I have been taking Human souls since the dawning of time.  The first Neanderthal to die was confused, and therefore frightened, at the apparent failures of his body to sustain him further.  And so he didn’t know he was passing, could not begin to fathom the idea of such transcendence.  The latest person to die whilst I narrate this article will no doubt understand what is happening to them and they will still be frightened to a certain degree.  But that’s because the 21st century does not understand, in fact.

Did the Neanderthal die?  On the contrary.  He still lives in the minutest regions of the human mind, still hides in the modern genetic code, appearing only when the synapses of the body call forth ancient mammalian instinct to aid.  Nay, the Neanderthal passed from this realm to the next, surrendering his physical form to the Earth and conceding it to the laws of decay.  He is still very much alive, albeit from a different plane of existence than you or I., only now he can exist alongside his evolved descendants.

The latest person to pass — they too passed to clear the way for a newborn somewhere to enter this world.  It’s simply how the circle has always worked — blood sacrifices are necessary to the continued survival of all forms of life.  It may sound a tad morbid, but blood has always been imperative, will always be imperative, because the blood is the life.  Obviously it will be essential in the preservation of its own interests.  Unfortunately, the decision of who gets to make way for whom is entirely random — if everyone were allowed to decide when and where, it would just upset the balance of it all far too much.  Common human fears would ensure disruption.  However, and it isn’t expected that you’d understand, intermingled with the randomness is an order to govern it.  The random selection applies only to individuals who have reached the heights of their self-exploration, whose cognizance of their own mortality grants them expansion into uncharted planes of consciousness.

For nine months, another human enveloped you inside her body, feeding you nutrients to sustain and sculpt you into a separate life, complete with your own mind, body and heart; complete with the capability to make your own decisions and deal with the consequences; complete with the knowledge of your mortality and the passing of time.

Of the duration of those nine months, you couldn’t see the work being done to you, the results of months of careful incubation.  You didn’t know there was any purpose for you at all; you were ignorant of the concepts of time and the burden of cognition and emotions.  All you could perceive were your needs for the time, what was required to continue your survival.  Had you the capability to feel and wonder, mayhap you would have been frightened to think of your limited time in such protective quarters.  Mayhap you would also have been frightened to think of what comes after you leave that place.

Somehow, there has remained the knowledge that upon passing, you will be changed.  One can only surmise such knowledge is inherent, given to us in an attempt to soften the Transition.  Of course, given the extent of the human mind, such knowledge has instead fallen prey to nightmarish expectations, and the fear that on the other side, who we are, what we have become, will somehow be diminished or lost.

The day of reckoning comes and the transition is hard.  What you have come to believe as your world, your universe, is forcing you out into unknown lands without giving you any expectations of what is to come, without giving you any hopes or doubts.  Bright and shining is this new world, and somewhat painful, but your eyes struggle to open and the shock upon your body confirms you are alive!  You live and will contribute to this world and the society in which you belong and then your time will come to again be reborn into the next phase of existence.

Fast forward to that time — wrinkles line your face, and the person looking back at you in the mirror now is wise and learned in many things.  You have laughed, cried, bled, fought, hurt and felt elation in the entirety of this lifetime and are nearing the final stages.  It is grief and disbelief that grips humans during this time because they know big change is nigh upon them and the ignorance of the next phase weighs them with crippling fear.  They are again like the fetuses they began existence as, fearful of the next chapter, forgetting that even though their last transition into this world was tough, they still emerged into it, alive and well.

You needn’t fear the transition — it is your status in this universe, signifying the growth of your spirituality and your readiness to proceed further in the quest for more life.  That’s the thing about this circle of life — it is a circle.  There is no end, only time in between the life you live now and the lives you will live in the future.  Prepare well — what you glean from this life ensures your success and comfort in the next.

I have been taking human souls since the dawning of time, and still they think my name is Death.