text: Disclaimer: English is not my first language and this is my first short story written in English. Any suggestions and pointers are very welcome! &#x200B; Tommy and Mr. Death sat in front of each other. Mr. Death had arrived to take Tommy into his world. He told him the date of his death five years ago and now, it was the time. Five years have passed. Five years in which Tommy had lived more than the rest of his life. “So, are you ready?” Mr. Death asked. “Yes I am.” Tommy said, relaxed and almost smiling. “I have been preparing for this day for the last five years. But before we go, we should have another chat, if you want to.” Tommy said, opening his hands in front of Mr. Death. “And what do you want to talk about?” “You see... I still remember the first day we met. I was scared, frustrated, I didn’t believe in what you told me. I thought it was a bad dream, a nightmare...” “I know; I know... what’s the point? I want to hear it.” Mr. Death said, already knowing what Tommy was going to say. “The point is... I need to thank you, now.” Tommy said, this time smiling for real. “Ooooh... That’s rare, not a lot of people reach that conclusion.” He said smiling. “If it wasn’t for you, I think I would have never woken up!” Tommy said. “Beer? The last one.” “Sure, I’ll go and get it. Like usual...” Mr. Death stood up and went to take two beers from the fridge. “You know...” Tommy rose his voice a bit so that it reached Mr. Death in the kitchen. “... I spent the best five years of my entire life. If I hadn’t had the pressure of time running out, I would have probably wasted most of it...” Mr. Death was back with two pint glasses and two big beers. “IPA for you, red ale for me.” Mr. Death said, pouring the beers into the glasses. “Cheers!” Tommy said, rising his glass. “Cheers.” Mr. Death replied, took a sip and talked again. “So... how was your marathon?” “One of the hardest thing I did. It took me almost a year to get ready, but eventually I did it. I finished it, even if the time wasn’t anything special. I understood the pleasure of concluding something hard. Especially the satisfaction of a long training with the final result.” Tommy said, before taking a sip as well. “And what about the rest... you have been writing a bit, I see...” Mr. Death said, looking at the notebook on the table. “Oh, that... well, nothing special. I just wanted to put down my thoughts and leave them for someone in the future. I don’t know who. Maybe I should give it to a friend of mine, or my family...” “It could be a book; don’t you think so? Conversations with death... by Tommy. I want part of the merit of course.” Mr. Death said, pointing a finger to his chest and smiling. “You do have part of the merit... indeed...” “Wait, I don’t think it makes sense... in reality people don’t see me in a good light.” “I know, but that’s a problem. That’s a big, deep, serious problem. We humans are scared of you, we think you are bad and we live our lives without thinking about you. Let’s say...” Tommy took a moment to formulate the sentence. “... we live like... we have an infinite amount of time, even if we have not. And we are so scared of you... we lose the connection with reality. We are so afraid of dying that we don’t live for real. We don’t focus on what we have... the present moment... the only moment we have.” “Ooooh... the present moment. The lovely present moment. It’s one of my best friends...” Mr. Death said bringing the pint glass to his mouth to drink again. “Cheers to the present moment.” Tommy said, while Mr. Death was already drinking and had to stop to cheer with Tommy before drinking again. “Now, did you manage to understand why most of the people are afraid of me?” Mr. Death asked. “Yep!” Tommy nodded. “Now the question is... why are you called death and not life?” “You tell me, human. I never called myself death... I never called myself in any way.” He said laughing. “Why did you start doing a lot of things in this five years... what made you change your mind?” He asked. “Well, once you told me I was going to live for only five more years, I decided to live those last years in the best way I could.” Tommy said, but quickly added. “Don’t get me wrong. It took me time to switch my mindset. From accepting what you told me, to start living for real, it took more than one year. But eventually I did it... and you know what I find more interesting? I started reading more, every kind of books, as much as I could. I discovered some ancient philosophers called the stoics, and I read something about far east philosophy as well. They had some core principles in common. And it was amazing...” Tommy stopped to take another sip. “I know those guys...” Mr. Death said, like talking about some of his closest friends. “... smart people, aren’t they? You know, I met some humans, I mean... some of them asked me, how can I defeat you?” He made a face like someone who just swallowed a lemon. “Me? I asked them... you don’t need to. I’m not your enemy. I told them...” “Yeah, but that’s