Memorial

Amari opened their eyes.

At first she thought they were still closed- that she couldn't open them for some reason. But then he looked down. They could still see their hands…but they looked….soft and…. smooth? That was odd- there were no trace of the scars that had laced their hands, collected from the many accidental slips of razor-sharp knives and many seconds of accidental brushes against hot ovens.

Amari frowned. She had been driving in her bakery's van, on the way to deliver a large batch of orders to a customer. The light at an intersection had turned green, and he had stepped on the gas, just as another car in a horizontal lane-

Oh.

So…I'm dead, aren't I? Amari thought, sighing and rubbing their eyelids with the palms of their hands. Yeah. Yeah that would make sense. She sighed once more before looking around. Still nothing but a pitch-black void….

Amari believed heaven, or at least some sort of place after death existed, but…this wasn't it. He frowned. Perhaps they had been accidentally placed on the outskirts of the afterlife? Amari tentatively placed a foot out in front of her- fortunately, her foot landed on what felt like ground. Okay, so the darkness was solid. That was good to know. Amari set his gaze out into the void ahead of him and took another step.

🦋🦋🦋

After what felt like hours- did time even pass in this place? -of traversing the darkness, Amari finally saw it. 

In the distance, like an oasis in the desert, was what appeared to be a forested area? Without a second thought, Amari ran towards it. Even if it was a mirage, even if it was all for nothing, what did she have to lose? He was already dead- unless the logic from that one book series about cats he had read in elementary school was true, he couldn't die a second time.

Much to their surprise, the oasis continued to get closer and closer, until Amari almost collided face-first into a tree. With a yelp, she dug her heels into the now grass-covered ground, barely managing to skid to a halt before slaming into the rough bark. Amari panted, letting his muscles relax. "What a relief…." They muttered, inhaling deeply. She opened her eyes, sniffing again. The air smelled sweet, like honey and roses and assorted wildflowers. The whole area was covered with strong, flourishing trees, their branches tightly knitted together, full of vivid green leaves. Despite the lack of a light source in this place, the forest was well-lit- not in an ethereal, spooky way, but in a warm way, like sunlight was shining through the canopy. 

The ground was covered in the softest blanket of moss and grass you could ever imagine, dotted with wildflowers, ferns, and the occasional shrubbush. A few feet in front of Amari contently sat a large, flat rock- like something you'd use to mark a trail in your backyard. A few feet away from that rock was one identical to it, and after that was another, and then another-

Oh. It WAS a trail! Amari started down, smiling proudly. It seemed like he was on the right path! …no pun intended. 

After what they thought was a few minutes of following the rocks, the trees surrounding Amari parted, revealing a peaceful little glade. In the middle of the area was a perfectly circular cluster of bright flowers- roses and marigolds and zinnia and yarrow and many many more plants that Amari couldn't identify. Curious, she moved forward to take a closer lo-

Suddenly, Amari felt his foot catch on a rock, and then, he was falling forward, into the bushes. They closed their eyes, bracing for impact, and then-

Amari felt a gentle hand grab her shirt, saving her from a tumble. "Phew-" he sighed in relief, relaxing as he righted himself. "Thanks a lot," Amari thanked their rescuer, turning around.

Behind them stood a being, slightly taller than Amari, with long, black hair, and a longer, white robe. Those were the only normal things about it. Around its neck lay a mane of rose petals, as attached to it as its hair. Below that lay a gorgeous gossamer cloak, delicate as a bug's wings, shimmering in the light. On its back were a pair of actual butterfly wings, gently brushing the ground. And its face- oh, it's face….

Its face was covered with what looked like a live butterfly, complete with antenna, the wings of which hid its eyes and nose, leaving only its mouth visible.

Amari's breath catched, her brain struggling to process what her eyes were seeing. He knew that there were supposed to be angels or ghosts and stuff in heaven or…wherever this was, but he hadn't expected….whatever this was.

"Are you alright?" The being spoke, its voice soft and quiet, but melodic, like the quivering of velvety soft insect wings.

Amari snapped out of their daze. "Uh- yeah, I am now," she said, scratching the back of her head, taking another glance at the stranger. Something about it seemed….oddly familiar, like waking up and reminiscing on a dream, slowly fading with the morning mist. "Er, thanks again."

The being's antenna quivered softly, and started to reach a hand out to her before pulling away. "How….how did you die?" Amari strained to hear the question.

"Oh, uh, car crash?" He replied, shuffling his feet awkwardly. They bunched their brows in frustration. She could've SWORN this guy looked familiar, despite obviously never seeing it before. It was bugging the hell out of them.

The being sighed and gulped down a breath. "I see…." it slowly choked out. "Have you…met my companion yet?"

"....Companion?" Amari asked, confused. "No, you're the first person I've seen here since arriving."

The being nodded slowly. "Ah….that explains…why you're still. Here…." 

"Here?" He asked, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion. 

The being spread its arms, gesturing to the area around the two. "Think of the afterlife as a house," it explained softly. "My garden is the equivalent of the front yard, but…you will not be let into the house unless you speak to the person who lives there- my companion…" the being gulped down what sounded like a…sob?, hands shaking. "Unless…you wish to stay here? My garden…it's small, but it is a beautiful place to live, and…"

"Uh, thanks," Amari started, feeling awkward. "I'm flattered you're inviting me to stay, but…there's a lot of people I've been looking forward to meeting, and…no, offense, but I don't really know you? It…I'd rather prefer to go into the 'house' as you put it."

The being stared at Amari for what felt like a long time, body softly shaking, antenna quivering, inhaling and exhaling with a great effort. "A-ah," it finally spoke, seeming to choke on the words. "I…will call my companion. I…know you will be happy where it takes you."

Amari frowned, feeling a bit bad for refusing- it did seem quite lonely out here, but then again, it did have a friend, right? And they got to live in a nice little forest, so it couldn't be too bad of an existence. "Thanks," Amari told it, putting their hands in their pockets, gently rocking on the soles of their feet for a few seconds.

The being unexpectedly walked past her, towards the flower patch, and picked the most perfect marigold flower Amari had ever seen- its petals were all perfectly shaped and sized, a beautiful golden yellow fading to a burnt orange at the tips, with an elegant, dusty green stem.

"Please," it said, presenting the flower to Amari. "Take this….I grew it myself…"

"Oh!" Amari said, gently taking the flower from it. "Thanks! It's so beautiful…" he lifted it up to his nose and inhaled- oddly, unlike most marigolds, it had a sweet scent, like the most tasty of honey.

The being smiled softly, sadly, before suddenly stiffening. "My companion….it's here. Just outside the forest," it said quietly.

"Oh, cool!" Amari said, starting back the way they came. "Thanks for the flower agai-

"Wait." The being gently grabbed her arm. Amari turned around in surprise. "Please…" it whispered, with what Amari swore could have been honey dripping from its eyes. Was it…crying? "Remember me…"

"Oh- hey, d-don't worry!" Amari rused to assure it, shocked by its sudden desperation. "I will! I mean, you're the first dead person I've met, so- that's a pretty big, memorable experience if you ask me!"

The being gently let go of Amari's hand, relaxing its tensed shoulders. "Thank you…." it breathed. "You…should go…my companion is growing a bit impatient…"

"Oh, yeah, alright," Amari said, starting to wall again. "Goodbye! Have a uh…nice….existence?"

"....to you as well," the being dipped its head "....goodbye….Mari…"

The last word was said so softly, so quietly, that Amari wasn't sure if he had imagined it or not. They started to turn around but then-

The being was gone. Faded away like morning mist…like an old dream….like a memory, just out of reach…