San Junipero

Death is retiring and needs to find a replacement for the job. For thousands of years now, he is tired of searching for people who needs to die, collecting the souls every now and then.  I am tired of making people die, he often thought of it. Those teenagers who seek for death are one thing he hates the most. “Aren’t these people tired of seeking death?”  He would stand beside them, and a simple breath of fresh air would intoxicate them--just like that. Death, a word that when comes to mind evokes a feeling of melancholy. Terrifying and such morbid idea, he said to himself. Which makes him wants to find a better job than making people suffer from him. He feels miserable when people would shed tears for their loved ones who passed away. Each person living in this world has their own color but him--a colorless man, who does nothing but let other people die. Death doesn’t like being in the underworld and waiting for people to pass through it. Staring them choked him--only for him to realize how bystander b*****d he is. Vishnu, the god offered him this purpose in his life, a lifetime job for the sake of people needing to end one’s life or the life that must come to an end. He tried to confront Vishnu about him being a Death himself. The only answer that Vishnu gave him was “Why are you tired of killing people, if I were the one who made you to be like that--a sense of purpose in this ungodly universe?”

Now, he is sitting on the old rustic bench near the river of San Junipero. By looking at his view, the sun is shining, the rays of light were warm but they were dominated by a cool autumn breeze that ran wispy around the air. He can hear the sound of water streaming down the river that radiates into the wind. He feels alive at that blissful moment. The crackling of leaves echoes in his ears--

“Hey! Who are you?” His head turns and sees a brunette girl, wearing a knitted flaxen sweater and an old baggy denim pants, standing there, arms crossed, furrowed brows, which almost made him lost his breath for a second. She made a look and come closer to him. And a sigh escapes from her lips. Death couldn’t find the right words on why he is here on earth. “I-I was just thinking and--” he stutters, and feels breathless.

“You shouldn’t be here...” she stares at him right square in the eye. Those words made him curious. Right when he was about to open his mouth, the girl speaks. “This place owned by me, I lived just across this river.” She points the direction of her house. “Oh, I didn’t know. I was just passing by and thought to sit down and clear my mind.” He gulps as he looks at the girl sitting beside him. “What’s bothering you right now?” She asks him whilst tugging the hem of her sweater. “A job, I’m retired.” He murmurs. “What job are you looking for?” He didn’t bother of saying to her that he was looking for a replacement, all he knew the person he is sitting beside with, captures his attention.

“A job that doesn’t involve death.” he says loud and clear, which makes the girl felt strange. “Everything involves death, they say death is inevitable. You can’t stop death. It is always right around the corne--“

“Exactly,” He nodded, “I want to feel what being alive feels like.”

She was surprised from the words escapes from his lips, and made her think why… For a stopping moment, she’s just there, gawks him. Not a single movement or a word she said.

He nods and asks her. “Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

She blinks for a second. “No, I am afraid of living. I watched worthless people die, and if they can do it, then I can handle it.”

“Have you ever thought of what comes after death?” He eagerly questions her.

“The afterlife?”

He nods.

“Not that I know of, but does it really matter on what’s there? At least it ended. The endless pain is now gone. It is funny how most people here are getting through the day and not enjoying the precious gift that God has given to them, to me, even. I just want to quietly vanish by myself. I don’t know about you but I do know this, sooner or later you will--someday you will die. And you’ll understand that everything must come to an end. And you’ll ask for death.” She whispers her words as she stares at the sun that starting to set.

“Does death need you?”

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

San Junipero is a fictional city from the series named Black Mirror, I used it as a symbolism in my story since it's a city that is never aging and never dying. Also thank you for reading it. I hope you'll like it, feel free to review them ! p.s so sorry about my grammatical errors.

Reviews

[barleygirl]

I try to read many people on this website, so I cannot follow anyone's book (I'm too forgetful). Reading this feels like a complete short story, tho, so it's not necessary to be tuned in to the overall story in your series. You put yourself down in your main profile comments & also in the authors notes to this story. You need to have more confidence in yourself, becuz you are just as good a writer as anyone on this website. Your grammar isn't bad in a distracting way at all. I hope you will be more confident becuz the important thing is your imagination. This story starts out in a creative way, personifying death. And everything is compelling, so the reader stays interested, and then your story ends with a lesson about those who wish to die & those who are dying to live. There is one thing you can do to format your story better (it's a rule) -- each time a different person speaks (in dialogue) a new paragraph should be started. It's harder to follow when you do a back-and-forth conversation all in the same paragraph. Other than that, your writing is much better than you think it is! *smile* Fondly, Margie

[Jairah P.]

oh shooottt..:( thank you for your kind words and for your effort in reading my work. To be honest, I am lost in words at the moment. By reading your review, it gave me hope and motivation *cries. I'll take note on your advice "the rule". wahh thank you so much, i really appreciate it.

[The Daisy]

There are some works to be done with the conventions, but the story and the diction is quite good. Continue writing!!!

[Jairah P.]

Thank you, Ma'am ! :))

[Harriet.Lising]

Deep 😭 ang galing mo jaiiiiiiii 🤗 be proud.

[Jairah P.]

hala hindi siya ganoon ka ganda pero salamat harriet. :(

[Harriet.Lising]

maganda kayaa.. gusto ko talaga yung diction mo or yung choice of words haha nux. para kasing pang pro at hindi cringy. 😌

[Jairah P.]

'Yung choice of words ko napaka simple lang? 'Wag ako harriet sayo nga yung pro.. KALOKA KA AHHAHAHhaha

[Harriet.Lising]

BESHH... yung akin pambatang words hahaha. basta. katulad ng " Death, a word that when comes to mind evokes a feeling of melancholy" i like ittt tas yung morbid morbid chuchu bastaaa.. parang pang novel talaga. baka dahil nagbabasa ka lagi like dat.💜