because they wanted to defeat death.” Tommy said, interrupting him. “I know it sounds crazy. I tried to have this conversation with some of my friends and I tried to tell them, or better, explain to them, that if they see death as a passage, they won’t need to defeat anything.” “Oh, yeah. They see me as the death of everything...” Mr. Death said, face-palming. “Actually, I’m doing the same mistake, I still call you Mr. Death. Can I call you Mr. Life?” Tommy asked. “Just call me Bob.” “Bob?! Seriously?” “Yeah!” “Why Bob?” “I don’t know... it’s the first name that came up in my mind.” Bob said, nodding strongly. “Fair enough, Bob.” Tommy said, convinced. “As I was saying, not a lot of people focus on time. Especially the present time... the here and now. I was the same... till you appeared, in this same room and told me I was going to die sooner than I thought. It took me time, but I had to accept it and focus on what was left. So I decided to live the rest of my life properly, doing what I liked, without hurting anyone. It’s a magic combination...” Tommy said, referring to the last two things he said. “Did you put it all down on the notebook?” Bob asked pointing at the notebook on the table for the second time. “Yes I did.” “You remind me of Marcus Aurelius. You know who he is?” “Of course I know. I read one of his books, meditations. And it has been one of the biggest inspirations for living the rest of my time left.” Tommy said, looking at his notebook. “Especially when he said, *Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what’s left and live it properly*.” Tommy said, looking at Bob this time. “Man, those are the philosophies that should be taught in school, instead of creating pure working people. Most of the education nowadays is focused on teaching what to fit in your future working place, but less space is dedicated to the humanistic part of life... I don’t know if it makes sense...” Tommy said at the end. “It’s just my opinion.” “I believe it too, Tommy. And I have to admit that you reacted pretty well to the news of your death. I mean, five years ago you were pretty shaken, of course. But now... you look relaxed and cool. Is it fake or real? Sorry if I ask.” “I don’t really know, honestly. I cannot say. On one side I’m still afraid, especially of what’s going to be next... or how it’s going to feel the moment I’m dying. On the other side, I’m cool with the person I have become and the person I am now. Actually, I am proud and happy about the changes I achieved in my life after I met you. If it wasn’t for you, I would have remained unchanged and would have spent my entire life not living it fully. Sometimes I think it’s much better living five years of real life than an entire one half empty. Missing on most of the things that really make me happy.” Tommy sat resting his back on the backrest. “And what was it that made you happy for real?” Bob asked. “Because I don’t meet many people who are so at peace with themselves when their day is coming.” “Well, nothing so special... and that’s the point. I always thought that happiness had to arrive from something special and fantastic, but it doesn’t. I found happiness in small, common things. But the best of the best, was understanding that happiness is temporary. And can come and go...” “Ooooh, I see where you are going... Sorry, keep going.” Bob interrupted him. “No worries, no worries.” Tommy said, smiling. “What I wanted to say, is that... there is something more important than happiness, and our society lets us grow up believing that happiness is what we need to strive for all the time but... what about peace of mind, instead? What about being able to manage our feelings... that’s more important and... real!” Tommy pointed his index to an imaginary direction to stress his last word. “Happiness can be momentarily caused by a person around you, and what if that person goes away? For whatever reason. Happiness can momentarily be found in how a food tastes... but what if that food is finished? There are many other examples, but the point is, what happens when the thing that makes us happy goes away? And it looks like society is constantly bombing us with solutions to be happy... buy this, get that, take this... all rubbish.” “I met a man once that told me, *we -humans- never get used to discomfort*... I don’t remember who it was...” Bob remained thoughtful for a second, then continued. “... anyway, he told me that. And it made me think... that’s right. You are always looking for whatever is comfortable, and I get it, it makes sense. You don’t want to be in shitty situations, but what happens when you have to get out of your comfort-zone?” “We complain. That human’s basic nature. Complains are the easiest and fastest things that come out of our mouths when something is not going as we like it. Hard work is the second step. Some jump straight to the second step, but only a few. And most people remain in the first phase.” Tommy said. “Yeah, I know. I’m guilty too. I think no one is perfect after