The Poo-Poo Man
The Grim Reaper was having a bad day; he was hopelessly behind schedule and losing ground by the minute. His first four collections had been routine and efficient: deaths caused by old age, lymphoma, liver failure, and a heart attack. All four souls had been ready and willing to go.
The schedule-wrecking culprits had been three unanticipated demises: murder by a jealous ex-husband, a broken neck from a fall, and a grisly traffic death. Each of those events had necessitated his immediate attention—the collection of souls ripped abruptly from the body was often difficult and time-consuming—but he had eventually prevailed with patience and a bit of ingenuity. Now his fifth scheduled collection was meeting with inexplicable resistance.