Where are you going?

  “I’m going to reap, Mentor.” He spoke aloud, his voice falling on the deaf ears of the living… not that there was anyone awake at this time. “Did you see what happened earlier?”

  You mean with Lyn?

  “Yes.”

  I did.

  Ever coasted along in silence, leaving his mentor’s words trailing in his wake. “Why didn’t you instruct me?” Part of him wanted to ask. The other part wanted to see what he would say when left unprompted.

  You are distracted, young soul.

  The feeling of annoyance barely registered in his mind. It was a pinprick on a boulder, yet it was there.

  “Can you… can you see if Taylor is OK?” He knew the answer to the question. Really, he was asking it to stop it gnawing upon his mind.

  I track the dead, not the living. You know that. She’s very much alive.

  Ever stayed silent, moving along. He must have travelled faster than he thought, as he had made it to his destination. The sign ‘Vets R Us’ was just legible in the dark. He could already see silver-gray four-legged ghosts bounding around outside, slipping in and out of the walls.

  One of them saw him; it looked like a husky. The dog sat and punctuated the night with a deep, long howl. Ever didn’t hear it at first but like a Doppler effect, the sound was delayed and started higher pitched before becoming a dying moan. Ever held the scythe blade end towards the ground, trying to make it less intimidating. He got down on all fours, crawling even as he hovered an inch above the ground.

  “Hello there,” Ever said, looking right into the husky’s eyes. “What are you up to?”

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  ^Playing with my friends!^ Barks, then a howl that turned into a whine.

  “That’s nice. Hey, why are there so many of you around here?”

  ^Good question! We’re all trying to figure it out. Except Nika though. He thinks he knows everything.^

  “Nika?”

  ^Yeah, he’s a cat. Sits separately from everyone up high inside.^

  Ever crossed his legs, laying the scythe on the ground next to him. “What do you know?”

  ^Well,^ the husky barked, cocking his head, ^we were brought here. Our masters said good bye. Some said that they would be seeing us soon. Then we get really sleepy and become like this.^ The dog chased his tail and actually caught it. He froze, not knowing what to do.

  Ever leaned his chin into his hand, as he rested it on his leg. Really sleepy. He filed it in the back of his mind for now.

  “Hey, I bet you would love a good scratch behind the ears.”

  ^What!^ the husky exploded in a fit of barks. ^How did you know?^

  Ever smiled knowingly as the scythe flashed to life. After he reaped the husky, he ventured into the clinic, speaking to as many of the ghost animals as he could, as well as reaping as many as he could. Turns out that a lot of them were just dying (pun intended) for a good scratch, pat or to be told that they were a good boy or girl.

  ^Who are you?^ A quiet growl from the depths of the darkness near the corner of the ceiling. If the husky hadn’t told him, Ever wouldn’t have seen the ghost cat.

  “You must be Nika.”

  ^Indeed. You are?^

  “Ever. Apprentice reaper.”

  ^Of course, the scythe.^

  Ever swung it around theatrically. “You know about it?”

  ^Naturally. Us black cats are of the occult, after all.^

  Ever nodded. “Say, what’s keeping you here on Earth?”

  ^None of your business. I thank you for making this clinic quieter and I bid you a good evening.^ With that, the cat curled up, tucked his head into his tummy and went to sleep.