What Happens Afterward

offered a happy ending after all

offered a happy ending after all

I awoke the next morning to Ashley coming into the Library, sorting out more books. "Mark stopped by," she said.

"Is he still here?" I replied, stretching awake.

"Just showed up," she said.

I got up from my chair and stepped into the building's lobby. "You're hurting," he said, holding something in his hands.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He handed over what he had been holding, a copy of What Happens Afterward, dog eared on the previous chapter. I looked back at him. "You know, maybe I could be of assistance. Your work, ma'am... it's interesting. I may not understand it all, I may not have been there for... any of it... but you have options."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Your friends. I can tell you miss them. You made the right choice in that moment, but you've said it yourself, in the first book, that sacrificing what you love, what makes this world interesting and delightful... is overplayed, it's an anti-climax. If anything... you deserve better. You deserve a rest with the people you care about."

I didn't have a response ready. It was impossible to have one, I think. He gestured for me to come outside, and in the pavilion was a group of Lizi enjoying the sunlight. One of them sat up and made eye contact, before waving me down. "Go on," he said, tucking the book into his jacket pocket and taking out a copy of afterward.

I traveled down the steps, across the road, and into the pavilion. "Shaw," I said.

"That's m' name, don't wear it out!" she replied in a voice one could only describe as a comical caricature of an Australian accent.

"Scriff," I said to the other,

She simply nodded, brushing some hair back.

"And where's..." I began, before seeing my answer before me.

A group of civilians stepped aside to let Craggy pass down the street, chatting with Flux. "Ｉｆ ｔｈｅ ｍａｇａｚｉｎｅ ｐｕｂｌｉｓｈｅｒｓ ｃａｒｅｄ, ｔｈｅ ｐａｇｅｓ ｗｏｕｌｄｎ'ｔ ｓｔｉｃｋ ｔｏｇｅｔｈｅｒ," she said.

I turned back towards Mark, who had joined me. "You deserve a happy ending. Your story deserves a happy ending. And if I can be the one to give it to you... hey, why not?" he said.

Part of me knew these people didn't know me, they'd grow differently from the people I had known. Much like Suzy and Em, much like Tammy, much like myself. But on the other hand, part of me... accepted it after all. They deserve happiness. I do, too. "It's a shame Linus isn't around. I would have paid anything to see the look on his face."

"I don't even want to think about what shade of red he'd turn," I joked, "you planning on finishing the books?"

"I do. Whatever you do from here on out, ma'am, please don't stop creating. It's weird, it's wild, it's... it's a ride. And if that's what you want to be known for, I say go for it. Now, if you don't mind, I need to have a chat with someone else."

We both headed back to the Capitol. Felix was catching up with Ashley when I arrived. "Mr. Wilson," Felix said, "how can I help?"

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Oh, let's see... 09:28, it seems."

"Where are the Emmerson twins?" he replied.

"Just downstairs, why?"

"I had a talk with Nephim, the best I could, last night, and I have a gift for the two of them due in about fifteen minutes."

Em peered out from the basement stairwell, and Mark turned towards her. "Both of you, come to the beach."

I followed along, brushing past faces new and old, and arrived at the edge of the ocean. The sky grew dark, the world collapsed in on itself once more, and for the second time a new expansion to the afterward appeared before us, with a train station appearing hanging over the ocean. A handful of figures stepped out onto the beach, looking around. One locked eyes with Suzy, and ran towards her. She appeared to be about a foot shorter than Suzy, with black hair, possibly of Korean descent. "Suz!" she cried.

"Kimmy!" the other replied, "I was worried I'd never see you again!"

"Welcome to the afterward," Mark said to the group, "I am Dr. Mark Wilson and my accomplices Ashley Smith-Baker, Felix, and Memmi can help you get acquainted."

Kim's look of joy turned slightly upon meeting eyes with Em. "There's... two of you now," she said, "that's..."

"...A long story, Kim," Em replied, "how about we catch up over lunch?"

"That'd be lovely!" Kim replied.

Suzy and Em turned to Mark and thanked him for bringing them out there, and he turned back towards me. "Norwich had a collapse event, and that brought them here."

"Everything wrapped up happily," I replied, mostly to myself.

I returned to the library and took a seat once more. It would be a big day, today and tomorrow, with so many new changes meeting the world. But they all felt, invariably, for the better, and the things I had enjoyed from what I left behind had found their way back to me. I was uncertain on the future, but for the time being, I had found the conclusions I was hoping for. Whatever happens afterwards, I'll be ready for.

I want to thank everyone who has read the afterward saga. Over the last four years, these stories have helped me through personal trauma and troubling times in ways I have trouble expressing. The past year and a half alone has been therapeutic in a cleansing way, trading in my own perfectionism to see where my words and thoughts take me. A lot of my own life scans in these lines in ways I didn't realize when I wrote them, and it speaks to who I am more candidly than any journal ever could. With this chapter of my story ending, it's time to look for new beginnings and take what I've loved so much about these stories in new directions. I hope you'll join me in whatever comes next. Thank you for the opportunity.

-jay riddick