Death's Messengers

Hey there.  When I was in high school, I would enjoy going to my AP Physics class.  Not so much because physics are thrilling, but because my teacher would start the class with a zen story.  These stories were meant to have the students think outside the box.  He deemed them, "thinking can't tales" and I looked forward to them.  They fascinated me.  They were indeed thought provoking and more often than not, I thought about the story well after class ended.  Well today, I came across a story that took me back to those days in class.  Let me tell you the story of Death's Messengers.

Death, attempting to take a giant who's time is up on Earth, loses the battle and is left dying himself. Just as Death was about to perish, a stranger comes to his aid. Death wants to reward the stranger but he cannot spare him from the stranger's inevitable fate. So as a compromise, Death rewards the stranger by promising to send his messengers before his death.

Many, many moons later, when the stranger is an old, old man, Death's fingers tap the stranger on the shoulder. The stranger, upset that Death has come for him without sending his messengers, lashes out at Death for not holding his end of their compromise. Death calmly proclaims to the stranger that he did, in fact, send his messengers: Illness, Old age, and Sleep. With that, the stranger thanks Death and closes his eyes for the last time.