The Tales of Donn Ui'Midir Part#3

The Second Time Around

2005-09-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

The Second Time Around

Introduction

Slight flashback from the epilogue of the last book. This introduction takes place before that, and it will be totally
out of sequence of how events occurred.

I’m on Tech Duinn again, with Thanatos/Keith/Whatever, Macha, Deliah, Kyle and Kevin. We had just picked up
Kyle and Kevin from 2004. They’d been expecting us. Deliah had been with us a while, having been ‘kidnapped’
from 1950, which was a bit earlier than her natural death, but it didn’t change history, it was before her health totally
fell apart, and after being reminded of her ‘pre-life’ request to be taken to Tech Duinn, she came with us eagerly, to
be kidnapped from her vast estate. Deliah Nebenzahl would be in the news as a disappearance, and the case would
never be solved.

I had been shown the stories I’d written, the minute I woke up on the couch from passing out on seeing that Keith
looked so much like me; in his human form, from book one. Also, my initial meeting with Macha had gone much
different from in the first story. She was quite apologetic, and she gently seduced me into quite an interesting,
though completely open relationship. Yes, she was my consort, and I was more than happy about it. I also had
chosen to hit full maturity, this time, and I let myself freeze at what I would have looked like at twenty-four. That
added another half inch to my height, and five pounds to my weight, though my face was pretty much unchanged. It
looked as soft and effeminate, and innocent, and angelic, as ever. (Yeah, right!)

Yes, Kyle had gotten my stories on the web for all to see, and almost no one cared. Not even me. I mean, what did I
have to gain or lose? I couldn’t even identify with the neurotic nut case who I was, when I wrote those stories. I
loved my grandfather so much, and I’d abandoned him? I could never do that. I also had abandoned my father and
Etain, which was a mighty strange thing for an Irish kid to do. No! No way!

The aloof one? Me? Uh uh! I had lots of visitors, mostly on Deliah’s and. . .I’ll say ‘Stefan’s’ request, since Kyle
became Stefan about the minute she/he/it got here.

Thanatos (I think I’ll call him that, except for the occasions where a point had to be made; since to go by what we
really called him, would be a literary MESS. We went back and forth between Thanatos and Keith like crazy, but
that just makes for sloppy writing.) collected all the brilliant minds in history that we could think of, and some made
repeat visits to Tech Duinn and Tir na nOg to be with us for a while. Of course there were some never to return, but
the likes of us weren’t to everyone’s taste.

Oh yeah! Don’t just pick this up and read it! Read it after:

1) What Revelation Never Told You
2) Stefan
3) Life With Thanatos
4) The White City

As for ‘Our Demented Collection of Poetry’, whatever, whenever.

Now, off to a terse, VERRRRRRY hedonistic tale. I mean, most of us would be pretty obsessed with the
appreciation and desired closeness of each other in this ‘time frame’, so ya’ll may find this tale pretty boring and,
dare I use the word, ‘anti-climactic’? We relived all the good stuff we did in books two and three, and being I don’t
want to write the same book twice, this will be covering a bit of what ‘I’ didn’t do in books two and three; since we
did spend one hell of a lot of time on each other, this time around, though I won’t get into the intricacies or
metaphysics of it all.

Oh, why am I even writing this?! Well, whatever!

Chapter 1

The seating arrangement was Me, Stefan, Deliah, and Thanatos. We were on a couch in a dark room, in front of a
large screen, and I’d just been exposed to my first movie. Plan 9 From Outer Space. It was as funny as hell, but I
really wondered if I wanted any further exposure to anything like this. It was such a passive, brain-dead activity.

We were all temperature sensitive, and under a few blankets, with either tea or hot chocolate on the coffee table in
front of us. We were so addicted to sharing hot beverages, that I don’t know what to say about it.

I wasn’t in the tunic I allegedly perpetually wore in my alleged journals that I read, but still can’t remember writing.
I liked that tunic, and I still wore it most of the time, but now I was in a simple, ankle-length, unbelted, black leine,
and socks, having my feet tucked under me on the couch.

“That had a reputation for being the worst movie ever made,” said Stefan.

I chuckled. “And that’s what you wanted to expose us to?!”

“I’d never seen it, and I was curious,” said Stefan.

Deliah laughed. “I could do more of this.” She pressed both Thanatos and Stefan to herself. “This was kind of fun,
and now that it’s over; it’s even more fun.”

In complete synchronisity, Deliah got a simultaneous kiss on each cheek, by both Stafan and Thanatos. “So, what
shall we do? Go through all the worst movies ever made?” asked Thanatos.

“Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is a good one,” said Stefan. “It had this killer song and dance scene by the military.
That alone made it worth watching.”

“Oh?” asked Deliah.

“And there was this one scene, where a guy was pretending to be a tomato in a meeting of tomatoes, and he made the
mistake of asking a tomato to pass the ketchup. That was hilarious,” said Stefan

“OK, let’s watch that later,” I said. That sounded absolutely ridiculous, but so was Plan 9. Oh well, what the hell;
huh?

“Sure,” said Thanatos. “I picked it up from Stefan in one of our mergings. While we’re watching silly horror flicks,
we can’t miss Night of the Living Dead, can we?”

“That was kind of sad, but I saw a book on how it was made, and the actors had a lot of fun with it,” said Stefan.

“It was a political statement,” said Thanatos.

Stefan swallowed. “I know, and I don’t know if I can sit through it again. I was totally stunned when that black dude
got shot at the end. It also pissed me off.”

I leaned my head on his shoulder. “I can understand,” I said.

Stefan was as upset about racial injustice as ever. He caressed my hair. “Actually, maybe if we watch many more
movies, I’d rather be distracted by comedy. Life was enough of a bitch not to be reminded of its garbage, any more.”

I walked my fingers across Stefan’s back, and slid my hand back to where it had originated, when he leaned
foreward. “Does that mean you’re not going to be my apprentice psychopomp in this version of your existence at
Tech Duinn?”

He turned to me. “No. It’s just I want no gratuitous exposure to pointless morbid violence. In fact, why not start
taking me on your outings at work the next time.”

I kissed him on the nose. “Of course, I’ll ask you to get back in the Druid garb, and ditch the fangs for our job.
What you look like now, just wouldn’t do.”

“It is so weird, talking about things we’ve done, that I can’t even remember,” said Stefan.

“You will remember, after we get off this island again,” said Thanatos.

“Akashic Library?” asked Stefan.

“Won’t work,” said Thanatos. “It’ll just be like you re-read the stories at hyper-drive, after you come back here.”

Stefan totally snuggled into me. With closed eyes, and a smile, he said, “I guess I can wait. Living in paradise, it’s
no problem.”

Deliah leaned into Stefan, and dragged Thanatos with her. “Donn, if you are going to take away my side warmer
with your seductive snogging, I think you should install general electrical access to this place, so we can use electric
blankets. It is freezing, in this room.”

“You could desensitise yourself,” I said.

“But this makes snuggling so much more fun,” said Deliah.

“Doesn’t it, though,” said Thanatos.

I looked over to Thanatos, feeling a slight void that he wasn’t directly at my side. “The old you in our last run
through this this period would have thought your present self silly, no doubt.” I put the blanket aside, got up, worked
my way between Stefan and Deliah, and immediately got under the covers somewhere in there, also moving my hot
chocolate to the other side of Stefan’s cup.

“Not really,” said Thanatos. “Del, can you please get up, let me move over to Donn, and get in my lap?”

“Glad to.” She threw the blanket aside, got up, let Thanatos reposition himself, and had a seat.

I rubbed the side of my face against his shoulder. Love them telepaths. “So, now what?” I asked.

Thanatos closed his eyes. “Electrical system in place, outlets on every wall, and twelve grided windmills on the
island.”

“Thanks,” I said, “but what I meant, is what do we do next?”

“What’s wrong with just sitting here?” asked Deliah, as she reached for her tea.

“You have a point,” I said. I put one arm around Stefan, and the other around Thanatos. “Thanatos, am I writing
any more books?”

“You’ll probably be writing until we make it to the Astral Plane.”

I figured as much. I had a strange craving to start on something else. “I assume we don’t want to relive what we
already went through.”

“I hope not,” said Thanatos. “We’re already off to a different start in a lot of respects.”

“No more silly sword fights for you, though I do kind of miss the concept of watching the performances which were
more like dances,” I said.

“Me and Macha can still do those once in a while.”

“Yeah, I’d like to see that,” said Deliah.

“It probably beats Plan 9 From Outer Space,” I said.

Deliah asked Thanatos, “So what was it like, being carried off as the spoils of war, and being ravished by the most
beautiful woman in existence?”

“Mixed package, looking back on it,” said Thanatos. “When it was happening, I loved it.”

Deliah chuckled. “One day, my curiosity might get the better of me, and maybe I will take on a male form to
experience the greatest lover in existence, if she’ll have me.”

Thanatos looked at me. “Should I continue to permit this lady to sit in my lap, after that comment?”

Deliah totally lost it. In between her gusts of laughter, she said, “I meant female lover, from a masculine
perspective.”

Thanatos scraped his fangs across the side of her neck. “In that case, you can stay.”

She pressed herself into him, and trilled. “Thanatos, can you get Cleopatra and Alexander of Macedonia for us
later?”

“I think that can be arranged.”

“How about Prometheus and Atalanta and Perseus,” asked Stefan.

Thantos scowled. “Don’t push it.”

“I suppose a ‘tribble’ would be out of the question, too?” asked Stefan, the former Star Trek fan.

Thanatos chuckled. “Stefan, you are exactly the same in this run of existence, as you were in your last.”

“Have I changed?” asked Deliah.

“Not really,” said Thanatos. “Kevalyn is basically the same, too.”

Oh, whatever. I didn’t care. “After we’re done with our snogging here, shall we check out the tiered gardens of
Carthage?”

“Unseen to the eyes of the natives, of course?” asked Stefan.

“Only way to do it,” said Thanatos. “I’d like that.”

“Same,” said Stefan.

“Never been there,” said Deliah. “I’d love it.”

*****

As we ‘floated’ through the gardens of Carthage, hostilities toward Rome emerged in me (again. With my apologies
to my Roman friends.) Such a beautiful city-state destroyed for reasons of economic envy. Can’t out-trade ‘em,
destroy ‘em. Not that Carthage itself didn’t have something to do with her own destruction. There was political
infighting, and if you have too many mercenaries who’s only loyalty is the price the employer will pay, you don’t
have a very reliable fighting force. (Not to mention, those mercenaries were left in the lurch after their use was over.
Carthage was only good to and for its citizens. They were an arrogant culture, but still. . .)

Thanatos simply shrugged off the destruction, and reminded us of Carthage’s child sacrifices (Which was one of the
main reasons the city-state was so prosperous.), the fact that no nation lasts forever, and that Rome’s ‘day in the sun’
also came to a pretty nasty conclusion. I have no comment on Stefan’s many rather cruel responses to Thanatos’
reminders of Carthage’s choice of bequeathments to Baal Hammon and Tanit; which were of course; in very bad
taste, although Stefan’s sarcasm had a ring of truth. (You could have a child sacrificed, up to age four. After that,
too much was vested in them, and they were starting to become useful, so you can’t kill that.)

We spent the rest of the visit enjoying the scenery, and I was trying very hard to not dwelling on the city’s eminent
destruction.

*****

When we got back to Tech Duinn, we landed in the garden, and took a leisurely walk. “Carthage had a pretty good
government,” said Deliah. “Everyone was happy with it, and there were never any overthrows or rebellions.”

“Good libraries, too,” said Thanatos. “A very good education system. I must say that I do find their tendencies of
charbroiling their children a bit appalling, however.”

Stefan said, “It’s also interesting how soft of a life many house slaves had, from a late 20th, early 21st century
outlook. It was better than being an upper middle class wage slave when I was alive. They had so much more time,
and fewer responsiblities.”

“All depends on your priorities,” said Thanatos.

“Looking back on playing the game, I think I was pretty stupid. How many years did I waste on Carl? How much
time and effort for a stupid relationship that went nowhere?” asked Stefan.

I wrapped myself around him, and we all slowed our pace, for it. “Hey! It brought us a little closer together, in a
demented sort of way. He wasn’t enough for you, so you sought me out that much the more for consolation, not that
I was that good at giving it, I’m sorry to say. Anyway, he was a good person. Not for you maybe, but he deserved
the start you gave him.”

“Yeah, I guess there’s no point in regretting it. After all, he did save me a few mechanics bills, and he did motivate
me to do more drawings of you, in the worst possible way.”

“I don’t mind them any more,” I said. “I’m not the same man as I was when I wrote the Xanon Chronicles.”

I got a set of fangs across my neck. ‘So might I ever get a two on one with you and Thanatos?’ he sent me
non-verbally.

I looked at him. I said aloud, “Do you have any idea how awkward that would be?” I said aloud. (Well, it would
happen, but I am NOT going to write any specifics about it. I’m not giving the slightest hint of even when it
happened.)

“What?” asked Deliah, confused at my seemingly nonsequitur remark.

Thanatos looked at her. “Stef’s hounding Donn for a two on one again.”

“That would be nice,” said Deliah. She turned her head, and looked at Thanatos. “How do you feel about it?”

Thanatos turned to Stefan, and closed his eyes. “Could be all right, I guess.”

