She hated hospitals, hated how they smelled - like death with a thick cover of pine scented

antiseptic coated over it, trying to disguise it. However like a child in bad Halloween costume

death's scent couldn't be hidden so easily. It drifted in the air, danced along the sheets, wrapped

itself around the people laying in their beds. From the child here for chemotherapy for the lung

cancer caused by his parents' 2nd hand smoke to the 500 pound man waiting for his triple bypass

because of too many triple cheeseburgers. Death wrapped it's arms around them and left it's scent

on them.

The old woman, frail now, had smelled that smell too many times. Way too many.

But not for much longer. She just had to find the right candidate. That was why she was staring

out the window, looking at the wide sweeping hospital lawns as the children were let out to play.

It wasn't the children who interested her, they were dying themselves and she needed someone

healthy. Someone like the woman who played with them.

Mildred had seen her before. Whenever she could convince the nurse to let her go down to the

nursery and watch the babies through the window. Here there was no stink of death. The woman

had been there, tending to the babies whom's uncaring mothers did drugs, smoked, or drank while

carrying these tiny gifts of the Lord. From her physical features one could tell she was of African

decent. She had the lips that were now almost considered stereotypical and for a white person to

describe them would get them accused of racism. Hair that curled and kinked tightly on it's own.

Yet her skin was whiter the paper, whiter then snow. Her eyes pink like that of white Easter

bunnies. Mildred had gotten close enough to the woman once to smell the reek of sunscreen and

zinc. Confirming with her nose what she knew from her eyes. The woman was an albino.

No matter, she was the right age, she wasn't a nurse, and Mildred found that the woman had no

one that cared about her. Mildred did her homework. The woman's name was Erin Brown. The

surname amused Mildred. Apparently Erin's father, Gabriel Brown, abandoned Erin and her

mother when Erin was born, claiming Mrs. Brown had an affair with her white boss. Refusing to

accept his pale skinned daughter as his just because she was not the color of the moonless

midnight sky the way he was. Her mother blamed Erin for their abandonment and the child was

shipped from one uncaring relative to another.

Parents were fools.

Mildred's own parents had been fools. Accepting their place in life. Claiming one could not cheat

death. Well, they couldn't but that's because they had no imagination, no ambition. Mildred

refused to be held back. Refused to die.

It was remarkably hard to arrange a friendship with Erin. For some reason the woman was only

open with the children. Mildred would arrange for the nurse to leave her where Erin would be.

She tried to say hello, make conversation, Erin would mumble something and wander off.

Mildred enlisted the help of her servant. Well, he really wasn't her servant, he was the servant of

the crystal, but as long as she owned it he belonged to her. He would try to stand in Erin's way or

even once tried to summon her to Mildred's side. Yet she always managed to avoid her.

How was she going to make the switch if she didn't have the girl's trust?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

People were weird and old people were pushy. Erin had decided that just this week. That old

woman who was in for her slowly failing kidneys was very pushy. Always trying to "make

friends" with Erin. It bothered her. Erin didn't like adults. Not those of her own age or older.

They always found her so strange. Hinting that there was something wrong with her. Look at the

adults in her family - suggesting she wasn't really one of them because of the color of her skin.

Like blood counted for nothing.

Yet she had to admit, the old woman was wearing her down. She seemed so determined. Besides,

she'd probably die before they could find her a matching kidney. Death was forever a companion

to Erin.

That was why one day Erin finally said hello back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So why do you volunteer with the children?" Mildred asked. "Doesn't it make you sad to know

most of them are going to die?"

"We're all going to die some day, Ms - sorry, Mildred." Erin replied, sipping on a cup of water.

"Death and taxes are the only things we can be sure of in this life. That's no reason those kids

can't have some happy memories. Most of them down there have been abandoned by their parents

- they can't stand watching their kids die. Someone has to remind them that they're loved. If not

by their parents then by God."

"Bah, God doesn't exist." The old woman scoffed.

"I believe otherwise." Erin said softly. "And you can't change my mind on that."

