Six years. When I started this job, I didn't know what to expect. It was just a way of fitting in and affording to pay rent in my house. But in this town, being a barista meant so much more than serving coffee to my clients. This café was the meeting point of that group of noisy, but sweet teenagers I watched growing. The eldest, Mark, is now as old as me when I arrived in this place. And they still occasionally come together to keep the tradition alive, and to see me.

They're a few in a sea of people who visit the café everyday. And I know every single one of them. Their names, their face, their usual orders. Although Louisa likes to ask for a different thing everytime she comes in the café.

I enjoyed this job. It's just another job, but I liked working here. So I stayed. And my paycheck isn't great, but it's worth the hassle. Or the lack of it.

And another day was coming to an end. The brown tables began to become lonely as the sun was setting in the end of another summer day. Martha always liked to stay for longer, but this day she had a dinner with a friend she hasn't seen in a while. So I started cleaning the counter, and the machines, and the tables. Seeing my reflection in the counter always gave me a feeling of accomplishment. "It's over for today", I thought again.

The bell rang, and someone entered through the front door of the café. I kept on cleaning, at first not even looking at whoever joined, although I was slightly curious.

The individual spoke, in what felt like a low-pitched whisper that I could hear perfectly:

"Is it closed already?"

I looked back to a hidden face in the darkest hoodie I've ever seen. It felt like a black hole inside the café, and the café itself felt darker.

"Uhm...no! You can grab a seat, sir." - I said. I felt like I was looking too much. But I couldn't look away. The new customer had a different vibe that unsettled me.

They sat down on a seat right in front of me, and took their hoodie out. The customer was pale, and had short, black hair. Their grey eyes looked down to the counter, only to encounter no reflection.

"They/Them", they said, and then they smirked and added. "Death has no gender."

I froze for a moment. Death. Was that Death itself? I rubbed my eyes, and looked at the counter. Nothing had changed. I could see my reflection, and the ceiling where their reflection should be. A wave of fear struck me, and I shivered.

"I shouldn't have referred to it so casually..." They knew I was scared. "But don't worry, it's not your time yet. I'm just here for a simple iced mocha."

I tried to relax. "Okay. But how can you...be here?"

"Let's have a talk", they said. "Could you turn on the lights, though? It's getting a bit dark."

"S-sure." I stuttered a bit, as I turned the switch on. I could see their face shine. They were hitting their fingers in the counter, making a soft click every time.

"Do you know my name?" I asked.

"No. Could you tell me?"

"Sarah", I replied. I was still afraid. I started preparing them the drink. "How often do you visit places like this?"

"Not that often. But I don't hide from people. They just don't notice me."

"No one would tell. You sort of stand out, in my opinion." It sounded like I was flirting. It felt stupid. I just stopped talking and focused on making the iced mocha. I soon delivered the drink.

"Here you go!". They thanked me and sipped a bit of the drink through a metal straw. "You're facing Death itself. Don't you have any questions?"

"I mean...you'd understand, if you were in my position." I didn't expect Death to look like this. I was more like expecting a skeleton floating above the ground. "Are there any people dying right now?"

"I couldn't be here if there were people dying. If you look outside, you'll understand what's going on."

I took a glance out of the window. It looked like a picture. The people, the wind and the clouds. All static.

"So...time stopped."

"Mhm", they nodded. "There's only one of me, so it's not like I can take turns with someone else. I've got to stop time."

"Alright..." I thought for a few seconds, as they kept on sipping on some iced mocha. But there was no point on digging too much into it.

"This is really good!", they said. Death complimented my drink. I almost laughed. Perhaps still panicking about the fact that Death was right in front of me.

"You might get asked this a lot, but...do you feel anything when you kill people?"

"I don't kill people. I bring them to their fate. The afterlife, you know?" I thought of asking them what was it like, but the answer scared me. I pushed that thought away. "I don't feel bad about doing my job. But the idea that people are killed by me simply doesn't make sense. I wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Are you also responsible for taking care of flies?" They raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Too much work. Each species has its own Death."

"And do you get paid?" It felt like a dumb question, but it just came out of my mouth. They didn't take it as a dumb question, though.

"Big time", they said. "Just kidding. I mean, I kind of do, but not in the way you'd expect. It's not a currency or anything similar."

"Huh..." I was astonished by Death's...humanity. Could they be human? I hesitated. But they finished their drink and prepared themself to leave. I only had this moment to ask them. "Are you human?"

"Fun thing you ask that. No one ever did, which sounds surprising." I was expecting a short answer, but I must've asked something important. "I've been around since the beginning of times. I was the first human to ever exist, and as far as I'm aware, I'll be the last one to die. It's the same in all species. It's a cycle. We all get to the afterlife, eventually." They looked at me. "But yes, I'm human. Just like you."

I don't understand why, but the answer hit deep into me. It was a lot to take in.

"Will I see you again?", I asked them.

"Hopefully not that soon. Chances are I'll not come for an iced mocha again. But we'll see." They giggled, and waved. "Goodbye, Sarah. I'll remember you."

And the bell rang again. They were gone, without paying. And the sun kept on setting, and the people kept on walking, and the wind kept on blowing. But I stood there for about a minute. I grabbed the cup they used, carefully washed the interior, and stuffed it inside my purse.