[ WP ] Each morning , every human on Earth must pray their Reasons for not dying that day to the God of Death . If the Reasons are sufficient , that person will go on living , potentially forever . However , you are the longest living human by far , and people now hunt you in order to hear your Reasons .

I sat at the bar, cradling my gin and tonic. The soft sound of rain tapped on the windows, the sounds of the city around me muffled by brick and drywall. At the bottom of the glass lay self-pity and bitterness, as did the glass before that. And the one before that. My leathery hands lifted the drink, taking a sip of the concoction. It was almost 2AM. Time to go back to my tiny little apartment and rest my head. Every night I go to sleep, I wake up in the morning, not sure if He would take my prayers. 
 
 A man walked in, looking disheveled and tired. He could n't have been more than 19. I shifted in my seat. I knew what he was looking for. This scared little man was trying not to die. And I was the only one who could tell him. He was n't the first one, nor would he be the last one. I've had plenty of people approach me, try to get my secrets. And they knew where to find me. Look for the Old Man in Finnegan's sitting in the same booth he's had since Finnegan's was open. People have tried all sorts of stuff with me. Beating me up behind the alley, ambushing me, threatening me. And they wanted the same thing. 
 
 Immortality. 
 
 And I'd tell them the same things, just like I was about to tell this kid. He approached me, his hands trembling. `` Take a seat, son,'' I said, motioning to the seat in front of me. He quickly sat and took out a gun from his coat pocket. I put up my hands to calm him. `` Now, now, there's no need for that. Let's have a drink, share a chat,'' I said. He slowly put the gun down. `` I... I heard you're the man who has lived forever?'' he asked. 
 
 I nodded. `` 248 years and kicking,'' I said, raising my drink and taking a sip of it. 
 
 `` Y-you do n't look that old,'' he said. 
 
 `` Well, nobody has been this old before. I ca n't say we know what 248 is supposed to look like'' 
 
 `` I... I do n't want to die. Every day, I pray, hoping my life is n't taken from me. I want to know how you've kept Him away.'' 
 
 I sighed. What I was going to tell him would n't make his life easier. It would n't help him cheat death. But he was the first person who just asked me. No hitting me, no terrorizing me. If they wanted me to tell them, they could have asked. I took another sip of my drink and looked at the table. I took a deep breath and said, `` Every morning, I tell the God of Death the same thing.'' 
 
 `` Wait. I should get a pen and a napkin,'' he said, quickly. He patted himself down before I casually raised a finger and shook my head. He would n't need them. I looked in his eyes and said, `` Her.'' 
 
 He frowned. `` That's it?'' he asked. 
 
 I nodded. `` This has worked for over two centuries,'' I said, a melancholy look in my eyes. 
 
 He began to speak. `` Look, I really need to know what you actually s-'' 
 
 `` That's really it, kid. That's really it. You know why it works? It's one word but it has a thousand words behind it. Because I once loved someone - still do - with all my heart. People these days, they sit there listing a thousand reasons. Not being ready to die, a wife and kids, mortgage. And He can sit there for all morning as people beg and sob. But He knows when you're done. When your time here needs to end, when you've lived enough. I have only prayed about one thing, one person in my life. I've let go of the world around me and used her to drive my life. The things you enjoy, the people you love, they're all temporary. But her? When I say it, I put so much more behind it than the person I spent most of my life with. And you need to as well. Just telling Him'her' in your prayer is n't going to do anything but convince him that you're trying to cheat him. And he does n't like that. 
 
 You're going to go home, you're going to think about what I've said. And when you pray in the morning, you do n't use'her.' You do n't do anything until you know exactly what you want to say with that one word. When a single word can direct your entire life, it can direct the God of Death.'' 
 
 His bottom lip quivered. Some people would find what I said completely useless. They'd feel cheated or lied to. Others would be so distraught that they do n't know what it meant that it would motivate them. And that fear is what keeps men alive. As he stood, he smiled. `` I'm so sorry for disturbing you, sir. Have a good night,'' he said. I smiled back and sipped my drink again.