“So I can have the two fanged ones later?” asked Deliah.

Stefan scowled. “Not quite what I had in mind, but I guess you gotta start somewhere.” We all stopped in our
tracks.

Deliah shook her right hand at him, with index finger extended. “One of these days, Stefan! One of these days!”

Stefan cocked his head, and smiled. “So Del! Who’s lap do you want to rest your head in, while he’s sending you
benevolent thoughts of love, and who do you want to take care of else?”

She place her fingertips under Stefan’s jaw, and raised it everso slightly. “You can be the one not having sex, you
little shitster.”

Stefan caressed her wrist. “No problem. I’ll just desensitise myself, and I won’t even bother getting undressed.”

Deliah stood on her toes, and gave Stefan a kiss on the nose. “I’d hate you, if I didn’t love you so much,” she said.

“Thanks! I try hard.”

“Yes, you’re very trying,” she said.

I said, “For future reference, I don’t think I’m game for that sort of interlude.” (Only for now.)

“And you’ll be keeping yourself entertained, how?” asked Stefan.

“Hesper! I think I want to spend some time with him.”

*****

I spent a bit of time sponging Hesper down in the spa, then dried him off, gave him the brushing and currycomb
session of his life, I silvered his hooves, and took him to Tir na nOg.

With permission, I asked to put a stunt-riding harness on him, and he acquiesced. I kissed him on the cheek, and sent
him a picture of what I wanted us to do. He loped off slowly, I ran beside him, and hoisted myself onto his back,
none too gracefully. After that, I tried different postures, like holding on to him from one side, then the other;
switching over while Hesper was cantering along. I tried standing up, and different seating styles, and is it necessary
to say that I took quite a few falls? The lush grass made a good landing pad.

I only wore a pair of running shorts for the practise. I wore no shoes as to lesson the risk of injury to my beloved
companion, and for the best traction I could get. I should probably have read up on stunt riding, or gone to a few
shows, but no! I had an idea of what I wanted to do in my mind’s eye, and it was easier than ice skating, wasn’t it? I
mean, the moves were less complex, weren’t they?

I ended up time tripping out of there, and hitting the gymnastic equipment, before long. Yes, I did end up watching
other people perform at various Olympic Games, and getting better at handling myself on the equipment, before I
attempted anything on Hesper, again.

It wasn’t too hard. All I needed was the beam (I had it fifty-four inches from the ground), and the uneven parallel
bars. After all, I had a damn good strength-weight ratio, agility, and I already could do all kinds of killer moves
because of my ice skating experience. For this, I was in footless, and sleeveless leotards. I’d dress up more after I
figured out what the hell I was doing.

*****

“So, apparently this doesn’t work too good, after all,” said Stefan. Stefan lay on top of the covers of his bed, with his
hands clasped under his head, still fully dressed, except for his boots. Deliah was next to him, and Thanatos next to
her, both under cover.

“I wouldn’t say that,” said Deliah. “You two were great.”

Stefan turned on his side, and propped his head up with his left arm. “If I were a Earthling still, and not capable of
deadening mineself, me thinks this would have driven me nuts. Especially, since one lover leaves you wanting no
more for a while.”

“Uh, Thanatos leaves me wanting no more for a while. You were a very nice touch, though. And before you say you
don’t want to do this again, why don’t you try being the completely passive party, next time?”

“Only fair, huh?” asked Stefan.

“I think so,” said Thanatos.

Stefan pointed at Thanatos. “And you! You’re more beautiful to watch than the most striking dance routine I ever
saw on Earth.”

“Please don’t paint anything we just did.”

“Not planning on it,” said Stefan. “No matter how many times I see you, you never cease blowing me away, with the
way you flow. I’m also eager to evolve higher so we can get back to doing that energy exchange thing in the White
City, that I can’t remember doing. How much longer, until we can go there without getting psychologically
reamed?”

“Little bit more,” said Thanatos. “Our stay this time around won’t be half as long as the last time. There’s a lot of
things that won’t have to be worked through, since they’ve already been dealt with the first time around, even though
you can’t consciously remember your little victories.”

Stefan sat up, and put his back against his pillow, which he propped up against the head board. He materialised a
proverbial cup of tea for himself. Creamed China black. “So strange, talking about time spans, when they really
don’t exist.”

“Linear perspective, love,” said Thanatos.

He had a sip of his tea. “There is nothing I’d rather do, than blend with you two, right now.”

“Finish your tea, and let’s go Astral. I’ll keep you both from passing out after,” said Thanatos.

“Uh. . .can you give us a little more time, and Stefan! Can I have you just before we go Astral?” asked Deliah.

“Sure. Thanatos! The Astral Plane is higher than the White City. Why does it rip us to shreds to come back from
the City, and not the Low Astral?”

“It’s just another perspective issue. The realms of the White City are the best of the best that you’re familiar with.
Yes, the Low Astral is just a step above, but it’s so alien to you, that your conscious mind doesn’t know how to react.
The Astral adventures are akin to a drug trip, I guess; although that’s a lousy analogy with you.”

Stefan looked at the dying fire, and materialised more wood. He had a little more tea, put the cup down, and got
under the covers as he dematerialised his clothes. “You’re right. It is.”

Deliah turned away from Stefan. “Oh, the hell with it! Go for it, Red Tail. Take me away.”

Stefan gently embraced her. “Give me a minute.”

Thanatos simply lay back and closed his eyes. “I’ll take us Astral the minute you two hit the border.”

Stefan asked, “Us two, or us three?”

“Three,” confessed Thanatos. “but I’m going completely vicarious now. I did enough work, thank you.”

Stefan gently scraped his fangs over Deliah’s shoulder, and entered her slowly. He held her close to himself, and
ended up with Deliah cursing him to the high heavens for his frustratingly delicate, painfully self-conscious style, in
the Deliah fashion. It was hilarious, and she temporarily disabled Stefan, she had him laughing so hard; having
insulted his masculinity, his femininity, and his nose-culinity; which was ‘fightin’ words.’

Yes, Stefan’s style was delicate, but ultimately quite effective. (I thought it was the only way to go, but hey. . .)

It did enhance the Astral transfer.

*****

I ended up being a potential contender on the uneven parallel bars, and the beam. I had a few serious accidents with
the beam, but hey! It took less than a second for me to fix the broken bones, and I managed to not knock myself out.

After I managed to execute an aerial, and handspring both backward and forward on the beam, ten consecutive times,
gracefully, without falling on the floor, I deemed myself ready to try my stuff on a moving pony one more time.

I went through the drill again with Hesper. First, I was dressed down again in only the running shorts, then I added
leotards with soft sole moccasin boots, then in a modified version of my tunic, where it was a slip over the head type
thing, as opposed to a wrap around that was kept in place with belt.

To my perspective, I think I was gone for the equivalent of three months. To anyone at Tech Duinn, it would have
seemed perhaps I’d left for a few hours. When I got back with Hesper, I spoiled that pony silly. If he’d still been
interested in eating, I swear I would have squeezed a couple of gallons of fresh orange juice for him.

Chapter 2

Stefan alone came to me, when I signalled my return. We exchanged kissing each other on the nose, and Stefan
said, “Than and Del are with Cleo and Alex of Mecedonia.”

“Surprised you’re not with them.”

“Told them they can tell me about it. You changed your tunic!”

“Oh! Sorry!” I dematerialised the one I was wearing, and re-materialised the wrap around, simultaneously.
“Better?”

“Much.”

“Needed the other one for a practise session with Hesper. I decided to take on another hobbie.”

“With Hesper?” Stefan asked.

“Stunt riding. I time tripped to learn it.”

“I think I’m gonna like watching this.”

“I hope so. Gods, that was a painful learning experience.”

“You took a few falls, huh?”

“Yeah. I ended up practising my moves on a balance beam. Easier on Hesper, and harder on me. You tend to break
things if you hit the beam on the way down.”

“I don’t think I want to know,” said Stefan.

“I know, you don’t want to know.”

“Being you’re not exactly jumping up and down to give me a demo, I assume you want a little break before putting
on a show.”

“You deduce correctly,” I said. “I’m burned out.”

“You really pushed yourself.”

“Hm hm. Mind if we just kick back, somewhere?”

“Want a backrub?”

I chuckled. “You got me at a weak moment, with that suggestion. Definitely.”

“Maybe I can goad you to sleep, and you’ll wake up rarin’ to show me what you just taught yourself.”

“If that’s an invitation for more intricate intimacy, I’m not turning that down, either.”

Stefan took my hand, and we ended up in his room. He re-lit the burned out fire, telekinetically. “What gender do
you want?”

I tilted my head, and smiled. “I’m feeling very lazy, right now. I’m psychologically fried. Like when you were
alive, when you had that year-end disaster, and you had to work forty-five days in a row? It doesn’t matter. You’re
not getting screwed in the vaguest sense, and I don’t want you on top, either.”

He gave me a playful snarl. “I know what you want, and I don’t have to read your mind. What flavour oil for the
massage?”

“Attar of noses (Yes, Stefan was definitely a bad influence on us.), please. Thanks, Stef.” I unbelted my tunic, and
sat on the bed. I was in complete surrender to Stefan.

*****

Back from their meeting, Thanatos and Deliah sat on the couch in front of the perpetually burning fireplace. “I
would have hated to be either one of them,” said Deliah.

“I don’t blame you.”

“What a shame, that Alexander was goaded into that kind of a life. Such an intelligent, innately just, unselfish
individual turning into a complete egomaniacal, alcoholic, genocidal psychotic. I’m glad he’s OK, now.”

“Yeah, he’s got Bucephalous, Hephaestion and Roxane, forever more. I betcha he could give us a run for our
nosehairs (Stefan, again. His lingo was addictive.), on the chessboard,” said Thanatos.

“I wish I’d thought of playing him. The world’s greatest strategist!”

“Actually, that’s Macha. There’s always later. Macha might want to play him, too,” said Thanatos.

“And what a lady Cleopatra was. It seems like people have really gotten stupider through the ages.”

“People really started suffering in the later twentieth century. Tainted food. All the artificial flavours and
neurotoxins. That contributed to the so called decrease in aptitude. People in the first world countries also got lazy.
You were never there, but the United States was the worst offender.”

“Never had the time.”

Thanatos chuckled. “You never had the motivation. You could have done anything.”

“True. I was basically a homebody-slash-school-girl. I admit it. My books, my university, or my life.”

Thanatos caressed her hair. “Good life.”

Deliah wrapped herself around him, and he returned the embrace. “I’m not complaining.”

They stayed like that a while, becoming one in mind.

*****

I awoke from one of the sweetest, most peaceful dreams I’d ever had, and to a heavily oiled hand, going down my
shoulder. I inhaled the overpowering rose scent, with relish. “Mmmmm! How long you been working on me, Stef.”

“Not too long, this time around. How do you feel?”

I rolled over on my back. “Very nice, thank you. Shall I return the favour?”

“By showing me what you can do with Hesper, now. My curiosity is killing me.”

“I do have to wear the modified tunic,” I said. “The other one would fall apart on me.”

“Tea first?” Of course!

I sat up, and smiled. “You know me better than I know myself, some times.”

Stefan also sat up, with a cup of creamed jasmine appearing in his hand, in seconds. “Let’s go Astral, the next time
we do this.”

“Love to. And for the preliminaries, you are going to be completely passive, OK?” White tea, for me.

“Completely?”

“Well, as passive as you can stand. We have to go off the island for my exhibition with Hesper. No place to do it,
here.”

“Tir na nOg?” asked Stefan.

“That’s where I practised. That’s an ideal place.”

“What motivated you to torture yourself like this?”

“I just figured it was time for a new hobby.”

“I don’t think I’ll join you in this one.” said Stefan. “I have less tolerence to pain than you.”

“I don’t like pain either. I just wanted to learn this as fast as possible, so I took the directest route there is, with no
break time. I probably won’t ever do anything like this again for any reason. It was a real bitch.”

“I wish you’d let me watch you get to where you are.”

“No you don’t. I beat myself up pretty bad in the process. Trust me!”

“Since you put it that way. . .how do you perform on the bars and beam?”

“I’d rather not. It was a necessary evil. You’ve seen it on TV as a kid, anyway. I’m better of course, but all it was,
was a couple of training tools. I just needed to get my self-confidence up to par in performing my stuff on the back
of a pony, instead of on the ice.”

Stefan slurped up his tea. “This sounds awesome,” he said, before sending his cup off to the Netherworlds.

I didn’t finish mine, and just dematerialised the half full cup. “Let’s go. We can show the rest of the guys, later.”

*****

Hesper was pretty eager to do this. He caught our exitement, and ended up feeling it himself.

I signalled him to just keep going at a slow canter, and to come back to me, when I was on the ground. It worked
beautifully.

His harness had two holds for me on his back, and two on each side. I easily mounted him, as he glided along. I also
found, I had to ditch the tunic; being it got in the way, and was not appropriate for this sort of performance. I
continued on in my leotard stockings, and soft soled boots. They were like ballet boots. Quite appropriate.

I showed of my ability of mounting a cantering horse, getting off via a handspring, or aerial, riding on Hespers side,
and a graceful dance on his back, part of it from a standing position, and part of it kneeling. I also did a few, slow
gentle flips on his back.

When I finished, I just had to show off, and I dismounted via a backward aerial, and I landed fairly close to Stefan,
but not close enough to mess with him.

