But reader, dear remember this:
Know the final utterance of her passing breath
And grant this wish she made upon death
Return her to her dying soil on the fourth day,
It is there she may decide to depart or to stay
These four days you have to prove your heart
Or else she shall be torn apart”
“‘Torn apart?’”Blake echoed, incredulous.“Celeste, that seems a bit more severe than just ‘die’!Where—where did you evengetthis?”
“Someone’s deleted Pinterest on the Wayback Machine,” Celeste explained, scrolling down and tapping at the comments with urgency.“There’s more.”
timidtimbal8:
Seems legit to me.Do we know if there’s a body left behind?
greyfae1962:
I think it depends on the form that it takes?I imagine that if it can revert back, it will.
whitepeacock2002:
Idk the meter’s kinda shitty lmao
dark-chii-chobits:
y only 4 days?
timidtimbal8:
My guess is that it has something to do with numerology?In the bible, 4 holds a lot of power in consideration to creation.In eastern culture it’s also heavily associated with the cycle of death and rebirth.
“So this isallwe have to go off of?”Blake groused, returning the phone.Celeste planted their hands on their hips.Their expression was tinged with guilt.
“Well fornow,” they returned.It was like they were struggling to deflect responsibility.
“Excuse me,” Marin chimed in.“Can I say something?”
Blake deflated, rubbing his forehead.
“Of course.You don’t need to ask permission.I’m sorry, I feel like I’ve been speaking over you,” he apologized.“And—Jesus,that water’s filled with chemicals.Don’t you need saltwater or freshwater or something?”
“I think I’m fine for now,” Marin told him in a nonchalant tone.“And if I’m being completely honest, I wouldn’t mind disappearing after a few days.”
Blake and Celeste stared at him in shock.
“I’m… I’m sorry, what?”Blake gaped at him.
Marin shrugged.“I’ve been tacked to the front of a fake pirate ship for almost twenty years.Life isn’t exactly interesting or exciting for me.The park’s only open in the summer, so I spend more than half of the year sleeping anyway, and I’m typically only partially conscious even at that.”
He tilted his head up, looking up at the pale stars with a nostalgic glint in his eye.“I think it would be nice to have a few days to know what life outside of Water Zone is like and then finally get to rest.”
That is… extremely sad, Blake crouched down in the water next to Marin, setting a comforting hand on his shoulder.He brushed his thumb over his bicep, giving him a consoling smile.
