The Great Killer

A hermit was descending from a hillock when he noticed a figure passing through the dark forest. He soon realized that the passerby was not human.

“Who are you? Where are you going?” asked the hermit.

“Holy man! You should be able to recognize me. I’m a servant of the God of Death!” replied the figure.

“Have you come to meet me?” inquired the hermit.

“Oh no, I’m headed to the locality. An epidemic is about to strike the area, and a thousand men and women will die,” he said ominously.

A month passed, and the epidemic wrought havoc in the area, resulting in the deaths of five thousand people. One day, while seated on a rock, the hermit saw the servant of Death climbing the hill.

“Hello, where are you going?” asked the hermit.

“I am returning to my abode. My work is done!” the servant of Death exclaimed.

“I’m afraid you did more work than necessary. You said that only two thousand were to die, but my information indicates that five thousand have perished,” observed the hermit.

“The fact is, the epidemic claimed only one thousand lives,” the servant of Death replied. “The other four thousand died simply out of panic!”