He looked stunned. “Gods above and below! You could probably get Antinous in bed, with a performance like
that.”

I just had to laugh. “I don’t want Antinous in bed. Anyway, I doubt it. It’s Hadrian, or no one. Sheesh! I learned
this for me, not as a seduction tool.”

Stefan smiled. “Dude! I was being sarcastic.”

I should have known. Antinous was the most devoted lover a man could have (provided that man was Hadrian).
Now, anyway. In life he’d committed suicide at nineteen, not being able to deal with the pressure of being himself.
Hadrian was heartbroken for the rest of his life, and immediately deified the lovely Antinous on his death. There are
statues of Antinous all over the place. I cried when I read the story, and I actually cried tears of joy, when I met the
two of them for the first time. It is just so cool to find how things work out all right in the end.

“I should have checked,” I said.

“When are you going to put a show on for everyone else?”

“How’s about as soon as Macha and Kevalyn come back from galavanting around the galaxy?”

Stefan closed his eyes. “Hm. Yeah! How do they stay Astral so long without Thanatos?”

I shrugged. “Maybe he taught them. I mean, what they’re doing is potentially critical. They’re finding out a lot of
information that most of us don’t have access to.”

Stefan stroked Hesper. “I hope they paint some of the stuff they’ve seen.”

“Probably. Kev is the most prolific landscape artist I’ve heard of.” I dematerialised Hesper’s harness, and
materialise a soft bristled brush. I started working on him. In this go-around, Kevalyn’s art was also all over my
walls, and it was damn good.

“Hm.” Stefan set himself up, and started working on the other side of Hesper. We synchronised ourselves, to give
Hesper a concurrent brushdown in stereo. We didn’t say anything, concentrating on giving the pony everything he
wanted.

The three of us would end up in the whirlpool.

*****

Macha and Kevalyn materialised themselves on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a sea. “Ye gods! What colour do
you call that sky?” asked Kevalyn.

“Glorp, for all I know. It’s not based on the primary colours of home, so we’d have to invent something new.”

“It’s indescribable. It’s incredible, and gorgeous. I have to make a new paint colour, to get this down.”

“This here is quite an impressive scene,” said Macha.

“Yeah. Let’s scope out some of the wildlife, and go home.”

“Good idea.”

*****

As we were sponging down Hesper, Stefan asked me, “You know, there’s a question that’s been puzzling me for my
whole life.”

“Are you sure you’re asking the right individual, with me?”

“No harm in trying, is there?”

“No. Shoot!”

“You know, sometimes when you have the choice of do good, do evil, or walk away?” asked Stefan.

“Hm hm.”

“How would you rate the ‘walk away’ factor.”

“Bad. Real bad.”

“Oh?”

I looked him in the eye. “Just ask Pontius Pilate, huh?”

He smiled sadly. “Gods, you’re brilliant,” he almost whispered.

“You always thought it was a third option.”

“I guess it’s not.”

“Not really. The end result is often the same. It can result in death.”

Stefan ran his sponge down Hesper’s neck. “I think I would still have walked away, if I’d hated a certain person.”

I put my forearms on Hesper’s back. “What if you’d been Sabina (Hadrian’s bitchy wife.) in a past life?”

“Donn, I think I’m going to cry.”

“If you do, I’ll probably be inclined to join you.”

“Then maybe we should change the subject, and I’ll think about all of this later, when I’m alone.”

I resumed sponging down the pony. “Thank you. I don’t feel like being depressed, right now.”

“At times like this, you seem so much different from the Donn Ui’Midir of the Xanon Chronicles.”

“How so?”

“You remind me more of Thanatos.”

I smiled. “That’s the ultimate compliment, love. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, but I don’t think so. There’s a loftier compliment that you’ve given me.”

“I doubt it.”

“How about the time you implied one of my nostrils contained the universe?”

“I will not throw my sponge at him, I will not throw my sponge at him. . .”

Stefan laughed. “Better?”

I chuckled, myself. “Much. Thanks.”

Hesper nickered.

I scratched him behind the ears, and kissed him on the nose. “Just talking about things that you already know about,
babe.” I sent the stallion waves of love and gratitude. I got the same back from him. “We’re going to be working
to-gether a bit more, OK?”

Fine by the pony, if he was going to be getting more of this sort of treatment. He’d do overtime, in fact.

“You know, you were as graceful on Hesper as Thanatos is all the time?” asked Stefan.

“That’s what I was aiming for. There, and on the ice. I can’t do it all the time, though. I’m not that
self-disciplined.”

Stefan ran his sponge over Hesper’s back. “There’s one more thing.”

“Yes.”

“You and Thanatos! I have never felt more appreciated by anyone, than you two.”

“And you only devoted more than half your life to us, when you were on Earth. Mostly me, but. . .you know.”

Hesper chose now, to almost push me over. He whinnied, and he sent me a picture of wanting to be dried off.

“Looks like your liege is done with his bath,” said Stefan.

“Apparently.” I stepped back, and Hesper walked out of the spa.

Me and Stefan followed him, and materialised a couple of towels. Hesper walked toward the door, where there
wasn’t any steam, and we dried him off. After that, I opened the door, and Hesper walked out, to hell knows where.

Stefan walked back into the water, and I followed him. I sat beside him, and we looked at each other. I smiled.
“Stephanie?”

‘She’ smiled back.

I extended my arms to her. “Thanks for everything.”

She faced me, and sat in my lap. As we embraced each other, she said, “Thank you, more.”

I kissed her on the neck. “I think it’s time to fulfill your curiosity on your wildest phantasies, that you even try to
keep from me.”

She pressed me close to her. “Damn telepaths.”

I ran my wet, soapy hand through her hair. “Just don’t go into shock.”

She kissed me on the nose. “I won’t.”

Chapter 3

After me and Stefan woke up from our Astral conclusion, which ended in bed; not the spa, we found Macha and
Kevalyn had returned, and we beckoned Thanatos and Deliah. We met in the garden. “Donn’s got a killer new
distraction, and it’s really worth witnessing a demo,” said Stefan.

“Stunt riding,” said Thanatos. “Yes, I believe it is. It’s also an incentive to get other individuals of interest, here.”

“I’d love to see it. And maybe after, all six of us can go Astral, so me and Kev can review to you guys all we’ve seen
on our trip?”

“That would be great,” said Deliah.

“Of course, we have to go to Tir na nOg for the exhibition,” I said.

“Can we have a picnic, too?” asked Deliah.

“I don’t see why not,” I said.

“Oh yeah! I’ve got a great new idea for a concoction for the picnic. I guarantee none of you has had it,” said Stefan.

“Hopefully, we will consider this edible,” I said. “I mean, I’m surprised I survived your idea of salsa. Are you sure
you didn’t get the jalapenos and the habaneros mixed up?”

“I loved it,” said Kevalyn.

Yeah, Stefan and Kevalyn went through it like there was no to-morrow. “I’m sorry, but I’ve never had the
opportunity to get used to that kind of food. Irish diets are pretty bland, by comparison,” I said.

“You guys do have good pastries,” said Stefan.

I chuckled. “Yeah, Irish cooking doesn’t hold a candle to Asian, Greek, Italian, or French. I can read between the
lines, and I can’t argue. I will also agree with the good pastries. So, what do you have in mind, Stefan?”

“Tropical fruit salad. Lychee, jackfruit, pineapple, young coconut, mango, rambutan, durian, and passion fruit in
coconut juice with whipped cream, and cherry on top,” said Stefan.

“I’ve never heard of half that stuff,” said Macha.

Stefan looked at her. “Macha, when you were a kid, you had no idea what a banana was.”

“True,” said Macha.

I closed my eyes, and signalled Hesper. The stallion was rarin’ to go; though it was quite clear to him that ‘payback’
would come later.

*****

This time, I knew how to dress. I just wore a complete (black) leotard outfit, and those soft soled boots.

Hesper cantered in a circle, as I did my thing. I basically executed a dance on the pony’s back, along with some
tricks that would be very useful to a fourteenth century warrior on horseback, with the maneuvers I did on
‘side-riding’. I went heavy on the acrobatics, and I saved the dramatic dismounts and remounts for the end, and
Hesper loped back and forth, for those.

Even Thanatos was blown away.

“That was quite an exhibit,” said Thanatos, after we were done.

“Think it’s worth inviting any of our past Tech Duinn visitors over for?” I asked.

“Most definitely,” said Thanatos. “Along with future ones, we haven’t thought of, yet. You’re performance was
fantastic.”

“You know, I found ice skating harder to learn.” I said.

“You were probably so good at this, because you are such a good skater,” said Macha. “I mean, you do aerials on
the ice, and you used them to dismount.”

“It’s a hell of a longer drop from the back of a pony,” I said.

“Almost five feet. You’re pretty amazing,” said Deliah.

“You could do it too, if you applied yourself,” I said.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” she replied.

I smiled. “That’s probably a sign of intelligence,” I said. “It was a torturous experience getting to where I’m at,
though I did rush the training a bit.”

“Now, about that picnic?! I’m dying for some of Stef’s fruit salad,” said Macha.

“Sure, lets,” I said.

We set up a couple of tables, and materialised our own non-carnivorous contribution to the meal. We’d all gone
completely vegetarian real early in the game, this time around. Like before we’d met, thank my version of the Xanon
Chronicles.

The fruit salad was great.

*****

When we got back to Tech Duinn, Kevalyn made sure she landed next to me, when I sat down on the couch.
“Verrrrrrgil!”

“Kev, aren’t you gay?”

She put her arm around me. “You’ve switched gender, before. According to your books, anyway.”

Actually, I still switched gender. . .(almost) everytime I was intimate with Thanatos. I will always lean in the
direction of preferring polarity.

Everyone else was studying us intently. What sort of situation comedy was this going to be?

“I’ll switch gender, if you switch gender. How’s that?” I asked.

“Deal!” said Kevalyn.

“Are you taking numbers?” asked Macha of me.

“What is this? Just because I take up a new hobbie, I have to make out with everyone?”
“No,” said Thanatos. “I couldn’t care less.”

I thought for a moment, looking for a witty reply. The best I could come up with, was, “Figures! And you’re the
only one that I want.”

“Yeah, right.” said Thanatos.

“Yes, I am being sarcastic. Kev; I’ll have you. Can we have the traditional pre-fuck tea first, though?”

A cup of creamed jasmine appeared in her hand, and she raised it. “Of course! Thank you, love.”

Creamed black lychee for me. I clinked my cup gently against hers, and put my arm around her. ‘Here’s to our first
time,’ I sent her, telepathically. It was.

She smiled, and ran her hand through my hair.

Me and Kevalyn/Kevin would not be first on each others’ lists as lovers, but ‘he’ wasn’t half bad. He’d been trained
to please Macha, and I had different preferences from her. Gods, he was also one hell of a beautiful sight in male.
Delicate, and on the scawny side, being the male version of Kevalyn; but abolutely gorgeous. I haven’t seen Kev in
the masculine since ‘my last time around,’ which I still couldn’t remember, so that was at treat and a half. His style
wasn’t as slow, controlled, artsy or as appreciative as I liked, so he was definetly my last choice, but for something
different once in a while, he was OK.

Of course, my lack of overt reactions didn’t do anything for Kev; either, so we were even. When we traded places, I
drove him absolutely nuts. I ended up moving way to slow for him, and spending too much time on the exploration
factor. Well sheesh! It was the first time for us! What did he expect? He/she read the books. It wouldn’t be our
last interlude, but they would be quite rare.

*****

Me and Stefan were grooming Hesper on dry land in Tir na nOg, and Deliah was with us. “So, when are you up to
giving a public performance?” asked Deliah.

I looked into her. “You’re just dying to meet Antinous again, huh?”

“I think I want to paint him,” she said.

“I can understand that,” I said.

“When I saw his statue, I wanted to do a hell of a lot more than paint him,” said Stefan. “I used to be the wrong
gender, though.”

Deliah laughed. “He’d also been dead close to two thousand years, my dear; not to mention his loyalty to Hadrian
could not be swayed under torture.”

“Minor details,” said Stefan. “I think that Donn and Thanatos leave Antinous in the dust aesthetically, by a sixteenth
of a notch, or so.”

Both me and Deliah laughed at Stefan’s statement. “Yeah,” I said. “Now, let’s design me a riding costume,”

“Why?” asked Stefan. “You looked absolutely killer in those black leotards, and boots.”

“Too good for my own good,” I said. “If you guys put me through what you just put me through after each
performance, either I no longer do my thing with an audience, or I become like the Donn Ui’Midir of the first three
books in the Xanon Chronicles.”

“You wouldn’t?!” asked Stefan.

I hesitated, and smiled. No, I wasn’t into that sort of self-deprivation this time around. Not with the likes of Stefan
and Thanatos, anyway. “Probably not,” I said. I started brushing out Hesper’s mane. I kissed the pony on his cheek.
“You’re loving this, aren’t you, baby,” I asked Hesper.

He whickered a response. Hell knows what he said, but I got myself gently nudged. I looked into his mind, and yes;
the pony was in seventh heaven. I hugged him, sent him telepathic waves of love, and went back to work on his
mane.

Deliah said, “Stef, can you give me your currycomb, and we switch places for a while?”

Stefan gave Hesper one last series of strokes, and turned to Deliah. He handed to currycomb to her, and sat in the
grass. “I guess so.”

