First Birth to Last Death

495 BCE

Dear Diary, 

While I may not remember when I was born, I am sure to say I shall never die. One day, I just came into existence, probably when the first human died. She was named Kidamakagash, the only detail I remember, but will probably adopt another name later...

Today, I had to ferry a person from Greece. His name was Pythagoras. quite a brilliant mind, he was. What a shame he died. I think he will be very famous one day. Very brilliant mind...

210 BCE

Dear Diary,

Today, I met this Chinese fellow of the Qin Dynasty. He wanted to live forever. Sadly, he accidentally killed himself in his endeavours. I think his name was Qin Shu -something. Ho? Hun? Hai? Hwan? I will probably never know. Not much is happening now...

44 BCE

Another person to ferry. A lot of people die every day, not to mention the plants and animals that stride in. He was Roman, I guess. His name was Gaius Julius Caesar. He was directed to the revenge gate because of the fact that he was assassinated. He didn't want to haunt the criminals, though. So, I let him in. His clothes were red and he was wounded. When he crossed the gates though; he healed quickly. I got to see Mother Nature today. She doesn't meet anyone often. She is the greatest goddess, and most beautiful. Her long green hair supports a thorny flower crown. She has jade eyes and wears a green gown of the finest cotton. Her skin seems to glow. She always has and always will exist to nurture her creations...

July 1518

A crowd came at the gate today, I think they were French. They had died of a disease that made them dance. Can you believe it!?

27th January 1556

Sunday. Today, I opened the gates for a middle-aged man. He seemed like a king. But it doesn't matter. I shall not discriminate. He fell off his library staircase. Strange. He was named Humayun...

12th February 1771

Friday. Another king came in today named Adolf Frederick. He died of overeating. The things humans do. He will be remembered as "The King who ate till death". Oh, I met another set of few humans. The somehow made a bridge to cross this river where people usually drown. They asked me for a reward when I got there. The first one asked for this stick and I gave one to him from a nearby tree. The second asked for a stone. The third made me give away my Invisibility Cloak. I'll get another one. They think they won't ever die with those useless things, but I will applaud the third's foresight. I think their names were Antioch, Cadmus and Ignotus Peverquill, or something like that. Greed is creeping into people's minds. Not long before it's rooted there. Hopefully, there is time enough. The clock is ticking ominously...

February 1945

Thursday. Today I had to reap the soul of a young girl from the horrors of the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. A darling little girl. She too wrote diary entries. She seemed thin and frail and hardly managed to get through the gate. Millions like her came and will come.

1st of January 2070

Dear Diary,

Wednesday. Dreary. That seems to be the only adjective for any object right now. To have to narrate the world’s events as a neutral observer is turning into a heavier load. From my first instance of existence, I have and forever will be accompanied by the self-consuming feeling of sadness, hopelessness. I always have and will always be viewed as a biased, ignorant harbinger of fear. Each passing second I must move to a completely new but forever old location, to ferry another soul to peace or torment. The world I serve is turning darker and darker. These humans that are now hungrily and savagely roaming my world see me usurping each life, while their actions lead their beloved across the gates of life and death. The life-infusing trees that once could be seen farther than the horizon itself are now burnt and burning away. The sun is now covered by dense clouds, blotting out any remnants of hope to revive the Earth again. Nature is now nothing but a raging force deep red with anger, her godly appearance turning demonic. Never in my job have I seen devastation so large, so dark. I, who have never felt anything, am filled with dread. From my first companion to cross the gates, millions were created and millions I was to take. The pain of having to harvest innocent souls quickly dissipated once their innocence was replaced by unquenchable greed…

28th July 2070

Dear Diary,

Monday. The First World War started exactly 156 years ago. This was one event in history that tested the limits of human anarchy. I was scarred for the remainder of my existence. Thousands rushed toward the threshold of the gates. Millions more in the Second. However, Nature sustained itself after and revived hope. I have immediate duties now though; I must ferry another hundred thousand or so today. The sky is getting cloudier and cloudier. Something is happening. The cracks in the dry Earth are widening and the ice caps are almost gone. The last of oxygen in the air is disappearing. The heat is killing even more organisms. I can guarantee you, no one will survive...

24th December 2070

Dear Diary,

Wednesday. The clock is slowly edging toward midnight. The death toll is ever rising, and life is ever so fast disappearing from the face of the Earth. Nature’s rage has turned into absolute fury and is causing her downfall. The polar ice caps finally melted today, and even the Dutch mechanisms couldn’t hold the deluge of water. Another million died. The soul of the Earth is deteriorating, and along with it, so am I…

1st of January 2071

There is no use of telling the day. It's doomsday. At twelve of midnight, the soul of the Earth is to dissipate into thin air. No life is left. No plants, no water, no animals. I can at least take pride in fulfilling my obligation to life. Earth was supposedly an endless cycle of life and death, but I think we have finally reached the end. From its creation 4.54 billion years ago, the Earth is finally going to die. I don’t know how I will die, but I do say goodbye forever in the next few hours.

Sincerely,

Death.