Prologue
She watches them all pass through.
As each one approaches, she sizes up the soul very carefully; they all look very different here than in real life, yes they do. Their souls are always uglier than their bodies. Being used to greed, attention, vanity, they do become very dark on the inside.
One of them is nearby. Is it one of them? No, it is not. They all look very differently here, but she knows them all by heart.
Another one approaches. She looks at him intently, as if trying to match the soul with the thousands that she has committed to her memory, no, her very heart.
It is definitely one of them.
Slowly, stealthily, she grabs the thin string that he is attached to. He suddenly stops, surprise evident in his face; as if it is the first time he has felt anything since dying. She quickly jerks the string into a small pouch, which seems to suck the very essence of the poor soul; in a moment he is gone, and she is already lurking, waiting for the next of them to arrive.
Death is frowning. Some of the scheduled souls haven’t arrived. Wait – there seems to be a pattern –
All of the missing – they were all singers, actresses, models! All physically beautiful people before entering his realm. All souls that he especially craves for. None have arrived since last week.
Damn it! What is she up to this time?