A heart of light and night

Alex was lying on the floor, listening to the loud stomps of this man pretending to be a father. Another time that he came back home totally drunk, 'maybe he will stay downstairs, maybe he will stay downstairs', thought Alex. Unfortunately, the man's stomps became closer, so Alex remembered something, this nursery that every boy and girl used to sing when he was a child. Like a comforting reflex, Alex began to recite the same nursery rhyme:

"Ssh Ssh, the man with long fingers is here. Open your mouth and he will grab your fear. He can enter into your soul and see everything. Life and death are what he will bring. If he sees light inside you, he will fulfill your wish. But, if he sees the night, he will make you his dish."

Faster, the mean man was near the door.

"I beg you, I brought you milk and cookies. Dear friend, take his soul and make it freeze. Mister Bogeyman, kill him."

Suddenly, the door handle was turned. Alex looked at it, turning faster, clockwise and counter-clockwise. He heard screams. Thanks to the keyhole, he saw his tormentor's eye looking at him. Suddenly, a long finger rushed through the keyhole, the man's eye on its nail, a bloody olive toothpick. It was strange, the eye was still looking at him even if it was pushed out of its body, it looked like one these two snail tentacles on its head. After a while, the finger pulled out of the keyhole, but Alex could hear the screams of the man, getting dragged against the wall, yelling for help as the entity pummeled him all over the house. Suddenly, the young man heard a body falling on the first ground and there was a moment of silence. Slowly, the crackling of the floor came closer to him. Pussyfooting away from the door, Alex saw the entrance opening, revealing a shadow covered by a dark and lengthened veil, floating with the fog coiling the mysterious figure.

"Are you the Angel Of Death?" Asked naively Alex.

As Alex's savior came closer, he could see that they were a kind of undead, a coal-skinned skeleton, as if it traveled blazes and ashes. The Revenant grabbed gently Alex's neck, they could almost choke him because of their strength. Apparently, they could not see as they sniffed him, searching something. Without warning, they lifted their second arm and speared it into Alex's chest. However, there was not any blood, Alex's torso became gelatinous, allowing the phantom to dig into him. Alex felt their hand moving inside him, it was weird, they were hunting for something inside his body. Suddenly, the specter pulled out his arm, holding Alex's heart, still beating. How he could live without his heart? The shade smelled his heart before licking it slowly with their grey and over-sized tongue. Chewing their own saliva, it tested the taste of Alex's heart, examining it thoroughly. Then, they sniffed one more time before saying with a deep and powerful voice:

"Too much light."

The crepuscular stranger gave back to Alex his heart as they left, but the young man shouted at them.

"So this is all? You will leave me alone too?! There is night inside me, so you kill me!". Alex started to cry, falling on his knees. "Please, life is too hard, I just want this pain to stop, please..."

The specter stopped, looking at Alex, disappointed and sad. How an ethereal skeleton could look depressed? Not easy to explain. Alex's Angel Of Death stepped toward him, caressing his cheek and washing his tears. The being had seen many things, but for them the scariest thing was the lack of hope that cursed so many children, destroying them to adulthood, while others kill themselves even before. What will happen to Alex? It was unfair, it did not deserve this, but the entity had no choice, Alex wanted this. Standing up, covering Alex with their own shadow, they lifted their arm and impaled Alex with it. This time, blood poured on the ground. Pulling off their arm, they looked at Alex, full of sorrows. On the contrary, Alex was smiling softly, blood dripping on his pink lips.

"Thank you." Said Alex before collapsing, smiling truly, for the first time since his birth.

Walking toward the exit, the entity saw Alex's spirit, confused about what happened to him. Alex watched his corpse before focusing on the shadow Angel whose appearance has now changed. They were now a handsome man with raven wings.

Smiling again, Alex said. "I don't understand, what's happening?"

"I feel lonely with my job, I think I might need someone to accompany me." Answered the cosmic undertaker.

"Promise me that we will be together forever." Demanded Alex.

"I promise, my dear Alex." He answered, embracing him as they both left this hopeless place, staying together forever and even more. And even more.