A Grim Destiny

Jasmine was aimless in life. Her death earns her a title, Grim Reaper, and an ultimatum: accept the position before probation ends or cease to exist. Outraged at having to work after dying she evades her boss (DEATH), ditches training, and ignores cases.

Her friend Reed, a sandman, piques her curiosity by asking for moral support on his first case. A simple task: ease a suicidal child into sleep, making the last few minutes pain-free. Depressing, but manageable. Until Jasmine interferes, suspending the child in a state more torturous than the physical agony in which he’d lived.

Frantic to fix this Jasmine and Reed seek the child’s benefactor. Once they locate him, he mentions a cure for the effects of Jasmine’s error, one which also assures a long comfortable existence for the child. Getting it “just” requires someone willing to retrieve it. Jasmine seizes the dangled thread and follows it into a web of detours so intricate she swears each step forward moves three sideways and one upside down instead.

Best the master weaver, escape the tangle. Find the cure, save the child. Beat the deadline, continue to exist. To do any of this while TIME counts down the seconds, sometimes with annoying literalness, Jasmine must first discover the purpose in her life, er, death.