I stood there astonished. Never in the nearly 4 billion years I've known him have I ever seen him cry. Never. I followed in astonishment after him. The other four were easy to catch. We relaxed in the sun patting our full bellies. The island now devoid of human life. Cain was oddly silent. "What was that back there?" I asked. "What are you taking about?" he replied. "You were crying" I said. "Pfft. No I wasn’t. Some dust got caught in my eyes is all" he said. An obvious lie. "So now you see how being an agent of death can be difficult" he said. "I do admit it's tough. Cain. You can't do this. Look around us. Even you have to admit this is beautiful" I said. Cain stared forward. "Beautiful yes but you know what also beautiful? Silence" he said. Cain disappeared. He was hiding somehow. I went back to his apartment to check on Esperanza. After teleporting there I saw her just staring at the ruined city.

I quickly whipped up some clothes and sat next to her. "You hungry?" I asked. "No. I ate more people" she innocently said. I could only imagine how many thousands were dying inside her belly. "Why can't I kill bad people?" she asked. "Killing is bad in general. It makes people sad when you kill someone" I said. "I miss mommy and daddy" she said silently crying. "I know. Why don't we go somewhere" I said. "Like where?" she asked. "Disneyland" I said. The girl's eyes lit up. Guess she's heard of the place. I created for her a dress be gave her comfy sneakers and socks to wear. Minutes later we were strolling up to the gates. I watched her have fun. Ride the coasters. Laughing and playing. Part of me wanted this to last forever. I loved this girl very much. I began to think about her future. A future where she would live and possibly in some orphanage. Suddenly my life felt...lonely. Loneliness. A human feeling. By The time we came back it was after dark. Esperanza was nodding off to sleep. Run ragged today. The city was gone but in its place was a tiny house.

Cain sat in front of it just staring at it. He didn't even notice us behind him. "Cain what is that?" I asked. He spun around and quickly made the house vanish. "Nothing. Just bored. I'm turning in. Got lots of work tomorrow. By the way. Tick tock Eva. One day left" he said closing his door. After putting Esperanza to bed I sat down on the sofa. I was curious to know what he created that consumed his attention. I waved my hand and the house reappeared.  A simple house like you find in the suburbs. An average car. Even had a lawn around it. Unusually detailed for someone who barely had any experience with my powers. I got on the floor and peered through the front window. Inside was a woman about 4 inches tall with Sandy red hair. I barely saw her face. She appeared to be 27 or 28 years old. Strange. Why didn't I know her age or for that matter her name? I should know this. Anything created by me or my powers I knew. I know every human on Earth. Why not her? A tiny boy around 9 runs to her. I don't know him either! Why!?

This disturbed me greatly. I had to know. I broke the windows open and grabbed them both. The woman screamed and hulled her son close as I pulled them out. They were freighted of me and shook in my hand. "Who are you?" I asked. The boy buried his face into his mother's chest. "Please don't hurt my son! Cain! CAIN! HELP!" she screamed. "You know my brother?!" I yelled. My voice hurt their ears. "Sorry. How do you know my brother?" I asked. She was too frightened to answer. I felt bad for scaring them. Tearing them out of their home. I made them disappear. I sat there staring at the empty floor dumbfounded. What did Cain do? Why did her create humans that knew him? Why didn't I know what they were?! It took me a long time to go to sleep. These questions plagued me as I tossed and turned.

Cain was gone by the time I woke. Esperanza was watching Sesame Street and eating cereal. "Morning sunshine" I said. "Morning Eva. Watcha gonna do today?" she mumbled. "Go see my brother. I'll check back around lunch" I said getting dressed. She waved as I teleported away. Cain was staring at the after effects of a car wreck in Italy. "Morning or afternoon" he said. "We need to talk" I said. "Talk" he said. "About that house..." I said before he raised his hand. "Just was thinking about having fun is all. That woman looked like she can ride a giant dick" he chuckled. "And the boy?" I asked. He spun around quickly. "Fuck you say?" he asked pissed. "A boy was there. I saw him before you made it vanish" I said lying. He relaxed. "Was just going to use him as leverage. I'm not a monster" he said. "Plans for today?" I asked. "Some minor stuff. Murders. Accidents. Nothing until after 4" he said. "Then let's go" I said. We bounced around the world as I watched him take lives. Every moment I had was spent trying to convince him to change his mind. No headway at all. I even told him I'd make a new virus. No even a consideration. Esperanza was okay so I returned to Cain. As we stood on a hill and watched a plane crash Cain stood silent.