all. I have been complaining all the time and it looks like I’m still complaining now. I had been complaining a lot more before I changed my mindset... before meeting you, I mean.” “What would you do if you were not going to die today?” Bob said, taking a big sip and leaving just enough beer for another one. The last one. Tommy, instead, had the quantity for more or less two other sips. “Well, I would keep going on with my new life-style. Actually, I would focus a bit more on writing and I’d go back to college to study something... I don’t know what. Psychology, philosophy, something like that. And I would quit my job to get another one, linked with my new career...” Tommy stopped to take a sip from the pint. “... then I would like to have a family and dedicate the best of me to educating my children. After this experience... I mean, meeting you, I think I would try to give them the best values for life, even if... I would still need to figure them out myself.” Tommy said, with an awkward smile. “But... yeah, those would be my goals.” “We got one last sip. Would you like to talk about something in particular?” Bob asked, looking at his pint glass with the last sip of beer in it. “I don’t know...” Tommy said, looking at his glass. “... one last sip. I think this is something I’m going to miss. If there is something after death, I wish there will be beer. For free...” He said laughing. “... I don’t want to sound like an alcoholic, don’t get me wrong. But one of the best moments I can recollect from my memories, were the ones spent in a pub having a good conversation and a good beer. Together with food, I think it’s one of the best ways to meet people, have a chat, get to know someone new... date a girl.” Tommy stressed that particular, almost as if he was picturing something alive in his mind. “Maybe, if there is no such a thing in the afterlife, I will create the first Pub of Heaven. Or... Heaven’s Pub. Have a drink above the clouds... that will be the slogan on top of the main door, or in the blackboard.” “Or... have a divine beer.” Bob joined in on Tommy’s joke. “Or... come in and have a drink, forever.” Bob laughed honestly. “Forever?! Well, that sounds a bit alcoholic.” “Yeah, maybe it’s too much.” Tommy said, looking at his last sip of beer left on the glass. “Whenever you want Tommy.” Bob said, looking at Tommy and his pint. “When you drink yours, I’ll finish mine.” “Whenever I want? Well, I’ll keep it like that forever.” “Sorry, it doesn’t work that way...” Bob said, looking sorry for real. “Do I need to go somewhere particular? Or... can I stay here?” “Yes, of course. You can stay here. Do you want to sit in the sofa?” “Yes.” Tommy said, before drinking the last sip in one shot. “When I drink mine, you will go. Ready?” Bob asked. “I am.” Tommy said. But he wasn’t really sure. After all, how could he be sure of something like that? Who’s the person that knows what will happen next? No one. But that was part of the game of life and you cannot choose otherwise but accept what it is. “Now relax, after all, it’s like falling asleep.” Bob said, bringing his pint glass with the last sip of beer to his lips. The movement took less than a second but for Tommy it looked like an hour. It looked like the time had stopped as the glass rose from the table towards Bob’s mouth. Tommy almost held back his breath and waited to feel, or to see something different that in the end, never arrived. Was he dead already? No sounds were hearable. No walls, or table, or living room was in front of him. Everything was white, but not a blinding white. A white that was indescribable. Something he never saw before. Saw? Was he seeing something? He couldn’t say. Then his consciousness realized something. Something that cannot be touched or felt with his five senses. A thought... nope, maybe a feeling... not even... what was it? It didn’t matter anymore. He knew he was dead, and with that knowledge, something more arrived. Awareness. Peace. A peace of mind that he never felt before and that could not be compared with anything he felt when he was alive. One last thought took form in his mind. If this is death, I can face it. “Tommy, Tommy...” Tommy’s girlfriend shook him strongly to wake him up. “What?!” He woke up and looked at his girlfriend. “You were having a nightmare.” She said in the darkened bedroom. “Oh, no. I wasn’t...” “Well, you were talking. Or saying something... I just heard your voice. Are you ok?” Her voice was soft and low. She was still half asleep. “Sorry, I didn’t want to...” Tommy said, smiling and almost laughing. “I was just dreaming, but it wasn’t a nightmare.” “Ok... I’ll go back to sleep. I got scared for a moment.” She said, turning to the other side. “It’s ok.” He gave her a little caress in her arm and turned to the other side to go back to sleep too. It was one of the weirdest dreams he ever had. But it was just a dream. Tommy closed his eyes and fell asleep again, but this time, even if no one could see him, he had a hint of a smile in his face.