Another Heavenly View (Klonoa)
…
…Body…numb…
…Vision…clouded…
…No…pain…in…chest…
…Is it…is it over...?
…The last thing I remember was falling, but then…
The numbness in my body started to subside… it felt like I was laying down on… something…
…Hrmm… I don't remember hitting any ground… must've passed out beforehand…
If that's the case, then… what am I laying on?
My vision was still clouded, so I brushed my arms against the ground. Though I knew I fell on the moon, it didn't feel very rocky… I don't even think there was any dust, either…
It felt more like… cloth… bedsheets, maybe?
…It didn't work, did it?
Guntz saved me in time, didn't he?
I'm in the base's medical ward now, aren't I?
Hrmm… it's a lot brighter than last time, though…
My vision started to clear up… I found myself staring at a wooden ceiling, kinda like the one in my bedroom back home…
Home? Wait a minute…
I slowly sat up and looked myself over – guess the wolves decided to leave me in my regular clothes. My skin wasn't inflated anymore, and the patches of frost on my fur seemed to have disappeared.
I looked around – sure enough, I was back in my own bed, on the top floor of Grandpa's house. The morning light peered through my window, illuminating a large ladder leading downstairs. To the window's right was a small desk, on top of which was various books about Breezegale's history, the hero medals, and the like.
Just as I left it…
But… how did Guntz and Butz get me here so fast? I wasn't unconscious for that long, was I?
…Come to think of it, where are they? I remember Guntz's face being lined with despair before I left… wouldn't he wanna be at my side when I woke up?
I'm surprised Popka isn't here, either… if the wolves told him I nearly joined Lolo, then…
…This…this can't be right…
I stood up, walked over towards my window, and looked outside. Maybe they were waiting for me to come out on my own or something?
As I expected, the morning sun glistened off the rooftops across from my place, and the grass blew ever so softly in the breeze. Nobody seemed to be out, though…
What I didn't expect, however, was how the sky looked.
Despite the buildings being illuminated as though it were day, the sky was lined with stars, like it was night! I almost did a double-take.
Yep… something's off…
I quickly slid down the ladder, landing next to Grandpa's old rocking chair on the floor below. Oddly enough, he wasn't sitting in it… was he with everyone else?
I burst out the front door, my ears fluttering in the breeze, and took another look at the sky.
No mistaking it – the sky was dotted with stars and distant galaxies as far as I could see… just as it was during my spacewalk with Guntz.
I looked to my right – like on the moon, the planet Earth seemed to hover just above the horizon. Though unlike on the moon, it seemed to take up a larger portion of the sky. Large enough, in fact, that I could once again make out the entire length of Jugkettle's coastline… the smoke coming from Volk's factories… the pointed roofs of the Sky Temple's buildings…
Still as heavenly as ever…
Wait… didn't I say something about heaven last time Guntz and I saw this?
…
…Right; we wondered if Butz and Lolo had a view like this… watching the world go by without them…
As I realized what ran through my head, I could feel a slight grin form on my face…
…This…
…This is it, isn't it?
…The afterlife…
…Only one way to know for sure… just need to find Lolo… hopefully share the breathtaking view with her once again…
…Breath… now that I think about it… I didn't take a single breath since I got here, did I?
Though, my chest isn't burning anymore… do I even need to breathe here? Can I?
I tried inhaling – my lungs filled once again with what I could only hope was air.
Okay, so I can breathe here, but I don't need to.
Regardless, just… just where is she?
After wandering the village for a few minutes, I was able to find what looked like Lolo's house… if I ended up in my own house when I came here, then surely, she'd be-
There! In one of the second-floor windows!
The glass panes were open – she seemed to be leaning against the frame, in her usual pink dress, staring out at the planet Earth. Her face bore a weak smile, and was that… was that a tear trickling down her cheek?
Whether it was because of the view, or because she's wondering what her friends are doing now, I can't tell, but either way…
It worked… it really worked!
…But…how should I let her know…?
I could try getting her attention from here, but…
If she's shocked to see me here, then I… I don't wanna risk her falling out the window…
…Alright…I think I know how I'll do this…
Having made my decision, I slowly approached her front door, knocking twice before taking a few steps back.
"Be down in a bit, Mari!" Lolo shouted.
…Mari?
Listening closely, I could hear her close her window, approach her ladder and slide down to the ground floor, landing with a soft thump. The sound of her footsteps drew closer and closer – I could feel my heart beat faster again, and the grin on my face seemed to grow…
This is it…
Her close friend…back at her side…
After a few moments, she opened the door and took a few steps outside, still smiling.
"Well," she began, not looking at me. "You're awfully early toda-"
As soon as she laid eyes on me, however, she gasped sharply…
…and her smile vanished.
"M-my goddess…" she muttered, her expression sinking.
"Lolo…" I said calmly, shedding a few tears. "I made it…"
