By Amrit Kaur
“He who knows death’s name could overcome it.”
—
Sitting cross legged in the pale grass, Aisha watched the small purple flowers growing from within the rot. When she reached to touch the flowers, they phased through her fingers, their solid forms becoming nothing more than air, and yet she continued waving her hands through them.
“Pray tell, what exactly are you doing?” a deep, accented voice asked from behind her, sighing deeply.
Jerking her head towards the voice, she locked eyes with familiar purple ones. The man was dressed in dark shadows with his long, white hair pulled back. A few stray hairs fell free, framing his face.
“I’m trying to pick flowers, Mister Reaper,” she said, a bright smile taking over her face. Even with half of his face bare of flesh, Aisha could make out a look of annoyance on the Reaper’s face. “Please refrain from calling me that. That is not my name,” he said, his purple eyes following her form as she stood up. He did not offer her a hand, but Aisha did not mind. Dusting her hands, she looked up at him with mischievous eyes, “So where to, oh benevolent God of Death?”
The Reaper ignored her jab, and instead started walking off, “We are heading East. There is a stray soul resisting reincarnation,” He sent a look her way before continuing, “It has not begun corrupting just yet so we must make haste.”
“If I help you, will you tell me your name?” Aisha asked as she always does, running to catch up to him.
“We shall see,” he replied, and Aisha could not help but notice the small smile on his face. —
When Aisha had first met the Reaper, she had been dead for some time. She was not sure exactly how long it had been since she had awoken in the middle of the field of violets, but it was long
enough for her to get over the flashing images of the glaring lights of a car careening towards her way before the entire world was submerged in darkness.
Once the initial shock of her demise was over, Aisha felt oddly at rest. Though she lamented that she was indefinitely stuck in a pair of old, ratty jeans and a bright orange sweater, it was as if all of the worries that had weighed her down were suddenly gone. Perhaps it was the peaceful rustle of the breeze or the gentle sway of the soft clouds, but there was a sense of tranquility in her soul. It seemed that the Gurus were right, death really did bring true peace.
She was not sure how long she simply sat on the earth, simply coexisting with air when she felt a figure manifest by her side. Jerking to the side at the feel of a cold wisp of air, she turned her head up to gaze at the figure that appeared. He was a tall, imposing figure draped in dark robes, and from her position on the ground, Aisha was able to make out a head full of long, white locks covered under the hood of darkness. Sharp violet eyes met hers as the imposing figure spoke.
“Soul, welcome to Aatma,” his voice was accented and deep, “The world between the living and reincarnation.”
Aisha just nodded at his words as she stood up from her spot. Even at her full standing height, the Reaper was still a full head taller than her.
“Aisha Malik. Born December 7, 2003 and died January 3, 2026 due to trauma to the head. You have been prideful your entire youth and have expressed a deep greed for monetary wealth, but you have dedicated your life and career to providing care for others and working in a hospital, so the Great Deity pardons your transgressions and allows reincarnation,” he recited.
It was strange hearing her entire existence summarized into a mere three bullet points. “Do you really know everything about me?”
“No, I am only privy to the following information. All else is only known by the Great Deity.” “Oh.”
“Do you have any last requests before reincarnation?”
Aisha took a moment to ponder the question. There were many things that she wished she could have done. She wanted to say goodbye to her mother one last time. She wanted to see the Diwali
Fireworks. She wanted to eat a bowl of rajma. She wanted to dance in the summer rain. But instead, she replied, “I want to know your name.”
The Reaper looked at her in shock- his eyes widened and his mouth agape.
“P-pardon?” he floundered.
She just smiled at that, “All I want is to know your name.”
With a breath, the Reaper quickly composed himself, “I am afraid that is not something I am able to do.”
“Oh,” she said, dejected, “Can I go see the Diwali Fireworks instead then?”
“Unfortunately, you cannot change your final request once it is spoken aloud. It is the Great Deity’s will.”
“Oh.” That was quite a stupid rule. “In that case, I don’t mind reincarnating without a last request.”
The Reaper pinched the bridge of his nose, “I am afraid that cannot happen either. Once you have made a request, it is my solemn duty to ensure that your final wishes are fulfilled before you are reincarnated.”
That was quite the predicament.
Aisha could feel the Reaper’s glare, and she could not help but level him with one in return. “This is not my fault, Mister Reaper. You should’ve told me the rules before asking the question.” “I am not the fool who wasted a wish to know the Reaper’s name,” he snapped. But guilt quickly pooled his features when he registered the words that left his mouth, “Pray forgive the discourtesy of my words. I did not intend to admonish you. You did not know beforehand; this is an error on my end.”
“So, what will happen to me now?” she asked, fidgeting with her hands.
“I am not entirely certain, but you are free to join me in my duties you so desire. I am sure that the Great Deity will allow it given the circumstances.”
She nodded in agreement- it was not like she had anything else that she would be able to do.
“Wait!” she exclaimed, her hands tugging the Reaper by his arm. Her hands did not phase through this time, but instead made contact with the cold form, “What if I guess your name, would that count?”
The Reaper slipped his arm out of her grasp and seemed to ponder the question. “I suppose that could work.”
Before she was able to start listing out a bunch of names, he continued with a small smirk. “But I shall not make it easy for you.”
