Hermitcraft One-Shots (S7)

in the afterlife*

This chapter is loosely based off of the song "Arms Tonite" by Mother Mother. I linked it up top for anyone to listen to it.

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Mumbo sat down and let out a long breath. It had been a long day, completing his chores and... going back to work. Today was the first day that he had gone back to the Town Hall after Grian's death.

It had been rough, having to retreat back to an office only 1 floor above the place of his best friend's death. If he got a choice, Mumbo would've quit the job at the Town Hall and move on with his life.

But he needed diamonds, and his small shops weren't cutting it. Mumbo could get a job at another shop, like Bdubs at Shade-EE's. The job at the Town Hall was fun, but extremely anxiety-inducing and a big factor of Mumbo's PTSD. (relatable)

For now, though, Mumbo would try and forget his day, no matter how bad or good it was.

He shoved a shaky hand through his matted hair and looked into the mirror in the bottom of his base. Puffy eyes, thin cheeks. Since when were his cheekbones so prominent? Had he been eating? Had he been sleeping?

It all came rushing back at once. I can't live like this, Mumbo thought to himself. He couldn't remember the last time he really sat down and had a meal, or slept a full night. Grian's death was taking a huge toll on his life, and Mumbo couldn't control it.

Sighing heavily, he plopped onto a chair and closed his eyes. One day it would be better. Right? Mumbo hadn't dealt with death like this before. Pets, yes, they can't live forever. Bases, even, all the time spent working on a base could make it feel like family. And then at the start of a new season, you had to pack up and leave.

Grian wasn't a pet, or a base. He wasn't even a friend. He was family.

Slowly, Mumbo started to drift off and finally get some well needed, long awaited sleep.

Hey, you~

Mumbo sat up slowly and stretched. How long had he been asleep? Glancing over at the clock on his wall, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned. 8 pm. He had been asleep for 4 hours, and boy did it feel good to be a bit well rested.

Mumbo glanced around and frowned. He thought he had heard something, that's what woke him up. Maybe it was in a dream? Who knows. He stood up and stretched again, ready to go fix himself a small dinner.

Don't you think it's kind of cute

Mumbo paused and stood completely still. He had definitely heard something, and he pinched his pale arm to make sure he wasn't still asleep. Yanking his arm back, he evaluated that he in fact, was now awake.

How I tried? To escape the afterlife~

A quiet voice, sounding just a little bit broken. Floating around Mumbo's head, as if it were talking to him. "Grian?" Mumbo called faintly, afraid that he would scare away his ghostly friend. "Are you there? Are you- am I hallucinating?"

That I try~ to get back in your arms alive~

The voice snapped a bit, and the person behind sounded on the verge of tears.

And hey, you~

Don't you think it's really cute~

That I died~

Right inside YOUR ARMS TONIGHT~

The voice started to shout, shout over the tears, over the pain in its voice.

I fell
In your arms tonight

I died
In your arms tonight

White light
In your arms tonight

I cry
Because I have died
And you won't
See me alive
And I cry
Because we have died
On the inside

~~~~~~~~

Once, there was a mighty king, and one day he went off and got married. Few years following, 3 baby girls were born only 1 year apart. They grew to be beautiful women, who all loved their father dearly. One day, when they had all sat down to dinner, the eldest daughter asked the king which of the princesses were his favorite. He of course, did not answer this, and demanded the eldest be sent away for asking such a controversial question. Once the eldest daughter had left, the middle daughter laughed and said to her father, Well our oldest sister must not be your favorite, for you have sent her away! The king was enraged, and demanded his middle daughter be sent away for saying such a crude remark. The youngest daughter then was silent, afraid to be sent away just as her older sisters had been. For years, she was a trophy to the king, and he would show his silent daughter off. She was beautiful, and everyone loved her. When it came the time for her to marry, the youngest daughter was thrilled. She thought she would finally escape her treacherous father, but instead he insisted that she would not be wed. She would be forced to stay by his side till the day he died. At this statement, the daughter fled from the kingdom and was never seen again. Just shortly after, the queen died and the king was left all alone. He tried to reach out and find his oldest daughters, but it had been years, and he found out that they had both perished in a fire weeks before.

So who was responsible for such loneliness, the king? Or death?