Brad followed his mother through unfamiliar terrain, trying to keep up with her relentless pace. Even her feet, sinking into the ground, didn't seem to slow her down. She walked and walked, not stopping even when Brad was beyond exhausted. The speed and energy certainly wasn't the same for him.
"M-mommy, please," he begged, shouting so that she could hear him. She ignored him, though. That's when Brad reached the deadspot.
There was stuff piled everywhere, everything imaginable. His eyes downcast, Brad followed his mother's path through the discarded objects. He saw clothes, toys, cars, furniture... some looking kind of familiar and some totally alien.
"Hurry up!" came his mother's voice. No longer hampered by the soft ground, Brad didn't have to be told twice. He sprinted.
His mouth fell open at the sight before him. A giant blimp floated above, his mother almost to the top of the ladder. Words died in his mouth - "how," "why," "what..." until Brad stopped trying to talk and started climbing.
Brad's mother was already piloting the great airship when he made it inside. Except for a lone bucket, which rolled around hitting walls, the room was empty. His mother was focused on the controls and didn't look up.
Nervously, he crept up behind her. "Mom?"
She didn't respond for several minutes, flying the blimp across the seemingly endless deadspot. Then, finally, she said, "Welcome to the Hindenburg."
Brad, not knowing the story behind this ship's fiery crossing, stared around in awe. Finally, he managed to form words. "How... how did you-"
"Know?" she asked. "Because not all Afterlights stay in Everlost. I thought it was gone, gone forever. But look at me, thirty-six and back again." His mother briefly shook her head. "I don't know how you did it. Adults don't enter Everlost. It's simply not how this world works. But somehow... somehow, Brad, you defeated the universe."
A/N: Who is his mother? Guesses?
