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Protect Maria at all costs.
That was the last thing Shadow heard as the two of them were ejected from the ARK. It was such a blur of sounds at that moment, from Maria screaming for her grandfather to the sound of a gun going off. The sirens of the emergency system and the sharp hiss of compressed air being released. But now it was silent, and that single sentence was all he seemed to remember clearly. A sentence he felt committed to carry out, knowing it was from the professor.
Now they were free-falling towards Earth. He knew it was only a matter of time before they’d enter its atmosphere, and the heat would incinerate the capsule the best it could. He would survive it, Maria would not. But at the moment, he could not bring himself to tell her that.She was on the floor, curled into a ball and notably shaking. Soft sobs and hiccups filled up the silence.
“Grandpa is gone.” She mumbled, her voice still shaky. Shadow frowned a bit. He didn’t know how to respond. He has seen Maria down multiple times before, often about her own condition. It was easy to cheer her up then, but this was unfamiliar to him. He didn’t know if he was programmed to tackle the loss of someone dear to you. And if he was, it probably wasn’t very good programming.
“He sacrificed himself to save you. To save us.” He tried.
“But now what? What do we do without him?” She asks, lifting her head from her knees. Her face was stained with tears and there were still some in her eyes that hadn’t fallen. Shadow frowns and gets down on his knees to be eye-level with her, gently putting his paw on her shoulder.
“We will figure it out.” She seems to take this for an answer, going as far as to give him a solemn smile.
“At least I have you.” She said, throwing her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. Shadow hugged her back, seeing no reason for him to resist. She needed it, he understood how much the professor meant to her. While they were never as close, he still felt sadness in his heart at his untimely passing. Gerald was the reason he was even here to begin with.
He was one of the only memories he had of a home, a home neither of them could return to.
Shadow was thankful that he remembered how to teleport. Sure, he had never done it with another person in tow and it exhausted him to no end, but he knew it was the only choice he had. He had to do it a few times to make sure they didn’t crash into the ground, but he managed to get them safely onto a bundle of leaves.
When he sat up, his sight was blurry and all he saw was green. A lot of green. Once his vision finally came to, he looked around at where they crash-landed. They were surrounded by lush foliage and flowers, the trees reaching so high that their leaves blocked out most of the sky. He could see a small pathway to his left that led to some sort of clearing, but nothing else outside of that. The earthy smell was overpowering and pungent, flooding his sensitive nose almost immediately. The air was also much warmer here compared to the ARK’s, a sensation he found that he didn’t mind all that much. So, this was Earth.
Maria stirred next to him, and he immediately began checking over her, making sure she hadn’t been injured at any point. If so, he had to tend to them immediately. At his incessant prodding, however, Maria began to laugh.
“Shadow, I’m ok. I’m not hurt.” He continued to check her despite her words and only stopped once he was confident she was ok. She was so fragile, the last thing he wanted was for her to be hurt. Maria, however, didn’t seem to share the same sentiment as him. Instead, she was looking around with a twinkle of wonder in her eyes.
“This is…This is incredible!” She exclaimed as she stood up. “Oh, it’s so much prettier than I imagined!”
It wasn’t long before she began walking around and exploring, with Shadow hot on her heels. She had found her way towards the clearing and traversed through it, letting out an excited squeal once she saw what was at the end. It was a small beach connecting to the forest, surrounded by more trees and bushes. And there near the shore was a small house, seemingly abandoned and left to rot by the previous inhabitants. It was small, but it would be enough for the two of them. Before Shadow could say anything about it, Maria was already running up to it and going inside. He quickly followed suit.
The shack was much smaller than he initially perceived. There was only a singular full-sized bed, a small kitchenette, a dresser with a lantern on top, and a small table with two chairs pressed up against the window. Off to the side was another door to what he assumed to be a washroom of sorts. There was a carpet that felt out of place compared to the rest of the room and strange wall decor of things he didn’t recognize. Oddly enough, the shack wasn’t covered in dust like it should have been. Someone must’ve come and gone recently, but that wasn’t important. It was a place to stay, far away from others.
