I do now own Pirates of the Caribbean nor Dead Like Me. I make no profit of this and do not plan to get any either.
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George had been a reaper for almost a month and a half. And though she had a rough start, saving the little girl she suppose to reap, never popping the soul of a man who died so he was forced to be aware of his own autopsy and causing a so called hick-up´ when she made a man avoid his death causing thirty-ish or so peoples deaths instead, she hated to say it but she was getting used to this undead life.
She looked at her fellow Reapers, they were sitting in their usual booth at Das Waffel Haus waiting for their boss to arrive and hand out their daily reaps. Next to her was Betty, the beautiful woman who dies in 1936, and was the most positive person George had ever met. Betty loved Reaping. On the other side of the table sat Mason and Roxy. Mason the charming Brit also known as the alcoholic, drug taking fuck-up of the group. He died in the 60s drilling holes in his head looking for the ultimate rush. Roxy on the other hand was a stern, slightly cold meter-maid. George had no idea how she died.
Then there was George herself. She died a month and a half ago, from a toilet seat falling from the sky from the Russian space station MIR. Being dead was not how she thought it would be. She had to work, eat, sleep and pay rent. She had to change her name, to go with the different face the living saw when they looked at her, and she had to stay in the same city as her family and she was not allowed to see them, not that she cared for those rules.
Bored as they were, Rube was late, George asked them about famous reaps and Reapers. Telling her amusing stories about crazy reaps and even crazier Reapers Roxy suddenly stopped.
"There is one," she said, "that no one has ever met. He takes the souls that die at sea." The others quiet down; they know who she is talking about. "He is an outcast and can't really be called a reaper."
"Why not?" George asked.
"Because he has to wait until they die and goes into the light. He ferries them to the other side."
"But I thought that once the soul goes into the light, that's it."
Roxy nod and said, "it is, but they still need help reaching the after life. That's where he comes in."
"So no one knows who he is?"
"Oh, we know who he is, love," Mason said. "But no one has ever seen him."
"So… who is he?"
"He sails the Dutchman, ever heard of that?" Betty wondered. George nodded, who hadn't? "His name is William Turner," Betty smiled, "A strong name, he is probably gorgeous."
"And married Betty, remember that part," Roxy added.
George was confused. Rube had practically drilled into her head that Reapers wasn't allowed relationship, no telling anyone of the soul taking business. That put a kink in any relationship. She mentioned this to her friends.
"There is a whole urban legend around this guy Georgie-lass," Mason said. "It is said that he married his girl right before he died, in a battle against pirates or something like that and after he took command of the Dutchman he help them with the battle, letting the girl see him. It is also said…" A slap to his head stopped him.
"You do not need to tell her that outrageous part, Mason," Roxy growled.
"Come on, Roxy, it's a part of the myth," Mason begged. He turned to George, "It is also said that she hasn't died."
"What?"
Mason nodded, "according to gossip, and you know how we reapers like our gossip," George nodded, because of gossip every time she met another Reaper they would know her because of her nickname, Toilet Seat. "Her name hasn't been on a post-it yet", Mason continued. It was on post-it notes the reapers got the name, place and time of the person about to die so they could pop the soul.
"But how is that possible?" George asked. "She has to die from old age sometime right?"
Mason and Roxy both shrugged.
Betty on the other hand said, "It's believed that Captain Turner has had something to do with it."
"My opinion, I think it's a load of crap," Roxy said.
"Of course you do," Betty said and turned to George, "but it is rumored of a person living on some island in the Caribbean that the Gravelings refuse to go neat." Gravelings are small ugly and horrible creatures that arrange the accidents that kill people. They become pissed if a person doesn't die when supposed to. George felt their wrath once.
Roxy rolled her eyes, "She probably died decades ago."
"Why hasn't anybody seen him?" George broke in when it looked like an argument was about to happen between Roxy and Betty.
"Because he is cursed," a voice broke in by the side. They all looked there and saw their boss Rube standing there. "Have you been telling Peanut ghost stories?" he wondered sitting down.
"What do you mean cursed?" George asked.
"He is only allowed one day on land every ten years and no one knows where he spends that day." Rube began handing our assignments, Mason moaned about his like always while Betty and Roxy compared theirs. It looked like story time was over.
On her way to her reap, in a library a few blocks away, George thought about what she learned. She snorted and decided that the others must have been pulling one on her, no way there was a cursed reaper with an immortal wife. Even in the wacky life she lived that was too much, even for her.
END.