Goodnight, Smiley Day
He blinks, and he…. feels the touch of light on his skin.
The warmth of the air around him, he breathes in and he tastes all he has ever wished, oranges and mint and chocolate and water.
Fresh Cut Grass pushes himself to stand and looks around. An idyllic field rolls into the distance, all about him, except for where he currently stands.
A crossroads.
And from it, the paths extend far beyond the horizon, rising into beautiful tresses of the goddess he has only ever seen at a distance.
The Changebringer.
She smiles, and suddenly, she and he are eye to eye, her gentle hand reaching up to caress his cheek.
"I… is this how it always goes?" they ask.
She laughs, gentle yet sad, her eyes surprisingly downcast.
"No… no, it isn't," she states, looking to the sky, and he follows her gaze.
Ruidus bleeds in the sky, scarlet light snapping and biting at the pristine blue, and he can hear… a scream on the wind.
"We live in unfortunate and unusual times." she breathes.
"Yeah… yeah." he agrees, looking up at her after a moment.
"Did I make the right choice?" he asks, clutching for the coin but instead finding her hand.
She gives it a comforting squeeze.
"What do you think?" she asks.
"I…" he pauses.
"Yes." he finally states, and she smiles.
"I don't know what kind of path I'd set them on, but… I'm glad they'll get to keep walking on." he states, "Even if I'm… not there with them."
"Who says you won't be?" the Changebringer asks, gesturing towards the roads winding away from them.
And suddenly he can see his friends.
Ashton, carving a path, grief, and rage shattering stone as his coin, a beacon, clutched tightly in their fist.
Imogen kissing her hand as she lays it on his body, that same hand then tightly grasping her mother's, a road reforged between them, "Thank you, Letters."
Orym, standing firm, bronze armor marked by three blades of grass shimmering defiantly against an oncoming storm, "Together, Grass."
Chetney carving a toy in his likeness to hand to a frightened child, "For a smiley day."
Fearne snatches the coin from Ashton, kissing it and slipping it back, "So we're both with them for tomorrow."
Laudna stands at a crossroads beneath a tree, half livened, half wizened, reaching for the glow even though it burns her hand. There is resolve in her eyes.
Dorian, amidst unfamiliar faces, staring up at the red moon.
"We're fighting for a shiny day."
A confused dwarf looks up at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Something a friend always wanted. A good day." Dorian remarks, tapping the sending stone in his palm.
"I love you, Faithful Caregiver." A soft voice murmurs.
They freeze, turning to see FRIDA standing and looking at him, gently smiling, "I'll see you soon."
"No, you… you take your time," FCG mutters, and to his surprise, tears track down his face.
The Changebringer reaches out and wipes them away before pulling him into a tight embrace.
Huh… so this was a hug.
"Do… do folks always feel most alive at the end?"
"Not always. The end doesn't give the journey meaning; it's the joys you find along the way." The Changebringer returns, squeezing him tighter.
He sees Milo, Dancer, Joe, and Deanna all trying to make sense of the world and the paths set before them.
"You did good." a gruff voice remarks, the whisper of Eshteross.
"But the journey's just begun." a more jovial voice states, Bertrand.
And there they stand, down the road.
"What… what happens now?" FCG asks, looking to the Changebringer.
"Now, we do what we can from this side." she states, "And see this all to the end of the road."
"Alright… alright." he remarks, smiling as she squeezes his hand once more, "I'm ready."
And he heads on down the road.
Goodbye, Fresh Cut Grass. Your love, your faith, your hope, let it ever be a beacon for those who knew you best.