Eve of Reaping

Greed

Eve suddenly finds herself hugging a giant stuffed polar bear instead of Linda. The gravel of the playground is replaced with thick carpet, and the sky is replaced with a teal-painted ceiling with grey trimming.

She stops hugging the animal, looking around. The room is filled with stuffed toys, old valentine's day cards, and a bunk bed that's kept immaculate, unlike the rest of the room.

"I guess I'm a bit late, but I'm sorry about this," A boy says.

Eve spins, seeing a familiar face with blonde hair.

"...Will? I thought Linda said that you disappeared."

"Yep. I didn't disappear. Funny how parents lie, but don't let us lie."

She hesitates, trying to ignore his remark, "So... Linda didn't disappear, either?"

"No. It would seem you've shared the same fate she did."

"That man with the scythe?"

"Yes. The Reaper."

"The who?"

"You know, like the stories. The Grim Reaper? Him."

"But he's a story... thing! He's not real, just like all of the monsters under your bed were never real!" Eve protests.

"Well... Okay, fine. It wasn't really him."

He pauses, blushing.

"Can I tell you something first? Please?"

"Of course. Is it one of those lesson things?"

"Yeah, it is... One of those lesson things, huh? That sounds so much like you, Eve."

Confused, Eve lets out a short chuckle, "Thanks, I guess?"

Will smiles.

"I'm supposed to teach you that giving back is good, and that greed is bad."

"Everyone tells me that," Eve groans.

"Well, yeah, but it's really true. They all say it because they're all right."

"But nothing bad ever happens to me!" She retorts.

Will hesitates, " But... you're dead."

The realization hits her hard.

"...I was punished for being greedy?" She asks meekly.

"I think so. You always wanted more and more gifts. Not everyone could give you what you wanted."

"B-but...!" She protests.

"You had a bunch of dollhouses, just like I had a lot of stuffed animals. How would you feel if you had no toys?"

"Terrible, of course, and bored. No toys, no fun," She responds, confident.

"You were the only person I knew with so many toys. My other friends didn't have anything, so I gave them a stuffed animal to play with. You just wanted more and more."

Eve falls quiet, tearing up.

"You made a lot of people sad, but did you ever keep playing with one toy over and over?"

She hesitates, "No, not really."

"Then you could have given some away. Making someone else happy is good, because then you can feel happy with them."

Eve nods, trying not to cry.

"...but now, you can enjoy the rest of your time here," Will says, patting her on the back and smiling, "There's plenty of everything for everyone up here!"

Eve wipes her tears and hugs Will back, dragging him with her into a pile of stuffed animals.