Deliah started going over Hespers rear. “Gods, he is such a nice horse. He’s almost a person.”

“He was probably the best treated pony in all of Ireland, when we were on Earth,” I said.

“Did you let him in the house often?” asked Deliah.

“Depends on where I was. Not at Bri Leith, but if we were staying in one of our cottages, I let him in every chance I
could. I used to cut up fruit for him, and all kinds of stuff. If I’d known what I know now, he probably would have
gotten more fruit juice than water. I’d probably also have given him a bucket of that killer fruit salad that Stef
materialised for the last picnic, every day,” I said.

Deliah now kissed Hesper, and she got gently nosed by him. “If your parents had allowed it, I assume you would
have had him in bed with you.”

I chuckled. “If it had been big enough, and if it wasn’t raining. I wasn’t about to have a wet pony in my bed or on
my pallet, who’d just come back from relieving himself.”

“I ought to spend more time with my lovely steed,” said Deliah.

“Our ponies will never be like Hesper,” said Stefan. “They like getting spoiled now and then, but they like being
mostly left to their own devices. I mean, look how often they show up on their own accord.”

“Very rare. You have a good point,” said Deliah. “Hesper, on the other hand. . .”

“Rules me like a knight, his page,” I said.

“Be glad,” said Stefan. “Imagine if our ponies were like Percy.”

Deliah said. “Thank the gods, Percy is a cat, and not a horse.”

“You’re telling me,” I said.

Hesper pawed the ground, and snorted. He wanted the grooming to end, and he sent me a picture of wanting to lie in
the shade of a grove of trees to the right of us, with us beside him. “Grooming over,” I said, as I dematerialised my
brush. I pointed to where Hesper wanted to go. “He wants to go over to the trees.”

Stefan got up. “Good idea.”

Deliah dematerialised the currycomb, and the four of us walked over to the grove. When Hesper lay down, we
surrounded him, using him as a backrest, or a pillow, or whatever. He was loving it. He was a real attention hog.

“So, does anyone have an idea for a stunt-riding costume?” I asked.

“You could dress like the bull jumpers of Crete,” suggested Deliah.

“You wish,” I said. The wore only girded loincloths. “I dressed close to that when I was first learning.”

“And you didn’t invite me?”

“Del, I wanted to learn what I was doing, and not be interrupted by nymphomaniac after every move that turned her
on.”

“That’s about all of them,” said Deliah.

“Yeah, that would have been so productive to my training.”

“So when are you putting on a show for some people outside of our family?”

“Yeah,” said Stefan. “I want to meet George Sand and Victor Hugo, again.”

“It’s so fascinating to get the outlooks from the different eras and cultures, huh?” asked Deliah.

“Nice to get the truth of what actually happened, instead of the bunch of speculative hype you got on Earth,” I said.

“Let’s see if we can get Theodora, Hypatia, and Catherine the Great,” said Stefan.

“Excellent choice,” I said. “I’ve been curious about them, myself. Next time we talk to Thanatos, let’s see if he can
track them down, and talk them into coming by for a visit.”

“Stefan’s fruit salad alone, should be enough of a motivating factor,” said Deliah.

“Moreso than my riding?” I asked.

“Too close to call,” said Deliah.

“Thanks,” I said.

“Donn; you and Thanatos, and Stefan and Kevalyn are a fruit salad,” said Deliah

I chuckled slightly, and Stefan totally busted up. “Gods, Del! I couldn’t have said it better myself!” he said.

I shook my head. “Del, you know damn well that one of us generally changes gender for the sake of polarity.”

“As if that makes a difference,” she said.

“She does have a point,” said Stefan.

“True,” I said. “I find Stefan’s nose no less attractive, regardless of what gender it’s host and servant happens to be
at the time.”

Actually, I thought Stefan was more attractive as a dude this time around, in addition to my last stint in this
theoretical, illusory time-frame of my existence. It’s just, that if he were a dude, and I was a dude, it limited our
options in bed, since there were a few things the two of us didn’t do very often, since they took so much exhorbitant
preparation and care so that no discomfort would be involved. Well; yeah, and I was still more turned on by the
female form.

Stefan looked as happy as a cat with a cooked lobster in front of it. “Compliments like that, will get you
everywhere.”

“Don’t I know it,” I said. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but. . .” I materialised a cup of white tea. “I could use
a cup of tea.” My heroin. Or should I say, ‘our’ heroin?

Great idea,” said Deliah.

Both her and Stefan materialised their flavour of choice.

*****

Kevalyn was at her canvass, while Macha and Thanatos were watching. “Why are the colours on Earth so limited? I
mean, there are so many more,” asked Kevalyn.

“That’s all that was necessary,” said Thanatos.

“I saw them on acid trips,” said Kevalyn.

“That was a dangerous game to play,” said Thanatos. “Hurrying aspects of evolution by artificial means wasn’t a
smart thing to do. Glad you got out of it OK, and knocked it off soon after you stared your set of experiments.”

“So am I,” said Kevalyn. Kevalyn just started applying the paint.

“That is so cool,” said Thanatos. “Next time you guys go off galavanting across the universe, take me with you,
huh?”

“Haven’t you seen it all?” asked Kevalyn.

“I am NOT my grandparent. No. I’ve seen very little,” said Thanatos.

“I’m beginning to have deja vu experiences regarding what I’ve read in the Xanon Chronicles,” said Kevalyn. “Am I
beginning to remember?”

“Sounds like it. Things will slowly start to intigrate, and clarify. You’re moving pretty fast.”

“Yeah,” said Macha. “The series is still pretty alien to me, despite what I learned from it.”

“Take my word for it,” said Thanatos. “You are much easier to live with, this time around.”

“And you won’t go celibate on me?”

“Hell no,” said Thanatos. “Our relationship has never been this good.”

“Too bad I’ll never see a sword dance with you two,” said Kevalyn.

“We could put on a show to entertain you, once or twice,” said Thanatos. “Just don’t expect Macha to sling me over
her shoulder, and carry me off, anymore. She couldn’t beat me in the ring anymore, anyway.”

“Will both of you wear your sexiest battle clothes?” asked Kevalyn.

“Can be arranged,” said Macha. “Shall I carry you off after the performance. . .Kevin?”

“Please.”

Macha cocked her head, and smiled. “Of course, you could take Than’s sword after the show, and I could defeat you
in a few moments, and carry you off as the conquered spoils.”

“I can live with that. After this painting, maybe?” asked Kevalyn.

Thanatos chuckled. “You two are something else.”

“I would hope so,” said Kevalyn. “I was never one to fit in the crowd.”

*****

Me, Stef and Del left Hesper in Tir na nOg. It was a wonderful place for equines, as well as everything else. It’s
just that the three of us, uh. . .actually six of us took even greater delight in our little virtual museum of Tech Duinn.
Apparently we all had a little bit of ‘Goth’ in us.

It was late afternoon, and a storm had just come in. Stefan had done a weather-check the second we landed.
“Electrical storm. Garden, or tower?” he asked.

“How about garden?” asked Deliah. “I love watching those things from under a gazebo.”

“How about setting up a table under the Japanese one, and having a ritual set of tea and scones?” asked Stefan.

“Sounds good to me. I’d love a black current scone,” I said.

“Mango,” said Stefan.

“Raspberry,” said Deliah.

We all held hands, and off we were.

*****

Macha was standing next to Kevalyn. The painting was halfway done. “Gods, you really do the view we saw,
justice. That is beautiful.”

“Thanks,” said Kevalyn.

Macha went back to Thanatos, and sat by him. She ran her hand gently across his back, and he looked at her. ‘Can
she finish the painting, first?’ he sent her.

‘We could time trip,’ said Macha.

‘I want to watch the whole procedure of the painting, so I guess we could time trip out of here right now, and come
back to this moment.’

‘Fine by me.’

*****

Like the fools we were, we went temperature sensitive. Stefan; was already dressed for the occassion, simply
wearing thermals under his ebon silks and velvet, with his almost perpetual cloak in place. He’d taken his right
glove off to hold his scone.

Me and Del ended up wearing cloaks ourselves, but no thermals. Thermal underwear and my tunic would not have
mixed. I suppose I could have worn a leine at full length with thermals, so not to look too silly, but nah! I’d take
delight in sitting in front of a fire, after we were out of here; which I sensed, would be a while.

I dunked my scone, as the sky lit up. “Gods, existence doesn’t get any better,” I said.

“Let’s wait for nightfall,” said Stefan.

“Hell, yeah,” agreed Deliah.

I raised my teacup. “To freezing our asses off.”

“It’s not that bad,” said Deliah. “Probably in the low fifties, Fahrenheit.”

“Good to run in,” I said. “Just sitting around, though. . .”

“I think it would be a trip to walk back to the castle, and hit the whirlpool after this,” said Deliah.

Not what I was planning; but, “Sure,” I said.

“Then let’s hunt down Thanatos, and see if he can get some cool people from our history to come to your next
show,” said Deliah.

“And how about some who hadn’t made a name for themselves?” I asked. “There’s a lot of good people who never
left their mark on history.”

“Sure,” said Stefan. “I still want to talk to Theodora, though.”

“And Justinian,” said Deliah.

“Oh, yeah,” said Stefan.

“I guess I’ll wear the black leotards again,” I said.

Deliah chuckled. “You look great in those. Sorry, Donn; but you’d look sexy in a burlap sack.”

“Like, you wouldn’t?” I asked her.

“‘Tis true,” she said with a smile. “We’re getting a lot of sheet lightning.”

“Nice,” I said. I will not go temperature insensitive, I will not go temperature insensitive. . . Why am I being such
an idiot, and freezing my nosehairs off? “Excuse me, but I’m cold!” I switched my tunic to that leine. . .heavy
leine, with thermal underwear underneath, thicker than usual socks, brat, and warmer, cloth lined boots. Much
better.

“Cute!” said Stefan.

I smiled. “Well, I’m man enough to wear a dress, OK?”

“Chris Korda would be proud,” said Stefan.

“Yeah, right! He’s never answered my e-mails after I sent him my first story, where I put him, or should I say her or
it, in the credits of inspiration. I’m afraid to look, since if the truth is negative, I don’t think I want to know, but I
don’t think he thinks that highly of me.”

“So you can take comfort in a trace of doubt,” said Deliah.

I raised my teacup. “Pass the ketchup, huh?” (In lyrics from a rather amusing song, called ‘Fleshdance.’ It wasn’t
the best thing I ever heard. In fact it wasn’t to my taste at all, but the lyrics; which were spoken, and though
repetative; were a trip. http://www.churchofeuthanasia.org/mp3/07_fleshdance.mp3 It was one of those things you
just had to hear once. Maybe twice, because you needed two listens to make sure you heard it right the first time, but
that was just me. No accounting for anyone else, huh? Techno just wasn’t my thing.)

Stefan raised his teacup to me. “Not with my scone, thank you,”

I chuckled. “Yeah, right!”

We sat there, well into nightfall. When we walked to the castle, the rain must have been coming down half an inch
and hour. We were sopping wet, shivering like crazy, and laughing over our own masochistic stupidity.

We ended up prolonging the agony even more, by shedding our clothes one by one, in the hall. Entering the steamy
room of the spa has NEVER felt so good.

Chapter 4

Me, Del and Stefan were called when Kevalyn finished her painting. We came to them right away, eager to see the
new work of art.

Seascape from the edge of a cliff. Nice. Indescribable colours not based on anything I’d seen in this remembered
version of mine existence. “Let’s all of us go next time, like we allegedly did in The Xanon Chronicles,” I said.

“You went! Don’t worry! You’ll remember it, soon enough. Kevalyn is already getting glimpses,” said Thanatos.
He walked over to me, and kissed me on the cheek. “You never used to dress so Irish, after you got here.”

“So I read,” I said, as I put my arm around him. “Thanatos! Stefan wants to meet some more people from history, so
do I, and I’m willing to put on a performance for added enticement.”

Thanatos closed his eyes. “Hypatia, Theodora, Justinian the First, and Catherine the Great.” He looked at Stefan.
“Stef, do you know what kind of women Kate and Theo were?”

“Intelligent, and very powerful?”

Thanatos smiled. “They may be inclined to put an additional condition on coming with me, kiddo.”

Stefan gave Thanatos a mischievious grin, shrugged, and said, “If they’re any good, why not concede?”

Thanatos shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’ve got a better idea. I’ll promise them that you’ll sleep with them., if
they come with me.”

Macha, Deliah, Kevalyn and me chuckled. Stefan was trying hard to look shocked, and not laugh, himself. He
didn’t succeed. “Never mind,” he said.

“You little shit,” said Thanatos to Stefan.

Stefan managed a scowl, “Well, Theodora. . .maybe.”

“Uh huh!” said Thanatos. “Anyway, I’ll see what I can do in a little bit. Now, I think we should celebrate the
completion of this painting.”

“‘Nother picnic in Tir na nOg?” asked Stefan.

“How about The Elysian Fields, this time?” asked Thanatos.

“Sure,” said Macha. “I can’t tell the difference, except for the accents.”

“Onward,” said Thanatos.

