Emily, Gertzpul's Gardens and Aybhas

"Let's go for a walk," the short little jizo said.

So I walked with him through endless groves of blooming cherry trees. I did not understand why I felt sorrowful about the beauty of the trees.

"Because it is the nature of beauty to be ephemeral," Jizo said. "Everything has an end, even gods, even existence. Fill your eyes and enjoy this now, for soon it will be gone."

Then it was gone, and where we walked was nothing and nowhere.

"I've been here before," I said to the little Jizo.

"Yes, you have," he smiled, looking just like one of those statues of the Jizo monks in Japan.

"I'm not dead, Gertzpul," I remarked. "Why am I here?"

"Because I owe Galt a favor, and this is what he requested."

"Alright, you goofy little god, that was more ineffable than usual. Just what did Galt request?"

"Well, here is the first part," Gertzpul parted the nothingness to reveal rolling hills filled with endless groves of sakura trees filled with cherry blossoms. Under one of them was Wolkayrs and his family. There were some others with them. Everyone looked young, with unlined skin and all their hair. They also were of normal height, which is to say, they weren't giants.

I almost didn't recognize Wolkayrs because he wasn't bald, and he wasn't quite so round. I walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, you," I said, "I can tell you're really a halfhair after all, now that you've got hair."

He turned and recognized me, "Emily!" He didn't even pause before he hugged me, "What are you doing here? Aren't you still alive?"

"I am," I shrugged. "Gertzpul said..." I looked around for the little Jiza, but he was gone. "He brings me here, and then he vanishes. What a goof. Anyway, I think I'm being allowed to say goodbye, at least for now."

"It feels like life on Erdos happened years ago," Wolkayrs said, grabbing my hand and dragging me over to a chair at a wooden table full of food. "Time seems to run differently here. Do I have a kid yet?"

"Wolkayrs, you died yesterday morning. It's now evening, one day later. I could float a riverboat on all the tears we've shed over your death, and I'm sure we'll shed many more."

He looked troubled, "Thuorfosi, will she be alright?"

"We hope so. Lisaykos has already stated her intent to look after her. Her friends have been with her non-stop. We'll take care of her and the baby."

"I ran out the door of our house and didn't even say goodbye," Wolkayrs sighed, "but Gertzpul said that death is like that more often than not. I will wait here for her. I won't move on without her. Being here is amazing, Emily, but you already knew that because you've been here before. Everything is so...so..." He was at a loss for words.

"I think the best word is peaceful, my friend. It is the nature of this place. The souls that dwell here will be at peace," I squeezed his hand.

"I wish I had said goodbye," he smiled sadly, "but I'll make it up to Thurofosi when she gets here because I'll be waiting. If she meets someone she likes, tell her to marry again. I don't want her to be lonely."

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"Come," Gertzpul said and put his hands on our shoulders. "You can tell her yourself."

Without any transition, I found myself sitting cross-legged next to Thuorfosi on her bed. A cosm-sized Gertzpul and Wolkayrs stood next to her. Kayseo was sleeping in an armchair with her legs up on a footstool. She wasn't breathing. That made me realize we were currently outside of normal time.

"This is the second half of the favor I own Galt, Emily," Gertzpul smiled like a Buddha. "Wolkayrs will have his chance to say farewell. Now it is time for you to return to bed."

"No, wait," I looked from the Jizo to Wolkayrs. "Do me a favor, old friend. Tell Thuorfosi that she will know this wasn't a dream by what I tell her in the morning."

"And what will you tell her?" Wolkayrs grinned like he always did when I involved him in my mischief.

"That she was visited by a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater in the night," I grinned back. It was the best I could come up with on short notice.

"Okay, a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater," he repeated. Then he laughed. "I'll be seeing you, Em, back in the grove of sakura trees."

Then I awoke in my bed, wondering if it was a dream. From the view of the sky outside my window, it looked like it was close to the first bell of the day. Climbing over the lump that was Eskurt, followed by the lump that was Tom, I went to find Lisaykos. I knew she would already be at her work table. I had to make a running jump to reach the door latch into her study from the dining room. I was leaning back to pull the door open with leverage when I heard her get up and walk over.

"Emily? Is that you?"

"Yes," I stepped away from the door. "I woke up early. I was wondering if you could heat up the water in the hot water tank."

"Of course I can, dear heart, but why are you awake? I cast a charm of deep sleep on you."

It was then that I knew it had not been a dream. I should still have been asleep, but a god had woken me. Gertzpul really had taken me to his gardens last night and had brought the soul of Wolkayrs here to say goodbye to his wife.

"That's quite an expression, Emily," Lisaykos knelt to speak to me. "Which god was it who disturbed your sleep? Do you have a new dream command, even after all that the trickster god put you through yesterday?"

"Let's skip the hot water tank for now, Lisaykos. Would it be asking too much to take me to Thuorfosi's room? I need to confirm something first."

"After we get your housecoat, Great Bug," Lisaykos shook her head. "You're not exactly decent at the moment."

"What? My knees aren't showing." Foskans were such prudes.

"Housecoat, Emily," Lisaykos repeated. "Then I'll take you to her room."

I didn't turn down the ride on Lisaykos' arm. Thuorfosi was in the furthest room in the guest quarters. For me, it would have been a hike. Lisaykos knocked, and we went in after hearing Thuorfosi's "come."

Thuorfosi was sitting up in bed, and Kayseo was still snoozing in the chair. She gave me a strange look, "Do you have something you need to tell me, Great One?"

"You were visited last night by a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater," I declared.

It was fun watching her fish face develop over several breaths. "It wasn't just a dream, was it?" she asked in wonder.

"Gertzpul apparently owed Galt a favor. This is what Galt asked Gertzpul to do," I explained.

Kayseo was woken by the commotion. She looked at the three of us with speculation, "Might I ask what has happened?"

"Yes, Kayseo," Lisaykos was wearing one of her long-suffering patience looks, "I would like to know myself."

Blarg," I found myself shaking my head. "Someone should borrow one of Kamagishi's recording scrolls before we start. Otherwise, we'll end up repeating it multiple times today, and I'm not that patient."

"Why don't you try a quick summary, Great Bug?" Lisaykos poked me in the side.

"Better you than me, Emily," Thuorfosi said, smiling through her tears.

"You'll need to recount your half, Thuorfosi," I warned. "I wasn't privy to your end of the visitation."

"Out with it," Kayseo insisted. "What happened?"

"I was given the chance to talk with Wolkarys in Gertzpul's gardens, to say goodbye. Then, Thuorfosi was allowed to talk with Wolkayrs here, in this room. I didn't get to listen in, so I don't know what they talked about, though I can guess. This was all a gift from Galt."

I confess I felt a bit of schadenfreude while looking at the shocked expressions on Kayseo's and Lisaykos' faces.