“Oh, this is perfect! We can stay here. It’s enough for the two of us, isn’t it?” She excitedly asks him, the smile on her face bigger than it has ever been. Shadow analyzed the room again and took note of the smaller things. The floors were wood, so she couldn’t walk barefoot or else risk wood splinters. The table and stove would have to be thoroughly cleaned along with finding new bedsheets. He also had to find a way to cover the windows so sand wouldn’t be blown in. But other than that, he couldn’t find anything else wrong with it.
“It is acceptable.” He confirms, which causes Maria to clap excitedly. But then it slows to a stop and her smile grows smaller. It was still there, but it held a feeling that he couldn’t describe.
“I wish Grandpa was here to see this.” She says, her voice quietly trailing off. Shadow glances up at her for a moment before looking back.
“Yes. I think the professor would have liked to be here too.”
They established a routine rather quickly. While Shadow was scoping out the nearby area, he found a small town nearby. Within it, it had most of the supplies they needed. There was only a slight issue.
They had no money and frankly, he had no idea how to get it.
It only took a shop keep asking him what he wanted (he was staring through a display window for far too long) that he explained his situation and lack of funds. He was a large, burly cat that had the largest ears he’s ever seen but he seemed to be friendly enough to talk to. While talking, the shopkeep’s face changed rapidly from shock to confusion, then humor. Once he was finished, the shopkeep let out a deep, hearty laugh and slapped Shadow on his shoulder, causing him to jump at the sudden action. And to his surprise, he got offered a job on the spot.
“I see potential in ‘ya. And everyone’s gotta start somewhere, yeah?” That was all he said before asking Shadow to come back early tomorrow morning.
He did his job well, maybe a bit too well. Everything was perfectly done and in the blink of an eye. It got to the point where the man struggled to give Shadow more tasks once he had finished them all. Often, that led to him getting paid early and going home early. It was often early afternoon when he finished, enough time to shop and go back to Maria. She found it quite humorous that he got a spontaneous job with such little understanding of how the world truly worked. He agreed, especially when the shopkeep didn’t bat an eye when Shadow told him he didn’t know what a ‘deliveryman’ was.
So every morning before the sun rose, Shadow would first check on Maria and make sure she was alright before cooking her a small breakfast. That was also something he had to learn how to do. All of their food was supplied by bots on the ARK and it was never in his initial programming to know how to cook. For the first week of their stay here, he often had to leave and find premade food to bring Maria every day. He simply had to trust it to not get her sick, as he had no idea of the sanitary customs they had here when it came to preparing food. She enjoyed it and from what he could tell, it was safe enough for her to continue consuming. But he had to find an alternative soon, just in case something bad happened to the food one day.
The shopkeeper was kind enough to teach him, mainly because they worked in something called a ‘bakery’, and knowing how to cook was important to this job in some way. His first few attempts were utter disasters, burnt to the point where he could not recognize the initial ingredients and black smoke filled the room. But after some time, he grew to get the hang of it and was finally able to make a bowl of oatmeal that tasted edible. He continued his venture and the shopkeeper even entrusted him with something called a cookbook, a written collection of different dishes with supply lists and directions on how to make them. When he bought it home with him, he swore Maria read it several times over and often tried to get Shadow to make different dishes from it every day. He always obliged.
Then after he made her breakfast, he left and worked for most of the morning. He was the deliveryman for the bakery, often being tasked with bringing various baked goods to different townsfolk. From this, he saw various new faces and species of Mobian he had never seen before. He knew of their existence but seeing them for the first time was an entirely new experience. He enjoyed it immensely and often found himself connecting with some of them in ways he hadn’t expected. It even got to the point where some of the locals invited him in for a chat or even gave him gifts, gifts that he’d give to Maria.
