Land of Lustrous

She was definitely dead, but something strange happened a few hours later.

She could not see, she could not hear, but she could only move by making small movements.

It then seemed like a dream, beautiful and serene.

She was having a picnic with her family, she was happy and content, she was enjoying herself.

"Mom! Mum!"

"I'm coming"

It stopped right at the most beautiful moment, but an even better one started: there were flowers everywhere, and the people around her were dancing and singing carefree.

This one also stopped without warning.

"Ah...what's going on."

Martha was talking, but her voice was completely off, without any sound. Even though she couldn't hear it anyway, neither could I.

At that moment she tried to turn around, tried many times, until she succeeded.

As she turned around, strange to say, she fell into something. It seemed to be deep water, she had obviously sunk into it.

Then something, or rather someone, grabbed her hand, bringing it to the "surface".

Martha was being dragged by that person, she felt an occasional pain in her back after receiving a few blows from hypothetical stones and branches.

She didn't seem like a very gentle person from the way she was carrying the body, when she stopped though her presence had vanished completely.

He had placed Martha on something not too hard, it seemed to be soft grass.

But he didn't feel much pain, because she was dead now, she had nothing to do with the human world anymore, or at least that was what he thought.

She was completely switched off, but in fact she seemed to have a switch somewhere, to give her life, to switch her on.

At first glance, as mentioned above, it seemed to have vanished. Then her presence made itself felt again, this time saying some unintelligible words.

"wa...e...p..."

"Oi oi, what the heck is he saying, it sounds like... a woman."

Her hearing slowly began to open up.

"wa...k...up."

She tried everything to open her eyes, without success. He tried to force them open, but nothing, they remained sealed.

Then, a sensation on his nose became very annoying, as if a knife was approaching.

"You've got to be kidding me! I've died once I don't want to do it a second time, so open your fucking eyes, Martha!"

And so it was, she opened her eyes wide.

A very sharp looking knife was about to pierce her pupil, but the contraption stopped in time.

"Oya... you're finally awake."

The image of the hypothetical woman became clearer and clearer.

After the blur went away completely, the long-awaited person could be admired.

She had white hair, with a black lock on her fringes that covered an entire eye.

On his face equally white eyes, with pale, smooth skin.

"Hey, do you want to lie there? I don't think that's comfortable."

"W-who are you..."

"I'll tell you when you get up."

Her body could finally move, her limbs were functional. The floor she was lying on was very thick, green grass, then there were more rocks and finally a lake, most likely where she had drowned before.

Lifting her head she saw a beautiful sight, a breathtaking waterfall that when it touched the lake made huge drops gush out, all decorated by the moss covered rocks.

"Good, now we can talk."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"S-so? Who are you?"

"I'm glad you asked, Martha Stuart."

"H-how do you know my no...

"Don't be so hasty, let me talk."

She walked a few feet away from the woman and positioned herself in the middle of a strange entrance, consisting mostly of trees.

"My name is Lela, welcome at last to this world full of joy and lightheartedness....

Eden!"

A strange flurry tousled her hair, she stood still and bewildered by what she was observing at that moment.

"E-Eden?"

"Exactly, my dear Martha."

"And what does it all mean?"

"Huh? Simple...

Martha, you are dead."

She knew it, knew it very well. But still, hearing it was a relief to her, a symptom of contentment and serenity. That was all she had in mind and she would not rest until she had succeeded in her undertaking, in her project.

She had won.

"Anyway, I'd like you to follow me in here."

"And what's there?"

"I wouldn't know either, I wanted to do it with you."

She gave an irritated smirk, took her hand and helped her up, then the two of them ventured inside what appeared to be a natural tunnel.

There was a sign there though, she had noticed it, looked at it for a moment and then continued on her way.

"Abandon all hope ye who enter here."