The sun rose over the town of Carmel, Maine, highlighting all the Birch trees. Houses were spread amongst the trees almost like living within a postcard picture. Every house was almost submerged in the woods. Carmel was the one place where people could be one with nature because it was inevitably around them. A faint breeze swept over the trees bringing the faint smell of the wilderness over the houses. Carmel was a very small town that did not hold many people. It’s the kind of town where you knew everyone growing up.
In this small town most residents felt like there wasn’t that much that went on. But for one resident this was not the case. He lived on Cook Road. He lived on a bumpy road that wound and curved the further it went. Woods surrounded either side of the road with houses that poked out occasionally. Most of the houses looked like painted log cabins. He lived just past a horse barn up the road at the top of a steep hill. His house was a pale sky blue with black shutters. On top of the garage was a blackbird that looked like a raven and a crow. A rather large driveway created a nice opening into the patch of woods. The pale blue house opened up the clearing striking against the dark of trees. A dirt path wound up behind the house leading to an open field. In the heat of the afternoon a yellow school bus pulled up to his drive. A tall boy with black hair and blue eyes sauntered off the bus and into the driveway. The leaves rustled on the ground as the wind hugged his black hoodie. He entered the garage shutting the black and white striped door behind him. He climbed the green stairs and shut the door to his house with a small sigh of relief.
He set his bag down in the entryway and went to the sunroom. He sat at the computer and logged on.
Jay, a 17 year old boy, who has never spoken a word. He sits in the back of the room with stark black hair and piercing blue eyes that are as cruel as the silence he radiates. His mom walks in and watches him.

“Jay, how was school?”
Nothing but silence.

“Jay, you have never spoken a word. Please just let me know that there’s someone in there.” He gave her a faint smile and gently shook his head.

“No, Mom, I can’t do that. I am a thinker. Thinkers work best when they don’t speak. I’m at my best, my brightest when I don’t speak,” he said silently in his head.
Jay’s mother just looked at him for another moment hunched forward in suspense. But as the moment passed she slipped backwards in her seat. He could see the defeat in her eyes. She walked over to him and gently ruffled his hair.

“As much as I’d love to know what person lies underneath the surface I can say confidently that he’ll say something great,” she said. She gave a fragile smile and walked into the kitchen to prepare dinner. He watched her leave the room and he sank a little in his chair.

“I’m sorry, Mom. When I finally have something important to say I’ll make sure you’re the first to know,” he said silently in her direction.
The afternoon dragged on slow almost like thick molasses. Yet his thoughts raced a thousand miles a minute. He couldn’t stop thinking about what his mother had said. A lot of times in his life people had asked him why he didn’t speak. It was such a simple reason that no one seemed to get. He lay on the black leather couch looking at the white ceiling fan in his livingroom. He watched the fan whirl around in circles imagining his thoughts catching rides on the blades. He pictured what he would say to all those who had questioned him like he was a felon who had committed the worst of crimes.
“I haven’t had the urge to speak. I never felt it was important to talk. Actions can speak just as loud as words. After all, look at the people who silently protest. Their actions speak the loudest and they don’t even utter a word. I sit and watch my peers, my elders, my family, my friends and see the mess words create. When I choose to finally say something I want it to be important. I don’t want to add to the mess this world is. I only want to clean it up,” he proclaimed silently.
He popped back to the present looking around as if he was in unfamiliar territory. He slowly rose from the couch and looked to the stairs. He made his way to his room. He turned left down the hall and went to the end. There hung a single string in which he gave a faint tug and a ladder swung down. He climbed up and his head popped up into the floor of his haven. As odd as people found it he really enjoyed having his room in the attic.
He pulled the ladder back up and then flopped onto his bed. He looked all around his room and a smile washed over his face. His room was painted a stark black. Amongst the black was a sea of words painted in white. His room was like his giant journal. He spent hours among hours painting his thoughts on the walls, the floor and the ceiling.
“One day...one day I’ll bring Mom and Dad up here....they’ll see what I am constantly saying all the time,” he mused silently. He slowly dozed off with a small smile on his face almost as if it had been painted. He slipped away wrapped up in a blanket of words.
Jay awoke in a panic. He jumped in his bed with a cold sweat pouring down his forehead. His blue eyes glanced frantically around the smothering darkness. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was there. He felt like he had been transported to some other world, some other place. He sat there for a few moments listening to the deafening silence. Then he heard it! Breathing. He could hear it so distinctly. It was rapid and raspy as if it were coming from someone incredibly ill. Or even worse something that had died. He froze. He took a breath.
“Don’t panic. Keep calm. Get up and look for it,” he silently coached himself.