He enjoyed the experience so much that he began slowing down on his routes and opted to walk instead of running them, taking in the various scenery of the town. The architecture here felt so natural and robust compared to the ARK. There were no bright white lights, instead lots of warm lanterns and lamp posts lit up the town. The buildings were made out of bricks and often had some sort of fauna surrounding them, often well-kept and brimming with pollinators. None of these buildings were perfectly made, which gave them a natural charm. There were barely any hints of that sterile, cold metal he was used to. If there was anything metal, it was painted over in various colors to hide its initial nature. It was all so charming and he couldn’t help but smile whenever he came across something new.
Then after he got home and thoroughly cleaned himself (he didn’t want to risk bringing a sickness to her via his quills. They had a bathroom, but he saved that mostly for her), he hung out with Maria for the rest of the day. Surprisingly, they never got bored. Due to the kindness of the villagers, they always had something new to play with. From books they spent all day reading, to puzzles that took them all day to solve (he could solve them instantly, but that ruined the fun), and even a kite. One of them was nice enough to give him a painting set with large tubes of various colors. When he bought that home, he swore they got so consumed in painting they almost forgot to eat dinner. But the one gift Maria enjoyed the most was a journal. It was rather small with a floral pattern etched into the leather casing, but she loved it regardless. And every day while he made dinner, he saw her writing in it vigorously. Sometimes, she even put things in there like the drawings they made or the occasional newspaper clippings. He never saw what she wrote in the journal. She never shared it with him unlike everything else. However, he never pressed to see it as he understood it was very personal for her. If he had a similar object, he knew she would feel the same.
The routine barely changed, but he grew to not mind it. It was still interesting day by day. Different people to talk to, new conversations to be had, and more things to play with. It was beginning to feel like a new home.
Today when he got back from the bakery, he saw Maria sitting on the beach watching something intensely. And she was strangely quiet too, which wasn’t normal for her. He came up behind her as quietly as he could, but loud enough that he didn’t startle her. He crouched next to her and diverted his attention to what she was looking at, tilting his head a little.
There in the sand was a small little creature, standing there and looking around. It was extremely small and pale in color with small beady eyes and pincers. He believed it to be a crab, but he couldn’t remember what type it was. Perhaps a ghost crab considering the eye placement.
“Isn’t it cute?” She whispers, him nodding in agreement. It looked quite silly with its eyes sticking out like that, but there was probably an evolutionary explanation for that. Only a bit later does the crab begin to poke at the sand, slowly creating a hole. Eventually, the hole gets deep enough for the crab to stick itself in and vanish from sight. The two remain, still watching curiously even though the crab was long gone. It wasn’t long before Maria began to pipe up in excitement.
“That was so cool! I’ve always read about the different animals on Earth but seeing them in action is amazing! Seeing all the ways they’ve adapted to survival like burrowing holes and creating nests, it’s all so fascinating. It makes me wonder how many other crabs are under this very sand.” Maria gushes, gently shaking Shadow back and forth. He simply nodded and looked back at the tiny hole. Adapting to survive, it reminded him of them in a weird way. Of course, he and Maria didn’t go through the same hardships as a crab, but they had never lived on their own before. They had to figure that out for themselves to survive, like crabs. Although, he guessed most animals had gone through similar trials in their evolutionary lifetimes as well. Maybe it was because this was his first time seeing that particular survival trait that he felt connected to this crab.
He never thought he’d compare himself to a crab, but there was a first time for everything.
It rained today and the two sat by the window most of the day to watch it. The sky was a dark grey and the waves were more turbulent than usual. The rain came down heavy, beating against the roof with a constant tapping sound. Leaves occasionally flew past the window along with stray branches. Even though it was just rain, it was a spectacle to behold. The ocean was incredible when he first saw it, but this took the cake.
