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A Conversation With Orley (A Welcomed Visit)

O: “Good morning Kaf. Enjoying your coffee?”

K: “Not too bad. They cleaned the pot yesterday. Second time this millennium, I believe.”

O: “So, Death came to see me last night.”

K: “What?”

O: “Sorry. Want me to get a towel for that spill?”

K: “No, I got it. What did you just say?”

O: “About Death? He came to see me.”

K: “Really. Is it true what they say about death and taxes?”

O: “I didn’t think to ask.”

K: “You’re telling me that Death stopped by your place for a visit? The Grim Reaper? The Rider on a Pale Horse? The Great Leveller?”

O: “Don’t go on that way. I meant exactly who you think I did.”

K: “And don’t you find that just a bit…”

O: “The possibility that I dreamt him crossed my mind, but I’m quite sure he made an appearance. Certain things stand out in ways no dream does. Besides, I was already awake when he showed. And after he left I couldn’t get to sleep. I tossed and turned all night.”

K: “Would be the case for nearly everyone. So what did… Death look like?”

O: “I couldn’t tell you. I can’t depict his physical manifestation with words. His likeness seems to leave me whenever I attempt to recall it. Even my use of the pronoun “he” isn’t meant to be descriptive; just employing it for simplicity’s sake.”

K: “Never mind then. What exactly did he come to see you for?”

O: “Well, it wasn’t a professional call.”

K: “Obviously.”

O: “He was there just to talk. He doesn’t get much of a chance for conversation while on duty. He used that phrase: “on duty.” Seems odd now that I think about it.”

K: “I’d assume he’d have ample opportunity to talk with his… customers.”

O: “You would. Apparently they’re tight-lipped in his presence. They — I should say we — are fairly preoccupied. Conversing on what’s happening in the political world is far from our minds.”

K: “That makes sense. So that’s what he wanted to chat about? Politics?”

O: “No, that was just an example. In actuality he spent most of time quizzing me on the human condition.”

K: “The human condition?”

O: “I thought it a strange topic as well.”

K: “Wouldn’t he pretty much be the final expert on that?”

O: “When you see something mainly from one end, your knowledge of it becomes one-sided. I gather he was looking for an insider’s perspective.”

K: “Yours.”

O: “Well, I did try to answer him in a generic fashion, as more a member of the human race than as just myself. I considered my part in the discussion a chance to put forward our point of view. I got the feeling while we talked that we’re not well accounted for in the universal equation. I was rather disappointed by that.”

K: “But it seems about right.”

O: “Not that he knew nothing about us. He was fascinated by our drive to accomplish things. He kept referring to how the vast number of us are so goal-oriented. He seemed amused by that.”

K: “Amused as in “that’s interesting”, or more “what a bunch of buffoons”?”

O: “I couldn’t say. I tried to steer the conversation towards what might be considered futile endeavors for us, you know such if prayer has real value, or if any religious belief system presented an accurate portrayal of things as they really are. I couldn’t corner him on any of it. And he had little to say as to my arguments for better representation. Though he didn’t come right out and tell me, I realized he’s fairly low on the corporate ladder, if you understand my meaning.”

K: “So Death is little more than a supernal cleaning lady.”

O: “I don’t know if I’d put it that way.”

K: “But any negotiations for new business opportunities would not go through him, right?”

O: “Well, that’s what I picked up on. He said he wasn’t really a big picture guy, which I took to mean he’s left out of those decisions altogether.”

K: “What appears to be our most likely advocate on that side has no power whatsoever. It’s customer support all over again.”

O: “Excuse me?”

K: “Nothing. So what else did Death have to say on the subject?”

O: “That’s when he said his goodbyes and left.”

K: “I see. And how exactly did he leave?”

O: “Through the door, of course.”

K: “Yeah. That’s what they’re for.”