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After a while he becairl Ysabell was lean-big on the half-door, her chin in her hands
'Are you a servant?' she said
Mort straightened up
'No,' he said, 'I'm an apprentice'
That's silly Albert said you can't be an apprentice'
Mort concentrated on hefting a shovelful into the wheelbarroo more shovelfuls, call it three if it's well pressed down, and that ht, call it five, before I've done halfway to the
'He says,' said Ysabell in a louder voice, 'that apprentices become masters, and you can't have more than one Death So you're just a servant and you have to do what I say'
and then eight more barrows means it's all done all the way to the door, which is nearly two-thirds of the whole thing, which means
'Did you hear what I said, boy?'
Mort nodded And then it'll be fourteen more barrows, only call it fifteen because I haven't swept up properly in the corner, and
'Have you lost your tongue?'
'Mort,' said Mort mildly
She looked at him furiously 'What?'
'My name is Mort,' said Mort 'Or Mortimer Most people call ?'
She was speechless for a ain
'Only I've been told to get on with this,' said Mort
She exploded
'Why are you here? Why did Father bring you here?'
'He hired ot hired And me'
'And you wanted to be hired?' she snapped 'He's Death, you know The Gri you becouely at the wheelbarrow
'I expect it'll turn out for the best,' he said 'My father always says things generally do'
He picked up the shovel and turned away, and grinned at the horse's backside as he heard Ysabell snort and walk away
Mort worked steadily through the sixteenths, eighths, quarters and thirds, wheeling the barrow out through the yard to the heap by the apple tree
Death's garden was big, neat and well-tended It was also very, very black The grass was black The floere black Black apples glea the black leaves of a black apple tree Even the air looked inky
Alter a while Mort thought he could see – no, he couldn't possibly iine he could seedifferent colours of black
That's to say, not sireen and whatever, but real shades of black A whole spectrum of colours, all different and all – well, black He tipped out the last load, put the barroay, and went back to the house
ENTER
Death was standing behind a lectern, poring over a map He looked at Mort as if he wasn't entirely there
YOU HAVEN'T HEARD OF THE BAY OF MANTE, HAVE YOU? he said
'No, sir,' said Mort FAMOUS SHIPWRECK THERE
'Was there?'
THERE WILL BE, said Death, IF I CAN FIND THE DAMN PLACE
Mort walked around the lectern and peered at theto sink the ship?' he said
Death looked horrified
CERTAINLY NOT THERE WILL BE A COMBINATION OF BAD SEAMANSHIP, SHALLOW WATER AND A CONTRARY WIND
'That's horrible,' said Mort 'Will there be many drowned?'
THAT'S UP TO FATE, said Death, turning to the bookcase behind hiazetteer THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT WHAT Is THAT SMELL?
'Me,' said Mort, simply
AH THE STABLES Death paused, his hand on the spine of the book AND WHY DO YOU THINK I DIRECTED YOU TO THE STABLES? THINK CAREFULLY, NOW
Mort hesitated He had been thinking carefully, in between counting wheelbarrows He'd wondered if it had been to coordinate his hand and eye, or teach hi home to him the importance, on the hureat men must start at the bottoht
'I think' he began
YES?
'Well, I think it was because you were up to your knees in horseshit, to tell you the truth'
Death looked at hi time Mort shifted uneasily from one foot to the other
ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, snapped Death CLARITY OF THOUGHT REALISTIC APPROACH VERY IMPORTANT IN A JOB LIKE OURS
'Yes, sir Sir?'
HMM? Death was struggling with the index
'People die all the time, sir, don't they? Millions You ave Mort the look he was co to be familiar with It started off as blank surprise, flickered briefly towards annoyance, called in for a drink at recognition and settled finally on vague forbearance
BUT?
'I'd have thought you'd have been, well, out and about a bit ot a picture of you with a scythe and stuff'
I SEE I AM AFRAID IT IS HARD TO EXPLAIN UNLESS YOU KNOW ABOUT POINT INCARNATION AND NODE FOCUSING I DON'T EXPECT YOU DO?
'I don't think so'