Misery County

Epilogue - Part 2

There was the void, and then, paradoxically, it disappeared. Soft dirt pressed up against her feet, and behind her, a giant, crude cross loomed. She knew it was cold – she could feel it on her skin – and yet, the temperature registered as nothing more than a number, an understanding, but not a sensation.

A beautiful ladybug the size of a dog crawled to her side. She looked at it in curiosity. The ladybug's mouthparts did not move, and yet it spoke.

"Don't be afraid, new one. Your suffering is over. You are safe with us."

"Where am I?" she asked.

"You are in a woodland not far from the Missouri River."

"The Missouri River," she repeated. "I feel like I know it, and yet, I can't recall anything about it. I can't recall anything about anything. I know what you are, sweet ladybug, but I don't know what I am."

"You're a protector, as you have always been."

"Why can't I remember that?"

"Because you have been cleansed. Your soul is now pure. You have no sin nor wrath nor lust inside you. The Great Power has taken the diamond that you were and polished it to perfection. Few are granted this honor."

Her head was buzzing, trying to put the pieces together.

"I shall leave you in more capable hands now," the ladybug said.

Before she could respond, a bright being apparated in front of her. She was dressed all in giant leaves and clothing made of grass as long and as wide as her limbs.

"How are you feeling, Cassie?"

Cassie. That's it. That's who I am. That's my name. She felt a single memory slip through the crack in the barrier that was holding back the rest of them. She stared dumbfounded at the angelic being. "Your wings are so pretty," was all she could muster.

"So are yours," the being responded.

"Mine?" Cassie looked over her shoulder, and as she laid her eyes on the pastel-colored wings that extended beyond her frame, she could feel them for the first time.

"Go on, give them a try," the being prodded in her melodic tones.

Cassie flapped them, and as she did, a strange dust fell from them. It glittered even though there was no sunlight shining upon it.

"Are we angels?" Cassie asked.

"You could say that."

"Awesome," she said in a whisper. "Why is everything so big?"

The angel laughed. "Your sense of perspective hasn't quite shifted yet. Nothing's big. We're just small."

Cassie looked around her once more. The mound of soft dirt she was sitting on was no knoll. It was bare dirt, rounded yet elongated, and while there was lush grass around it, there was none on it. It carried some significance to her – she could feel it – but she couldn't put it together.

"Perhaps it is time to leave this place," the angel said, as if she could read Cassie's thoughts. "It is not good to linger. My name is Fflur, by the way."

"Fflur, that's a very beautiful name. It sounds so oddly familiar. Do we know one another?" Cassie asked.

Fflur looked at her with melancholic eyes. "Maybe in another life."