Issuu

Josephine Broderick WoB Short Story Contest 11/7/2025 Death’s Replacement Death is a fickle thing, isn't it? You can run and run as much as you want, yet it's always one step ahead of you. Or right next to you. It's an odd thing being able to see death. I once thought it to be a curse, but as I see life and death go on.. I see it as more of a gift. My name is Tasoula Efthimia, and I am the rebirth of 30 lives before me. In this life, I am a soldier. Not an ideal job, but I have no say in what life I am born into. God keeps putting me back on this earth and I have no idea why. Perhaps I have a lesson to learn? I think I am very terrible at learning whatever this lesson is though. Dying is quite an odd sensation. The first time I died, I was scared. No. Scared doesn't cover the depth of fear I felt. I was downright horrified. My heart hurt and my bones ached. Time seemed to move slowly, and I only moved faster. I fell faster. I was overwhelmed with a cold sensation that never warmed; I could feel all of my senses slipping away so slowly but still too fast for my comfort. I remember reaching out, trying to grasp and hold onto what I thought made me, me. I tried to cry as I was engulfed in an inner darkness but nothing happened. There was no reprieve from the inner pain and hurt. I was dark. I was locked mentally in darkness while everything around me was light and joyous. I remember wondering why anyone would see joy or peace in dying. Now I find comfort in it. Now I see. It is the end of the suffering we all carry. I couldn't see death in a physical form at first, but I could always sense her presence, offering comfort with a hand on my left shoulder as I died. Whether she is a lost soul or not, her touch always seemed meant to calm. Though I don’t remember the details of my past lives, I recall the kind of person I was and how I carried myself. The past two times of my passing, I’ve seen her walking about me and others. I've even interacted with death. I haven't had any conversation with her, but we have had an understanding or a conversation through emotions and energy. I do not know if death is a woman. But the gentleness of how she handles it seems more feminine than masculine. She is just a lost soul craving a release but never experiencing it. This job was just thrown onto her as a wandering soul who never had someone there for her. So she compensates for her lack of comfort by comforting the souls she takes. That's how it seems from an outside perspective anyway. I can see her walk around all these soldiers on the battlefield. She is frantic and messy. She is trying to guide all of these dying souls but it's overwhelming. She is growing tired and sloppy with her work. She has grown careless. Maybe her reign as death is almost over? Maybe she will experience relief soon? I keep wondering who would replace death. I haven't yet figured out if her exact job is to take their lives or just guide the souls from their dead earthly existence. I'm leaning more towards my idea that she just guides the souls. You would think that I would know by now, considering how many times I have died. I feel like I’ve been roped into helping her guide the souls to where they should go after dying. For most of these soldiers, if not all of them, this is their first time dying so I don't blame them all for being so terrified. I was in the same position as them a lifetime ago. Well..several lifetimes ago, actually. I stopped feeling emotions and physical pain sometime after my 23rd life. I don't feel, and I don't grow any emotional attachment to anyone or anything, despite people’s attempts. I see no point