“Rain is interesting, isn’t it? The whole water cycle and everything, even sea water can be turned into rain if it’s hot enough to evaporate. I believe the only other celestial body where it rains is Saturn’s Moon, Titan. Even then, it rains hydrocarbons. On most other planets, the liquid evaporates before it even hits the ground.” Maria says idly, watching a raindrop slide down the window.
“It is one of the many things that make Earth inhabitable. It helps provide fresh drinking water.” He comments.
“Is that why you put that bucket outside?” Maria giggles a bit, pointing to the bucket next to the stairs of the house. It was almost filled up around this time, meaning he’d have to go and get it. And get his quills wet. Wonderful.
“I still have to boil the water to make sure there are no harmful bacteria or parasites, but it is nice to have on hand.” He replies, getting up off the chair to head outside. When he opened the door, he was instantly met with a gush of wet, cold air that made him shiver. It was not as cold as the ARK, but the wet feeling made it much worse. He quickly got the bucket and rushed back inside, dropping it next to him and slamming the door. Even though he was only outside for a mere 10 seconds, he was wet enough that the water was getting into his quills. Before it could soak into his quills further, he vigorously shook himself and splattered water droplets everywhere. He didn’t even realize he had hit Maria with water until he heard a squeal followed by bubbly laughter.
“You can always ask for a towel, you know.” He hears her say before he feels something warm and fluffy come over his head. He looks up to see her smiling at him while gently patting him dry, being careful around his quills. He stayed as still and as relaxed as he could, only really moving when he felt the towel leave his head.
“Thank you, Maria.” Shadow says, which gets him a gentle pat on the head.
“Of course. Anything for you.”
She had caught a cold a few days after that. He only noticed when he woke up and Maria’s body was much warmer than usual. In a panic, he quickly placed a paw on her forehead. Still warm. She needed to cool down before her temperature got any higher. He slid out of bed and got a small towel, dunking it into the water bucket and ringing the excess out. This would have to do before he could find any sort of cold medicine. He went back over and gently draped the towel over her forehead, Maria flinching and groaning at the sudden contact.
“Shadow?” She murmurs, her voice still heavy with sleep. She tries to sit up but Shadow gently pushes her back down.
“Don’t move, you have a cold.” He tells her, gently straightening the towel on her forehead. She frowns at this.
“A cold? Are you sure?”
“I am sure. Your body temperature is higher than normal. I will go to the village and try to find some medicine before it gets worse.”
“Ok… I trust you.” She calls out to him before he leaves, quickly dashing to the village. He knew that there was an apothecary on his typical delivery route. Hopefully, they were open during this hour.
Once he got to the apothecary, he read the sign on the door, and his heart sank. Not open yet, but maybe there was someone instead. Maybe. He ended up knocking a bit frantically, hoping that someone would open the door. On the first bout, there was no response. It was the same on the second, but he could pick up some sort of shuffling in the building. Before he could knock again, the door suddenly swung open to reveal a very annoyed fox woman.
“Can’t you read the sign? We’re clo-”
“Do you have anything for colds?” He suddenly burst out, taking the woman by surprise.
“Huh?”
“Someone…Someone I care about is sick and I fear it will get worse if she doesn’t have any medicine. Do you have any cold medicine?” The lady stared at him for a moment, her face taunt in thought. Shadow stared back, unwilling to back down on this. He needed it, she needed it. He wouldn’t let it get worse without any sort of fight. After a while, the lady went back inside, leaving the door slightly ajar. She eventually comes back with a bag in tow and hands it to him.
“I know who you are, so don’t worry about paying for it. Just give her 1 pill in the morning and 1 pill at night and she’ll recover. And please…Don’t come bashing my door so early in the morning. Some of us sleep around here.” She says, waving him off. Surprised at the gesture, he quickly thanked her before rushing back home. Thankfully, Maria hadn’t tried to move out of bed but was now sitting up with the towel slipping off her forehead. He sets the bag on the table and pulls out the medicine, along with preparing a glass of water.
