In the last edition of Teen Ink, a fictional piece titled 2:19 A.M. caught my attention and never let go. The author, Ro Aliha, does an amazing job at reeling the reader into the words on the page by starting the story in the point of view of an unidentified narrator. This unknown character reads out the introduction to the reader, giving an ominous description on who the narrator is. Ro Aliha writes, “You don’t know me. I know I said you do, but you don’t, yet. You know of me.” The narrator then proceeds to soothes the distraught reader by sharing a part of their day. Throughout the piece, the narrator tells of meeting different individuals who all have something worth talking about. The narrator is acquainted with many people ranging from all different demographics; these people share a bit about their life with the mysterious speaker, and then abruptly leave. By the end of the piece, the narrator talks directly to the reader again, but this time, the reader responds to the speaker, and just like all of the other characters that came and went, speaks about the most notable experiences in their life. The last line of the story reveals who the narrator is; the speaker all along was Death itself, and every person that had been spoken to, including the reader--they’re all dead.
   

This piece kept my mind running for days after I had read it. Immediately following my first read through, I had to return to the first line and do it all over. After learning that the narrator is actually Death, the story becomes more horrifyingly addictive and intriguing. I was shocked when I read back some of the lines that foreshadowed who the narrator was. This unique piece provides two reads that have different impacts on the reader; the first read involves a feeling of curiosity, while the second read makes the reader wish that they didn't know so much information so that they could be spared from imagining all the characters that had to die in order for Death to meet them.
   

Overall, this piece was hauntingly beautiful.