Grim Reaper • Chapter 5

by Megan W., 11

A July 2024 Monthly Story Challenge Winner

Read the previous Story:  Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4:

What. The. HECK!?!? I feel SO stupid for letting that happen. I tried to run after the ship to ask Quinn more, but it had already sailed away to the rocky, purple cliffs. I sighed and checked my phone. I guess there was nothing I could do now, unless I told Dad that I hadn’t been paying attention, which would probably result in more chaos. (And me doing dishes AND being grounded.)

“Mission 🎡,New York, diabetes, teen girl with short blonde hair, diabetes deity” “Mission🎡 claimed” 

“Mission 👩🏽‍🎤, Nashville, fell off a tree, 4 year old boy, falling deity” “Mission 👩🏽‍🎤 claimed” 

“Mission🎿, Hawaii, Volcano, middle aged man, Fire deity” “Mission🎿 claimed” 

“Mission 🚏, Florida, quicksand, lady, Suffocating deity” “mission🚏 claimed”  

A few cruise-loads of souls later, I saw a peculiar text. “Mission 🪴, Afghanistan, War, General, War” That sounded kind of like Lindsey’s dad! I felt kind of bad that he died, but I immediately texted “Claim mission🪴” I swirled my scythe, the blue part glinted, and the lavender fog set in. I slowly stepped through the portal onto the battlefield. O M G there were people charging, blood, and weapons everywhere. I looked around. There were two souls wandering around. One was a man around forty five years; the general that I was looking for, and the other was a woman of around 80 years; a civilian. I saw my dad on the other side on the field, and I waved. He lead the other soul through his blur portal and left. I sighed and headed over to the general. I don’t think he knew he was dead, until another man marched through him. I slowly walked up to him. He had auburn hair and a thick mustache.

“H-hello.” He was very intimidating. 

“Who are YOU?” His voice was deep. 

“Um, I’mthegrimreaperandyouhavetocomewithme.” 

He raised his eyebrow. “I need to come with you?” 

“Erm, yeah. Cause, um, you’re, um, you know, dead.” That did not come out the way I meant it to. I led him to my portal. “So, um, well, I will lead you to the, um, dock, and you will go on a boat.” As we walked through the peach forest, I noticed that one of the peach trees that produced the sweetest peaches had been cut down, and all that remained was a stump. I ignored it and kept going. “So, erm, are you Lindsey’s dad?” 

His face softened. “How do you know?” 

I felt kind of bad to be the first on to tell him his daughter was dead. But I didn’t have to. He already understood. “She died while I was away, didn’t she?” 

“Yeah.” We were at the harbor. I awkwardly gestured to the grand cruise ship. “Now, um, bye.” As he got on the cruise ship and sailed away, I breathed a sigh of relief.

DING! My ghost phone notified me that I got a text. It was from Lindsey! It said “Hey girl! How ya doing?” I rapid fire texted her back. “I’m doing great! Did you get a ghost phone?” “Ya😉” I forgot to tell her her dad died. I shoved my phone back into my pocket, then realized that I needed my phone. For more than just my job. I called Mark.

“Hey Mark!”

“Shhh! Whisper. My mom doesn’t know about this call. She thinks I’m doing homework.”

“Okay. I need your help.”  

I told him all about the stuff about the island of spirits.

“Mark! I can’t let that happen!”

“Okay, okay. Slow down a bit! This is a lose-lose situation. If they don’t expand the city, it will be too crowded. If they do, families will be separated. Even if they don’t expand the city, disaster will strike. They might need to destroy spirits once in a while, and you don’t want that, do you?  They would also never see their family again, either way. This way, they would also never be reunited.”

Sigh. I thought of Lindsey and her dad.

“I don’t. Are you going to help me or not?”

“What needs my help? Last time you had a crazy plan, I just snuck into your room, through the window and sat there, doing nothing! Then my mom found out, and I got grounded for two months, AND had to do dishes for three!” He hung up on me.

I threw my phone into the water, then realized that was a very, very bad idea. I dove into the water. I’ve had this phone for ages! I couldn’t lose it now! It was my birthday gift from my parents when I was eight, even though I wasn’t allowed to use it until I was ten.

I found it right under the pier, between some pieces of asparagus colored underwater plants. Thankfully it wasn’t broken, or else I would be in MAJOR trouble.

When I got home, I was very tired. I grabbed a glass of Prime (my favorite energy drink), food for my pets, and an ghost phone charger. I put my phone on charge, fed Cheetos some cheddar cheese, and fed Skittles some birdseed. But there was one problem. Where was Gatorade?

Then I saw it. Gatorade’s collar caught on the heart-shaped hedge right outside the window. Gatorade had escaped.

“OH NO!”

I looked everywhere in the house for my little blue kitty cat. I was looking in my parents’ bedroom when Mom called my name.

“NICO! There will be another meeting in a few hours! This time it’s on the ghost isle. Get ready!”

I dropped the whole glass of prime on my parent’s bedroom floor, and it shattered and splashed everywhere. Oops.