“Here, Maria.” He walks up and hands it all to her. She sees the pill in his hand and frowns, not moving to take either of them.
“I know you don’t like pills, but it is the only way you will feel better. Please?” She still looks a bit uneasy, but relents after a little bit and downs the pill with some water. After she hands him the half-empty glass back, he gently tries to push her to lie down. Her exhaustion was beginning to show on her face, her eyes slightly drooping.
“Are you sure it will work? It’s not as strong as the ARK’s medicine.” She asks, her voice growing noticeably softer.
“I am sure it will not get worse. I will promise you that. I will take care of you.” He says, pulling the covers over her. She doesn’t respond fully, something akin to a thank you that trails off into silence as she falls asleep. All he could do was watch and hope that his promise would be able to be kept.
He wishes he could do more, but the professor wasn’t here. He never properly learned about his healing capabilities, only that he had them. If he tried using them now, who knows what would happen? For all he knew, he could make it exponentially worse. Shadow wasn’t willing to risk that.
He could only hope this would work.
The next day, Shadow decided to get her something to make her feel better. What that something was? He hadn’t a clue, he just knew it was going to be something. Even if it was small like a bundle of flowers. When he got to work, he told the shopkeep of his plan and the elderly cat pondered over it, scratching his chin.
“Well. Ya can always make ‘er a cake. That cheers people up.” He suggested.
“A…cake?”
“C’mon, I run a bakery. I gotta say something related to it.” He chuckles. Shadow tilts his head a bit.
“I have never made a cake.” He admits.
“Ah, right. You’re never back here while I’m bakin’. Here, I’ll walk ya through it. She’ll love it, I promise ya that.”
The shopkeep said the cake recipe was something passed down through his family for years; An Apple Streusel cake with an apple compote center. He had no clue what streusel or compote was, but he trusted the man’s vision and his family’s legacy. He mostly watched him create the cake, listening intently to his instructions and measurements. He learned that streusel was a mix of butter, flour, and sugar that was then put on top of various goods before baking. He wasn’t sure how flour with sugar and butter would taste good, but he had to trust it.
Apple compote, on the other hand, was just cooked apples with a few extra ingredients. Shadow didn’t understand the complicated names for such things, but then again there were worse names for things when it came to science. Maybe it was because this was all new to him that it felt so complicated. The compote he was able to manage on his own, much to the shopkeep’s approval.
After mixing the cooled apples into the batter, they left it to make while they prepared the glaze which was just powdered sugar and milk. Curious, Shadow swiped a nail against the side of the bowl and licked off the frosting. It was sweet enough that there was an aftertaste he didn’t enjoy, but it wasn’t too terrible. Definitely not something he’d have regularly. After the cake was taken out of the oven and cooled, they drizzled all of the icing on top, giving it a nice sheen. He had to admit, it smelt delicious. Better than anything he could ever come up with.
“And there it is! Meemaw’s prized Apple Streusel Cake. Guaranteed to cheer up anyone’s day. Now you go take this to ‘er, and I’m sure it’ll cheer ‘er up.” He told him as he packed the cake up in a box. Shadow simply nodded and thanked him before taking the cake home.
Maria was still in bed, but she was awake and writing in her journal. She looked towards him when the door opened and gave him a weak smile. But then her eyes landed on the box in his hands and her expression leaned more towards curiosity.
“What’s that?” She asked, her eyes following him as he set the box on the stovetop to open it.
“He said it was an Apple Streusel cake. That it is supposed to cheer you up. I helped him make it.” He tells her, cutting a slice of the cake and walking to the bed to hand it to her. Her eyes light up at the sight and she quickly takes a bite out of him. She suddenly makes a sound that Shadow has never heard from her before and she continues to eat the cake as quickly as she can.
“Shadow, this is amazing! This is the best thing I’ve ever had, it’s so delicious. You…made this for me?”