"Trying your best aren't you?" he finally said. "It's not working is it?" I asked. "It never was going to no matter what you did with me" he said. "Then what was the point if your mind was already made?! You made me get naked and kill off an island with you!" I yelled. "Well first of all I didn't make you do anything. That was your choice. I sensed you enjoyed it on some level I may add. And second, I just wanted to see if you'd go so far as getting naked" he said. I slapped him. "You're a fucking twisted entity and I'm ashamed to even be related to you" I said coldly. "I am as dad made me. Now if you excuse me I have a pressing engagement with a soviet spy in Berlin" he said disappearing. He hid again. I was almost out of time. I went back to his apartment to see if he would show up back there. If not we're all screwed. Just as I was about to take Esperanza out for dinner Cain appeared. "Let's go out to eat! I'm in a happy mood!" he yelled. "That spy said just what I wanted him to say" Cain whispered. "Hey young human female! Wanna grab some Mexican food?!" he yelled at Esperanza. "You're weird" she said. "The weirdest kid! Now let's go!" he said teleporting us away.

Within moments we were in a restaurant in Mexico City. "I figured you take us to a local place" I said. "Fuck that. Why do that when we can go get the real shit?" he said. He called us a table and we were led there by a Maria. A girl of 21 who had a father that owned this place. It was late so it wasn't many people here. "I'll have the burrito Tejano and a big tequila. Eva" he said. I ordered my food as well as Esperanza who was enjoying the outing. Cain wolfed down his food like he was nuts. He was getting drunk too. Cain got up from his seat and found a jukebox in the corner. He formed a peso coin in his hand and put it in the machine. Mariachi music started playing. "Let's dance Eva" he said. "Not in the mood Cain" I said. "Come on. The world is gonna end tomorrow. Let's get our groove on before then? No? Aw...Esperanza come on. Eva here wants to be a downer" he said. Cain took ahold of her hand and led her to an open area of the floor. Cain began to dance and Esperanza smiling began to as well. Cain held her small hand and her waist as he led her.

As Cain looked into her eyes I felt a sense of happiness and love. Was it the booze or was he really happy with her? His expression changed when the music ended. Another song began playing. "Aw yeah! That's my shit here! You know how everyone has a song just for them? Here's mine!" he said. He began singing along with the tune. "Seasons don't fear the reaper! Nor do the wind the sun or rain! We can be like they are. Come on baby don't fear the reaper!" he yelled loudly. "Sir you're disturbing the other customers" a man said. Cain rolled his eyes at him. "Go and have a seat honey. Time for dessert" he said. Cain was gone for several minutes. It got very quiet in the restaurant except for the music. Cain returned carrying a tray with three fried ice creams. "Why are the waiters carrying that?" I asked. "They're busy so I just helped myself" he said sitting down. Esperanza poked her ice cream. She never saw fried ice cream before. Chocolate with a brittle shell. Small sprinkles were on top. "Dig in. This place will be closing soon" Cain said.

I shrugged and dug in. It was delicious. Even the sprinkles gave off a sweet and salty texture. "You like Esperanza?" he asked. The girl enthusiastically nodded. Cain smiled. Cain tore through his ice cream and even sopped up the sprinkles. He smiled at eating them. Esperanza giggled at him when he got brain freeze. "You think that funny chocolate mustache?" he asked. Both of them laughed. I scooped up a dab of ice cream and a sprinkle and admired it wondering how someone thought up the idea of frying ice cream. What was that? Did that sprinkle move? I lowered my head to get a better look. "Cain..." I whispered. The sprinkles weren't sprinkles at all. What was on my spoon was a man 38 years old the size of an ant. I saw his mouth moving but he was too small for me to hear. No doubt he was screaming for me not to eat him. I looked at the other "sprinkles". All of them were people.

