Sorry about that pompous Louis guy. Death intentionally pronounced his name as ‘Lewis’.

  Ever floated through the cemetery. The ghosts who usually waved and said hi to him saw that their resident reaper seemed introspective, so they let him be.

  *It wasn’t your fault, Mentor.*

  Well… he cleared his throat, even though he didn’t have one. It sort of is.

  *Mentor?*

  Do you know how long you’ve been on Earth for now?

  Ever looked around. A few lamps provided milky illumination, spaced out in a grid formation across the graveyard. No souls stirred at this time of the night - not the ones tethered to their humans, anyway.

  You’ve spent three months here. Can you believe it?

  Ever let this sink in. *Is that a long time, or a short time?*

  It’s a good time! When Ever didn’t respond to his quip he continued. A whole season has passed; you’re a quarter of the way through your vacation.

  *I see.* Ever didn’t know how he felt about this. All that he knew was that he didn’t like how quick it felt.

  Anyway, I guess I wanted to get you across some harder reapings. I just didn’t think that 'Mon-sewer Lewis' would be such a prick.

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  *I think if I stayed there, I would have been able to reap him.*

  He was about to throw you out by the scruff of your neck.

  Ever stopped a little bit away from the oak tree and looked down at Baz’s tombstone. It seemed bereft without the grizzled ghost sitting upon it. Moments after the scythe had enabled him to see again, he was belatedly shaking Ever’s hand. Baz then turned his attention to Taylor standing there. She was shifting the weight between her feet, one arm behind her back hooking onto the crook of the elbow of the other arm, seemingly unaware that a ghost was admiring her a few feet away.

  ‘She came to see me?’ He had said incredulously. Ever nodded, grinning. ‘I’m a lucky man - and so are you,’ Baz had replied, before stepping across to the Underworld.

  Ever shook himself out of last week and floated away from the memory. He would usually wind his way up the oak tree but this time, he just floated up and through the door. Once he was fully inside, he turned human and sat on the floor of the treehouse against the wall.

  “Did you ever get lonely, Mentor?” He always preferred to speak out loud in the treehouse for some reason.

  What do you mean?

  “You said earlier that you’d never befriended a human before. You’ve been alone for a long time, then.”

  Hey, I have friends! Death said indignantly. I have Momos, the Keres, Nemesis, Philotes…”

  “Mentor,” Ever said, hugging his knees closer to him. “They’re your siblings, aren’t they?”

  Who says family can’t be friends? Death couldn’t keep a sliver of uncertainty from slithering into his reply. Anyway, loneliness is a common human condition. I’d expect you to feel it and understand it. It holds a lot of souls captive in this world.

  “Which human sense do lonely souls seek before they are released from this world?”

  Ever heard Death tap the side of his skull with his bony digit. That’s for me to know and for you to find out.