“Of course.” She smiles at his reply, although there is a slight strain on her face.
“This really means a lot to me, thank you. Now come on. I know how you are about trying your own food.” She teases, holding up a piece of cake for him to eat. He bites it off the fork and chews on it for a moment. He liked it a lot more than he was expecting, even the frosting tasted much better now with the rest of the cake.
The two of them ended up eating the whole cake, lunch completely forgotten about.
Her condition began to worsen, much to his horror. All of the medicine he was giving her wasn’t helping. Even after asking the townsfolk for their guidance, nothing they told him had helped. Most days, she couldn’t even leave her bed. He had to pull the table over from the window just to give her a space to eat. He had to help her get around the house and help her do basic necessities. His days off work started growing to be longer periods just to make sure she was ok.
And despite all of that, she was still happier than ever. He couldn’t understand it, especially since whenever she got sick on the ARK her whole mood sunk. But for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out her mood.
“Maria?”
“Hm?” She looked up from the book she was reading and tilted her head at him.
“How…Why are you so happy?” He asks.
“What do you mean?”
“Whenever you got sick on the ARK, you were always so upset. But now, it is like nothing is wrong.” Her eyes widen a bit at this and she sets her book down.
“I guess maybe it’s because I’m here. I know I’ve been saying that this whole time, but it’s true. Whenever I got sick on the ARK, I was always alone. The robots had to take care of me and you weren’t allowed to come visit. The medicine was so much worse too. But here, I have you and no robots taking care of me, so it’s not as bad.” She explains. He thinks on it for a moment and he kind of gets it. On the ARK, he was subject to tests almost every single day. During those tests, he was always alone even if someone else was in the room with him. He rarely saw Maria and when he did, their time was short. But now that they were here, things were different. Even though he was gone most of the morning on most days, it was nothing compared to the testing. He enjoyed working. He liked walking through the town and talking to the townsfolk. He cherished all of the time he got to spend with Maria. It was what he always wanted. And he supposed this also falls into what Maria always wanted as well, even though she still got sick.
“I see.” He says, still a bit stuck in thought. She seemed to have noticed as she gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I know you’re worried, but I’ll be alright.” She consoles, smiling softly at him. He couldn’t fully believe her, though. Not with the strain in her words and the tired look in her eyes. Even that statement was vague at best. No mention of ‘I’ll recover’, just ‘I’ll be alright.’
He dreaded to know the actual meaning of that sentence.
“Shadow, I don’t think I’ll be here much longer.”
Today they were sitting on the shore, looking at the stars above. She was strong enough to leave her bed today and she said she wanted to see the stars. It was a clear night tonight and the stars shone bright and glimmering. Even though he was used to seeing stars on the ARK, this felt like a whole new experience. In the vast darkness of the sky, the stars were truly allowed to shine. But Maria’s words distracted him from the sight.
“Huh?” He says, taken aback by her words.
“I don’t feel any better than before. And knowing me, it will most likely get worse. I appreciate the medicine you get me, I really do. But it’s not like the ARK.”
“Maria-”
“It’s ok, Shadow.” She quickly cuts him off, smiling. “It’s ok. I’ve been thinking about this for a little bit. As much as I want to keep seeing Earth with you, I know I can’t go on forever. But I’m happy that I was able to experience it at all. I never thought I would, being stuck up there with no cure in sight.”
“We would have found a way to cure you. That was my purpose, to help cure you.” He tries to protest. She couldn’t give up now. They couldn’t give up now. There was still so much more for her to see and so much to do. He’d be willing to do anything to keep her safe, to keep her alive. Just so she could be happy. He was the Ultimate Life Form, the Ultimate cure. Failing wasn’t an option, his whole purpose was to cure her. Even if he couldn’t do it alone, surely there was someone that could help.
