My first death hurt the most, not from the pain, but from the injustice. The second came as the biggest surprise because I was still dead from the first. A kiss spurred my third departure, a faint fluttering of the heart. My fourth death was so subtle, I didn’t realise until the fifth. There were more, many more, but death becomes as boring as life.
My deaths came in many forms, at many times and places. There was no preempting it. Experience of the thing failed to give a single heads-up. Apparently, having died a multiple and often inexplicable number of times counted for nothing. I was a duck in a pond just waiting for the sharpshooters to strike.
There were benefits to my ailment, this legacy of mind. They might not have counted for much, but for something. I grew hardened, cocooned, insulated against death. My resolve strengthened. My will hardened.
I approached my many deaths differently upon this magical realisation. I expected them, thus the events themselves became less torrid. No longer would I toss and turn at night, clutching at my heart and sweating profusely. No, sir, I was a changed man. Well, boy.
The last turned me down before I’d even opened my mouth. ‘Not you,’ she sneered. ‘Not you.’
That was the last time I died. It didn’t bother me then, as now. Although, the woman with the scythe and the ebony eyes is grinning as though it should.
The End.
Thank you for reading
Richard
Richard M. Ankers
Author of the brand new steampunk extravaganza Britannia Unleashed.
Also Available:
The Eternals Series: The Eternals / Hunter Hunted / Into Eternity
Richard M. Ankers - Storybook 
Does he keep approaching a younger age each death as well?
Hm, I’m not sure. Quite possibly. 🙂
Me either. 🤷♀️I try to not die as much now. I seem dulled by the realization that people are who they are, and expectations can disappoint. I came looking for you to see what you are writing. I love your writing. You know this, I think 😂
Hello!! Great to see you. Are we both still in our forties? What’s gone wrong with time? 😀
i’ve heard of nine lives, therefore there must be 10 deaths. 😉
It makes sense when you think it about it ;P
or is it nine deaths? the first one is in the womb…so yeah, 10.
I’m gonna say eleven now just to be awkward. LOL
Keep thinking of yourself as a twin who keeps morphing into another twin (as each one dies) and you will become immortal.
I’d rather morph into a cat than me. I’d get another nine lives without having to pass on.