“Miss Marianne! Miss Marianne! Are you okay?” A pack of children arrived at her doorsteps, eagerly greeting her, with unadulterated joy in their eyes upon seeing her. She would never tire of that gaze…

  “I’m fine, my dears! How were you? I trust you had a lovely week and behaved like good children?” She asked warmly, upon which they all nodded with endearing enthusiasm. “Lovely! Well then, don’t just stand there outside; come in!” She beckons them as she steps aside to let them in, which they do almost immediately, but not before hugging her. They were still tiny little things, not even seven years old, so they only managed to reach her upper leg. She couldn’t help but chuckle.

  Marianne walked up to her rocking chair in the living room, where all the children gathered around her, sitting on the floor eagerly. She looked outside the window, seeing her daughter Stephanie and son-in-law Frederick work in the field. She glanced at her with a warm smile and returned to them in kind. She then returned her focus on the children and smiled.

  “Now then... Where should we start today?” Whenever the children visit, they do whatever they want on any given day. Sometimes, the children would talk about their days. Sometimes, they played various children’s games under her supervision. But more often than not, they come to listen to another one of her exhilarating stories. The children loved hearing those. They would listen for ours to her ramblings. Whether it was stories of her younger age, when she spent a month doing survival training, or her escapades as a former huntress, they could listen for hours. The number of questions and comments these curious little creatures throw at her would be startling to most, and yet she embraced them all the same.

  “We want to hear a story!”

  “Where am I?” Marianne finds herself on a hill in the middle of the woods. She doesn’t remember how she got there. She knows that she shouldn’t be here. Or… could it be?

  “Is this the afterlife?” She thinks to herself as she stands by herself, unmoving. She is supposed to be dead. She knows that for a fact. She remembers her final moments alongside her family. The experiences she remembers are far too vivid to be simple delusions. She is somewhat surprised by how calm she feels as though this doesn’t faze her. Being put in such a strange situation, stripped away from all that is familiar, should be enough to make someone panic, yet she feels… numb. Is this what death is supposed to be like?

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  Strange crimson red butterflies are flying around her, circling her, and upon looking in their direction, they land on her for a while, which startled her, yet she didn’t feel scared. Those creatures struck her as odd, though, for they felt so incredibly light on her; it was like they didn’t even exist. The warm temperature they radiate felt real enough. After a while, they disperse, leaving her even more confused. Not any less a stranger is the huge object underneath her. She realized she wasn’t standing on a hill but rather on a fallen tree. It was gigantic. Even stranger, she couldn’t even see the end of this tree, which seemed to travel into the horizon.

  She notices the attire she is currently wearing and feels pretty sure that those are the exact same clothes she wore on her deathbed: a leather jacket with a pale red jumper underneath, paired with a green skirt and brown boots. Apparently, you take whatever clothes you were wearing with you to the afterlife. It's rather convenient but strange, nevertheless.

  Not having any direction, she decided to travel along the path of this tree, hoping that there was some destination at the end of it. However, she couldn’t see the end of either side of the tree, so she had to go by gut instinct anyway on where she would travel. She is shocked when she walks around and finds someone in this isolated place. She hadn’t felt this way for a long time. The last few months of her life were spent almost entirely bedridden, and now she feels completely fit. She felt like she could quickly go for a sprint without issue, which honestly excited her. She would have hated to be restricted by her body, even after death. Even if she is still not as spry as her younger self, she at least doesn’t have to worry about keeling over on her way to wherever she is heading right now.

  “If this is the afterlife, where is everyone else? Are all the dead here? Is he here?” The question falls on deaf ears, for she has no idea. Could she finally reunite with her loved ones? With her husband, who departed before her? She doesn’t know. She has no choice but to keep walking.

  Traversing this unfamiliar place, she notes that she can’t recognize the ecology here. Without a doubt, it isn’t the local one she is so familiar with, but it also doesn’t truly fit with any of the other ecologies she knows of. She sees something resembling a squirrel running past her. Still, upon looking more closely, this animal possesses fins, and the moment she realizes this, the creature jumps into the water, not reappearing above the surface again. Unsettled by this discovery, she starts to have doubts about the location where she arrived.

  “Just what is this place?”

  Suddenly, she hears a voice from beyond the bushes. She is relieved that she was able to find someone. This person sounds young. The lower and rougher tone suggests that this is a young man. Confused about why a child is out here in the wilderness, she heads towards the voice, and then she sees him.

  Pale green skin.

  Small stature.

  Crooked nose.

  Long ears.

  This was not a human. This being quietly stared at me with hostile apprehension, dagger in hand, as though it was ready to strike. She was sure of it, and yet she was confused all the same. It was a creature everyone knew of. It was also a creature that shouldn’t exist.

  This one was clearly what she knew as a goblin.