Death is a Girl

Chapter 5: All Cats Go To Heaven!

The cat turned around, apparently second-guessing itself on getting closer, then hunkered back into hiding. Its glowing eye stared up at her, but her focus was more on its wings, still trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

“There is an expression among humans,” came the deep sophisticated voice of Death’s familiar. She looked behind herself to see Noir coming down the alleyway. “They say, all dogs go to heaven. Correct?”

Morrigan stared at Noir, dumbfounded, and slowly nodded her head.

“Well, the same can be said of all animals. Animals do not possess free will as humans do. They are instinctive, lacking proper choice between good and evil. Therefore, all animals are granted passage to heaven. However, sometimes they get missed and their spirits are stuck wandering the earth, until a reaper is able to send them to the afterlife.”

“He looks scared,” Morrigan said.

“I imagine he is,” Noir agreed. “It seems this one has been stuck wandering for quite a while. Not all souls require a reaper to help them pass on, but if they feel there is some unfinished business, they will not pass without a reaper’s scythe.”

“What unfinished business could a cat have?”

Noir walked over to the cat’s hiding place, sat down and meowed. Morrigan blushed, Noir seeming much cuter when making actual cat noises instead of speaking in his usual condescending tone. The orange cat meowed back, and they continued to do that for a while before Noir finally looked back over his shoulder.

“He is worried about his wife. She was pregnant, and he was out scavenging for food when he was hit by a car. He never made it back to her and now he is worried for her and the health of his kittens.”

“How long ago did he die?” Morrigan asked.

Noir and the cat meowed back and forth. “He is not sure exactly, but the day that he died it was snowing.”

“I see… that means it has been at least a few months.” Morrigan kneeled down. “Ask if he can lead us to the last place he remembers seeing her.”

“I already know the answer to that, and it is right here in this alleyway,” Noir said. “That is why he has been waiting here. Morrigan, I know what you are thinking, and it is not your role in this world. Summon your scythe and send him to heaven. He will be reunited with his family if they died. If they are still alive, then he will be the one to greet them when their time comes.”

“So you are saying he is lingering because he is worried about his family… but I’m supposed to just harvest his soul without helping him first?”

“As I said, that is not your role. I understand your feelings, but the reality is that tracking down a stray cat will be quite difficult, and there is limited time in a day. You still have your list to complete.”

“Can you at least explain to him that he will meet them in heaven?”

Noir’s tail flicked in annoyance, then he said, “Very well.”

Noir gave a long series of meows, and at the end of it, the stray backed deeper into hiding and meowed.

“What is he saying?”

“He says he does not want to accept this. If his kittens are alive he can not let them grow up believing their father had abandoned them.”

Morrigan looked down at the cat. He was sinking further back into hiding. She was not sure what to do about this.

“You must set him free. It is for the best. Summon your scythe, Morrigan, then you can put him to rest.”

“I don't know…”

“Believe me; a quick release from his existence as a wandering soul is the greatest kindness you can offer.”

Morrigan stood and reached her hand out the way she had seen Death do it. She thought she could feel something on her fingertips, like the soft tickle of static electricity. She closed her eyes and focused on that, and then she was sure, there was something solid that she could grab onto. She opened her hand and closed her grasp around it. Her eyes opened to see blue light escaping from between her fingers.

“Tighten your grip, don’t let the light escape through your knuckles. Imagine its form and allow it to come forth!”

Morrigan did as he said; it felt surprisingly natural. She tightened her grip, eliminating the light that escaped from between her knuckles. It began to form a blue pole above and below her fist, then the top extended, taking the shape of a scythe.

“Well done,” Noir praised her. “Now, grab the pole with both hands, and it will finish finding its form.”

Morrigan did as he said. She gripped the pole with both hands and the remaining light was sucked to the top as it formed a blade, completing the scythe. Sight alone could see how sharp the blade was, and the ornate pole felt solid in her hands.

The orange cat’s eyes bulged out as it watched.

Morrigan looked back at Noir, seeing that he had a demanding expression, as if he wanted her to quickly move on. Morrigan returned her gaze to the cat, looking him in the eyes, seeing the fear.

“Raise your scythe, end it quickly,” Noir said. “Let him rest.”

She began to raise the scythe. It felt so unnatural in her hands as she tried to imagine the motion of swinging it down.

She felt awful. She did not want to do this! The cat was too cute, too innocent. Her hands tensed, pointing the blade down.

“I’m sorry little guy...” she whispered.

It hunkered back further as she began to swing, but she just could not follow through with it. She let her hands relax on the poll, letting it slump loosely at her side, the blade barely touching the ground. “I-I can’t do this...”

“You must. Leaving his soul to linger will only do him more harm than good. I know you are not used to this yet, but doing so will give him peace. There are also other souls on your list who are left waiting while you hesitate here.”

“List… Death mentioned something about a list.”

“Yes, you did not give me a chance to go over that with you earlier, but you have to reap the souls who appear on your list as near their time of death as possible.”

“But this cat is not on my list?”

“That is correct, but as a reaper you can reap any wandering souls you come across. Think of this as practice for your first real reaping. Though I understand it will take time to get over your human sentimentality.”

Morrigan squeezed her hand around the pole of her scythe, thinking it through. Finally, she raised her arm and tossed the scythe away. It disappeared into a burst of blue flames, and within seconds, it was like it never existed.

“Sorry, but I’m not doing it. Not like this.”

“You want to help him find his family first… is that what you are saying?” Noir’s tail flicked in irritation.

“That’s right. Screw this all-important list that I haven’t even seen yet. This cat is right in front of me right now. If my job is to harvest souls then I am going to do it my way.” She gave Noir a defiant look. “You can either stick around and help, or you can stay out of my way.”