*****

I’d have my first tofu burger on this picnic. Not bad, with avocado, mushrooms sauteed in butter, lettuce, tomato,
sliced pickles, mayo, mustard, onions on rye, and a fork. Stefan had also gotten me hooked on creamed root beer,
with cream added prior to drinking. It was originally very lightly carbonated (with the addition of the cream, that
kind of went away), with anise, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, wintergreen, licorice, cinnamon, and all kinds of other things
in it.

Me and Stefan weren’t quite snuggled against each other. “Where do you come up with this stuff?” I asked him.

“Deviated snoot beer float. They sell snoot beer with vanilla ice cream, so why not regular heavy whipping cream,
unwhipped?”

Yes, everyone else had tried it. I was the only taker, for now. Macha and Kev were working on a stout, and
Thanatos and Deliah would be doing lemonade for this meal.

“This is so much fun. I can’t believe you guys got out of this, later in your stay at Tech Duinn,” said Deliah.

“I guess we had different priorities,” I said.

Macha looked at Thanatos. “I can’t believe I treated you the way I did.”

Thanatos shrugged. “Neither one of us knew any better, at the time. Everything’s OK, though. We’re a lot happier,
this time around, and there really aren’t any conflicts.”

Macha looked at me. “You and me really went after each other, huh?”

I said. “Little bit. I’m glad you let me live, you know?”

“I could never hurt you,” she said.

“What are we doing after this?” asked Deliah.

“I have to see if I can get some people here for Donn’s exhibition with Hesper,” said Thanatos.

“I’m working on choreographing a fixed routine,” I said.

“I’m watching Donn,” said Stefan.

“Same,” said Macha.

“Ditto,” said Kevalyn

“Sounds good to me,” added Del.

“Fine, but I’m NOT doing another production line number on you four after I’m done, this time,”

“What’s that mean?” asked Deliah.

I looked at Stefan, and smiled. “Only Red Tail, directly after.” I sort of wanted him as a her right now, but there
were priorities to consider.

Stefan kissed me on the cheek. ‘Thanks,’ he sent me.

I rubbed the side of my head against his shoulder. Again, I wished I could simply merge with him like I did in The
White City of my stories. ‘Let’s go Astral, after,’ I sent him.

‘I’d love that. I dig passing out with you.’

‘Hm.’ So did I.

*****

Me and Hesper tried out five different routines, before we came up with something I was set on.

I really enjoyed these practise sessions, despite the self discipline they required. They took all the concentration and
self control I had. I had to be hyper-alert, and hyper-aware. I had to gage speed, height, and location. If I made a
mistake, I risked a hard landing. I had to have sure footing, and perfect balance at all times. I also had to have an
audience that kept its mouth shut, and I did.

Hesper was absolutely wonderful. We might as well have been the same entity. I’d stand, do an aerial, while he was
loping along as smooth as an oil slick, and the second I hit the ground, he reared, and returned to me, so I could just
hoist myself on his back again, without missing a beat, all as gracefully as Thanatos would have done.

I had to admit I was fairly impressed with myself. My routines all went flawlessly. When I finished, Deliah came up
to us, and wrapped herself around Hesper. “If I can’t spoil you, I’ll spoil your dance partner, baby,” she said to me.

I ruffled her hair. “Not that this will get me out of giving this lovely steed a payback, but we both appreciate it.”

“That was all out awesome,” said Kevalyn.

“Too bad Thanatos isn’t here,” said Macha.

“He’ll see the next performance,” I said. “I wonder when he’ll be back?”

“I wonder if he’ll get everyone we wanted?” asked Kevalyn.

*****

Theodora put the four part book down. “You’re quite an interesting bunch.”

“We think the same of you two,” said Thanatos to both Theodora, and Justinian.

Theodora looked at Justinian. “They’re intelligent enough to be worth our time, and we get to see one of the best
horsemen that ever was, perform.”

“And I’m going to see if I can get Hypatia, Hadrian and Antinous,” said Thanatos.

“Vergil Maro! I’d like to meet him, if you can get him again,” said Justinian.

“This should be an interesting meeting of the minds,” said Theodora.

“If this theoretical crowd gets much bigger, it might be conducive for me to unify us all into one on the Astral, for the
information exchanges. I’m sure we’ll all have a ton of questions for each other.”

“If you can do that, it sounds convenient,” said Theodora. “Will we remember everything on separating?”

“I can break down the veils, so you will. After all, I will be part of the package. I had Donn remember everything he
needed to know when he was still an adolescent.”

Theodora smiled. “Contact us when everything is set. We’ll be there.”

*****

Hypatia, Hadrian, Antinous, The Maiden of Mantua. . .Cebes and Alexander, would prove to be no problem.

*****

Stefan stood up, and unfastened his cloak. He dematerialised it, and came over to me. I looked the others over. “I
think we’ll see you in a little bit.”

Macha waved, “Late.”

Stefan got to me, turned to Macha, and smiled. He didn’t say anything, but embraced me, and put his forehead
against mine. We disappeared from the scene.

*****

Stefan took us to a more reclusive part of Tir na nOg. We landed in a heavily wooded area, by a stream. I suppose I
should also refer to Stef as ‘Stephanie,’ being a gender switch had occured in the transfer of location. Stephanie took
off her gloves, dematerialised them, and sat down against the trunk of an oak tree. I joined her, and we embraced;
getting a bit tangled up in each other. She brushed the side of her face against my shoulder, then gently ran her hand
across my chest. “Gods, I’m on fire, but this is so empty,” she said.

“We’ll go Astral, soon. That’ll do it for us.”

“Donn, how much better can you get?” I knew she was talking about my new hobby.

“You could be a stunt rider, if you wanted.”

“Like you? I don’t think so. I mean, even on the ice! How long have I been skating? I still can’t do a triple axel,
and I’m not even going to try to figure out how you do those aerials.”

I kissed her on the forehead. “Practise on a trampoline. You used to do them off of diving boards, when you were a
kid.”

“I guess I don’t have your level of dedication.”

“Not when there’s a potential for cracking your skull open, anyway. You’re quite dedicated in other matters.”

“Hm.”

Well, Stephanie chose now to start bringing this meeting to a pleasant conclusion, and we went Astral for something
even better.

Hey! I still don’t write hard core, OK?

*****

Thanatos materialised before Macha and Kevalyn. Deliah was busy trying to give Hesper the time of his life, so she
wasn’t available to be anywhere else.

“I’ve got everyone you guys requested,” said Thanatos.

“Cool. Was it pretty easy?” asked Kevalyn,

“Damn easy! They even made additional requests on who to invite. This is gonna be great. First stop, Tir na nOg.
A massive picnic; including Stef’s fruit salad, Donn’s show, and an Astral merging of everyone there, for an
instantaneous information exchange, as opposed to everyone asking each other a million questions, then more food,
with conversation, at Tech Duinn. A tour of the castle, too.”

“How many are coming?” asked Macha.

“Forty-one,” said Thanatos.

“That’s a fair sized crowd.”

“A good number, I think,” said Thanatos.

“And the last time around, we never invited anyone here, except when Donn was using this place as a way station,
huh?” asked Kevalyn.

That’s right! We found the very thought of casual guests appalling.”

“What was wrong with us?” asked Macha.

“Clique-consciousness. We were very self centred. Me, especially. Nothing came before my education as Keith,
and a combination of education and job, after I’d reintigrated, until we all moved to The White City.”

“Can we visit it, before we move there?” asked Macha.

Thanatos grimaced. “Give it a little while. You’ll change your mind, when you remember the pain of return.”

“But, you can ease it,” said Macha.

He walked over to Macha, held her, and kissed her on the forehead. “Let’s wait until after Donn’s exhibit.” He
looked at Kevalyn. “You seem to be more patient, regarding this matter.”

Kevalyn chuckled. “Crucify me, rack me, and stick me in an iron maiden with a premature take-off, huh?”

Thanatos smiled. “Basically.”

Macha returned Thanatos’ embrace. ‘Can I borrow you in a little bit?’ she sent him.

‘Sure.’

Macha said aloud, “Anyone care to walk to the garden, and have some tea?”

“Love to,” said Kevalyn.

“We can watch the dawn,” said Thanatos. “It’s still pitch black, for a little while longer.”

“Be glad Stefan’s not hear,” said Macha. “To him, dawn is the most depressing time of the day.”

“Gods, he can be such a vampire,” said Kevalyn

“Only now heez got zee fangs to prooove eet,” said Thanatos in a comical attempt at the stereotypical Transylvanian
accent.

Both Macha and Kevalyn laughed.

*****

Stephanie woke up first, and uh. . .she. . .uh woke me up. A couple of hours later, we were sharing our own couple
of cups of tea, still in bed. Par for the course. “When do you think you’ll be ready for the live performance,” she
asked.

“As soon as the sedative wears off,” I told her with a smile. I had to admit, it was hard for me to feel any more
relaxed. “Uh, no; but I have to get in touch with Thanatos, and get this household and all our guests synchronised. I
want to do that later, though. I’m enjoying this moment, too much to leave it.”

Stef switched back to masculine form. “Tell me about it.”

I looked at him, and smiled. “Next time, can I be the chick?”

He looked stunned. “With me?”

“Yeah! Why?”

“After Thanatos?”

“You’ll have me, after Thanatos. Sure! Why not? I love your style. You’re light caresses, where you’re barely
touching me?”

“That’ll be a trip for me, but yeah. Let’s switch places, next time.”

I ran my finger down his nose. “Thanks.” I dematerialised my cup, and got out of the bed, while simultaneously
donning my tunic. I went temperature insensitive immediately. “Gods! Sometimes I wonder if I should install
central heating.”

Stefan got out of bed, and into his gothic threads, cloak included. “Don’t do that. Electricity is enough. It’s too
much fun torturing ourselves, and easing it with snuggling, fire, tea or whirlpool.”

I said, “Good point.”

I suddenly had to sit down. I was awash with a series of memories of the life my former self had written of.
“Whoa!”

Stefan came over to me. “What’s wrong?”

I swallowed, and scowled. “I guess my reintigration process has started. I was just plastered with what I used to be.
It’s like suddenly, I remember a bit of the Xanon Chronicle life as it was my own. The recollections. The different
priorities.”

Stefan sat next to me, and put his arm around me. “You OK?”

“I guess so. It doesn’t hurt, or anything. I’m a little light headed, and I have to admit, I feel very, very strange from
a psychological perspective. I mean, being forced to recognise what I am, what I was, what I’m not anymore, you
know?”

Stefan shook his head. “No. I can’t know.”

I looked at him. “Let’s call it a sort of ‘culture shock’. I wonder if this is what Thanatos felt like after he woke up
from Macha killing him?”

“Could ask him, later. What do you remember?”

“I suddenly know how to fight with a sword, and I suddenly have an intense hatred for the game of chess.”

“Anything else?”

I leaned into him, and put my own arm, around him. “You also might find me a more interesting lover.”

Stefan asked. “Do you remember The White City?”

“No.”

“I almost find it hard to wait.”

I closed my eyes, and leaned my head down foreward. I sighed. “Let’s go out of time. . .Stephanie.”

“So, you don’t want to be the chick?”

I smiled, and looked at him. “Maybe later.”

Stefan clenched his fists, crossed his wrist before himself against, closed his eyes, and brought his hands slowly to
his lower mid-section. “Oh man, life doesn’t get any better.” A common saying, with us.

I kissed him on the cheek. “This isn’t life.”

He returned the kiss. “Thank the gods. Oh, I can’t get enough of you.”

“Good.” The feeling was obviously quite mutual. We were making up for lost time, I guess.

He switched gender, again.

*****

Deliah kissed Hesper on the cheek. “You are such a sweetie pie. I wish I’d had a chance to establish a relationship
with something outside my species as what you and Donn have.”

Hesper gently scraped his teeth on Deliah’s shoulder a few times, before gently nosing her.

With a picture of herself astride the pony, Deliah asked, “Will you let me ride you?”

Hesper kneeled on his forelegs to make mounting easier.

Deliah hugged him around the neck. “Gods, I love you. Thanks. You go where you want to go, and you can show
me the places you like.” She got on his back, and he was off. They’d spend a bit of time in Tir na nOg, the Elysian
Fields, Eden, and the tour would end on the Lakota ‘Hunting Ground’.

*****

Thanatos sat on the edge of one of the fountains, snuggled between Macha and Kevalyn, though he only had his arm
around Macha, since in his other hand, was his fifth cup of tea. Macha closed her eyes. “Wow!”

“What?” asked Kevalyn.

“Deliah’s riding Hesper.” Macha smiled. “She’s in Eden, and Hesper has right of way.”

“Do you have a count on the other two?” asked Kevalyn.

“Donn and Stephanie are in what is known as a compromised position. I didn’t delve into them too deeply.” She
looked at Thanatos, and walked her fingers gently up his back. “That sounds like fun.”

Thanatos looked at her, then at Kevalyn. He looked at Macha again. “You have both of us in mind, of course.”

“Of course,” said Macha.

“That sounds absolutely fascinating,” said Kevalyn.

Thanatos shrugged. “OK. Astral, after?”

“Only way,” said Macha.

“Who passive, first?” asked Thanatos.

“You!” said Macha to Thanatos.

He asked Kevalyn, “And you, my lesbian friend, will have my head in your lap, no doubt.”

“Definitely! The one with that absolutely gorgeous face on it, anyway!”

Both Macha and Thanatos laughed.

(Quite a shift in priorities, huh? We really HAD to get this out of our system.)

