There weren’t better experiences for him to remember, because as far as the boy was concerned, it was one of the best. As Ralph Hutchinson lay in a smoking heap on the roof of a building his remaining family would probably never see, the boy realized how much kinder this path must’ve been for him. Instead of living with corvette-driving jackoff’s year round and eventually dying a sad, lonely, and pound-ridden death, the one they called Piglet had the privilege of seeing all kinds of things, and meeting all kinds of people…
But moreover, he had never let go of his imagination. Soul crushing losses and the sight of dying comrades had made his desire to dream stronger. He thrived in the worlds of his own creation.
A vision came to him. The pain of his first degree burns slowly started to ebb away as he touched the dew with his fingertips.
“You’re a human boy, filled with more dreams than could possibly be contained in that mortal shell of yours.” The narrating echo formed its own body. A tall, lanky man with vibrant green hair, and a charming, heartfelt smile upon his lips. “Not many people go down without regrets, you know. I’m sure I wouldn’t have.”
“Simon. You’re the one always encouraging me to be optimistic. Why did you get so discouraged at the end?” Ralph had to ask. As much as he didn’t want to interrupt the beauty of the scene, it was something that needed to get off his chest.
“Because Ralph… If you die, I go too.” Simon’s green eyes grew sad for a moment as he looked over his master’s slowly healing features. “Perhaps it was selfish of me to think of it that way… But I can’t always be focused on your well-being.”
The smaller boy simply smiled and stood up straight. “Was it really living?”
Strange how such simple questions could hit home like that. Immediately the nergal’s hands wrapped tightly around Ralph, small tears dripping from his inhuman orbs. “Through the corner of your eyes, you can see the people that will accompany you in your journey. Two men and a smaller woman. One of them has darker skin and towers over you, but inside you know he probably has a heart of gold he doesn’t want to expose to the world, regardless of the rough way he treats you. The other man is a cold, stoic character. You don’t know much about him because his serious stare is off-putting, but with effort, you may even teach him to learn your name.”
Simon was choking on his words. “Last but not least, you have a girl with pigtails, whose sweet disposition often leads to comical discussions. She’s incredibly optimistic to hide her doubts. They’re all waiting for you, Ralph.”
The green haired man’s clutch loosened on Ralph as he turned to look at his comrades, their faces being as clean and untouched as when he first saw them. “Piglet.” Clint called, looking like he was going to punch the boy for a moment… Before he unclenched his fist and revealed the digital creature the boy prized so much. “You dropped this.”
Astonished, Ralph gently plucked it from the dark man’s hands and looked down at it with his eyes aglow. Finally, he pushed the button. It appeared to be pointing forward.
“… And where are you, Simon?” Piglet finally asked and glanced back to the man.
“I’m right behind you, of course.” The man sobbed.
“No.” A hand took Simon’s with a firm grasp, pulling the man forward with the rest of the group. “You’re right beside me.”
As the demon cried, they all looked ahead. Ralph was in that spot, yet he could feel everything. His feet were firmly planted in the moist grass, yet he could taste the marshmallow clouds above and feel the sunlight comb through his dirt-colored hair. He was everywhere and nowhere, and it was the most beautiful place to be.
“Your princess is in another castle, Ralph. Let’s go find her.”
It could’ve all been a figment of a dying man’s imagination. But maybe it wasn’t. Perhaps it was the end for a man named Ralph Hutchinson. Or maybe it was just the beginning. There was nothing to prove he felt and saw all those things, or that somewhere in the universe, there was a sentience that once went by that name still searching for something.
The only concrete fact left behind was a burnt, smiling corpse clutching a Tamagachi with a broken khopesh next to him acting as a silent epitaph.
Wherever Ralph and Simon had gone, existence or non-existence, they went together.