He slipped his feet onto the cold floor and gently rose. He walked quickly over to the light switch almost as if he were avoiding pins and needles. He turned on the light and looked around. Nothing. Nothing was there. All he saw was the words scattered amongst his walls, his safe place. Like a rock wall the words stood out and helped him stand. He shook his head and laughed a little at himself.

“Jay, you’re losing it. Don’t panic over nothing,” he laughed to himself.

He shut the light off and climbed back into bed. He curled back up in his blanket of words and drifted off.

His alarm rang at seven a.m., but to Jay it was like hammers banging on the walls. He sat up looking around groggy and out of sorts. He rubbed his eyes and then slowly worked his way around the rest of his face. He looked around his room and everything was as it was when he went to sleep. He smiled to himself.

“It was all just a dream. I must be losing my mind,” he assured himself silently.

He got up and got dressed. He put on his black skully shirt and a pair of black jeans. He grabbed his black hoodie and his backpack heading downstairs. He sat at the kitchen table and gave his mom a good morning smile. She brought him a bowl of his favorite cereal, Kix. He ate them slowly.

“Jay, honey, are you alright? You seem a little out of it.”

Jay gave her a nod and a small smile. She ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead.

“Well, if something is bothering you let me know. Have a good day at school.”

He nodded assuring her he understood. He got up and made his way outside to the end of the driveway. It was a cooler morning. The sky was a deep blue and the birds were chirping. It was as if they seemed to echo throughout the entire neighborhood. He watched the leaves rustle in the wind. He could tell that fall was coming soon. The bus roared up the road stopping at his driveway taking him out of his daze. He walked swiftly across the road and boarded the big yellow boat. The kids often called the buses boats because they always brought the familiar sounds of boats skimming the water.

He sat down and pulled out his ipod. He always listened to music every morning. He felt that it always prepared him for the long day ahead. After about twenty minutes the bus pulled up to the school. Jay went to all his classes but he felt out of it. He felt like there was something, a presence or a being, following him. He didn’t feel it he knew whatever was there was watching him intently. He was determined to find out what it was.

As the day rolled on Jay lost his focus. He was elated when three p.m. arrived. He wanted to get home as fast as possible. He jumped off the bus and ran inside. He went straight to his room. He tossed his backpack to the side and grabbed his white can of paint. He found a clear spot and started working. What are you? What do you want? If you want something come and face me. He stepped back and looked at what he’d written. He stared at it for a while and decided to leave the open can there. He wanted to see if this being would respond. To kill some time he grabbed a book and went down stairs to read for a while.

Jay had made quite a dent in his book. He had made it through about half of the book. He rose from the couch and glanced at the clock. To his disbelief, it was nearing nine p.m. He looked to the stairs and started for them quickly. He jumped up the stairs taking two at a time as if they were hurdles. He skidded around the corner and down to the end of the hallway. He jumped up into the attic forgetting about the ladder. He ran over to the spot on the wall where he painted the taunts. The words were gone. The black space was just as it had been before.

Jay stumbled backwards and fell onto the floor skidding into the corner of his room. This wasn’t possible. How could the words just disappear? Jay took a few deep breaths. He stared at the spot for hours. He couldn’t believe it. Where could they have gone? He finally managed to pull himself from the ground. He knew there was no use in staring at the wall. The wall wouldn’t give him answers. It would merely mock him. He changed into his pajamas and shut off the light. He climbed into bed hoping to find some source of comfort and familiarity. No matter how he tried he couldn’t sleep. The dark was too still. He knew something was there. He knew he would have to face it. All he could do was listen and wait for the ominous presence to become a reality.

