‘Yes, of course I can see you,’ I said, trying to ignore the random appearance of a sharp looking scythe. I couldn’t explain what just happened and I didn’t want to either.

‘But you shouldn’t be ab...look, I need to get past,’ the hooded figure before me stepped to my left but I followed and remained firmly in its way; no one was breaking the rules on my shift. ‘Just let me past and I’ll be out of here before you can say “There isn’t an afterlife”.’ It tried darting to my right but I channeled my county-level amateur dodgeball days and ducked back in front of him.

‘I said, “family only”,’ I said, beginning to feel the agitation redding my face. ‘If you don’t turn around now I’m going to have to ask you politely but firmly to leave the premise.’

The figure, it’s face shrouded in darkness under the heavy hood, flicked back the robe covering its hand and checked a watch on a bony, skeletal hand. My eyes widened, I felt myself gulp. What kind of trickery was this?

I heard some muttering and turned round to see faces watching from all around the waiting room. I had completely forgotten where I was. And in that moment, the skeletal, robed figure must have seen it’s opening because the next thing I knew it had shoved me out of the way and was darting down the corridor towards where we kept the terminal patients.

‘Stop right there,’ I shouted. My offensive instincts kicked in and without thinking, I threw my clipboard straight at the running figure. It was all I could do to hold back the cheer as the clipboard walloped the intruder on the back of the head and it flew forward, skidding on the floor.

I jumped on its back and took it in a headlock. But something didn’t feel right. I knew the feel of a human body from my semi-pro wrestling days and all I could feel here was emptiness. And bones.

I let go, the hooded figure slumping to the ground. Slowly, methodically it got to its feet, brushed down its robe and carried on walking.

‘Up you get,’ a voice said beside me. I looked up to see another hooded figure standing above me, face too in complete blackness. ‘That was silly wasn’t it.’

‘Err, family only here, you can’t come here...’ I trailed off.

‘Yeah, yeah, I think you realise it’s time to go, don’t you? You messed with the inevitable. The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins? I’m afraid you can’t change that.’

I felt an odd calmness about me. Like I had already accepted what was happening to me. This other hooded figure before me held his bony hand out.

‘Come on, death is not the end of an adventure but the start of a new one.’