As Charlotte and William gaze at the stars all around them from the giant chunk of space debris they have settled on, far from the valley, from the place they call Earth, she starts to ask the questions she was not brave enough to bring up in the beginning.

“William,” she starts hesitantly.

“Yes?” He turns his skull to give her his undivided attention.

“When I came here, you said I was neither dead or alive. That I am here until a decision can be made. What, er, what does that mean, exactly?”

The skeleton does not answer her for several long, silent seconds. He lets out a deep sigh and turns his attention back towards the beautiful depths of space which cannot be seen from anywhere humans are.

“You are in a coma, Charlotte. Something happened to you in the living world and your body is struggling to survive at the moment. While it does, your soul has fallen asleep and sort of sleep walked its way here.”

Tension forms in her shoulders and she purses her lips. She doesn’t disbelieve the skeleton, in fact she is only receiving clarification for her thoughts she has had since she calmed down in the valley. It still isn’t great to hear, though. “So I am dying?”

“Not necessarily. Your body may die, however you may also pull through and survive. I hope you do survive, of course.” He sighs again at the thought of going back to the valley just yet. He has been enjoying his time with his latest guest.

William can hear the hurt in Charlotte’s voice. “I see. And what of you, then? Are you the one and only Death, the Grim Reaper of souls, having fun with a soul you cannot collect just yet?”

He quickly sits up, turning and leaning slightly over her so that he can look directly at her and speak. “Of course I’m not Death. I’m also not just having fun with you. Wouldn’t you rather enjoy your time here instead of getting upset? We could explore the Mariana Trench again.”

“No! I want answers. I’ve been here for, for, um.” Charlotte tries to recall how long she’s actually been in this place. It feels as if three lifetimes have passed by, yet nothing about her has changed. She has wandered the entirety of Earth in various time periods, with humans removed from the area, structures removed, or other filters applied to their viewing room via the disembodied voice of Vuru. The brunette’s shoulders drop as she lets her gaze slip sideways, trying to not look at William as he leans over her. She says in an irritable voice, “I’m tired of exploring. I want to know what’s going on.”

“Ah. The excitement of the viewing room has finally worn off. Understandable.” Clearing his non-existent throat, the skeleton says in a louder tone, “Vuru, please take us home.”

“Heard, William,” the pleasant voice says. “Taking you home.”

Slowly the stars, the planets no living human has seen, the constellations they were having fun naming, all fade into blackness. A weight settles upon Charlotte’s being briefly before it lifts and she sees they are in the same viewing room they have been in the whole time.

“Let us go back to the valley,” William says gently. “We can talk while we wait.”

Reluctantly Charlotte nods. She stands and follows the robed skeleton out of the library-esque building, her bare feet making no sound as they travel the distance back to the valley. It feels as if a hundred years have passed since she has last set foot in the grassy fields.

Slowly William sits under a tree and she realizes it is the same tree he was under when they first met. She joins him, sitting and leaning against the trunk next to him, a small frown upon her face. She does not ask any questions, so he takes the opportunity to explain what he can to her.

“This place is the afterlife, as I am sure you have figured out by now,” he starts. “You are still in a coma, however you possess the ability to wake up and experience the afterlife as a guest. Not everyone can, so a case like yours is rare, but-”

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“So what are you then?” Charlotte sounds no less cross as she interrupts the skeleton.

“My apologies. I am a valley guide, a host, an entertainer of guests. I work in the valley to assist souls who are neither living or dead, to wait with them until the decision is made that they will recover and their soul may return to their body, or succumb to death and free their spirit.”

“So you aren’t the Grim Reaper?” That actually relieves Charlotte. She is not vain enough to believe that the all mighty and powerful reaper of souls chose her to waste his time on. Their time, maybe? She knows some people believe Death is a female, however she’s always imagined them to be a male.

“Goodness, no. Death doesn’t have the time to play about in the valley. And even if they did, they’d get too busy with Reapers constantly needing help.”