—
“Look over there, Hades!” Aisha called, pointing at nothing particular in the distance. She was not sure how long they had been walking for, but they had yet to see another soul. The Reaper sent her a pointed look, “That is not my name.”
“Was I close, Thanatos?”
“Not at all.”
“Kali?”
“No.”
“Anubis?”
“Not even close.”
“Hel? Wait no- it’s definitely Pluto? Or maybe even Ryuk?”
The Reaper ignored her as he quickened his pace, leaving Aisha to run after him. —
Aisha was not sure how long she had been in Aatma when the gravity of the situation finally struck her- that she was stuck wandering aimlessly forever. It was sudden- just as sudden as her demise had been.
Aisha had stopped walking- she felt her hands shaking as she brought them up to view. They were the same as they had been when she was alive- long, frail fingers attached to long palms: one with a scar across the center and one with a broken love line. The same hands she had before and the same damn hands she was going to be stuck with forever.
Aisha felt a pressure built up behind her eyes, but there were no tears. For the first time in her existence, she wished she had the ability to cry.
“Soul, what is the matter?” the Reaper called, pausing as well. Aisha could hear the concern laced in his voice as his purple eyes peered at her, but she did not meet them.
She didn’t want to bother him with this- it wasn’t the Reaper’s fault that she was like this. But unlike her tears, it seemed that her dead form could not keep her emotions bottled up. “This isn’t fair!” she cried, pressing her palms to her eyes, “What did I do to deserve this?” Her shoulders were shaking as she slid down into grass that she couldn’t feel. “I don’t care if I don’t reincarnate, I just can’t do this anymore!”
“Pray forgive me, Soul. I do truly wish that I could give you my name,” the Reaper said, awkwardly crouching down to pat her shoulders. His touch was cold, but Aisha didn’t mind it at the moment. It was the only thing that she was able to feel.
She knew it wasn’t his fault, but she also couldn’t bring herself to forgive him. Crying was pointless- there was nothing she could do, but she let herself have this. Just one moment. Once she calmed down, she finally looked at the Reaper. His face was painted with awkward worry.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” she said, turning her eyes downward, “I know this isn’t your fault, but it’s all just so annoying.”
“It is not your fault, Soul. You have every right to be angry, and this current form allows you to express your emotions freely. You cannot hide your true emotions here.”
Aisha supposed that explained everything. There was no way to mask your emotions when you literally had no mask- nothing to obscure your true self and what was truer than the soul- a manifestation of all that you were. She turned to look at him, brown eyes locked with purple.
The Reaper looked so out of his element that it made Aisha want to laugh. Perhaps if the God of Death could try to comfort a soul, then maybe she could try to give company to a God of Death. It wasn’t enough to make it all better, but it was a good enough reason to keep her going.
She stood up from the ground and offered the Reaper a hand. “If I can’t know your name, then you could at least call me by mine.”
The Reaper took her offered hand and lifted himself up. “If that is what you wish, Aisha.” —
After the twentieth time that the two passed the field of purple flowers, Aisha finally decided to ask the Reaper about them.
“Hey Mister Reaper, what flowers are those?”
The Reaper ignored the name, and instead followed her pointed finger to the flowers in question. “Those are violets.”
“I thought violets were supposed to be blue?”
The Reaper raised an eyebrow at her remark, his tone teasing, “Soul, you may want to think about what you just said very slowly.”
“Shut up!” she replied, waving her hands sporadically in defense, “The Valentine’s Day poem always said that they were blue.”
“I am not sure if you have quite noticed, but Aatma is not very well-versed in poetry.” Her cheeks colored at her blunder, but she continued her explanation, “It starts off with ‘roses are red, violets are blue.’”
“Rest assured, violets are definitely not blue.” With that, the Reaper motioned for her to follow him onwards to their next target.
“You’re really passionate about flowers- Wait! Is your name Flower?” Aisha said, falling in step with the Reaper.
He just let out a chuckle in response.
—
It was only after some time in their partnership that the Reaper had finally asked her the question.
“Pray forgive the intrusion of my question, but why did you wish to know my name?”
Bringing a hand to her chin, Aisha gave the question some thought. There were many things that she wanted to wish for, but they were all related to her life on Earth and she knew that going back would only make her wish to stay more. She explained this to him.
“And if I am already dead, I might as well know the person who’s in charge. Funny how that all worked out in the end.”
The Reaper just nodded in silence and did not ask any further questions that day. —
Dealing with the stray soul did not take much effort. The Reaper’s imposing height was enough to make the soul cower in obedience. As the two continued their path, they found their way to the same field of purple flowers as always. In a sudden burst, Aisha ran forward into the field.
“It makes so much sense!” Aisha shouted, crouching to grab the flowers. They phased through her fingers, but that did not deter her, “Your eyes are the same purple as these flowers.” The Reaper sent her a puzzled look, “Pray tell, what exactly do you mean?”
“Purple. I’ve connected the dots. I know your name,” She paused for a dramatic effect, “It’s Violet!”
The Reaper looked at her in silence for a moment, before he let out a laugh. And he laughed and laughed and laughed.
“I got it, didn’t I?” Aisha exclaimed, her eyes shining.
“Not at all.”
—
“He who knows death’s name could overcome it. So never reveal your name. Do you understand, Hyacinth?”
Contributor Bio
Amrit Kaur is a junior psychology major, who one day hopes to become a professor and share her love for learning with others.