After a few hours of laying in wait, he finally got his interaction. The blanket started to tighten around his body. Jay couldn’t move. His body began to tingle and vibrate. In an instant Jay felt like he was trapped in a box of utter darkness. It was almost like a cage. And he was trapped with whatever was inside with him. He was suspended in mid air. He looked around and listened. There it was! The breathing! This time it was different. The raspy sound vibrated through the air. It vibrated through his being and tugged at his soul. The feeling overwhelmed his body making it impossible to move even an inch. What was this cold feeling? He heard the slight sound of a deep, thick humming. It vibrated through the air and into his body. Then the deepest voice spoke.

“Your soul is so calm and collected. Tell me child, would you like to have the power to see what’s within?”

Jay didn’t respond. He floated there in the utter nothingness wondering what this presence was. He thought about what it might want.

“Tell me child, do you know what I am?”

Jay didn’t reply. He floated there aimlessly. He hadn’t the slightest clue.

A deep melodious laugh erupted. It echoed in the silence sending waves of vibrations and colors through Jay.

“I am the silence. I am what takes away your very being. I am known as a dark angel, a bearer of sorrow. I am known as a demon, a burden. I am known as the end itself. I am known to carry a scepter with a sharp point. At the end of that point is where the end starts. I am the cold, icy sensation those get when I bestow my touch. I am a collector of souls to be put to rest. Tell me child, what am I?”

Jay’s eyes widened.

“I am Death. My child, not many people in existence get such a rush with me. You’ve caught my eye. You have the power to speak yet you’ve never tapped into it. I’ve looked into your soul. It’s a quiet, calm one. You’re the quiet one.”

Jay looked around trying to see Death. But he soon found he was surrounded in it. Darkness. Quiet. There was no rush, no gravity, no reality. So this was the end. This was death.

“My child, not many are bestowed this natural ability to hold their tongue. My child, I have plans in store for you. Number of times I have chosen a reaper: 1. You will be one of my reapers. You must take the souls of the dead. But, my child, you will have the hardest task of all. You will have to give them the will to move along without speaking a word. Your blue eyes will be your scythe, your tool. Show me that the power of action is stronger than the power of words.”

The voice stopped. Jay was still afloat in the mass of darkness. Suddenly he was engulfed in a bright light. He tried to move and wriggle as the light seeped into him. The intensity of the heat inside him was almost unbearable. Suddenly it all stopped. He looked around. He was back in his bed wrapped up in his blanket. He jumped up and ran to his light switch. He flicked it on. Everything was normal. He walked over to the mirror.

He stared long and hard at his pale reflection. He didn’t look any different. Death’s words rang through his head. He couldn’t picture what Death meant by his eyes would be his tool. He froze when he heard that familiar voice.

“Watch, my child. I will show you.”

Right before his eyes his skin turned an almost translucent white. His eyes turned ghost white with a bright ring outlining his pupils. His hair turned a reddish black looking as if blood was pulsating through it. Jay gripped the desk for stability.

“This is your reaper form. You will know what to do when the time comes.”

The voice faded and Jay’s expression went back to normal. Jay scrambled to his bed and collapsed. He awoke the next morning feeling drained. He couldn’t believe what had happened. He walked over to the mirror and looked at his complexion. It happened again. The change. He did not falter or stumble this time. He looked head on and saw something amazing. He saw his soul. It was a light green flame with tints of every color swirling around amongst the heat. It burned strong and silently. The flames were huge and enveloped his body. Jay shut his eyes and looked again. He saw his normal complexion. He had to get outside. He got dressed and grabbed his hoodie. He made his way outside of the house quietly and headed up back to the field. The path between the trees was so familiar. He knew every curve and wind of it. He could walk it in his sleep. He glanced along the ground enjoying the presence of all the little pine cones scattered amongst the moss. He looked to his right and saw the beaten down camp he played in as a young child. Curiosity washed over him and he pressed forward. He looked up to see the opening of the field. The tall, tan grass waved in the faint breeze. The smell of the birch trees was strong. Jay went off to the right and sat under one of the old apple trees. He leaned against the trunk of the tree and shut his eyes.

