– O jooj! Nemoj se ljutiti! – zacvili nesretnik.

– Dosta prenemaganja! Vrijeme je novac – pogleda Smrt na sat. – Što ti ono hoćeš? Odgodu? Dobro! Nema problema! Potpiši! – pruži mu olovku i nekakav formular.

– G… gdje…? – upre on drhtavom rukom, a Smrt već na rubu strpljenja poviče: – Tuuu!! Što si se utrtario?! Tu potpiši! Odgodu! Što je?! Buljiš, a?! Ne možeš vjerovati?! Eh druškane, pa i ja sam samo sitan kotačić nebeske birokracije! I ja nekome račune podnosim! O.K.! Dakle, kad naučiš voljeti!? Tako si rekao?! Važi, ali ti savjetujem da doista naučiš voljeti, jer non quam diu, sed quam bene vixeris refert, iliti nije važno kako si dugo živio, već kako dobro si živio; a život bez ljubavi baš i nije previše dobar – demonstrira mu Smrt svoje poznavanje mrtvih jezika, u ovome slučaju latinskog, pa digne dva kosturska prsta u znak pozdrava – Ali we need is love! – kiselo se nasmije i nestane, a Van Der Graaf se probudi…

… probudi se pored svoje prekrasne, mlade, crvenokose žene.

– Ahh! – zastenje, stisnuvši se jače uz nju. – Sanjao sam užasan san. Bio sam ludi pisac i, brrr, htjeli su me ubiti, a onda mi je Smrt produžila život!

– Ne brini. Ništa ne brini – prebaci mu ona sneno dugu toplu nogu preko trbuha. – Spavajmo dragi, još je rano. Spavajmo -Poljubi ga i – Volim te – reče.

– I ja tebe volim! – zagrli je Van Der Graaf pa opet zaspi. Ona je neko vrijeme još osluškivala njegovo sve ravnom¬jernije disanje, a onda je i samu svlada spokojan san.

Poslije, kada se probudila, u krevetu pokraj nje ležao je njen mrtav muž.

“Don’t get cross!” the poor wretch squealed.

“Enough! Enough of pretentiousness!” The Grim Reaper turned its hollow eye-sockets to the watch. “Time is money! What was it that you wanted? Prolongation of your life? O.K. Sign here.” Death handed him a pencil and some kind of a form.

“Whe… Where…?” he extended his shaky hand, while Death, losing patience, shouted, “Here! Let’s keep moving! Sign here! Postponement! What’s up? You’re staring, huh? You can’t believe it? Hey, chum, I am also just a small cog of the cosmic bureaucracy! I also have to show my bills, there is someone out there to whom I have to give my report too. So, that’s what you’ve asked for — until you learn to love? You’ve got a deal! Take my advice: learn to love! Because: non quam diu, sed quam bene vixeris refert; or — doesn’t matter how long your life was, but it matters how good it was… and, without love life isn’t worth living!” With the last sentence Death showed off his knowledge of ancient languages, in this case Latin, and then he raised his skeletal fingers in the air as a greeting. “All we need is love!” With a sour grin, it disappeared into darkness.

Van Der Graaf woke up…

… and found himself lying next to his beautiful, young, red-headed wife.

“Ahh!” he moaned pressing tighter against her. “I had a horrible dream. I was a crazy writer sentenced to death, and then Death itself had saved my life!”

“Don’t worry, dear! Let’s get back to sleep.” She put her warm, long leg over his belly. “It’s early morning.” She kissed him. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Van Der Graaf embraced her and fell fast asleep.

For a little while, she was listening to his rhythmical breathing, before the calm dream came over her as well.

When she opened her eyes some time later, she found her dead husband lying next to her.