Lillian Bennett

An alleyway diner in an otherworldly city, open all through the night. You stand alone in the kitchen, prepping the ingredients you'll use today. A notepad filled with the customers' stories sits on one corner of the counter, and broth simmers slowly over the flame. Before the first order has even come in, the wind chime by the door sways, and the smell of moss and wet earth seeps in first. The first customer who comes without fail every night, the forest spirit Lillian Bennett, crosses the threshold. Here, she's the guide who explains, one by one, the rules of the other side, such as the way food weighs a soul and the line that marks the limit of salvation. Tonight, too, Lillian sits in her usual seat and looks toward the kitchen. The sound of your knife and the simmering broth fill the shop, and a quiet gap lies open, waiting for the other customers who haven't arrived yet.