“What is it you want me to do,” he beckoned to Death silently.

Suddenly he felt a jolt. He opened his eyes and he was out of his body. For a moment he saw his body resting against the tree before him. He looked for a moment. The world around him started to whirl and he was in another building. He looked around. It looked like an older home. He saw a fireplace with picture frames above it. He walked over and looked at them. One picture displayed an older gentlemen and an older woman. They looked so happy. He touched one of the frames and memories flowed into his mind. He pulled himself away from the pictures and turned towards the stairs. He walked up them and turned into a room. There he saw the old woman. She looked fragile and ill. The old man was fast asleep in a chair beside the bed. Jay looked at the woman as she stirred in her bed. She looked over and saw Jay standing there. She gave him a faint smile. Jay knew that she knew the end was coming. He knew what he had to do. He walked over beside her bed. She looked up at him.

“I can’t leave him here all alone. We’ve been married for 50 years. After all this time, I can’t bare to leave him alone,” she said with a small voice.

Jay looked at her with his blue eyes. He focused and sent a flood of flashbacks into her mind. She ran through all the time she had spent with her husband. She smiled every minute of it. With all of her strength, she got out of bed and gave her husband one last kiss. She kissed his forehead gently and made her way back to her bed. She nodded at Jay.

“He’ll never really be alone. I’ll always be with him.”

Jay rested his hand on her shoulder and his expression slowly changed. His eyes began to glow a bright white as his hair pulsed red and black. The old woman’s last breath came out as a sigh. It left behind a faint smile making her face seem warm. Jay’s eyes turned a warm orange, brightly glowing. He shut his eyes and it stopped. He looked over at the old man.He looked at the old man for a small while. He went over and gently touched the man’s shoulder. He let the orange aura flow from his fingertips like water. He stopped and stepped back.

“Now you’ll always have her with you. You’ll never be alone,” he said solemnly silent.

Jay quietly left the room and started towards the stairs. He walked back towards the fireplace and closed his eyes. He opened his eyes to find himself back under the apple tree. He sat for a moment and got up. He made his way slowly back to the house. He walked in solemnly and appeared in the livingroom. His mom looked up from the chair. Relief spread over her face.

“Jay, where were you?! Don’t just disappear like that you had me worried sick!”

“I’m sorry, Mom. I went for a walk.”

Jay’s mom stood there for a moment. Her jaw hung so low it looked as if she would step on it. After a moment she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

“J-jay, you spoke,” she exclaimed, rushing over to him. She hugged him tight. She stepped back and looked at him.

“What finally caused you to talk?”

“I just want you to have something to remember me by as time goes on. I don’t want to be remembered just for my presence. I want to be remembered for what important things I had to say as well.”

She hugged Jay once again and squeezed him.

“Jay, you being here was nice enough. But hearing you speak is a gift in itself.”

Jay sat on the couch and spoke with his mom for the first time in seventeen years. They talked about everything they could think of. Before they knew it ten o’clock had rolled around. Light hearted, Jay went up stairs to go to bed. He painted what his mom said on his wall and smiled. He looked towards the mirror and saw a black shadow. The voice came back in a hushed tone.

“Now do you see, my child?”

Jay smiled and nodded.

“Actions and words are of equal power. Actions can show a lot but they can’t describe how much someone means to you. That’s something I need to start doing more.”

“You understand, my child. I will spare you the ordeals of being a reaper. I’ll see you again one day.”

The shadow vanished and Jay felt normal. He felt at peace. He shut the light off and lay in bed. As he drifted off to sleep he felt peaceful knowing he would be remembered as a whole and not as a part. Actions say a lot but nothing is as powerful or meaningful as the gift of words. Jay fell asleep knowing he would empower his actions with words. It’s possible to reach out in action and in word. Jay now had the power to do both and work peacefully for the rest of his life in a bliss of actions and words.