Chapter 5

Deliah was the last to come to us, when we all finally made an effort to get to-gether for my exhibit. “There is no
East of Eden, there is no gate, and Michael is not standing by non-existent gate with flaming sword,” she said.

“I could have told you that,” said Thanatos. “Also, it’s primarily for animals. It has no permanent residents. Only
visitors.”

“I didn’t see anyone of human persuasion,” said Deliah.

“Not a surprise,” said Thanatos. “It goes on forever, from it’s inhabitants point of view, like everything else; and it’s
not the most visited area. The odds of running into someone are pretty low.”

“Eden is the same level as The White City. Hesper took me there on his own accord. Why don’t I feel this
overwhelming desperation to go back, like I’d feel if I visited The City?” asked Deliah.

“You remember the description of The White City in Donn’s book. The connexion with the other inhabitants? The
addictive subtle ‘angel music’ in the background? The constant feeling of being loved?”

“Gotcha. Never mind,” said Deliah.

“Now that we’re finally all to-gether, are we ready to send out the invitations to everyone for the show?” asked
Thanatos

“How’s Hesper?” I asked.

“I put him in charge of our jaunt,” said Deliah. “He’s fine. He really enjoyed himself, and I look forward to
grooming him again. He’s the most affectionate pony I’ve ever met in all my life. He’s almost feline, in showing
it.”

“Did you get knocked over any?” asked Stefan.

“Almost, not quite. My own fault, though. He’s very gentle and considerate. Like his main slave, you know?”
asked Deliah.

“Thank you,” I said. “Implying you are now his secondary slave.”

“I think so. I have a stronger affinity with your pony, than my pony, but Hesper is a Sidhe pony. I think I’ll spend a
little time on my. . .owner; really, later. I’m feeling a little guilty.”

“You could develop a stronger relationship with Aslan,” I said.

“He likes being left alone, though. Hesper prefers your company to that of other equines, but Aslan likes running
free with his buddies,” said Deliah.

“So does Shiva,” said Stefan. “I realise this all can be changed, but do we want to do that, being things are working
pretty good, right now. I mean, on those rare occasions us or the horses, ponies, whatever, want each other, the one
wanted always makes itself available.”

“Yeah,” said Deliah. “Aslan’s called me a few times for some pleasant exchanges, or when he wants to be spoiled.
Hesper’s a lot more into it, though. A lot more demonstrative, too.”

“Hm hm,” I agreed. “Shall we get this show on the road, with my exhibit? I’m beginning to feel a bit amped.”

Thanatos nodded. Sure. Let’s go to Tir na nOg, before we call them. Then we can have our picnic party there, then
invite everyone over for a Tech Duinn tour, and an extended stay, for anyone who cares.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said. “I’d love to have a few long conversations with these people.” I’d never dwelled on
historical figures before, and now that I did, I found I’d missed a bit.

Stef then said, “Donn, think you should tell everyone you’re beginning to re-intigrate with your past life, first?”

“You just did,” I said.

“What’s it like?” asked Deliah.

“A boatload of new memories, a few new skills, a couple of new aversions, loves, and I’m in awe of actually being
aware from a personal perspective, on how neurotic I was in my former life; as opposed to just having read about it.
I suddenly knew I wrote those books. I remember writing the first two, but not the third. Thanatos, why do I only
remember part of it?”

“You’ll remember to the point that corresponds with where you’re at now,” said Thanatos. “which is, by the way;
quite a bit further along for your perspective of time-frame, as the first time around. Everyone has about ninety
percent less garbage to sort through, because of what you’d learned from your cute little bio.”

“Glad I’m good for something,” I said.

Thanatos came over to me, ruffled my hair, and kissed me on the forehead. “You’re good for a lot. Now, let’s get
out of here.”

*****

For the exhibit, I was dressed in the usual black full-leotard outfit, and soft-soled boots. Hesper was the show pony,
not me; and he knew it. He held his tail up, kept his neck arched, and high-stepped with the best of them. His
golden coat shone brightly, his white mane and tail looked almost silver, and I did silver his hooves. He was playing
his part, perfectly; prancing in place, and giving an aura of arrogance. He was acting like the best paid cat-walk
model in the world.

Hesper was much admired, and he knew it. Gods, he even ‘bowed’ to the audience. He then nudged me, and I did
the same. We got quite a bit of laughter, with this lovely equine reminding his rider of his manners.

Before I actually proceeded, I said, “Well, here I go; and I hope you all like the show.”

“You never stop being the poet, huh?” called Theodora, with a grin.

“That was inadvertant, but hey!” I called back. “I’m off.”

Hesper walked a few yards away from me, then wheeled, and loped in my direction. I hoisted myself on him as he
came by, and started out by spending a few seconds on each of his sides. I stood up, and performed a few slow
pirouettes, and various moves that were a cross between ballet, and modern dance; alternating between standing, and
kneeling. Hespers gait was so smooth, I might as well have been on a treadmill. I did a few delicate handsprings,
went back to a more Eastern-style dance routine, and culminated the show with my impressive series of mounts and
dismounts, involving aerials getting off, and hoisting myself onto Hesper’s back, after a lopsided somersault at his
side. That was initially hard to figure out, having nothing underneath me, but I was good at it, now. I’d had to
modify myself slightly, since it took a bit more strength, than I normally needed; not that one could tell by looking at
me, unless there was a before, and after picture. Even then, the difference in my appearance wasn’t much. What’s
three or four pounds?

The routine lasted what one might perceive to be a half an hour, or so.

I was a hit. The applause was heavy, and this stay at Tir na nOg would be very long. Everyone wanted to talk to me.
Everyone here, had also read my stories, and they were very interested in seeing Tech Duinn. Catherine (the Great)
was also very interested in meeting the redoubtable Percy.

The whole gang was totally cool. Everyone here ended up getting an open invitation to Tech Duinn, with only a
request of making their presence known to me, before they came on board.

No problem.

The pre-exhibit picnic had also been a huge success. Stefan’s fruit salad was considered a brilliant idea.

*****

Alexander of Macedonia had taken to Macha, in the stories. Alexander, and his entourage of two, were the only ones
left at Tech Duinn, after everyone else had gone. He had the nerve to challenge Macha to a friendly match of chess,
and a round in the ring, via sword. Macha whupped his ass, at both. Every household member watched the games,
as did the company of his beloved Hephaestion and Roxane. Hephaestion was quite a warrior as well, but he knew
better than to challenge Macha. He believed my written word of her being unbeatable. Hephaestion said, “How
about giving us a show between you and Thanatos?” he asked Macha.

Thanatos smiled. “How long do you three want to stay here?”

“It doesn’t matter,” said Alexander.

Thanatos looked at Macha. “Shall we?”

“Until they get sick of watching? Are you ready to put in this kind of time?”

“Being time has no relevance, sure,” said Thanatos.

“All right, off to the ring, with one more couch to add. Walk, or transfer?”

“Walk, definitely,” said Alexander.

*****

Both Macha and Thanatos went into battle dress, and I swear, what they did was even more impressive than what I’d
done on Hesper.

They were totally tuned into each other. Sometimes they fought, sometimes they just went into a sword dance
routine, where they just aimed at each other’s weapons. Not a drop of blood was ever shed. Some of their evasive
moves were as impressive as hell. They went all out with the acrobatics, and they put the stunt people of the sword
and sorcery movies to shame with their sword dance routines.

After quite a while, it was obvious there would be no victor. Both Macha and Thanatos withdrew from the battle
simultaneously. “Is that enough?” asked Thanatos.

“”That’s the most beautiful swordfight I ever saw,” said Alexander.

“Can we ever see you two in the ring again?” asked Roxane.

“Occasionally, maybe,” said Thanatos. “It’s a little pointless for us, now. I’m not the Keith of the first two stories,
anymore.”

Macha smiled, dematerialised her sword, resheathed her dirk, and stepped toward Thanatos. “Well, maybe not
completely pointless.” With not too much effort, she hoisted the stunned Thanatos onto her shoulders.

“What the hell are you. . .” started out the stunned Thanatos.

“It still turns me on to fight you. Now I want to fuck you!”

With that, they disappeared from our view.

Alexander looked at me. With a chuckle, he said, “I thought Thanatos doesn’t have a sex drive.”

I shrugged. “Technically he doesn’t, but Macha does, and Thanatos does like to keep the peace.”

“Is he still as good as you said in your stories?” asked Roxane of me.

“Better,” interrupted Deliah.

*****

Macha dropped Thanatos on her bed with as much gentleness as she could unload a dude who outweighed her by
about thirty five pounds or so, from her shoulders. She pounced on him. “Well?”

Thanatos chuckled. “That exit ought to have everyone talking. I don’t think anyone will ever challenge you again.
If not from your display, then from besting Alexander, alone.”

“You’re reading me!”

“Can’t help but read you,” he said.

She gently ran her fingertips down the centre of his chest, et cetera. . . “Can you; by remote chance, adopt my sense
of desperation, you gorgeous, graceful thing?”

“No.”

She cut off his loincloth. After a few expert moves, and an obvious reaction, she asked him, “But you can be talked
into sort of wanting me.”

He placed his right forearm over his eyes. “Sorta.”

Yeah, right!

*****

After Alexander, Roxane, and Hephaestion had left, me, Stefan, Kevalyn and Deliah walked to the garden. “Gods,
that was fun,” said Deliah. “Alex was quite a progressive. Too bad he was such a booze hound, when alive.”

“His innate sense of fairness was a rare find among expansionists,” I said. “I agree with the alcoholism; not that he
had an easy life.”

“Interesting, how everything always turns out so perfect,” said Stefan.

“Not always. Only to those who are aware of what existence, and life is all about,” I said.

“Well, eventually everything turns out OK,” said Kevalyn.

“True,” I said. “Eventually.”

“Eventually is a pretty long time, some times,” said Deliah.

“Totally,” said Stefan.

I looked at him. “There is one thing that hasn’t changed about you, from the last time around.”

“My occassional ‘Val-speak’?”

I smiled. “Totally,” I said.

“Actually, I’m not sure I’m very different from your stories, other than the fact that I don’t have to keep myself
virtually neutered all the time to keep my sanity,” said Stefan.

“Actually, you are pretty much the same. Macha’s changed a lot, and you have one thing about you, Kev. Macha’s
one hell of a sweetheart now, in every respect,” I pointed at Kevalyn, “You will occasionally compromise your
innate tastes once in a while,” I looked at Deliah, “and I still can’t remember you; but from what I wrote, you seem
pretty much the same as your old self, too.”

“From your stories, I think you changed more than anyone,” said Deliah.

“I think it’s a toss up between me and Macha. She’s softened up a bit, but now she gets everything she wants, no
holds barred.”

“Nice to know she doesn’t have to go through all that emotional turmoil of those guilt trips over her past, this time,”
said Stefan.

“That was bad,” I said. “Real bad. I remember the mental merging with her.” I smiled. “You know, I also miss the
‘Keith’ aspect of Thanatos a little.”

“He was a little on the shy side, huh?” asked Deliah.

“A little,” I said. “This may sound strange, but of how he was with diplomacy, and all; he actually reminded me a
little of Vergil Maro. The Thanatos we have with us now, does not.”

“I like Than’s way of telling like it is. The directness?” Said Stefan.

“I like that too, but the alternative has an appeal, once in a while,” I said.

“Hm, yeah!” said Stefan. “It’s also nice that Maro lived up to my expectations of him.”

I closed my eyes. “An idealist who lived up to himself. What he allowed his slaves was unheard of, in the history
books. He treated them like foster sons, except for the sex part; but that was mutual consent; which must have
initially been a royal pain, dealing with his beautiful, hard to seduce, Alexander.”

“He wrote about that,” said Deliah.

“Called him Alexis. Yeah,” I said. “I read the Bucolics. A lot of his poetry is pretty depressing. Eloquent and
beautiful, but it shows a lot of pain.” I read everything by him but the Aeneid, which he’d wanted destroyed anyway,
right after his first visit to Tech Duinn. I really liked him; or should I say loved him, and I ended up more than a bit
touched that Stefan, or should I say ‘Kyle’ had chosen to name me after him, before ‘she’ knew who I was.

“I still have to read him, I’m afraid to admit,” said Stefan.

“Not now, you don’t. You’re NOT leaving me alone with these two!” I said, pointing at Deliah and Kevalyn.

Stefan smiled. “Not so soon after your sexy exhibition, huh?”

“Something like that,” I said.

Deliah chuckled. “As if Stefan would go any easier on you than I?”

She had a point.

*****

Thanatos collapsed. He turned his face away from Macha. “You’re one hell of an inamorata. I see your saturation
point has not changed at all, since your last round.”

“Did you expect it to?”

“Not really.”

“You could, of course reset yourself again.”

Thanatos, still in boots and gauntlet Macha hadn’t given him time to get out of, immediately re-dressed himself in a
pair of silk pajamas, and socks. He got under cover, and now he faced her. “Later.”

‘So, you’re totally set on putting your nostrils down, huh?”

Thanatos scowled. “I swear! If Stefan translates any more of these cliches into Nozican, or Nozish, or Nozamese,
or whatever the hell he is calling it these days, I’m going to take that beak of his away from him, and not let him
replace it.”

Macha chuckled. “You wouldn’t! That thing is his life.”

