A/N:  Okies, here we go, the epilogue.  I promise, this will make the ending seem worth it.  Tar and feather me if it's not.

Pax!

~Rumer

Autopsy Report: Epilogue

I was thinking.  Thinking long and hard.  After two weeks in this prison, I was finally getting into a rhythm.  Think and draw, think and draw, think and draw.  They let me have pencil and paper, but they wouldn't let me have music, which was a true pity.  But I could at least remember what I used to listen to.  Desert Rose tended to pop into my mind more often than not, and every time it did, I had the urge to smile.  But it also made me want to cry, too.  I was missing so much on the outside that I didn't even realize.  I missed Rook's undaunted cheerfulness, I missed Elwood's sharp wit and clever humor, hell, I even missed Jaina's random strands of bitchy ranting.  And that was pretty sad. 

I was in the middle of another round of hopeless self-pity when a sharp tapping came from the bars of my cell.  I opened my eyes and looked over.  There wasn't anyone there, but there was something white on the floor.  I brought myself to a sitting position and looked a little closer.  It was a letter.  Fascinating, I didn't think we were allowed letters.  Quickly, I went over and snatched it up.  My name was written in graceful script across the front, and when I saw it, my hands began to tremble.  I turned the letter over, and saw that it had a red wax seal, with a pentagram imprinted into the wax.  The letters HM were distinguishable among the details, and though I wanted to save the seal and look at it more closely later, I snapped it off and looked inside.

There was a thin piece of parchment and a theater ticket inside.  I carefully took both out and held them in separate hands.  The theater ticket was for Jekyll & Hyde, and the parchment was a letter, penned with graceful hand and done in plum purple ink.  I put the ticket on my lap, feeling a bit puzzled, and began to read.

Dear Kira,

By this point, you should be wondering what on Earth happened

to me.  Well, to answer your question, nothing happened.  You simply

took my place.

Confused?  Of course you are.  You see, when you saw what was really

Happening at Silent Hill, the powers that be decided that you couldn't

be left to spread the word.  So, they silenced you the best way they

could- they shut you up in here, like they did me.  But alas, it seems that

there can only be one such person like that.  I was it for a while, and

when you showed up, I vacated my position for you.  You should be

honored- not many people get to be an interdemensional marker.

It is a solitary existance, but we learn to cope.  You're learning

already, aren't you, Kira?

But you still miss the outside world.  Do not let it trouble you.  Life

goes on, just as it always does and just as it always will do.  I do

know about your injuries, both physical and mental.  Your physical

wounds will heal with time, of that I am sure, but your mental wounds

will take longer.  Did you ever stop to think about your scars?

Not just from this, but in general.  Our scars have the power to

remind us that the past was real.  Have you ever thought about that?

Surely you must have several scars that tell a story.  And every time

you think about them, you get a pang of remembrance.  I know.

I have several similar scars myself.  I would love to show them to

you, and tell you their stories, but alas, my time runs short, and I

have but one thing left to say.

Did you get the theater ticket?  Hopefully you did.  I was at that

show, since you were not.  It was I who ordered the tickets,

not you.  Dr. Haley never received one, and I gave you the extra.

Reality is so easy to bend, isn't it?  Truth as well, for that matter.

It all depends on your perspective of the subject.  Anything

you believe may become real- it all depends on how strongly you

believe in it.  It is amazing how fragile this world is compared to

others.  You know of what world I speak.

Remember, Kira.  This world is hardly real.  There are so many

false fronts and realistic facades, that sometimes it becomes hard

to distinguish fantasy from reality.  Do not lose that grip on life, for

once it's gone, it's really gone, and then you will truly be crazy.

You aren't crazy, you know.

And at the show, when the curtain fell…I thought of you.

Ta,

Harry Mason

I folded the letter, put both letter and ticket back into the envelope, and smiled.

~~~

FIN!!!  See, I told you it was worth it!  Or was it?  Good?  Bad?  Review!  I'll have the author's final note page up shortly.