Letters From the Afterlife

by freeProphe

Treflex&Gox

Treflex was, first and foremost, part of Queen Wevox's imperial guard. Beyond that, he was a Spinner born in the third year of his Queen's reign. Further still, he was Treflex the Spinner.

It wasn't that the Spinners were like the Cutters completely. They put the monarchy first, that much was true. And, yes, it was of the greatest importance to protect their Queen and her eggs –several hundred years of overpopulation had made the entirety of the Spinners rethink the "anyone can mate" idea. Thankfully, they didn't have the same qualms and complications that humans did with inter-family relations, so reproduction was fairly simple. It wasn't like with humans at all –no courting, no romance, no love.

That wasn't entirely true, either. True, mating was forbidden without strict permission, but even close attachments were frowned upon. You were not to, as a rule, feel affectionate towards anyone. It was better to stay cold, detached, clinical. Only, Treflex has broken that rule.

Gox had been under Treflex's protection for years on end. Not friends, not mates, not spouses, just the protector and the protected. Just as close as Spinners could allow –distance was key. It wasn't enough; it never would be. But to say you loved someone, as a Spinner? You'd be laughed right out of the nest.

But had they been a different species? Some would have called them soulmates.

xxx

The afterlife was not quite like Treflex had assumed it would be. It was this empty, lonely, weightless, nothingness, like a cavern with no opening. Only, he wasn't completely alone.

There was another creature there, a Crawler. She knew his name immediately, though he had never met her. They had had a few halting conversations, but there hadn't been much to say. They had, at least, figured that this was after. That perhaps they were here together because they had died for the same cause.

"Do you. . ." Treflex stated, hesitant. He wasn't used to talking so openly. "Do you think this is everything after?"

"It is, maybe, it is. Though hope, I have, that it is not," Tick replied quietly, pensively. "Know, I do not."

"I hope for more. Not just this."

"Perhaps, more, you shall have, more," Tick states, sounding suddenly confident. "More."

They continued to sit there, letting the silence and darkness take control of their mood.

xxx

"Perhaps our perception of time is wrong," Treflex said, after what felt like hours had passed. "You said four were to die, were destined to, but no one's shown up here."

"Over, it may not be, over," Tick responded.

"Or they won't come here," Treflex sighed in disappointment. It wasn't that he wanted Gox dead, he just wanted her here. With him.

xxx

The two had reverted to speaking in Crawler, though Treflex had a very limited vocabulary. Even then, the conversation flowed much better than it had in English, and Tick's speech patterns had lost most of their awkwardness.

'I say it's more a plant than a rock. What we are sitting on. Perhaps moss?" Tick stated.

"Or dirt," Treflex tried, desperately hoping his words were clear.

Tick seemed to understand him, though, because she replied, "Dirt would crumble."

"Do you believe in soul mates?" Tick asked, out of the blue.

"Possibly," Treflex answered exhaustedly. "I do not know what I believe."

"I think someone was meant for everyone, no matter what society says. Humans must marry within their own class, Spinners must stay cool and restrained, Gnawers cannot trust anyone. But there is someone who feels about things in the same way you do, who knows you better than you do, who understands you," Tick said, suddenly passionate. "Mine is Tick, I would like to think."

xxx

When Gox appears in their "cavern" one day, Treflex knows that fate had intervened to unite them in death.

Yes, I am aware that this sucks. Bad. I mean, it doesn't make much sense, and I took liberties with absolutely everything except for names and species. Oh well, I wrote it during English and Geometry, it was bound to turn out like shit. I got my Treflex/Gox in, so whatever. Ultimately, I did it because I like the idea of soul mates.