October 2025 - Entrant

Henry Odde awoke dazed, surrounded by mists swirling around. 

He whipped his head this way and that as he heard a click-clicking sound. 

“Welcome to the departure lounge, Professor,” a loud voice boomed. 

As he peered through the mists, dark and menacing shapes ebbed and loomed. 

Watching, he saw the mists lighten, but it became so much colder. 

He jumped out of his skin as he felt a tap on his shoulder. 

Behind him, a skeleton with blue glowing eyes stood grinning there. 

Henry Odde’s jaw dropped open. All he could do was stand and stare. 

The figure carried a scythe and wore a long, flowing jet-black cloak. 

Rapidly blinking, Henry shook his head. His voice wavered and broke. 

“Are you Death?” he asked. He looked down at his body. “Am I dead?”

 Death nodded. “I’m here to guide you the rest of the way,” he said. 

Death looked down at Henry’s feet and then back up into his face. 

“Odd choice of footwear,” Death said. “The blue flippers are out of place.” 

“I love blue-footed boobies,” said Henry, “especially their feet. 

It’s a great conversation starter for anyone you might meet. 

… Wait?” stammered Henry. “How am I dead? I was looking for a book.” 

“Come over here and you will see,” Death murmured, pointing below. “Look.” 

A vision appeared … blue flippers sticking out from a large book pile. 

“Do you remember what happened?” Death asked with a mischievous smile. 

Henry groaned, “Loving blue-footed boobies, I wanted to know more. 

An old friend of mine told me about this out of town used bookstore. 

I made a mistake … A fatal error of judgment on my part, 

when I asked the guy at the desk about Boobies and where to start. 

The idiot mistook my blue-footed booby affection, 

and sent me to the back, toward the erotic fiction section. 

When I arrived at the section with these flippers on my feet, 

I couldn’t turn around, and reversing, an even harder feat.” 

“The end came when you slipped,” Death said. “The shelves and books fell on your head. 

Such a weird death … Alternative booby books killing you stone dead.” 

The surrounding mist lifted. “And now,” Death said, “the choice is yours.

 You simply have to pick and walk through one of these wooden doors.” 

Ahead stood two doors. Each a different shade of booby blue. 

Henry furrowed his brow, wondering which one he should go through. 

“I advise you to choose wisely,” Death said, “for you have much to lose. 

You must use your knowledge of your beloved boobies to choose. 

One of them will send your soul into eternal damnation. 

While the other leads to an appropriate reincarnation.” 

Henry studied the blue tones on each door carefully, filled with dread.

 Then he smiled. “Brighter booby feet reveal health and good genes,” he said. 

As Henry stepped through his door, he heard familiar whistles and brays. 

He knew he’d chosen well and that his future held blue-footed days.