Jhon, the sower

Jhon was a man who had spent 40 years working hard as a sower. One day, exhausted from so much effort, he decided to sit on a hill and wait for death. It didn’t take long before she arrived—prominent, elegant, with a pale face. Death sat beside Juan, looked at him, and said, “Here I am, man. I have come to take away your missery.”

Juan did not respond. He simply bowed his head and let out a long sigh. Then, Death asked, “Why do you look like that? Wasn’t it you who called me?”

Juan lifted his gaze and said, “It’s just that, after so many years of working hard in the fields, I feel as if it would have been the same to just sit and wait for you from the very beginning.”

Death pondered for a moment before responding, “I shall return later. I have much work to do.”

And so, Death left.

Jhon remained on the hill, waiting for her return. Three years passed before she came back. When she arrived, she sat beside him once more and said, “I have returned.”

Intrigued, Jhon asked, “Why did you make me wait for three years?”

Death replied, “So that you would continue sowing.”

Jhon shook his head and said, “I did nothing in these three years. I had enough food stored from all my hard work before. I just sat here, waiting for you.”

Death looked at him sternly and said, “Then I shall return later.”

Another three years passed, and this time, when Death returned, she did not find Juan on the hill. Instead, she found him in the fields, working the land. She approached him and asked, “What happened? Weren’t you tired?”

Jhon stopped, wiped the sweat from his brow, and replied, “I grew bored of waiting. So I decided to do the only thing I know how to do.”

Death smiled faintly and said, “Now you understand. Boredom is worse than exhaustion. We are all here to fulfill a task. I do not take the lazy ones; they are already dead, and they are useless where I take them.”

And finally, Death took Jhon.

This story is part of my book “Short Stories to dream, think and cry a little” available on Amazon.