Thanatos shook his head. “Ye gods, I’m being sarcastic. I love that thing almost as much as Stefan does. He looks
great in it, and it supplies endless material for sarcasm and jokes.”

“Total mordancy, I’d say.”

“Sometimes, but he occasionally asks for it.”

“Occasionally? You are too kind.”

“Oh, he’s not that bad,” said Thanatos.

“Yeah. . .Deliah’s worse, but I wouldn’t trade them in for anything.”

Thanatos bared his fangs in a coy grin. “And Stephanie is sooooo good in bed. Those ultra gentle strokes she gives,
where it’s hard to tell if you’re being caressed by simply an aura, or a physical touch? I think I’d like to see her.”

In a couple of seconds, Thanatos would be on the floor. He’d known what to expect, and he was laughing pretty
hard. Yes, Macha would get another go around, in a little while.

*****

Stefan materialised a collection of everything that Vergil Maro wrote, and went straight to ‘Alexis’. It was a short
poem. He tried to hand the book to Deliah. “I already read it,” she said. “Probably in the double digits.”

“You?” he asked Kevalyn.

She took the book. “Please.” She read it, and said, “The language structure is complex and unduly eloquent, but it
doesn’t seem like it was written a couple of thousand years before I was around. This is nice. Sad, but I’d read it a
few times a year, if years were relevent.”

She gave the book back to Stefan.

Stefan said, “Next time I can bear to be alone, or if I have the willpower just to use someone as a pillow, I think I’ll
read the whole thing.”

“Can I volunteer to be your pillow?” I asked.

“Pillow, blanket, mattress, I don’t care what you are,” said Stefan.

I cocked my left eyebrow. “ I know what you are.”

“Incorrigible, to say the least,” said Stefan.

“All the way,” I had to agree. “That means you accept?”

“Hell, yeah!

“And if I change my mind and want to read it again?” asked Deliah.

“I suppose we could arrange a date for me to be your bedding material,” I said.

Stef, Deliah and Kevalyn chuckled. “You obviously haven’t lost your way with words,” said Kevalyn.

I shrugged. “After what Stefan said, what else could I say?”

“Indeed,” said Deliah. “Oh, what the hell. Shall we all kick back and read the complete works of Vergil Maro?”

“Sure,” said Kevalyn. “Where?”

“In all seriousness, I think we should do this on a couple of couches, or something,” I said.

“I’d rather be in bed next to a hot babe like Macha or Del,” said Kevalyn.

I smiled. I really prefered the intimate setting of reading with Stefan, or Thanatos alone, myself. I made use of
Kevalyn’s statement. “OK!” I took Stefan’s hand, and we were out of there.”

Deliah looked at where we were. “Wha. . .” She looked at Kevalyn, and chuckled. “If I didn’t love you so much,
I’d hate you.” It was a common phrase for us to use, as my readers may note.

“Oh; come on, you foxy thing. Those two are each other’s primaries, not counting Thanatos. Let’s go to Tir na nOg,
and read that collection.”

Deliah put her arm around Kevalyns waist, stood on her toes, and kissed Kev on the cheek. “Yeah. Macha’s got my
main man now, anyway.”

“According to Donn, wasn’t that supposed to be Stefan?”

“I adore my Steffy-poo, but he can’t hold a candle to Thanatos in the exotic, or skill; you know?”

“I prefer Stefan. At least he’ll change gender for me,” said Kevalyn.

Deliah placed her head on Kevalyn’s shoulder the best she could, considering Kevalyn was five inches taller than
Del, and said, “Damn fruits.”

“Yeah! So if no one else in male is available later, you wanna make out?”

“Suppose so. Let’s get our rear ends to Tir na nOg. I guess it’s about time I read this stuff again.”

They disappeared from Tech Duinn.

*****

I ended up guiding us to Stefan’s bed. We just rested against each other, reading our own copy of the poetry
compilation, with cups of tea perpetually on the night stands next to us. The fire was roaring, all the torches were lit,
and the electric blanket was on. There was also an electrical storm raging. The room was by an outer wall, so we
could hear the rain quite well. It was very nice.

Chapter 6

“Gods, I am so pissed off at myself for not having read this when I was alive,” said Stefan as he closed up his book.

I’d already finished my re-read a few moments ago. “Better late than never,” I said.

“I never dreamed anyone could write as well as us, as far as moving poetry went.”

I said, “Stefan, Vergil is considered the best poet that ever was, by quite a goodly number in the educational fields.”

“I was almost in tears, over some of it.”

“For me; almost, my nosehairs; as you say. I cried.”

“Too bad his life had to be so hard. All th physical problems he had? Always in pain?” asked Stefan

“Yeah, and you used to get a lot of headaches. Do you care anymore?”

“Nope.”

“Neither does Vergil.”

Stefan shook his head, and laughed. “I’m kind of glad I’m not calling you Vergil anymore.”

I kissed him on the nose. “Not on a regular bases, anyway; huh?”

“Yeah. I still love the name, and I still think you look like a Vergil, but hey. Donn’s grown on me. It used to be
kind of flatline. Didn’t dislike it, but it didn’t knock my socks off, either.”

“Understandable. I don’t think much of it one way or the other either, but it’s what I’ve been named, and what I’m
generally called, so I accept that.”

Stefan reached over, and grabbed his cup of tea. The current cup was creamed, honeyed, bee pollened, vanilla
extracted, vanilla nut, if I didn’t forget something. He had a few sips, and asked, “Wanna skate after we get on the
ball, or do something a little more leisurely, like a walk in Tir na nOg, or something?”

“Can you dupe me a cup of what you’re having, to the letter, before I decide?”

Another cup appeared in his hand, and he gave it to me.

“Thanks,” I said, and I had a sip. There was a touch of allspice in it. That was new. “Mmm! Killer stuff when the
sweet tooth is acting up. In a way, it’s too bad the horses don’t eat anymore. Hesper would have loved this stuff.”

“Could he be persuaded to try it?”

“Sure! And while you’re at it, would you like to be hounded for fresh orange juice, apple juice, various fruit pies,
granola cereal with fruit, farina, multi-seeded sourdough with butter, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and salads
so intricate they’d put the best mortal salad bar to shame?” I wasn’t serious.

“I could just materialise it for him.”

“Whenever he wanted it? How many times has he interrupted what I was doing to call me to give him a grooming,
or a rubdown in the spa? You want to encourage him to become even more of a hedonist than he already is. I mean
you know Hesper. He’s like a cat. Give him a nanometer, and he’ll want a lightyear.”

“Oh, yeah. I’ve never met a more lovable horse in all my days, though.”

“Pony.”

“Yeah, whatever.” He had another sip of his tea. “Equine. Amazing that people consider horses stupid.”

“True. Uncooperative does not mean stupid, and easily trained does not mean smart. You have no personal
experience with this, but actually a horse you treat as a close friend will try to learn from you and please you, though
it helps if you have continuous contact with them from when they’re a foal. You have a very affectionate, though
demanding animal.”

“Like Hesper.”

“There isn’t a mortal horse alive, who’s as bad as Hesper, though I wouldn’t have my equine love any other way.” I
finished half my cup.

Stefan looked at his cup, then smiled at me. “After we get out of here, let’s play mini-golf. No score-keeping, of
course.”

“Time to putt around, huh?”

Stefan finished his tea, and dematerialised his cup. “Yeah. Would you be into that?”

“For someone, who swore they’d never play again, after having it forced down your throat as a kid, huh?”

“This is just fooling around.”

“I’ll set up a temporary park, between here and the beach, so we don’t have to leave the island.”

“Gothic theme?”

“How about a vampire course?”

Stefan shrugged. “Sounds good to me.” He moved toward me, and pressed himself against me. “In a little bit?”

It was only too obvious that Stefan had other ideas for the immediate future.

I dematerialised my unfinished cup of tea. In a few seconds, Stefan would be embracing a woman.

*****

Macha and Thanatos met Deliah and Kevalyn in the garden. The weather had cleared up, by now. Deliah
immediately gravitated toward Thanatos, and Kevalyn toward Macha. They sat on a blanket in the grass, having
thrown to-gether an impromptu picnic. Tofu burgers, garden salad, Stefan’s concept of fruit salad, and lemonade. It
wasn’t too elaborate. “I want to see Theodora and Justinian again,” said Deliah.

“I’d like to see everyone, again,” said Kevalyn.

“That can be arranged, I think. Everyone was invited to come whenever they felt like it, they all liked the place, so
all you have to do is focus, and see if who ever you want is available,” said Thanatos.

Macha, trying to look as dreamy as possible, said, “Antinous, and both Alexanders would be nice.”

Thanatos laughed. “Macha, on top of those three being very devoted to their lovers and wife, you are mostly the
wrong gender.”

Macha’s left eyebrow went up. “Of course, I jest. Had to get you back a little for your little comment regarding
Stefan, huh?”

“Of course,” said Thanatos.

“Dare I ask?” said Deliah.

“Just the usual,” said Thanatos. “She wants more, and I comment on wanting more too. . .from someone else.”

“I assume you got thrown out of bed for that again,” said Deliah.

“Pushed; really, but yeah. That’s the general stream of events.”

Macha simply smiled.

Deliah scowled. “You are so different from the Thanatos of the Xanon Chronicles.”

Thanatos brushed his index finger down her nose. “So you tell me, over and over again. You’re the same. What
you were in The White City, and what you are now, is no different. And it’s not a question of being different, for
me. It’s the same stream of consciousness here, and I’ve just outgrown some of the hangups I used to have.”

“When will I remember The White City?” asked Deliah.

“When you get there again,” said Thanatos. He put an arm around her. “It really shouldn’t be too much longer.”

“What’s keeping us here, now?” asked Macha. “We don’t seem to have any issue, judging from how we are, and
what it said in the Chronicles.”

“Lust. A lot of us are over the top, right now.” said Thanatos.

“You’re not doing anything to discourage that,” said Macha.

“It’s nothing to discourage. You don’t want to suppress yourself. That would be self-defeating. You just want to let
it run its course,” said Thanatos, as he let go of Deliah. He ladled some fruit salad into his bowl, and added cream.

“You seem a little hedonistic, yourself,” said Macha.

“I don’t deprive myself completely, but I’m not going to be eating five pounds of this stuff, either. This will
probably suffice quite nicely. It does make for a better get-to-gether if I partake in this repast, as opposed to just
sitting here, doesn’t it?” he asked.

“Most definitely,” said Deliah, before biting into her tofu burger.

*****

I aimed for the hole in the little coffin, and it took me three putts to get it through. I was terrible at this, not that I
cared.

Stefan wasn’t much better, and we laughed at our own, and each others antics. Stefan made a big show of lining up
the putts, and getting as histrionic as possible, with his maneuvers and facial expressions. It was like watching a
sit-com, that was actually funny. He’d get down on his knees, use the putter as a scope, and take a couple of minutes
to prepare, then it might take him seven hits to get the ball through the tunnel, or in the hole. This could be such a
frustrating game, if one cared. We didn’t. It wasn’t a real competition. We were just playing, for the sake of
playing.

Into Count Dracula’s mouth, my next ball went. “I don’t know, Donn,” said Stefan. “Want to keep this course, after
we’re finished? It’s a fun game, and maybe we should ask everyone else, and take a poll?”

I shrugged. “Sure.” I closed my eyes, and focused on everyone, one by one. It was agreed upon that the little
course stayed. Thanatos thought it might be an additional motivator for some of our guests to my exhibition to come
by, more often. I liked that idea, and Tech Duinn was plenty big enough to accomodate the little putting park. The
theme of it, also fit the island like a glove. Everyone was going to check it out, after they finished with their picnic,
and play. Me and Stefan played the course four times, waiting for them. We actually improved our game, by the
end.

*****

Thanatos never missed his putts. If hole in ones were possible, he got them all. Pretty impressive. Macha was the
second best player, and Deliah was close behind.

“How in the hell do you do that?” asked Stefan.

“Geometry,” said Thanatos. “That’s all putting is. Hitting the ball at the right angle, with the right amount of
force.”

“Playing you, is like playing a computer,” said Stefan.

Thanatos shrugged. “Sorry. I just instinctively know the math. It’s not like we anything vested in the outcome,
anyway.”

“Actually, I like watching you play,” said Stefan. “It’s awesome, and I kind of admit I half expected it.”

“Same,” said Kevalyn. “Do you ever miss your target in archery?” she asked Thanatos.

“Only when I’m setting up. I might aim too high or low for a few times. Then I’ll start splitting arrows. Macha is
the same way, of course.”

Stefan looked at Macha. “No doubt.”

Macha winked at Stefan. “To do less in war is a death sentence.”

“I am so glad I’m not you,” said Stefan to Macha.

“Fine by me,” said Macha. “I’m glad I’m not you, either. I just can’t see being a slave to my nose, and carrying
ninety odd percent of my body weight in front to my face. I don’t see how you can stand upright.”

Stefan did his best to look thoroughly enraptured. “Oh, what am I going to do, with all these compliments?”

“You’ll just have to live with them, I suppose,” said Macha.

I shook my head, chuckling slightly to myself. Ye gods, what a bunch we were.

“This was a great idea, Stef,” said Thanatos. “It wasn’t something I expected from you, though.”

“Due to my allergy to golf?”

“Something like that,” said Thanatos. “Cute theme, too.”

