Traveler - Soul Stealer

As you can imagine, throughout my travels I have met many people. One of them, a particularly sad fellow who lived in the Land of Lost Souls, contacted me recently.

The Land of Lost Souls is every bit as bleak and depressing as its name. Here reside all those who have passed on, but have not yet accepted their final fate. They are often victims of accident or murder, and have therefore died before their time. These unfortunates wander the land aimlessly, wondering why they died when they did, and feeling sorry for themselves. The rest, including my friend, just refuse to embrace the afterlife.

The land is colorless, and void of interest. It actually takes a great deal of resolve to remain in such a lifeless place. But live here they do, until they accept what has happened. They all do eventually; it just takes some longer than others.

As I said, all eventually accept their fate, but sometimes, a fate worse than death befalls them. It sounds trite, I know, but it is reality in this land. A being of great power, and as old as time itself, preys upon the inhabitants. It has gone by many names over the millenia, but one name has always prevailed--Soul Stealer. It is because of this being that my friend, Gershin, contacted me.

The Soul Stealer is ruthless, but not particularly devious. A vigilant person, as are all this land's inhabitants, can avoid its rather clumsy attacks. However, once the Soul Stealer targets your soul, it will persist until it fulfills its desire. A single mistake, or being caught unawares, is usually enough to give the Soul Stealer the advantage it needs. Usually, I say, because there has been one, and only one, soul who escaped.

This soul now rests eternal, safe from the Soul Stealer's reach. Gershin wanted me to contact this soul, and learn its secret.

The journey was short, but difficult. Had time not been a factor, it would have been much easier. But I didn't know how long Gershin could continue to fend off the Soul Stealer's attack. When I reached my destination, I spotted the soul almost immediately. I wasted no time explaining what I needed.

After listening to my story, the soul sat there with a smug air about it. (They all have that smugness about them; it is rather annoying.)

"The answer is simple, really," it said. "All you have to do is give in to the afterlife. The problem with this simple solution, however, is that after rejecting it for so long, it's not easy to do. You have to believe, I mean truly believe, in it. And that is not something that can easily be done."

I thought about this, and it made sense. Such a simple solution, yet so difficult. "How did you accomplish this?" I asked the soul.

"My way worked for me, and for me only. Your friend must find his own reason to believe."

I thanked the soul, and offered him a favor in return. "Keep your favor for now, Traveler, but do not rescind it, for some day I may seek you out." I agreed, and took my leave of the soul.

When I returned to the Land of Lost Souls, I told Gershin the plan.

"So all I have to do is accept my death?" he asked.

"That's all," I told him. "But it's not going to be easy. How long have you been here now?"

"It has been a long time," he admitted. "I see what you mean. To finally accept what I've rejected for so long. It can't be easy. Not if I have to truly believe it."

"Gershin, for you to live on, this is what you must do. The Soul Stealer will not stop coming for you. Please, look into your heart and accept your fate."

We sat for a long while. Gershin had a look of intense concentration on his face. "It's not working," he said. "After all this time, I can't just think differently."

"Then change your thinking. Think about those who have gone before you. Think about anyone you knew was dead, yet appeared before you in some way. You may be dead, but you are not forgotten. Your lifeforce lives on, in your children. All that is left now is to make peace with yourself. You owe it to yourself, Gershin. You deserve the peace."

Suddenly, a relaxed look appeared on Gershin's face. He smiled. For the first time in a long, long time, I saw a genuine smile. "He's on his way," I thought to myself. He then looked into my eyes, and thanked me. He started to fade before me, but I was not sad. I knew I would see my friend again soon.

It was at this time that the Soul Stealer found his prey. There was one last chance for the Soul Stealer, for Gershin had not yet completely faded from view. With a leap, it sought to engulf my friend. This I could not allow. I blocked its path, and bore the full brunt of the massive creature hurling through the air. We went down in a heap. I looked around, and saw just the two of us. Gershin had finally gone home. (Although, to tell you the truth, I still wasn't quite sure where home was. Gershin was quite the antagonist in his day, if you catch my meaning.)

The Soul Stealer was furious at losing another soul. It glared at me, and I knew I was about to become the object of its revenge. Although my soul was not for the taking, it did not mean he could not harm my physical body. And harm it he did. He beat me mercilessly, and only when another unwitting soul crossed our paths did he stop.

I was in agony for days while my body mended itself. The rigors of travel have hardened me, but not so much that I could fend off the Soul Stealer's attack. But I did what I had to do. Gershin was a friend, and had I needed to give my life for the salvation of his soul, I would have done so without a second thought. Honestly, though, I have to admit I'm glad I'm still around.

I am The Traveler, and this is but one of my tales.