"You got a sprinkle there kiddo" Cain said pointing to the corner of Esperanza's mouth. I could barely see but a boy not much older than her was mired in sticky ice cream. I saw him struggling to get free. Before I could say a word Esperanza simply stuck out her tongue and licked the boy into her mouth. She swallowed him with no effort at all. I dropped my spoon in horror. I had eaten more humans without knowing. How many were in my stomach right now trying to stay above my acids. Acids ready to break down their bodies for nutrients. I had eaten human before but only to try appeasing my brother. The greater good and all. Now though he made it clear there was no changing his mind. This was cruelty for the sake of it. I ran from my chair and quickly cased the restaurant. Empty save us. No customers, cooks, waiters or waitresses. He shrank them all and dropped them onto our desserts.

"WHY?! Why Cain?! Why be so cruel?!" I yelled. Cain sighed. "Guess you noticed. It's fine. We had to leave in about two minutes anyway" he said. "I asked a fucking question!" I yelled grabbing his collar. "Calm down. They're meant to die tonight anyway. It's better in my opinion to die this way than the alternative" he said pulling my hands off him. He grabbed Esperanza. "I suggest you leave with me. There's a gas leak here and is meant to go off within a minute. Everybody would've either died instantly or slowly burned to death" he said coldly. "This was another job for you?" I asked. "Contrary to what movies may say death doesn't take a holiday" he said disappearing. It was then I smelled gas. I teleported out seconds before the restaurant went up.         

"You're sick! Fucked in the head!" I yelled at him. "You don't know shit. I've been doing this since the first amoeba learned to crawl. Destroying things earlier than that. Humans got it easy. Live, fuck, work, and die. That's it. Human children see their parents fight and it yelling, shit getting broke, maybe a mom gets beat. Me? Ha! I remember when mom and dad got to fighting over me. This was before you existed. Dad wanted me to help him blow up stars. Mom wanted me to help with her newly forming Earth. Know what dad did? Crash a new planet into the Earth. Broke the fucker into a million pieces. I ended up helping mom put it back together. Then you come along a billion or so years later and all of a sudden I'm the creepy kid. Getting the shaft and doing the dirty work ever since" he said glaring at me.

"So you hate me? Is that it? This is why you want to end all this? It isn't all about you!" I yelled. "IT'S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT ME!" he yelled slamming his fist against his wall. A picture on the ledge fell off and hit the floor. He looked at it with remorse. I reached down to pick it up. "DON'T TOUCH IT!" he screamed. He reached for it and I moved. Oh my god. "Cain who is this? I've seen her before! She's younger in this picture but this is the woman I saw in that tiny house you made! Why don't I know who she is?!" I yelled. He snatched it from me. He sighed at the broken frame. His hand touched it tenderly and he winced as his finger was cut. He looked in surprise at the fact he was actually bleeding. A being older than Earth itself was bleeding. "Who is she?" I asked. "My old girlfriend. She's out of the picture now" he said putting the picture back on the ledge. "So she left you? This why you decided to kill everyone. This is what set you off? A creation of mine dumped you so you decided to get back at both of us at the same time? Motherfucking petty. Nuke the Earth because you didn't get any more pussy. You did something to her. It's the only way I don't know of her" I said. "Never" he said. "Please. You just shrank a fuckload of people because they told you to be quiet. What did you do to her Cain? What twisted thing did you do?" I asked. He grabbed my arm tightly to the point it hurt.

"Let go!" I yelled. "You wanna know what happened? Wanna know why I want humans gone? Fine. I'll fucking take you to her and you can see why I want humans to burn" he said. We were gone one second and appeared in a grassy field the next. It was dark until Cain formed a ball of light in his hand. Lightning flashed overhead. A storm was coming. With the light I saw we were at a cemetery. He knelt down and I saw a headstone before us. "Eva meet Hanna Stokes. Hanna this is my sister Eva" he said. The dirt was fresh on the plot. The date said she had died just two months prior. "She’s dead. Why didn't I know her name?" I asked. "I'll get to that. 6 months ago I appeared in human form for the first time in decades. After taking care of some work I ended up at a bar. Man did I get wasted. I fell off my stool and there was this human girl pickling me up. Hanna. Hair that reminded me tangy grapefruit. Eyes that seemed to see right into me. "Get up drinky. Either get up or pay rent" she said smiling.

