The only explanation that Malcolm has for any of this is that he's dead. He's not exactly sure how or when he died, but after listening to the Ferryman talk about this being a journey of redemption, Malcolm is sure that this must be the afterlife. It's a weird afterlife, but who really knew what the afterlife was all about anyway?

Apparently it's a tropical blooming island.

If he believed in a spectrum of heaven and hell, Malcolm would have to guess that this is heaven. He's surprised that he's here, though maybe he shouldn't be. He's not perfect by any means, but he's tried to live a good life. Perhaps he deserves to be here more than he gives himself credit for.

After disembarking from the boat, he smiles at the locals as they put a lei around his neck. Turning to one of the other Travelers, he lowers his voice and leans in. "Are we dead?"

He's made himself a bunk on one of the sleeping porches at the temple. It's surprisingly comfortable, considering it's outside. Malcolm's not much of a camper or sleeping outside type, but he's dealing with it the best that he can.

The consensus seems to be that he's not really dead and that everyone has been magically transported here. Malcolm still has a lot of questions that he wants answers to. The fact that he feels better and less stressed than he has in years is making the need for those answers not as urgent as it might be. He's even sleeping somewhat normally, and without nightmares. It's almost... unsettling.

Another thing he hasn't done in years is cooked something decent for himself, but with the extra time and sense of relaxation, he decided to try to do something with the abundance of fish that the temple has available to eat. He's at one of the cooking stations, sautéing a fish filet while he looks through the other food options.

"These flowers are edible?" he asks out loud. What the hell? He takes a bite out of a large pink petal. "Tastes like... citrus of some kind."

Malcolm relaxes back in the water, letting it flow over him. This is better than any spa vacation that his mother could have booked for him. He takes a deep breath of the sweet aroma that surrounds the baths as he slips into the hallucination.

In his mind's eye he sees himself happy and laughing with his friends and family. They're listening to him as he tells a story, not acting like whatever he's saying is annoying or macabre. His mother doesn't look worried about him at all. Gil looks proud. His father is a blip on everyone's radars, easily forgotten. When he goes to sleep at night, he doesn't have to use restraints in bed because he no longer has nightmares. He sleeps soundly.

As much as Malcolm knows this is a fantasy, he still never wants to get out of this bath. Suddenly though, when someone else enters the bath, his hallucination starts to change and shift.

The scream draws his attention and Malcolm appears with some of the other Travelers to see what the source of the disturbance is. When he hears that teenager has gone missing, his cop instincts kick in. Apparently even paradise isn't perfect.

After retrieving a machete from the temple, Malcolm returns to find that a group of Travelers is ready to mount a rescue mission, even if the locals think it's a hopeless endeavor.

"Does anyone know what kind of flowers they were looking for and where they might grow?" he asks.

Malcolm's trying to form at least half of a plan before they all run out into the dark unknown.

[ Want to do something else? Hit me up at sparks_fly. ]