In Ashes

A short story.

It was the stars that gave them hope. Every night, the people of the small village sitting on the creek edge would look up at the stars, the bright pinpricks of light. It was astonishing that something so far away could give so many people hope for another day, another chance at life.
Every day, as Death drew nearer and nearer to the people, they hoped. They wished. They prayed at the old abandoned church in which a priest was holding a small service every night.
Weeks passed. They hoped, they wished, they prayed.
After approximately three weeks and two days, Death strode into the village. He stood in the Square, his black cloak lapping at his feet like water as the villagers crowded into a circle around him. Some faces were scared, some sad, and some were accepting of their fate. Death turned in a circle, his gaze resting on each person for a fraction of a second, and then moving to the next. When his gaze reached the last person, he reached to his hood, and pulled it from his head. It was a human head, with deathly pale skin and black pit-like eyes. A scar pulled across his right eye, and it seemed to glow white against his already pale skin. He had no hair, which only frightened the children more.
In a smooth, soft voice, he whispered, "I have come to collect all of your souls, my friends. The children and the wives, the men and the elderly. I will spare you from tomorrow's pain." His voice was smooth the whole time, but you could hear a hint of sadness as he said the last sentence.
One man stepped forward. "Please, take me first, as I have been waiting a long time for this."
Death nodded at the young man, and reached his palm out, which the man took. "You can stay to watch your village burn to ashes tomorrow, or you can come with me and save yourself the pain. I promise you, this is not cowardly."
Forty-eight more of the fifty villagers joined Death, but one boy remained at his spot.
"Come, child." Death offered.
"I would like to stay for one more day please." The boy said.
Death bowed his head. "Bless you, young one. You are brave. I shall come for your soul before it dissolves tomorrow. Good luck."
The boy's mother rushed forward, calling him to join the others. The boy just shook his head and stared at the slate gray sky.
"I'll look at the stars for you tonight, Mama." He said, just as Death faded, bringing the villager's souls with him.
The boy sat through the night, ignoring his numb fingers. When daylight came, the village was dreadfully hot. Still, the boy sat.
When flame finally caught the village next to the creek in the middle of the woods, just as Death had predicted, the boy coughed once but continued staring at the flames.
When Death finally came down for the boy's soul, the boy's body was covered in soot and burns. Death held the soul in his arms, and faded. When they reached the clouds, Death set down the boy. The souls of the other villagers loitered around him.
Death nodded at the boy, and faded once more to collect other souls. The soul of his mother ran toward him and embraced him, smothering him in her silvery arms.
"Are we in heaven?" The boy murmured.
"Yes, yes we are." The woman said through his hair.

Author's Note

How did you interpret this? How was the description?