.
“No, I don’t. Have I met you before?” The gentleman smiled at him, shaking his head.
“No, lad. You have not. We were not meant to meet for a long time yet. I am Death.” Ralph tried not to let his disbelief show on his face as he answered back. The identity crisis must be from the head wound.
“Uh, huh. Death. It’s nice to meet you I guess?” Ralph smiled back, a little strained. It was probably best to just play along until he found some real help for the old man. “Hey, I think the next town isn’t too much further down this road. Let’s head that way and see if we can’t get your head checked out just to be safe. That looks like a pretty good hit you took.” Gently he tugged the amused man along with him, nodding along as the gentleman spoke to him.
“Indeed. Giant’s are terrible to wrestle with. They always cheat. It was very kind of you to help me, Ralph Douglas. I don’t have much, but I want to give you something for your trouble.” Each step seemed to reinvigorate the old man and so Ralph cautiously let go of his arm but kept a hand out just in case he stumbled.
“If you’re Death, I don’t suppose you can grant me immortality?” They laughed together at the joke, and the old man shook his head.
“I’m afraid I have to come for everyone in the end. But I can make you a promise.” The old gentleman stopped walking, forcing Ralph to pause as well and turn to face him. “I won’t sneak up on you when it’s time. I’ll send my messengers ahead of me to warn you that I’m coming.” His dark eyes shone in the light and Ralph could have sworn he saw a flash of something pale cross the old man’s face. Indulging the man’s fantasy he nodded and held out a hand to shake, which the gentleman calling himself Death took in one of his cold hands.
“That sounds like a pretty good deal to me! I guess that means I can have fun until I see your messengers!” He tried not to let his discomfort at the icy grip show on his face, wishing the handshake would end more quickly. Finally, the gentleman let go and nodded. They turned again towards the town, now visible in the distance.
“Enjoy your travels, Ralph Douglas. I will see you soon.” Ralph glanced to his side to reply, but the dirt road was empty.
He spun, looking back the way they’d come, but only saw his own footprints leading away from the large indents he’d spotted the old man lying next to. He felt the skin on his arms prickle and he let out a shaky breath. Ralph had seen enough scary movies to know when to leave an area quickly, so he picked up his pace and hurried to surround himself with the bustling activity of the town.
He would remember that stretch of road off and on through his life, never really sure if it had been real or simply a hallucination brought on by too much wine the night before and not enough water that morning. Though his missing sandwich and empty water bottle always haunted him.
-~-
Ralph did enjoy his traveling that year. So much so that after he came home and settled into a career, he took any vacation time he could earn to travel more. He used every chance to test himself and his bravery. Ralph often joked with his friends, and later his wife, that he always felt safe trying new and dangerous activities because Death hadn’t sent him any messages yet. His wife would scold his reckless behavior, but he spread the travel bug to her soon enough and she joined in on his adventures.
Life went on, their children grew older, and Ralph forgot most of his strange encounter. Ralph and his wife spent their retirement traveling the world together, with infrequent stops back home to see their grandchildren. As old age began to set in he would complain to his wife.
“This toothache just won’t go away! I’ll get it looked at after our trip to Madrid, honey.” But after Madrid, they were on their way to Cancun.
“I should have had more water at the beach yesterday, I think I might have gotten too much sun.” His face was flushed and he swayed from dizziness when he stood up. “I’ll just take it easy for today.”
From Cancun, they stopped by New York briefly before going back home. Ralph groaned each time they stopped to rest and shook his head with a laugh, “I think our globe-trotting days are coming to an end, my dear. My joints just don’t handle all this walking like they used to.” That night he dropped into sleep quickly and woke with no memories of dreams the next morning.
Coming back to their hometown was a relief. Ralph felt a bone-deep weariness that he just couldn’t shake. His dreamless sleep continued each night, though it brought him no rejuvenation by the next morning.
So he rose one morning and kissed his wife goodbye as she dressed for the day. Leaving the house he turned to walk down the quiet streets towards the local park. He hoped that the fresh air would help him cast off the sluggishness that had been weighing him down. His grandson was due to be married in a week, and he wanted to enjoy twirling his wife around the dance floor like they used to do.
The dirt path through the small copse of trees was well-tended. Birds sang to each other from the branches, providing peaceful background noise for his walk. This early in the day he was the only person walking around and he let out a sigh of contentment. There was a sudden moment of quiet as all the birds stopped singing.
Then there came a soft tap on his shoulder and he turned to look back, startled to find that he was not as alone as he’d assumed. Black eyes as dark as night regarded him calmly from a face as lined as Ralph’s own. Ralph gasped in a breath, stumbling back as he twisted to face a man he hadn’t seen since his youth.
“It’s you,” Ralph whispered as he clutched at his heart, fingers tangled in his jacket. The old gentleman nodded calmly, standing still as he smiled at Ralph over the distance between them.
“Follow me, Ralph. It’s time to go.” He held out a pale hand towards the frightened man, radiating such peace that Ralph found himself reaching back before he caught himself and brought his hand to his chest.
“No...” he murmured, brows pulled together in frustration. “No, it can’t be time yet! You-you broke your promise to me! I have seen no messengers from you! You’ve given me no warning!”
Ralph’s anger washed over Death, not even ruffling the gentleman. Death simply motioned to the nearest park bench and took a seat himself. For a moment Ralph considered turning to run, but an amused look on his companion’s face stopped that plan as a mere passing fancy. Defeated he sat as well, hunched over with his head in his hands.
“I’ve sent you many messengers, Ralph.” The being eyes shone with kindness as he explained. “My messengers made your teeth ache. They warned you with fevers and chills. They made you dizzy and weak and made your bones ache. They brought you home to rest in peace.” Tears gathered in Ralph’s eyes as he recalled the ailments he’d ignored over the past year. A gentle hand patted his shoulder and he looked up at Death.
“But most of all, my brother Sleep has whispered my coming in your ear every night since last we met. He brought you to the edge of my realms each night.”
Ralph nodded, unable to refute Death’s words. He reached a wrinkled hand up and clasped the cold hand on his shoulder gratefully. He straightened then, sitting up and facing Death.
“You’re right; it’s time to go.”
As one they stood and walked shoulder to shoulder further down the dirt path. As they passed from sight the birdsong began again. There, partway down the dirt path was a silent old man sitting on a park bench as if resting, head bowed, and face serene.
#forgottenfairtales #deathsmessengers #grimmfairytales #modernfairytales #travelbug #shortstories #oldtaleswithanewtwist #death #afterlife
*If you want to read the original Grimm story click on this link to check it out: https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~spok/grimmtmp/199.txt
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