Time To Go

This is what I call a dialog. A short story with no narrative. Every thing you read is being spoken by the characters. Your imagination fills in the rest. The different characters can be distinguished by the seperate "colums" of text. In this instance, there are only 2 characters speaking.

Time To Go

An Original Dialog by Jim Walls

It's time to go.
I know, but I'm not ready yet.
You're stalling.
No! Really I'm not. I haven't finished.
In fact, you even had a little extra.
I . . I know.
I did, after all, let you put me off the last time so that you could see your family one last time.
I know. And I am grateful. It was the first time I've had to see some of them in such a long time.
Exactly why I let you go. You must think that I'm not caring or understanding, but I would think that after I put off such an important occasion as this for something that obviously meant so much to you, that you would know that isn't so.
I'm sorry. You did understand and you did care. I really don't mean to be like this.
Now . . now . . that's all right. I do after all - understand. But it is time to go. O.K.?
O.K.
That's better. Now here, take my hand and I'll help you along.
Is it a long trip?
No. Actually, I suppose to you it won't be long enough.
Wh . . what do you mean?
You'll see. We're almost there now. See? Look up ahead.
Nooooooo!
Now don't be like that, after all, I did give you time to go to your reunion.
Noooo! Nooo! Noo! No!
I understand what you're feeling, but as you must understand, I just pick 'em up and escort 'em. Where I escort them to is decided by someone else.
No. No. No. Please, no.
After all, I'm only Death, you understand.