"I found myself going back to the bar just to see her. Being human meant I fell in love. And man did I love her. I couldn't believe how nervous I was just trying to talk to her. I followed her home one night and shrunk down. I watched her on and off for a week in her apartment. I ate crumbs and drank condensation while admiring her perfect giantess body. Her sexy feet and toes. Toned tummy. Beautiful tits. And her lips. Pouty and panted either pink or black. One night I chose to have some fun with her. I climbed onto her bed and rubbed her feet. I still remember the scent of the strawberry foot lotion. Loving her actually hurt. I did nothing else to her. If I wanted it to go further it would be because she wanted to be with me."

"I left her room that night and returned the next night. Being the one who controls death I can see how death takes course. Like that paint can the other day. A man walked in front of me and I saw her death approaching. He was going to mug her and she would fight back. She would get shot and bleed out in the street. No. I wasn't going to let that happen. A car was coming and I used my power to cause his tire to blowout. The car veered toward me and the man. It jumped the sidewalk and ran the guy right over. I saved her life. A death God saved a life. The heresy of it. Me a being that resided over wars, plagues, and genocides brought low by a girl from Buttfuck Town Mississippi. I went over to make sure she was okay. She recognized me. "You're the drunken guy that comes in all the time" she said. "And you're the country bar girl that didn't like my acrobatics that night" I said. She laughed. God she had a cute laugh"

"I talked her into getting coffee and it started from there. Lunches, dinners, dates and then a couple. Hanna was 19 and enrolled in college here just outside of DC. Worked as a bartender to pay rent and tuition. One night we got to her place and it was pouring rain.  She invited me to stay the night and I agreed. We ended up having sex. I'm telling you now sex is the best thing you ever thought up sis. I was the happiest I ever been as I looked into her eyes and came inside her.  She was a kinky girl. Anal, doggy, 69, she even had me lick her feet which a gladly did. She asked me to move in with her and I did. The apartment isn't mine but hers by the way. Three months later I had her go to the doctor because she kept throwing up" he said. "You don't mean..."

"Yeah Eva. She was pregnant. Guess even an Old One can father a kid if he's in human form. We began discussing marriage. Two months passed by and we counted the days till our wedding. Hanna said she needed something from the store and got into the piece of shit Pinto of hers and drove off. Why did I let her go alone? A few minutes later my power revealed to me she would die in a car wreck.  I tried to teleport to her but found I couldn't. I didn't realize at the time but carrying my baby changed her. My blood was in her. Blurring the lines between human and divine. Like trying to read fuzzy words. I panicked. Then I finally could feel her. I teleported immediately. I was too late. Her car was crushed in the front. She was slumped over her steering wheel still alive but mortally injured. She was in so much pain she couldn't speak. I saw surprise in her eyes to see me and happiness. Not afraid. Happiness. She raised her hand to touch me and I gripped it. When I did her life was gone and so was my unborn son"

I heard the cracking of broken glass and I saw that the car was no stranger to me. It was the same one I caused to run over that mugger. My choice set into motion her death again. The driver was drunk. Later I learned he started drinking to get over the guilt of killing that man. I changed the rules and the rules found a loophole. Good old dad and his cosmic balance" he said slumping to the ground. It began to rain hard. "She died Eva and she never knew who I really was! Humans have every advantage and they piss it all away! Greed, drugs, drinking, bombs, guns. It doesn't matter! They will destroy anything and not one of my family will do a thing about it! Where was dad when I wanted to be happy?! Couldn’t even give me 80 fucking years! Mom is too angry to even lift a finger. She could've made his car hit a pothole or make it rain hard enough Hanna would've stayed in. And then you. Why did you make her so perfect?! WHY?!" he asked. I could only watch as he sobbed her name.

Cain sat there for some time before he took us back to the apartment. Esperanza was asleep in front of the TV. Cain said nothing as he picked her up and carried her to her bed. He undressed her and covered her up. He gazed at her. He kissed her forehead gently. "I would've made a great dad I think" he quietly said. "Cain will you reconsider?" I asked. "It all ends tomorrow. All of it" he answered as he went to his room.

