EPILOGUE - ETERNITY
Tex stood alone in the middle of a field, wearing sackcloth, with ashes on his head and drooped ears.
He felt tired, so very tired.
"Dakota Dee chose the wide and meandering path, the path of darkness, despite multiple warnings, and she received the consequences. She left behind no friends, no descendants, and no one to carry on for her, unless her parents decide to have another child, who will never meet her in person. Dakota Dee has been judged, and sentenced accordingly. And now, no more can be done." The grieving buck pulled out a rose out of nowhere, and laid it in front of a very small headstone. His swollen eyes and worn incisors indicated that he had been there for quite a while. He spoke again, with a choked voice, hindered by heavy sobs, "Dee, it—it didn't have to end this way! Not like this! He refused to put you in a decent plot—and gave you an unmarked grave! I—I didn't—mind—paying for the headstone—sorry it's so small—it's all I could afford—my brothers didn't want to lend me any money—for it—" He shook his head, and covered his eyes, "If you'd only listened—! Now—now my payment for what I felt for you—will continue—for now—and until Kingdom come—I'm so sorry, Dee—!" At that, the green buck turned, and slowly padded away from the stone, with a slight limp. In the distance, under a tree, a young female toon was waiting.
"Will you be okay now, Tex?"
"I—I hope so, Tally, I—I hope I can recover—I have to move on—I hope I have the strength."
She held his arm, "You have your family and friends to help you—and me, too. I'll do what I can, Tex. I don't know what I can do just yet, but I'll figure it out."
With that, both youngsters left the scene, leaving a small headstone proclaim to no one:
DAKOTA DEE DUFF MAXIMILIAN
Loved by only one toon.
1999-2013
They were about to leave, but the green lagomorph stopped: his sensitive ears were picking up an odd sound.
"What?" asked the black feline.
"Um—nothing—I thought I heard a chain just now—I thought someone was repairing a car around here." A silver flash caught his eye, and he saw a dime on the ground. He thought about picking it up, but decided not to, because he didn't need it. With that, the two toons left.
The spirit tugged and tugged, but was unable to free herself. She cursed the buck for being so generous that he left the dime where it was. Her only hope for release from that accursed coin was that somebody, anybody, would travel on this rarely used road, see the dime she had snagged herself on, and pick it up.
That was her punishment, for now, and for eternity: the same punishment for those whose works she did and whose paths she followed…
…proving to Heaven and Hell that she was truly Jacob Marley's Daughter.
THE END / DAS ENDE / DIE EINDE / EINDE / EL FIN / O FIN / LE FIN / IL FINE / SFIRSIT / KONIEC / KONEC / BEIGAS / LOPPU / TELOS / SOF / TAMAT / LIAU LIAU / DANEH O' / WAN-LE / OWARIMASU / SLUTT / SLUT / UXUL