Chapter 1
The Man That Never Dies
Present Time
Exhausted, Seth stood halfway up the staircase when his phone rang. He answered immediately.
“Dad, I can’t find him. He might be out somewhere,” Seth said with a sigh.
Since 4 a.m., he had been pacing the stairs and searching every corner of the house for his missing uncle.
“He won’t leave the house, as I told you. Just keep looking. He’s probably up to something foolish again,” his caller replied.
Before Seth could respond, he heard a thud from the storage room. He quickly ended the call and approached the storage room door, his heart racing. He grasped the doorknob and slowly opened the door.
“Wah!” Seth screamed in disbelief.
The wooden chair had toppled over, and his uncle hung from the ceiling, looking more furious than dead.
“Uncle, what on earth are you doing?” Seth exclaimed, placing a hand on his chest to steady himself from the shock.
Uncle Simon wore black like a ninja without a mask. His shoulder-length hair, mustache, and unshaven beard made him look messy.
“What do you think I’m doing? Playing?” Simon replied, annoyed by Seth’s sudden appearance. “Help me get this chair under me so I can get down.”
Seth quickly placed the chair beneath Simon and removed the rope from his neck. The mark left by the rope was evident, suggesting a failed attempt at hanging. Simon, irritated, left the storage room with Seth trailing behind.
“Uncle, for the umpteenth time, why are you trying to kill yourself again?” Seth asked, frustration evident in his voice.
Simon turned, raising an eyebrow. “Why do you care? Are you upset I’m still alive? Don’t worry. We both share that sentiment.”
“That’s not it, Uncle. Aren’t you tired of this? So you’re really living by ‘try and try until you die’? Nobody even says that anymore,” Seth said with a chuckle.
Simon remained expressionless and continued walking toward the kitchen to get some water. Seth followed.
“It’s easy for you to say. You don’t know what it’s like watching everyone around you die while you stay as strong as an ox,” Simon said, taking a sip of water. “No matter what I do, I’ll never die.”
Seth approached Simon and put a comforting hand on his uncle’s shoulder. “Isn’t it strange, Uncle? Everyone wants to live, and you want to die.”
“Why wouldn’t I want to, idiot? At my age, I should already be in heaven, resting,” Simon said blankly.
“But Uncle, are you even sure you’d make it to heaven if you die?” Seth asked, laughing.
“Fool!” Simon glared at Seth and gave him a playful tap on the head.
“It hurts, Uncle,” Seth complained, rubbing his head.
Simon put the pitcher back in the fridge, washed the glass, and placed it in the cabinet.
“Why don’t you try getting married, Uncle? Maybe if you had a family, you’d find something worth living for,” Seth said seriously. “Then you wouldn’t have to keep trying to kill yourself because you’d be busy with your kids.”
“Ah, if I can’t make you die, maybe finding you a partner would be the next best thing. Maybe someone could capture your heart,” Seth said with a grin.
Simon was bemused by this and said nothing, turning his back on Seth. Seth watched as Simon walked away calmly.
-
The Year 1500
Simon’s family lived in the mountains, where life was harsh. Besides the heat, the lack of rain caused crops to wither and famine to spread. Simon’s father had managed their small plot of land alone since his wife died from an incurable disease. As an only child, Simon had no companions in the small lodge where he grew up. Every night, he collected firewood for cooking and heating.
One day, the sky darkened, and the wind carried an eerie whisper. People celebrated, expecting rain to revive their dying crops.
A few hours later, the sky darkened further. People expected a storm, unaware that something far worse was descending toward the earth. Sunlight vanished across half the world, and panic spread as people feared the end had come. Suddenly, a brilliant object appeared in the sky, followed by an explosion overhead. Gradually, sunlight returned, though darkness still lingered in the distance. Then burning fragments began falling from the heavens.
Simon looked up and saw something falling from the sky. The sunlight blinded him, but he could still make out a fiery object descending. He ran, stumbling over the firewood he dropped as intense heat rushed behind him. Against his better judgment, he looked back, his eyes widening at the sight of the flaming rock hurtling toward him.
The impact shook the entire mountain. Simon slid into a deep pit, clutching at a plant to keep himself from falling onto the burning rock below. The heat was unbearable, and the plant’s roots slowly tore free from the soil.
