"Uh. I figured this was heaven 'cause I didn't figure the norse would let me into - Valhalla or wherever the shit - should I not be swearing in heaven - "

"No, you're good! So, there's a world - not the one you grew up in - where Eru, the creator of the world, created powerful beings to carry out the work of creation in the world. One of them is called Lórien, and he made this place, and it's supposed to be a place where you feel comfortable, no matter the context you're coming from. So you're not very wrong if you assume you're in Heaven."

"Except there's more to do."

"Oh, yeah, there's that. You can return to the world any time you want, and the world's busy."

"Oh. OK. Uh." That sounds kind of bullshit but she's never been terribly clear on the afterlife so maybe that's just how it is. "Last I checked the world they were having a great blott and killing me in front of my sister and my kids, so maybe take a raincheck on that for a bit."

"I can look up how they're doing if you want? You don't have to, though, there's no rush."

"That'd be cool. I'm Anne."

"Hot damn, you're from an Earth? I'm from an Earth," the girl says, poking around on a little handheld device. "Anne - yeah, okay, your sister and daughter wanted you back. Which doesn't mean you have to go back, if you don't want to, you can stay here as long as you want."

"Are they like... OK?"

"It says that your sister is living on Maria, a mostly-Catholic all-human planet a couple hops from here. She just moved a few days ago, so I ....bet she's not okay yet? Being okay takes years and years and some people start from, like, worse than scratch."

"...so they're not in Scandinavia."

"- you said that you were murdered, right? I bet they wanted to leave."

"Does the thingy tell you where my daughter is?"

"It's not listed, I'm sorry. It says she's alive and okay and interested in working for Loki."

"....I guess she's that kind of kid. You said I can see my sister?"

"Yeah. I can take you to someone who can take you there, if you'd like."

"That'd be good. Thanks for the help."

"Yeah for sure!" She stands up and splashes through the river and clambers onto the shore. "We just gotta walk around those trees."

She follows her guide because heck if she knows where she's going.

Lórien takes you to where you should be, more or less. It takes them to a bus stop. "She's going to Maria," her guide tells the bus driver, "can you make sure she gets there?"

"Yeah, okay."

Into the mysterious metal box!

"Hey," she says to the bus driver. "I'm Anne."

"Dave! We leave in ten minutes, is that gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I got - I'm a little unclear on how much time I have but I don't think I'm in a hurry."

"Oh good. Maria, huh? I've never been there."

"Neither have I! I have been dead."

"Ouch, how'd that happen?"

"Human sacrificed by a pagan emperor who abducted me and made me be one of his concubines."