"You're stubborn, I like that."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mildred and Erin were soon together a lot. Erin didn't know why but it seemed like the old lady

had some sort of hold over her. They talked about everything but themselves. One day Mildred

was going on about how awful being old was.

"I don't know," Erin said softly, looking out the window towards the children's ward. "Some of

those kids over there would trade places with you any day. They'd dearly love to know what it's

like to grow old. But they never will."

"Bah," snarled Mildred. "They can have old age if they want it. I want my youth back."

Turning to look at her Erin noted a very strange look in Mildred's eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The mask itched but if Erin didn't wear it she wouldn't be allowed to talk to Colin. The little boy

lay pale and sweaty in his bed. The oxygen tent basically sealed him off from the other patients.

This was one of the few times he was lucid.

"I've got to go, sweety." Erin said, brushing her fingers through his perspiration soaked brown

curls. "Mildred is expecting me."

"That old lady is creepy." Colin wheezed.

Erin nodded in agreement. "But she's old and will be dead soon." Looking around as Colin was

racked with a coughing fit, she made sure the nurse wasn't looking. Then Erin took her mask

down and leaned close, sucking in the germ filled air escaping Colin's lungs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The crystal sat on the table. Mildred smiled as Erin entered. "I have a surprise for you." She

motioned to the crystal.

It was huge. The size of Mildred's head. Jutting upwards from it's grey stone base. Clear but with

veins of purple in it. The thing seemed to pulse with a life of it's own. Erin frowned. Surely

Mildred wasn't giving this to her? Looking to the old bat's silent servant she felt her frown

deepen. Yet she couldn't resist reaching out, touching it. The glow made her hand looked even

more white then normal....

As Erin touched the cold crystal so did Mildred. Both women felt a wrenching sensation. Mildred

smiled. She knew the sensation all too well. Feeling her very soul being ripped out. Moved.

Ah! Youth! Mildred laughed with Erin's throat, danced with Erin's feet. Young again! Young and

beautiful if in an odd way.

"What-?" Erin said, unable to believe that she was seeing herself, laughing and dancing around

like a mad thing when she was laying in a bed. Looking down at her wrinkled hands. She could

feel the pain of arthritis. Liver spots. Wrinkles.

Erin wasn't stupid. Somehow she knew that her very soul and mind had exchanged places with

Mildred. For a half a heartbeat she was stunned. Then she began to laugh.

Mildred stopped her youthful cantering. Staring at the mad woman in the bed. "Why are you

laughing? You're old. Useless. Dying."

"I'm laughing," Erin said, "because you're dying too! You foolish old bat. You've given me the

one thing I thought I'd never experience - old age." She continued to chuckle. "You dumb old

bitch - I have HIV, well, had - I got the report this morning. I now have full blown AIDS. And..."

she laughed harder at the horrified look on her own former face, "I just purposely exposed myself

to germs from a boy with double pneumonia! I - you - will be lucky to live out the week!"

Mildred screamed with Erin's voice. It was over. All over. The servant smiled and picked up the

crystal, walking out and fading from sight.

Death would finally claim his due.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cindy nearly danced around the crystal. Smiling at her reflection in it's blood red surface. Even

though her reflection was horrid, twisted. The young but hideously scarred young archeologist

had been searching for this ever since that horrid night. That night her drunken twin insisted she

was okay to drive. Causing the accident that left Cindy with this parody of a face. While her sister

walked away with a few scrapes that healed almost overnight. Going onto a million dollar

modeling career.

The servant said nothing. He was just there to care for the crystal and help bring in those who

would be transferred into the former body. The usual lust that most men had when they beheld

Cindy's identical twin sister, Cissy, wasn't there when Cissy slinked into the room.

Cissy, so beautiful with her long blond hair, crystal blue eyes, flawless skin. And stupid. She was a

total moron who could barely add two and two. Always using her looks to get by. Soon, Cindy

thought, she'd be both stupid and ugly.

"Oh - what a big ruby!" Cissy said, "And so BIG!" It seemed to pulse like a heart as Cissy

reached out to touch it.

~~The End~~