Xlythe
Stories
|
Github
Xlythe
Stories
|
Github
The air was thick, smelling of ozone and damp earth. Rain was a distant whisper she almost didn't hear. Then, the figure across the mist was undeniable. No fear, just a numb curiosity.
"You're late," the figure remarked, a voice neither comforting nor cruel.
Amelia shrugged. "Wasn't expecting a welcoming committee."
The figure tilted its head, hairless and smooth as marble. "Not a committee, a guide. Do you have regrets, Amelia?"
"Tons," she scoffed. "Dumb mistakes, words unsaid…"
The figure gestured for her to follow. They didn't walk, but glided through a field turning impossibly vibrant. Petals glowed with a light only she seemed to notice.
"That promotion. It would have strangled you," the guide remarked. Amelia shivered – that had been a close call.
Further on, a shadowed shape writhed beneath an oak. “Your harsh words to a friend. They festered for a week, but a simple apology healed the wound before it became fatal."
Amelia touched the shadowed pain; it vanished, leaving behind lightness. Her burdens didn't disappear, but their weight changed.
They reached a precipice overlooking a churning void. "Not the fire and brimstone you expected?" the guide said.
Amelia shook her head. It was too raw, too beautiful to be hellish. More like an unfinished canvas.
"Jump," the guide said. “It's just the next step."
Amelia stared into the unknown. Not fear, nor anticipation, but acceptance. Perhaps her biggest regret had been taking life too seriously.
Then, she leaped.
Sleep deeply.