The autumn winds gently flowed across this place, the marigolds susurrating as the breeze passed through the field. Staring down at the plains from atop the knoll, I sat next to Andy, as the two of us looked across the abounding land. The sun slowly continued its descent, falling, drifting, the light of the afternoon slowly fading. Even among these Elysian plains, time carried on.
"You want to live a simple life, among nature?" I asked her.
"Yeah," she replied. "I lived a hard life, struggling against myself, trying to become someone that I actually wanted to be. I want to live a life where I don't want to worry about all that."
"You used to want to be like the rabbits, didn't you?" I said to her. "Do you remember that?"
"I guess... vaguely, I was a young kid back then," Andy answered. "I didn't know much about the world, the only thing I really cared about then was running around the parks and yelling like I was hopped up on red cordial."
She stopped for a moment, with her finger stroking her chin, as she got lost in her thoughts. I shifted my place against the tree a little bit. Sitting here for so long was really becoming a rather literal pain in the backside.
"I like the rabbits though," Andy added. "They always seemed so cute to me as a kid."
The sun continued to fall, as did the leaves, drifting down like snowfall from the tangle of branches above us. As the marigolds and the oak tree leaves swayed beneath the warm light, the zephyrs drifted by, the winds of fate calling as they blew through the flowered prairie. It felt kind of like the sunset of a life. I took the manilla folder I had kept, and put it by my side.
"Well, if you'd be comfortable, there's an island named Acanasser. There's no humans, and you could live out the rest of your days as a Cordel, a small hybrid of a rabbit and a mouse," I said. "Would that suit you?"
"That sounds nice," Andy replied. "Are there any predators around the island though?"
"I'm afraid no life is ever entirely free of conflict," I answered.
"I'm guessing that's a 'yes' then," Andy said, calling me out.
"Yeah," I replied reluctantly.
As we sat there, Andy stood up from the tree - and with my back absolutely killing me, I also took any opportunity I could to stand up from against the tree. She wandered through the leaves, the crunches of the wilderness underfoot punctuating each step.
"You're right though," Andy replied. "I don't want to live among people, because I don't want to live a complex life, dealing with all of its vices. However, if I live as a predator, I'd have to kill to survive - and I'm not sure I'm comfortable doing that either. I think your little Cordel idea sounds nice. I can run around, living as I please, and hide from the world if I want to."
Staring toward the setting sun, her denim jacket flapped in the wind as she stood tall.
"Whatever happens though, I've outrun my past," Andy said with a smile. "It doesn't matter what I live as, what matters is who I am. I became the me that I wanted to be. Wherever I am, whatever I am, I can live proudly knowing that."
I approached Andy, and - trying to avoid the ears of my bosses as they likely spied on our reality from above, I leaned in, whispering.
"Oh, and one more thing. There's a boy, a kid named Jamie, who's stuck inside a fortress on the island," I murmured. "I was hoping you'd be able to keep him company, maybe help him learn and grow: just like you did with your uncle's kids. Is that alright with you?"
Andy nodded.
"That sounds nice," she said. "I always wanted to have a kid of my own, someday."
As she turned toward the sun, Andy stared out across the marigolds. Descending the fields, she took the flower in her hands, and smelled it. I could envision the fragrant scent of the marigolds, like smelling spring itself.
"You seem like a pretty nice person, Malarie," Andy said. "Take care of yourself."
"Will do," I replied.
In the marigold fields, I could see a small burrow forming in the ground, the small gate opening up to another world of warm waters and crystalline sands. Andy stared toward the little tunnel with a look of contentedness on her face. As she stared at the warren, she removed her denim jacket.
"Hey Malarie, think of this as a parting gift," she said with a smile as she threw the jacket to me. "I don't think I'll need it where I'm going."
I chuckled a little.
"Yeah, probably not," I replied.
As I caught the jacket, I looked down at the strange garment. The denim felt a bit strange to me. It wasn't really a material I'd ever seen much in my past life, but I'd seen a few people wearing denim stuff around the office. I'd never really felt it though. It was stiff to the touch, with a rough surface. It felt a bit alien to me.
"Thanks for talking to me," Andy replied. "I hope I'll get the chance to meet you again sometime."
I didn't hope for that. If I met her, that probably meant that I'd been reincarnated. Still, she didn't know about the world above this one, and that was probably for the best. As I tucked the jacket under my arm, I smiled.
"Me too," I said to her.
Wandering toward the rabbit warren, Andy began to morph, her shape changing with each step. Her cherry-blonde hair receded back into her head, turning rust-coloured, as fur grew across the rest of her skin. Moving from a walk to a four-legged hop, her gait changed as her body altered its structure, taking on the form of a small rabbit with a pressed mouse nose and a furred worm-like tail. Bouncing toward the hole, having wholly taken on her Cordel form, she turned back toward me - nodding with her little rabbit head, before disappearing into the burrow.
"Seeya," Andy's disembodied voice echoed upon the wind. They were her last words, as her human chapter finally came to a close.
The hole closed up behind her as I sat amid the field of marigolds. Drifting, ascending into the sunset, I spoke into to the winds of fate as they carried her away.
"Goodbye, Andy," I said to the fields, as I drifted up into the sky - away from that floral expanse.
