The Coin

Lonely in life, lonely in Everlost, where his sole companions were the trees that had crossed before him. The nameless boy swung from branch to branch, and nearly lost his concentration when he noticed something very odd.

A ghost.

"Hello?" he called. This had to be the first person he'd seen in ages! Or... maybe the first one, period. He thought he was the only dead ghost around.

She was a copper-headed, cute thing, a blush painted on her cheeks and emerald dress matching her green eyes. The boy jumped off his perch in the tree and alighted next to her. Startled, she looked him over and said, "Didn't that hurt?"

He laughed. "Ghosts don't feel pain, don't you know?"

The girl scowled. "We're not ghosts. We're Afterlights. To call us ghosts is insulting."

"Well, how come you know that but not that we don't feel pain? You a new ghost- er, Afterlife?"

"No, I'm not a Greensoul. I thought you were."

"I'm confused."

The girl shrugged, curls bouncing. "Whatever. So, this is a particularly large deadspot, isn't it?"

"Dead-what?"

She gave him a look that said something like 'You're hopeless.' "Part of Everlost."

"Ever-what?"

"This place. It's Everlost."

"Oh, is it? Well, who're you?"

"I'm Meagan. I think."

"I'm... I don't remember."

Meagan-she-thinks frowned. "You have to hold on to your memories, or you'll forget them. Be careful."

"All right. Do you want to play?"

"Play?" Meagan shook her head. "I have to go. Listen, you should come with me. I know someplace nice, where you won't sink."

"I don't sink here."

"Well, where I'm going, it's safer."

"Where are you going?"

"Are you coming or not?" she asked irritably.

"No. I like it here," the boy pouted. "At least... at least spend the night."

"Fine. But I don't sleep."

"Neither do I."

But the boy did fall asleep, because nearing midnight, Meagan started to sing. It was a somber, soothing lullaby with the strangest tinge of... wrongness. It made him drowsy, and he hadn't felt drowsy since he died. He suddenly didn't trust Meagan very well, but next thing he knew, he was waking up, the sun beating down into his tree house, and Meagan was gone.

"Whatever," he huffed, pulling out his valuables. He'd meant to show her, as a sort of good-luck present, but if she'd left... "Hey! Wait a minute!" he exclaimed. "What happened to my coin?!"

Meagan "Mary" McGill clutched the coin in her palm, noting with absolute satisfaction that it was cold to the touch. "Wonderful," she said. "Yet another soul saved from an eternity of mystery and possible evil."

As she passed a pond, she made sure to toss the coin in, making a wish.