“ I know. But without Grandpa, we have to let that go.” He was stunned into silence at the answer. He wanted to argue with her so badly. There still was a chance, he was still here. He could find someone else to help cure her, maybe in the village like the woman who runs the apothecary. She could help and everything would be great again and they could live together longer and see more things. But all of the arguments he was making in his head kept dying out as if he couldn’t bring himself to verbalize them.
“But Shadow, when I do leave, can you promise me one thing?” She asks, pulling Shadow out of his stewing.
“Anything.” He responds almost instantly. At that, Maria gently took his paw and laid her other hand across it. Her look was soft and one of yearning. The urge to protest flared up again once he saw her face, but it died on his tongue just as it did before. All he could do was listen.
“When I do leave, I want you to see the world for me. All of the cool things we dreamed about, I want you to go experience them. I know you’ll be here for a long time, so I want you to be happy too. I don’t want you to hold yourself back just because I’m not here anymore. Can you do that for me?”
Shadow’s eyes widen slightly. He wasn’t expecting that, but it was probable to believe. Seeing Earth was her dream, of course. Alas, her illness would stop it in its tracks and he had to accept that. In his current state without the professor, he could not cure her. As much as he wanted to try, he knew it would be futile. At best, it would prolong her life by a couple of days. It was hard to accept, but he had to. To carry this wish out would be the least he could do if he couldn’t cure her.
“Of course.” He responds, causing her to smile again and pull him in for a brief hug. They then focused back on the sky, Maria pointing out some of the constellations and Shadow nodding along to her explanations. The waves were calm tonight, gently splashing up against the sand and barely missing their feet. A peaceful paradise.
“I know we could always see the stars from the ARK, but they always felt so…Samey, y’know? We’re used to seeing so many of them up there. But seeing them from down here…It feels different. I think I can appreciate them for what they are.” She says while pointing out the north star. “Like Polaris, it’s so bright.”
“Maybe we were just oblivious to their true beauty by seeing them all the time.” He responds.
“Yeah. Maybe we were.”
She passed away a few days later, in the dead of night.
He knew it when her breathing slowed to a halt and her heartbeat gradually grew quieter. There was a soft smile on her face, as if she knew tonight was the night. That she died knowing Shadow was close to her. That everything she had seen was what she always imagined. Content that she was able to see earth, no matter how short-lived it was.
Seeing her motionless on the bed with the moonlight falling over her like a burial blanket…It made Shadow feel strange. He had no urge to cry, but his heart was growing heavier by the moment. Maybe it was the prior knowledge that their time together would be short-lived and he yearned for there to be more time. For them to experience more than this small beach house and the village nearby. To go on trips and take pictures to remember all of the things they did. But at the same time, he was happy things turned out this way regardless of how it happened. It was an experience he’d live a thousand times over. The two of them in the place they’ve always dreamed about, experiencing everything for the first time.
She died happy, that’s all he could ask for.
Before the sun even rose, he dug out a trench in the forest near where they initially crash-landed. Then he picked her up as gently as he could muster with his size, moving her to the makeshift grave. It wasn’t the best, he had to admit. He was vaguely aware of the custom of putting the dead in caskets and burying them, but this would have to do. He also wished he had something of hers to bury with her, but those were lost to space.
Wait. She had her journal.
He quickly went back to the house and took it off the table, eyeing it and making sure nothing fell out. He didn’t dare to open it. It was hers and he’d respect that even in death. He brought it back to the grave, carefully maneuvering her hands so that she held it close to her chest. Then he placed the bedsheet on top of her and began covering her with dirt.
The sun had risen, and the grave was fully covered with a bundle of flowers on top. He sat in front of it, staring at it with sorrow. It was done, she was gone. Shadow knew he couldn’t stay here forever. If he did, he’d never leave and he feared his grief would only worsen. She was in a better place now, with her grandfather to keep her company. Maria wouldn’t want him to stay here either, she had a task for him.
To see the world and experience everything in it.