Life on a Chessboard

In the dimly lit room, a chessboard awaited. "Each move decides a year of your life," said my opponent, Death.

I studied the chessboard thoroughly with a raised eyebrow and a lopsided grin. After a solid two minutes, I finally met Death's eyes, bold and unafraid. I cackled maniacally. "You should have told me it was a regular chess game," I taunted. "Because in life, I never play by the rules."

I flung handfuls of chess pieces across the room, never once breaking eye contact with Death, until the only piece left on the board was my queen.

"The game ends only when the king dies," I said. "If there's no king at all, the game never ends. I'm immortal."

I waited for a reaction from Death. For anger, for punishment, anything. Nothing happened. A hint of a smile played on his lips. "What of the others? Do you not need them?"

"What of them?" I scoffed. "I am a queen! I have free reign over the chessboard. Do you understand?" I threw my hands up in exasperation. "I don't need a knight in shining armour to fight for me, I don't need a bishop to guide me, I don't need a castle to protect me, and I definitely don't need a king who is as good as dead without me. I am immortal without them. I am free!"

"So be it," said Death calmly. "You are immortal, you are free. But you are also alone. Does that not bother you?"

"Everything comes with a price, and I'm willing to pay it," I said. "Besides, relationships only hold me back. A queen cannot explore the full extent of the chessboard that is her life when there are always other pieces in her way."

"Relationships..." Death mused. "Collecting souls is a solitary activity, so I've never had one. One does get curious though, don't you agree?"

I shook my head. "Had 'em, wasted my time with 'em, dumped 'em. Moved forward with my life."

"Do you miss him?" he asked. "The man whose photo is still in your wallet."

I tried not to look startled that Death knew about him. "I am Death," he clarified. "I am all-knowing."

"I am far more successful without him," I said in a raspy voice.

"But are you happy?"

I took a moment to answer. "I don't need a man to be happy."

"How about your friends then?" he prodded. "The girl who took you to the rooftop at night to watch the stars. The girl who baked you cookies before your tests. The girl who always saved you a seat at the lunch table so you didn't have to be alone. Do you miss them?"

I didn't answer. I missed them, but I was the one who'd cut them off. I didn't have the right to miss them. So why did I have tears pricking at my eyes at the mention of them?

"How about your parents then?" he continued. "Your parents whose souls I embraced when you were working late and didn't get home in time to take them to the hospital. Are you so ambitious that you would desert your family?

Death pretended he didn't notice my clenched fists or my nails digging into my palm to keep my emotions in check. "You will be immortal, and you will be powerful. But at what cost? Is the life that you have worked so hard to build worth everything you have lost in the process?"

That was all it took. The dam in me broke, and I sobbed violently for about ten minutes. Death waited for me to finish, his face completely impassive.

"I am Death. I assigned you ambition as your fatal flaw. Your soul will never feel my embrace, but will always long for it. Because a soul as damaged as yours is as good as dead."

I stared at the chessboard, horror-struck at what I had done to myself. I should have been welcoming the freedom that lay ahead of me, instead I braced myself for the loneliness.