Sitting on the edge of a cliff...legs dangling...

Sitting on the edge of a cliff...legs dangling. It'd be easy to fall. A couple of seconds of free-fall, and a prayer the fall kills you instantly. Good job I'm not suicidal, "Ha Ha!"

I stand up, flick my cigarette butt over the edge and immediately bump into someone skinny...tall...grinning...without lips.

"Hello" beams the stranger.

I wheeze out the words, "Hello...Death."

"Now, I've got you down for a 3:15 appointment." He pulls out a clipboard chirpily from inside his robe, "Red tape, can't get away from it, especially in my line of work. Now if you could just sign here please." He hands me the clipboard.

"...How?"

"Sorry?"

"(Cough) How do I die?"

"You slipped I'm afraid, fell to your death."

I turn around, staring incredulously down the cliff, "No I didn't!"

"Ah yes, well our policy is to register people a minute before death, saves people the actual pain of dying. Then our controllers take over and your body does what it's supposed to do. Less trauma that way. Aids the transition."

"But who says I fall to my death?!"

"Fate. It's all scripted I'm afraid."

"I don't believe it - I reject fate!"

He straightens up, his mood shifts "...I could just push you."

"..."

"Good, then we're agreed." He rolled a black sleeve up his bony arm and checked his watch, an old school Casio, "Time of death, 3:15pm. Sign here please." His skeletal finger tapped the dotted line at the bottom of the clipboard.

"Can the smoking not just kill me?"

"We've been over this. You know I'm really not against pushing you. Besides, death isn't the end, you've got years ahead of you." I stare at him, mouth gaping. He sighs a tired sigh, somehow. His rib cage clatters as he straightens back up, "This will all be explained in the induction session, now, if you can please just SIGN HERE."

I bring the pen up to literally sign my life away, "WAIT! I challenge you to a game of chess!"

"Fine." He took the clip board off me, put it back inside his robe, snatched the pen from my hand, and pushed me off the cliff.

Before I knew it I smashed on the bottom, no chance to pray for a quick death. Thankfully it was. I laid staring at the sky feeling numb, a skeletal face looked down at me, holding out a hand. He pulled me to my feet. Staring at my own body I felt insubstantial.

"Time of death, bugger, 3:17. Cause of Death...fall from cliff edge." He glared at me, or at least pointed his face at me and handed over a pen. "Sign here please."