September 26, 1983. This would be the day either the human race lived or died. Cain had promptly hid himself from me. I was desperate. I expected a flash of light and death at any time. I watched the news constantly. "Cain was acting weird this morning. He hugged me real tight and was sad" Esperanza said. I patted her head and tried to smile. The thought of losing her terrified me. "Mom! Dad! I need help. I can't find him!" I yelled. I heard the patter of bare feet behind me. I turned around. "Mom is that you?" I asked. It had been thousands of years since she took a human form. Not since she was once called Gaea. Apparently she liked the old clothing of the time. She stood before me. Skin like polished brass. Glistening white toga. Her hair was long and wavy with the color of acorns. Her eyes were the color of fresh grass. Her feet were bare with long unpainted toes. "Hi honey" she said softly. A slight breeze filled the room as she stepped toward me. The air smelled of orange blossoms. "Mom" I said hugging her. I cried like a child. "Shhh....it's okay. Don't cry" she said softly. "I tried mom. I really did. He's going to destroy it anyway" I said. Mom let go of me and sat on the sofa. "You're really pretty" Esperanza said. "Thank you dear. You're pretty too. Can I talk to...Eva is it? Can I talk to Eva alone for a while" mom asked. Esperanza nodded and went to her room.

"Mom where is he? I have to try to stop him. Together we..." I said before mom raised her hand. "Sit honey. We still have a little bit of time" she said. She touched my shoulder and I felt some of my power enter her. She waved her hand and a small Ancient Greek temple appeared before her. She smiled at the worshippers inside. Tiny. Barely an inch tall. "I can see why you and he did this. It's different in human form. Powerful and exciting" she said. "Mom he's doing this because he lost someone he loved. He blames us for it. He hates us" I said watching a tiny man give what I assumed was the head priestess a goblet. Hard to tell at their size. "Rightfully so. Your brother has always had a hard existence. Me and your father didn't help at all. Did I ever tell you where we came from?" Mom asked. "I...I never thought about asking" I said. "We don't know how we came into being. All we know is when we did the universe was filled with light. It took unimaginable amount of years before we could even see each other it was so bright"

"When we did we knew we were destined to be with one another. For billions of years I watched your father craft stars and galaxies. I did nothing. It troubled me knowing I had a purpose unknown to me. To cheer me up he created your brother. For a time it helped me. I thought my purpose was to help them. Then your father declared your brother to destroy those beautiful stars. It was the first time I ever got angry. Why create someone whose purpose was to destroy?  I was upset for a long time. He created a brilliant yellow star and declared it was going to be part of his greatest achievement. He told me he would give me the job of forming what he called a planet. When I began collecting rocks and debris I knew I found my purpose. I called it Earth. Just before I was done I and your father got into a heated argument. He wanted your brother to oversee a new concept he had planned. Death. The termination of existence. I was furious. He had already had him blowing up stars so why this dark thing? I argued that Cain should help me with creating this new world. Destroying parts of it to form something better. Like a sculptor. The argument ended with him taking a planet that I had discarded and crashing it into my Earth. It was shattered" 

I didn't speak to your father for quite some time. I reformed the broken world and had Cain help with the fine tuning. Then you came along. So innocent and sweet. To apologize he had you given the gift of creation. The task of creating life. I was so happy. Even the simplest amoeba seemed miraculous. Then Cain killed them. I took out my heartbreak on him. It was unfair. He was only doing his job. That was the start of the wedge between him and us. Life is finite for a reason. You know this as well as your father and me. Checks and balances. Birth and death" she said reaching down and plucking up the priestess. The tiny girl was scared and awed at the goddess before her holding her between her fingers. "For every action" she said tossing the girl into her mouth and quickly swallowing her. "...there is a reaction" she said pointing to the temple worshippers bowing before seeing a powerful priestess become food for a goddess. Mom pushed her bare feet to the temple steps and pointed to them. Afraid they all ran out to worship them. Mom closed her eyes. "You should try this. All those tiny hands and tongues on my soles and toes" she hummed. "I have" I whispered.

