Don't Fear The Reaper

EmilyHuene

The Lightbringer
SWRP Writer
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The story of the reaper is something that's been rolling around in my head for awhile. She's taken on a few different identities as I was slowly piecing her together to find the person she is now. At first, she was no more than a cool concept. I love skulls, always have. Guess there's still a little bit of that Goth from my teenage years in me. My first idea for this character was to have Ghost, as was my favorite name for characters, be immortal. I clearly have a thing for that if you've read my other works ;P

Anyways, so Ghost was some sort of immortal. Maybe the daughter of Death himself. Anytime she is injured her body breaks away like glass showing only the skull and bone beneath, and green fire making up the flesh. Think Ghost Rider but without the leather jacket. But no matter how hard I tried I could never find any concept are for this project so I never really got inspired to think past this.

That was until I found the sugar skull. So here I am, scrolling through my facebook and suddenly -this work of art- pops up. Black leather, Goth, Punk. And Sugar skull. Suddenly I'm inspired. I find all kinds of pictures of green Sugar skulls and then I find -The Reaper- in my search. This picture perfectly describes what I was looking for: a warrior who fights evil. She even has a wolf with her! Another of my themes that always make an appearance.

So I changed my general concept again. My first thought for Ghost was she had powers over the dead and could wield a scythe like that of her father. And maybe in time I still will give her that. But realistically it would make more sense for her to start with guns as she goes after those that hurt her. For now, I don't have plans to extend this story more than a short concept. But as I write who knows? My characters have a way of writing these things for me.

I would appreciate if you do have comments, to message them to me directly rather than posting here. This forum will be where I keep track of all the postings so readers can find them with ease. Thank you, and enjoy, Don't Fear The Reaper.
 

EmilyHuene

The Lightbringer
SWRP Writer
Joined
May 13, 2015
Messages
3,920
Reaction score
1,114
Consider this: an answer to the mysteries of life and death. Religions all every sort contemplate what lies beyond the veil of death. Is there a Heaven? Are we reincarnated? Does a ferryman take us down a river to a new world? These are the concepts that has troubled mortal man for centuries. To make up for the question unanswered, we tell stories to our children. We promise them a better place and a peaceful existence beyond the one we know.

This story is no different. This tale is about a girl named Cassandra Rosas. She was born of two very special parents and given a destiny no one is ever prepared for. Her parents met in the line of work. She an angel, bringing a new soul to the world so that life can spread and exist with others. He, a reaper who took those lives once their light had gone away. Though they walked the same plane, they could never be together.

The fated lovers courted for centuries. Time passed differently to those who did not feel its effects. She would send him newborn souls, sealing each of the baby spirits into their hosts with a loving kiss. He would watch over them when he could. For he was not the only reaper. As she was not the only angel. The father had duties of his own and quotas to meet. But he was always there when one of his lover's children had to pass on. He treated them with kindness and carried them to the next world.

The reaper loved his work. It was a sad job at times, for many of his travelers did not wish to die. He was grateful that he was only the ferryman. He didn't know how he could cope with his job if he was the one who had to take those lives. Things just happened. There was no rhyme or reason to them, no grand architect. When souls died, they left their mortal bodies and would wander the earth until a reaper came to collect them. This is why some mortals claimed to still see their loved ones around, or some were lucky enough to fall back into their bodies before they were carried off. It didn't happen often, but the reaper was always glad that one lost soul found its way.

Over the millennium, the angel became jealous of the humans. Specifically those who could give birth. For it was her job to deliver children of light to the mortal plane and bring life to newborns. There had been a time when she was tasked with lesser beings, those of domesticated animals. Cats were her particular favorite. She liked the way they purred and made mewing sounds. But as her promotions took her to bigger and better things she eventually came to envy those mothers who had children of their own.

Coming up with a dangerous plan, the angel did something unspeakable. She headed to the mortal plane and inhabited the body of an elderly woman who had passed away mere moments ago. A reaper would be along soon to collect her, but the vessel remained unused. The anger snuck inside and began to cry out her message loudly. What looked like some demonic possession they tried to strap the woman down as she screamed and shouted in tongues. It lasted only a minute as other angels came for her and ripped her soul from the old woman's body.

She was taken back to her home world where she was given trial. The consequence of her actions was the penalty of death. But as angels could not bring death, they could only do the next best thing. They stripped her own her wings and dropped her down to the mortal plane. There, she fell and became flesh and bone. The angels thought they'd delivered a fair and just punishment. Only, this was her plan all along.

She was caught by the reaper who had taken human form for the night as well. For doing such an act was only taboo if you were caught. And making a spectacle out of that elderly woman was one such way. The reaper was smarter. He'd found a charming man who sadly had been mugged by some lowly thug in the city. As his soul passed on, the reaper snuck inside and walked the body off leaving the lost and confused soul there with no guidance. But another reaper would collect him eventually.

That night the two shared passions as great as any mortal existence could give. Nine months later a child was born of their love. This is how Cassandra was born. Her mother would name herself Catalina Rosas, a name for a person of great virtue, and for the bed of roses her and her lover first kissed upon. She would raise the girl alone, for the father could not see them unless stealing another empty vessel. At best he counted he could keep a body alive for three days before the stench alone became too pungent. Even with his undying soul attached to the body it would still decay and pass as all things were meant to.

The father would come by from time to time in the form of a swallow, for as birds migrated they sometimes did not make their way back. When he was lucky, he could inhabit a stray cat for he knew how much Catalina loved them. At a young age, Cassandra loved playing with the birds who came to sing with her, whom she believed they could talk with her. As she grew up he came to visit less and less for the magic of children always faded with time.

Cassandra's interests changed from cute and pink unicorns to skulls and flames and dead things. She listened to harder music and her mother naturally worried her daughter would push back too far in her rebellious teenage years. But Catalina had raised a pure and kind spirit, and the phase of Cassandra's dark years passed. Slightly.

After high school the young intrepid teen wished to pursue a line of medical degrees that would allow her to be a coroner. She never could get passed her fascination of the dead. Part of this blame fell on her mother who told young Cassandra every story she knew about death and the life beyond. Cassandra's favorite story was about an angel who would set a turtle on earth as a present for her lover: Death. As the turtle made its way to Death it grew older until the young spirit had become old and slow. Death would pick up his gift from the angel and cherish it greatly for it had come from the person he loved the most.

This was the story Catalina told Cassandra every night when she was four because she was curious at that age why she did not have a father. Her mother told the girl she was a gift to her papa and when she was old enough she would meet him. "I want to meet him now," little Cassandra would beg.

Her mother pulled the sheets up to her daughter and tucked her in, "You have to live your life first, my darling Cassie. Do not be in such a rush."

"Yes Mama," the young child sighed for the hundredth time after hearing this same argument.

It was stories like these that pressed Cassandra to fall in love with stories of the dead and put her on her path. After her third year in college she was given a internship at her local hospital to assist in the coroner's office. She was thrilled at the opportunity and her mother took her out to her favorite restaurant that night where they ate spicy Korean food and laughed at her mother who continuously failed at using chopsticks.

These were the memories that Cassandra wished she could have kept. For not soon after the start of her senior year the life she once loved so much would come to an end.
 
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