the night so thick you could slice it with a knife. I have witnessed the history of creation and will bring about its end. I am within and without every

tame my amazement. I stumbled to my feet, br

least I do

this," I said, motioning to his

ir cascading down his face. He grinned, and I realized my jaw had dropped

ings?" I retorted. "You look more suited for nightm

you're terrified- I hear your heart beating wildly, smell your fear on the air as cortisol races thr

g- there was nothing else to see beyond his haunting face. The rest of the nig

ewhere along the way, people mistook metaphor for fact, and the belief that angels are winged was born. The

's watching my every move, invisible and omniprese

is the opiate of the masses. It gives them hope, helps them stave off their fear of death, I suppose. How e

l, riddle me this: which religion is right,

across his face. "A

's he

see the world is inherently different. But that doesn't mean that because your perceptions dif

that all gods ev

ferent personas to suit the cultures they work with. Perhaps deities are more interes

odlike to me, just like yo

like a fool-

at-

ds unprotected? Why are you threateni

why I actually think I'm talking to the Grim Reaper. I've been hallucinating ever since I sat down in that church. I've finally lost it; the chemicals in my br

ber of his mortal collection. You see, Callie, things are not always as they seem. Reality is stranger than fiction. There are fiend

re forgetting that this c

h arrogance and coaxing the crow into flight. It cawed as it flew away. A single black fe

ate pleas for vengeance and mercy. And of course, there are the ever popular suicides. But you, you're different. So different," he said, s

hese idiot escapades. He

to you, but I'm just your

ourself to defle

number or whatever flaky chant invokes you. You creep me out. I do not want to be your friend. I do not want to be your acquaintance. I hope to never meet

erest. "Cats? I pinned y

a rat, but that's

You fascinate me." He paused, eying the bruises marring my arms. "You

ing me? I would neve

ave I done t

ic about my corpse. You abducted me in a hearse, and to top it all off, y

costs too. But I was just playing with you, I wasn't actually going

have? I don

eezing to death, numb and comatose, on the floor of a

this: If you hadn't been

dane life, devoid of wonder and miracles. Poor mortals, there's so much beneath the surfaces of your small, quaint lives that you never notice. You

sed to mean? Don't

ou do," he s

r serve anything unwilling

h of one for metaphysics. Say, how about you join me for midnight tea? That's where I wa

take tea with yo

at me in

're i

ast I'm charming and

a lunatic in

caught it and gasped. It was slick like water and downy soft; layers of it seemed to glide through my fingers. Streamers of smoke rose from i

d out in an outfit that would make a biker cry. Red pinstriped pants over combat boots battled to tame a Count of Monte Cristo-esque ruffled white shirt into submission. He wore a fitted leather jack

all the time," he said, resting his hands beh

h or cry because my eyes are burning," I shot back, trying to h

Callie, you develop y

ople meant when they called

" he said, flexing his arms an

on and 80's hair metal blend together hideously," I said, cursi

ng at your bod

u were,

ay that out l

ly are a fool, aren't you?" he asked, gr

just disappeared. But how? You can't be standing somewhere one moment and, the next t

he lake. Look up

th traceries of faint light dancing across the sky. Gaping, I watched the l

ottom of a lake, gazing

an apple tree. The branches quivered under his touch, leaves rustling, and suddenly two whorls in the bark opened, revealing amber eyes. I gasped as the trunk creaked o

he taking!" she sang, voice

w did that girl just emerge from a t

everal ripe apples and stuffing them in to a shoulder bag that had materialized from nowhere. "H

a particularly dumb blonde," I said skep

s gleaming. "There's more to that myth than you could

o enlig

rtively. "T

ll bite. It was totally innocuous, tasting like a normal apple. "What do you mean, 'see for yourself'?

t for a moment mo

going

there. Now tell

so hes

he stars had intensified to the colors of flames. The moon was a silver mirror that captured the starlight and reflected brilliant shafts of light upon the woods. There were slumbering spirits in the tre

pered, the sweet taste of a

would be opened, did

painfully thin beings, black as coal, scampered on knuckles and

trying to judge tonight by

and spend my life trying to knit socks out of dryer lint. That would make more sen

ed. The other beings perked up and staring a

fantastical surroundings. "Wh

It is the fabric binding realms together. The place where myths are made," he said, eying a particularly drunk looking fairy, goblet

airy belched. "So

no. My home is a place yo

hy is

and leading me to the hearse once more. Irritated by his avoidance of my question, I s

ng how much I appreciated those arms. He could probabl

hing. "What?

r eyes glaze over when you look at me?

s something

can't afford to miss. I've interrupted battles before to have a proper Earl Gra

hat way, then I guess