"Your older brother had a dark job thrust open him. Only understandable he is...adverse to it. For the longest time he endured it. I helped him along and like a nice sister so did you with your malaria and smallpox" mom said. "Mom he was in love" I said. Mom gave a sad look. "I know. When we take human form we take on their emotions too. Like right now how I'm enjoying tiny people. This one polishing my toes. Handsome and young" she said plucking him up. She stared at the young man for a moment. I was astonished to see her reach down with him in tow and shove him under her toga. I realized she had no undergarment on. Mom groaned as she shoved him up her vagina. "Mom!" I yelled. "Sorry. I just felt this overpowering urge to shove him up my reproductive system. As I was saying...ohhh. Ahem. As I was saying. When your brother took human form his human mind became burdened with that resentment. Resentment 4 billion years in the making. A lot for a human mind isn't it?"

"I was so happy he found love. I really was. What mother doesn't want their child to be happy? Then we saw what he did sparing her life. Your father was angry. Cain had disrupted the balance in a way even an Old One couldn't see. What troubled us more was now this human girl was changed. She was something even we didn't know. You yourself didn't know she carried life in her belly. It set a terrifying precedent. Something outside our control. A flaw in the system. A system that could run independent. Just set the laws it worked on into place and step back. Events fell into place that made sure not only had she died but the unplanned life in her as well. We had no idea that would happen. It wasn't just we let it happen. We didn't know. Hmmm...he stopped moving" mom said glancing down. "Your brother needs to know that we grieve as much as he does but destroying everything won't change what his role in existence is. All he will do is wipe away what evidence there was of his happiness and leave him a cold barren world to reside over" mom said. Mom stood up.

"Let's go to your brother" mom said taking my hand. And like that we were gone. We teleported to a large room. Sirens so loud it hurt our ears. Giants surrounded us. Again I was no bigger than an insect. This time mom was with me. "Over there" she said pointing to Cain who was touching a ginormous shoe. I gazed at the titanic human. Stanislav Petrov. 44 year old man. A member of The Soviet Air Defense Force.  My powers told me enough to know he had the power to end the world. "Cain! Stop!" I yelled at him. He released his grip on the shoe and looked at us. "Hi sis and is that mom? Going with the classical look I see. I told Regan to begin moving his missiles so I figured it was enough to get these guys antsy. A computer glitch just said the United States fired a missile. This guy just has to give the word and the Soviets respond. I figure about 700 million dead within the hour. Another 2 billion week's end. The species should be extinct within a decade. What's a decade to someone like me right?" he asked. Cain was smiling strangely.

"Cain I'm sorry about Hanna but don't do this" mom said. Cain grabbed her throat. "You don't get to say her name! You and dad just stood there and let her die!" he yelled. He released her throat and mom coughed. "I got a world to end" he said touching the giant again.  The sound of a phone ringing was heard. "Yes sir I see them too" the giant said on the phone. "We didn't know she would die. We would've done something if we knew.  We wanted you to be happy!" Mom yelled. He released his hold on the giant. "It's not right. It must be a malfunction" the giant said on the phone. "Really? How could you possibly not know?!" Cain yelled. "You created something wondrous and unknown. A mix of divine and human. We were...blinded" mom said sadly. "I...I knew she was different. I just wanted her and my son" he said. New alarms went off. A soldier shouted that there were 4 new contacts.

 "No. I won't be burdened with having to destroy life any longer. Having to stay non-corporeal so I won't feel for them. An eternity having to extinguish creations so beautiful and miraculous. Better to just end it this way" he said sorrowfully. He touched the giant again. I could see the giant staring at the screen. His trembling massive hand reaching for the phone. "If you do it won't end. I'll have to wait a very long time to create life again and this cycle will just start again. You tell him to launch and you'll wipe away everything you ever loved. That bar you fell in love at will be ashes. The apartment; rubble. Every place you took Hanna will be gone like it never existed. Like she never existed" I said.

"She existed" Cain said. "And don't forget Esperanza. You love that girl. I know it. She loves you too and is worried about you" I said. "I don't love her" he said softly. "That's a lie and a bad one at that. I'll prove it" I said. Within a second an 8 year old girl sat in my hand. Esperanza was frightened and shocked at seeing me so huge. "A copy? Really?" he said. "I teleported her from the apartment and shrank her. Sound familiar?" I said. "What's your point?" he asked. "If you don't love her then you have no problems with me eating her" I said. He gave me an astonished look. "You wouldn’t" he said. "Yesterday I marched around naked and helped wipe out an entire society. Yes I can" I said. Esperanza began to cry and wail as I dangled her over my mouth. I began lowering her in. "STOP!" he yelled. "Why? What does it matter to you how she dies? Digestion or vaporization? What does it matter to you?" I asked. Cain leaped at me and snatched her out of my grip. Cain stared at her. The girl was crying and he petted her. I waved my hand and she was gone.