“What are you talking about,” she says wearily. This turn in conversation sounds silly.

“Well, Death can’t be everywhere at once reaping souls. So they got a buddy to help, and then a few more as the population grew, and now it’s a whole corporation and Reapers are as common as a mailman. Kind of the same thing, honestly, except instead of delivering letters, they’re collecting souls.”

Scowling, Charlotte turns to glare at William, her voice growing louder as she starts to worry about her future in an afterlife she isn’t even sure is real. Some part of her still believes this is a dream. “That isn’t funny! Why would death become a corporation, and why would anyone want to work there? Or at all? Do you have to work when you die?”

“I think a lot of people enjoy the thought of becoming a Reaper,” he replies quietly. “Nice robe, neat hourglass, and a symbolic scythe. It’s not something one tends to immediately do, of course, and no, it’s not a job like humans have when they’re alive. Jobs here are, well. They’re what people consider fun. Some souls simply don’t know how to exist without working. It settles them down and gives them purpose. Some just like the structure. Others are merely compassionate and choose to work, to help others. It makes them feel good.”

“Alright. So why do you work?”

“I enjoy staying in the valley. Working here allows me to help those who can wake up and not reject what they see. Plus there are times I get to meet people such as yourself, who are so excited to see a viewing room, or explore the possibilities of what awaits after death.”

Charlotte lets out a deep sigh as she gives up and simply drops her shoulder against William’s. He chuckles and pats her knee in a tender way.

“It’s a lot to take in,” he says quietly as he tilts his skull to tap against her hair in a friendly manner.

“You’re a lot to take in,” she snips right back, oblivious to what she has said and how it could be taken.

“I suppose I am. What else would you like to know, Charlotte?”

“What’s it like when you die and actually come here? Will I come back here and see you?” She peers up at the skull with furrowed brows. Her sable eyes offer a hint of hopefulness that she might simply return to the skeleton guide who has been so kind to her, regardless of her outburst.

“No, my dear,” he says as gently as he can. “The only way you would wake up back in the valley is if you are between life and death once more. Those in comas are typically the only ones who come here.”

“Typically? Who else comes here?” She figures she might as well pry for information since this is all a fantastical coma dream she will forget as soon as she wakes up.

“Highly sensitive dreamers,” he admits quietly, “wake up here from time to time. They are usually only here long enough to open their eyes and remark what a nice place this is, though, before they wake up.”

Charlotte ponders if she is a sensitive dreamer, however she thinks she isn’t. She’s never been able to lucid dream and she isn’t sure she could ever dream up a place such as this one. “So where will I go when I die?”

“A Welcome Home,” William says as he tilts his skull back and stares up at the leaves on the tree. “They can help you adjust to the afterlife, what it’s like here, and what to do with yourself if you feel overwhelmed by things. I hear they’re quite nice. Or, if you are particularly devout, there are places for the religions to bypass Welcome Homes, I hear.”

“What if I don’t believe in the afterlife,” she challenges.

“Then you would not have come here at all,” he replies with a laugh. “You are a silly one, Charlotte. Come, we can go anywhere and do whatever you would like. You still have time here. What would you like to do next?”

“We’ve explored the entirety of the world and space,” she says with a pondering tone. “We’ve seen ancient creatures, watched the rise and fall of empires. I’ve read every book I’ve ever wanted to, and several I didn’t. Heck, I even found time to focus on my hobbies for once! But honestly I think I’d like to just stroll through the valley and see more of its fields.”

“An excellent idea,” he responds with warmth in his voice. “The valley is huge and the fields are some of the prettiest I have ever seen. Come, let me be your guide here. I’ll show you everything your heart desires.”

With a roll of her eyes and a grin upon her face, Charlotte stands and dusts off her shorts. “You’re so weird,” she mutters.

“There’s no one here to point it out normally,” William laughs as he starts to walk down through the valley with his guest.