“Aahhhh!” Simon screamed.
When the ground finally gave way, Simon fell onto the burning rock.
-
Simon awoke to sunlight streaming through a window. He looked around, finding himself inside a bamboo house with a coconut-leaf roof. His body showed no wounds or scars.
“Was it all just a dream?” Simon wondered aloud.
He stepped outside and saw a woman cooking over a wood-burning stove in the kitchen. At first, he thought she was his mother, but he quickly realized she was someone else.
“Love, is lunch ready?” a man asked.
The woman, visibly pregnant, replied, “Yes, my love. I’ll set the table.”
“Let me help,” the man offered.
He then noticed Simon standing nearby and smiled at him.
“You’re awake. You’ve been asleep for days. How are you feeling?” the man asked.
Simon froze. “How long have I been asleep?”
The man placed a hand on Simon’s shoulder and guided him to a chair at the dining table. “About four days. We found you unconscious in the woods, probably exhausted but not injured,” he said.
“What happened to me?” Simon asked.
The woman introduced herself as Helena, and the man as Lando.
“What were you doing out there? Did that rock hit you?” Lando asked.
Simon nodded. “I fell into the huge crater made by the rock.”
Lando and Helena exchanged looks.
“But didn’t that fireball fall on the hill?” Lando asked.
“I saw a burning stone,” Helena added.
“It created an enormous crater that I fell into,” Simon explained.
“But you have no bruises,” Helena noted.
A few days later, Simon felt better and stayed with the couple, who treated him like a younger sibling. Lando went to the farm, and Simon wanted to help, but Lando refused since Helena was due to give birth soon.
While stacking wood, Simon heard Helena call his name.
“Is there something you need, Helena?” Simon asked.
Helena looked pained. “My abdomen hurts, Simon,” she moaned, clutching her stomach.
Alarmed, Simon stepped toward her. “I’m going to get Lando.”
Helena lay down on a chair. “Don’t go, Simon. I think the baby is coming. Help me.”
“Is the baby coming now? What should I do?” Simon asked, panicking.
“Sit here at my feet. Hurry!” Helena said urgently.
Confused, Simon sat at Helena’s feet as she spread her legs.
“What are you doing, Helena?” Simon asked.
“Deliver the baby, of course. I’m giving birth,” Helena said, nearly crying.
“I’ll call Lando,” Simon said.
“Take off my underwear,” Helena demanded.
Simon’s eyes widened. “Your underwear? Lando will kill me.”
“Stupid! The baby is coming out. Take off my underwear!” Helena almost shouted.
Simon closed his eyes and removed Helena’s underwear.
“You’re crazy, Simon. Why are you closing your eyes?” Helena asked.
“You told me to remove your underwear,” Simon said.
“Good grief, you don’t even know how to remove underwear? Hurry, the baby is coming!” Helena cried.
Once Simon removed the underwear, Helena instructed, “Take the white cloth from our room. Quickly.”
Simon rushed to get the cloth and returned to Helena’s side.
“Catch the baby with the cloth, Simon,” Helena shouted.
“What?” Simon asked, shocked.
“Seriously, Simon? Have you become deaf?” Helena said, breathing heavily.
“Aaaaahhhh!” Helena screamed as she pushed.
Simon felt something land in his hands, followed by the loud cry of a newborn baby.
-
Present Time
Simon was startled when he noticed a beer can beside him. He picked it up and turned away.
“Why are you trying to kill yourself again? Seth’s worried because he couldn’t find you earlier,” Samuel said. Samuel, sixty years old and president of Simon’s company, was the second in Lando’s generation.
“Is it because Lucia is dead?” Samuel asked. “We expected that, given her cancer,” he added.
Simon took a sip of beer. At 544 years old, Simon still looked twenty-three.
“She was a wonderful wife, but she’s gone. I’m still alive, and I can’t die,” Simon said. He had been trying to die for the past four hundred years and found it exhausting to watch so many friends pass away.
Samuel patted Simon on the back. “Don’t worry too much. Come on, let’s get you something to eat,” Samuel said.
Simon nodded. “You’re right,” he said.