"A copy" he said softly. "Of course she was but you see how you reacted? There are millions of kids out there like her. Hopes and dreams in their hearts. Your pain will only get worse if you do this" I said. Cain latched on to the giant's shoe one more time. Mom stepped forward and touched his hand. "Let it go honey. Let it go" she said softly. Cain looked at mom. He let go and hugged her tightly. Cain sobbed into her chest. Me and mom hugged him and just before we teleported away we heard the giant speak. "The contacts are gone. It was a false alarm. Standing down our missiles" he said.

Back at the apartment, mom hugged him to her. Mom was crying too. Esperanza came out from her room wondering what was going on. Cain saw her and hugged her tightly. "Cain! Too tight!" she said. Cain chuckled at her. We ordered pizza and just relaxed. Mom was enjoying human food for the first time in a long time. Dad even appeared. "Hey" he said nervously. "Sit down. We are going to have a conversation that's been coming for a very long time" mom said. I listened to them talk about old fights and problems. Surprisingly, dad was accepting of it all. "You make a valid point. It is a trying task for someone. I promise to be here for you son of you need me. No more backseat parenting. From now on you can whose what you want to do. If you need help as us" he said. "I don't want to be death anymore dad. I want to live a human life" Cain said.

Mom and dad nodded. "Son the world needs death" he said. "Can I fill in from time to time? Maybe that would help" I said. They looked shocked. "You serious sis? We both know you're squeamish" he said. "Cain. Go live your human life. Fall in love again. Have a family. Your job will still be here" I said. Cain gripped my hand. He looked worried. "Go ahead" I said. A large portion of his power flowed into me. At first I didn't notice anything different until I looked at Esperanza. I saw her death. She was old and in bed. She was surrounded by people. The older ones looked like her. Then I saw two other people staying next to her. Me and Cain. The fifth time I was ever humbled.

"Eva. You're crying" he said. "I'm alright. Just saw something beautiful" I said. "Yeah. Rarely death can be beautiful" he said. And like that I was in charge of creation and death...

60 years later...

I sat in a diner waiting for someone. The years have been hard on me but with help I endured. Small plagues coupled with explosions of births. Esperanza, my adopted daughter was celebrating the birth of her newest grandchild. I myself married and had kids. Dad and mom were kind enough to make sure that nothing would harm them. Now that we knew what to feel out for. To keep appearances I aged like a real human. My hair greyed and I got wrinkles. Soon though I would have to let go of this mortal form which is why I'm sitting here right now. Waiting. Waiting for my brother. I see him come into the diner and sit down across from me. Cain chose another form 5 years ago after his wife passed. His two kids are fine though. This time he told them what he was. A bold decision but it worked out. "It's time sis" he said. "Okay" I said. He touched my cheek and then got up and walked outside. It hurt just for a second and then nothing. Heart attack. I was nowhere and everywhere again. In my normal form. I returned to being human.

I walked to the diner and saw him smoking a cigarette. He looked sad. "Hey" I said. He looked at me and then realized it was me. "Took you long enough. Let's go back to my place. Whipped up a period Roman boathouse complete with 2 inch shrunken humans" he said. "You still doing that?" I asked. "You're only as old as you feel and who doesn't like having fun with tiny people. I call dibs on the slave girls" he said licking his lips. "Pervert" I whispered. "Speaking of shrinking. I've been working on the overpopulation problem. Hear me out. Shrinking disease. Humans catch it and shrink. It doesn't kill them and it free ups space. So?" he asked. "Sounds nice. I'll look into creating the germ. Right now let's just have fun. It's been a long death shift and I want to prop my feet up so to speak" I said. "Sure thing just don't crush too many when you do" he said laughing. It was his turn to be death and I planned to enjoy my time off...

All too often we turn our backs on the black sheep of the family. We condemn them. Judge them. Even persecute them. Maybe they deserve it but then again maybe if we walked in their shoes we might understand them. And understanding is the first step to acceptance. This has been another episode of The Size Zone...