Although Reapers can see thousands of years into the future which allows them to keep records of those yet to be, it does require ongoing maintenance. The path they can see can be changed and altered by current events, somebody could die before they are due or another could cheat death using magic or trickery. These events are rare but when they do happen it requires a lot of work to update all the current and future records. It’s not their job to maintain the current timeline, they just record, observe and collect souls when they are due.

Vibrant green grass as tall as her eyes could see, directly above the most beautiful deep blue sky, not a cloud to be seen. Summers in the valley were perfect for running around in the wild grass without a care in the world. A butterfly lands on a stem just in front of her large round eyes, she crouches down ready to pounce, she initiates her pre launch bottom wiggle then lunges towards the unsuspecting creature with her paws stretched wide. She misses completely, she never was that great of a hunter!

Eva! Eva! She heard her name carried on the winds sweeping through the valley, this meant only one thing, dinner time! She ran as fast as her tiny four legs would carry her through the deep grass, down the hill and hopped across the stones of the stream at the bottom of the garden. Her run turned into a fast walk as she approached the back door towards her best friend and owner Chiyoko.

“You’re such a funny little cat!” Chiyoko said, looking down at Eva whilst stroking her small fluffy head. “Come on, it’s food time”. Eva followed Chiyoko into the small rustic kitchen and waited patiently for her daily plate of minnow fish caught fresh from the stream that morning.

Later that evening Eva lay curled in front of the fire whilst Chiyoko sat in her arm chair reading in the corner. “Caugh!” Eva jumped as Chiyoko let out a few consecutive coughs. She had noticed that she had been coughing a lot recently and it seemed to be getting worse with each week that passed. Chiyoko was ill, Eva didn’t really understand this but she sensed something had been wrong for the last couple of months. She hoped it would pass and everything would remain fine.

The days got shorter and the bright summer sun had now become a faint glow behind the thick grey clouds now blanketing the sky. Winter had arrived and Chiyoko’s health had drastically declined. One morning, around 3am, Eva was sleeping at the foot of Chiyoko’s bed, she heard a faint noise from the dark far corner of the room! She hissed as a shadowy figure approached. The figure said calmly “Hi Eva, I am sorry but I am here to collect Chiyoko, her time has come”. Eva sensed that the figure was not evil but did understand that it would bring sadness to her.

The figure communicated with Eva telepathically so that they could understand each other, it was less of a conversation but more of a transfer of feeling and intent. Eva understood that the figure was a Reaper and was here to collect Chiyokos soul. Eva couldn’t bear the thought of being without her friend so asked the shadowy figure to strike a deal with her. She was 6 years old, her life span was not as long as a humans but she knew she had some years left. Knowing Eva’s intent the Reaper communicated with her and explained “Eva, you are 6, in 3 years and 2 months you will slip and fall from a tree and sadly die, you want to be with your friend for some more time, this I can sense but my books need to remain balanced. I can split your remaining years in half and divide them between you and Chiyoko. Is this what you would like to do?”.

Eva looked back into the blackness, the abyss of this creature stood before her and agreed to the deal. The Reaper then began to fade and evaporate into a mist that seeped into the nooks of the wooden floorboards until it could no longer be seen.

Eva did not sleep well after her interaction with the figure but as the sun rose, so did Chiyoko, she seemed more alive than she had been in a long time. She made breakfast for them both, not a single cough. It seemed as though the Reaper had kept his end of the bargain, those that balance the books of death are not evil and gain nothing from others suffering, but they do need to take what they are owed.

Over the next 1 year and 7 months Eva and Chiyoko had a wonderful time, they both experienced another beautiful summer together and couldn’t be happier. On the final night Chiyoko went to sleep as usual. She fell asleep happy and full of peace, completely oblivious of the gift Eva had given her. That night Eva stayed up to watch Chiyoko sleep as she knew this would be the last few hours they would spend together. She sat and waited, waiting for the shadowy figure to appear in the corner once again.