“Now that we’re all to-gether, should we do something, or shall we split up again?” I asked.

“Do you feel like skating?” asked Deliah of me.
“No,” I said.

“Stunt riding?” Deliah asked.

“Definitely not,” I said.

“Will you ma. . .” (ke out with me?)

I didn’t let her finish. “No! No way!”

Deliah crossed her arms in front of her, and grimaced. “Then you can go away.”

“How about all of us watching another movie?” asked Stefan.

“Not another B-rate horror flick, please,” said Thanatos.

“How about a Mel Brooks comedy?” asked Kevalyn.

Macha scanned her. “You liked Blazing Saddles.”

“I could watch that again,” said Kevalyn.

“Sure,” said Thanatos.

Deliah looked at Stefan, then at Thanatos. She pointed at both. “Can I sit between you two?”

“I don’t see why not,” said Thanatos. “I assume we’re walking back to the castle.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Macha. “Later, I’m going to see if I can get anyone from the exhibit over, to play mini-golf.

The movie was a blast.

*****

After the six of us snuggled a bit, had a couple of cups of the predictable tea, and discussed the flick, we split up.
Kevalyn and Macha took off; back to the minature golf course, and Deliah dragged Thanatos off to bed, and I had to
fight her tooth and nail, not to take Stefan, too. Well, not literally, but. . .a bit of figurative fur flew, and though I
will not be able to keep a straight face recalling some of the things Deliah said, I don’t think I can bring myself to
write them down.

Me and Stefan went for a ride on the beaches of Tech Duinn. It was late afternoon, and I knew damn well we’d still
be there at nightfall, with the horses, or without. We did end up dismounting, and sitting in the sand, at dusk.
Hesper and Shiva lay beside us so we ended up having one arm around each other, and our other hand on our leiges.
“I wish a storm was coming in,” said Stefan.

“Maybe to-morrow,” I said.

“I think it would be a kick running on the waters edge, with violent waves, rain coming down in sheets, and lightning
flashing full blast.”

I chuckled. “Not temperature sensitive, I hope.”

“Uh, no. I don’t like discomfort that much.”

“You know, the way you like to play in electrical storms, one of us might get hit, one of these days.”

“So, what of it?”

“That’s something that Thanatos would probably have to fix. I have no idea. I mean, what we are now, can still be
destroyed, you know?”

Stefan kissed me on the cheek. “How can I forget.”

“We could run through the surf now,” I said.

“Let’s see if the ponies prefer we stay, if they’d like to join us.”

“Sure.”

I checked Hesper, and he didn’t care what we did, neither did Shiva, and Stefan said, “Let’s go for it.”

“OK.”

I almost couldn’t believe what Stefan did. He, in his breeches, satin shirt, knee high boots, cloak, et cetera, just ran
for the water. I at least dematerialised my tunic, leotards, boots, and dressed down into just a pair of swim trunks,
before heading for the water. I caught up to him in no time. “Stefan, you’re crazy!”

He looked at me, and almost fell to the ground, he was laughing so hard. “Gods, how can I be that stupid?”

Stefan was dressed like me in seconds, and as soon as he stopped laughing, we were off and the ponies trotted along
beside us, behind us, in front of us, whatever. We circled the island once, though it wasn’t a continuous beach, and
we had to do some wading, and we had two short swims.

I think if I were temperature sensitive, I would have about short of died. I know damn well I wouldn’t have made it
around the island.

When we walked back to the castle, we stayed dressed as we were, not even bothering to get back into our boots.
Hesper wanted full service in the spa, so why get dressed to get undressed, when we were oblivious to the forty eight
degree temperature, not including the windchill factor, and the cold cobblestone beneath us. Shiva was following us,
too.

Shiva went all the way into the room, but he; unlike Hesper, did not enter the water. Stefan gave Shiva a rubdown,
and a brushing, followed by one more rubdown, while I took care of Hesper. Of course Shiva was quite happy with
his three stage grooming, and left us way before Hesper was sated with his royal treatment, and Stefan came in the
water, to help me with my lovely equine master.

Me and Stefan focused entirely on Hesper. Grooming, coddling, stroking, more grooming, mental communion, and
exchanges of love, and after we dried him off, he still wanted to stay with us, which was quite all right, by me. We
walked to the main living room with the perpetually burning fireplace, and talked Hesper into laying on the couch
with us.

“If we can materialise anything we want, why couldn’t the ponies and horses?” asked Stefan.

“That’s a good question.”

“Maybe they don’t, because they don’t want anything. I mean we don’t need anything either, and intrinsically, all
this decor is superfluous, and animals are not superfluous unless they’re taught to be that way, so maybe if I turned
Hesper on to that vanilla nut tea with all the trimmings, he can materialise his own damn bucket of the stuff?”

“Sure! Just let him know that if he can’t, and if he wants some more, he goes to you, not me,” I said.

“Deal!”
It worked out all right. Hesper wouldn’t touch the stuff.

*****

Macha and Kevalyn had ‘called’ Aurore Dupin; a.k.a. George Sand, and Catherine the Great; who was born Sophia
Augusta Frederika. They ended up playing the new mini-golf course, and both Aurore and Catherine took great
delight in the game, though neither one of them played terribly well. Neither did Kevalyn, but Macha was hell on the
course, as I’d written before. Of course, it was done in fun; again no scores were kept, so it wasn’t an issue. They
played twice, then walked to the garden for tea and scones. A habit too good for our company to pass up.

“Of course you’ll let us know when Donn is riding again,” said Catherine.

“Well let everyone know, when he plans another exhibition,” said Macha.

“Where is everyone else, anyway,” asked Aurore.

“Donn and Stefan are taking care of Donn’s pony, and Deliah and Thanatos are a bit occupied with each other,” said
Macha. “Shall I see if Donn and Stef will have us?”

“I’d like to meet them again,” said Aurore.

Macha closed her eyes. “They’d like to meet you two again, as well. Walk, or transfer?”

“Let’s walk,” said Catherine. “These grounds are too beautiful to bypass.”

*****

Deliah was on her side, eyes closed, and a trace of a smile on her face. “Gods, I actually want to go to sleep.”

“You don’t want to go Astral first?” asked Thanatos. He was pressed against her, matching her position, with his
arm around her.”

“I feel like I’ve already been there. Our lengthy mindshare that just ended a few moments ago?”

“You want me to stay with you.”

“Please? And. . .after I’m out, can you. . .?”

He scraped his fangs delicately on her shoulder. “You know, I sometimes think you’re harder on me than Macha
ever was.”

“Thank you, Keith,” were her last words.

Thanatos sighed. He’d take care of her desires on a purely psychic level, this time. She wouldn’t know the
difference, when she woke up.

*****

I set up a couple of two seaters in front of us, facing each other, so when Macha, Kev, Aurore and Catherine came in,
we’d be sitting in a semi-circle, in front of the fire. (Language differences? Uh, let’s just say in my reality, language
is irrelevant, and understanding is universal, and we didn’t really TALK, OK? Again, NOTHING I am writing about
is to be taken literally. Never has, never will. This is just a demented translation of what is into ‘Earthspeak’. Just
another reminder.)

When they entered the room, we all said our hellos, and Aurore laughed at Hesper being on the couch between me
and Stefan. “Hesper does get the ultimate in luxury, doesn’t he?” she asked.
“Well, him and Percy are head of household,” I said.

“You two are very beautiful, to-gether,” said Catherine, as she came over to us. She scratched Hesper behind the
ears, and he scraped his teeth on her arm when he could. “Such a loving steed.”

Catherine was a horse lover. The German princess was also the best thing that ever happened to Russia. A
progressive, who did more good for tha nation than anyone ever had, or will. Another one who cared about the
people. When everyone sat down, Catherine sat next to Macha, and Aurore sat next to Kevalyn.

“This is quite a museum,” said Catherine. “Your artwork is incredible.”

“We thank you,” I said. “I’m addicted to aesthetics, it seems.”

“I’ve never seen a more beautiful garden in my life,” said Aurore. “I’m surprised you aren’t French, Donn.”

“The French provided some inspiration,” I said. “So did a few dozen other cultures.”

“I noticed,” said Aurore. “By the way, Donn. When are you putting on another show?”

I kissed Hesper on the forehead. “When would you like to perform for these lovely ladies?” I asked him, along with
sending a picture of us both doing our thing in Tir na nOg.

Hesper was ready, willing, and able, as we sat there. I tilted my head, and smiled. “How about after a couple of
cups of tea, and a few historical questions?”

“I’d like that,” said Catherine.

Stefan asked of both Catherine and Aurore, “Before we start this, can I please ask if you two will pet me nose first?”

Aurore smiled. “Yes, but if I ever hear you calling France ‘The Lily Pond’, I swear I will have it on a silver platter.”

I had to cover my mouth, and bite down on my lower lip to keep from laughing.

“How did you know about that?” asked Stefan with a chuckle. He got up to get his nose petted.

“I read all of Donn’s books,” said Aurore.

“Oops,” said Stefan

“I like to read the books of the authors I meet,” said Aurore, as she petted Stefan’s nose.

“What do you think of my stories?” I asked while Stefan went over to Catherine.

Aurore shrugged. “The style is very unelegant, and true to your existence. Maybe too true to your existence. You
repeat some expressions a lot. You’re very direct, unpadded, and to the point, but it encapsulates some of the more
interesting parts of your existence quite well. I’d have elaborated on it, however. I almost wanted to whack you a
few times after I read what you classify as eroticism. It was so. . .so. . .nonexistent. Your second story was a
frustrating read, but it had one of the best endings I ever read. It brought me to tears.”

“Sorry, but I’m not a romantic writer, and I’m not about to get elaborate in describing something too personal.” I
said.

“But you are a very touching, romantic poet, along with you beloved Stefan.” said Aurore.

“Thank you,” said both me and Stefan, in unison. Stefan was in the process of re-taking his seat, having gotten his
nose petted by Catherine.

“It is such a treat to have two of the women I so admired, in a meeting like this,” said Stefan.

“Though I’ve never heard of any of you before Thanatos hunted us down, I’m glad to be here, too,” said Catherine.
“Where is Thanatos, anyway?”

“He’s probably still with Deliah,” said Stefan. “Shall I call him?”

“I wouldn’t mind meeting him again,” said Aurore. “You know, Donn; it is so strange seeing you and Thanatos
to-gether. The only difference between you two is colour, and height. I mean, if I were to do a sketch of you two, I
couldn’t tell which one of you was which, if I hadn’t drawn it.”

“Blame me for that,” said Macha. “I just so wanted Donn, that I couldn’t help myself.”

Aurore smiled, “But you have him, this time around.”

I just had to save myself. “A little bit. She thinks I’m as boring as hell.”

“True,” said Macha. “All art, and no passion.”

No passion. Huh! Subdued passion, was more like it. Still. . . ‘Thank you, Macha,’ I sent her. “Thank the gods for
that opinion. This household is more than I can deal with, some times.” I did NOT, under ANY circumstances want
anyone getting any ideas about me, and I knew damn well, I’d be the most wanted entity here after my next riding
exhibit. “Let me contact Thanatos,” I said, before closing my eyes to communicate with him.

I got back, a ‘Be there in a couple of minutes. I think I’ll walk in.’

‘Hesper’s on the couch, and we’re in a circle. Where would you like to sit?’

‘I’ll plop down on the arm rest of the couch next to you,’ Thanatos sent back.

I looked up. “He’s on his way.”

*****

When Thanatos walked in the door, he was in a red flannel shirt, T-shirt, blue jeans, and lace up, work boots. “Hi
guys,” he said, and we all either said our hellos, or waved. “How’d you get away from Deliah?” asked Macha.

“I didn’t. I’m still there,” he said, as he sat beside me on said arm rest. He immediately got up. “Pardon me, but I
think I’d rather sit on the couch properly.”

The couch immediately went out a couple more feet, and Thanatos sat beside me, putting an arm around me. A cup
of creamed jasmine tea appeared in his other hand. “Catherine! George! Glad to see you, or do you prefer
Aurore?” Thanatos asked Aurore Dupin/George Sand.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Aurore. “I answer to both.”

Thanatos smiled. “At the moment, you look more like an Aurore.”

Aurore said to Thanatos, “You and Donn look so incredibly beautiful to-gether. One day, can I paint you two?”

“We’d be honoured,” said Thanatos. He had a sip of his tea.

Stefan looked at Catherine. “I read a bit about you. All you did for Russia. How did you find the energy to do what
you did?”

Catherine tilted her head slightly. “There were fewer environmental interferences in my day, and no obnoxious
chemicals in the food. Also, isn’t it the duty of a monarch to look after his or her people?”

“Sounds like you’re another Macha,” said Stefan. “When she ruled Ulster, she was the best there ever was, as far as
justice, and all that went.”

“The French have a philosopy about that,” said Aurore.

“Noblesse oblige. The obligation for the wealthy to assist the poor. I’m familiar with it,” said Stefan.

Catherine said, “From what Donn wrote, you used to live by that.”

Stefan shrugged. “I never had a bank account, no matter how much money I made. I helped mostly planet and
animals, though. That’s where all my chaitable contributions went”

Kevalyn said, “What about me, and the thing you used to be married to, as you like to call your ex?”

Stefan shrugged. “OK, but that was relationships.”

“And tipping waitresses and waiters up to fifty percent?” asked Kevalyn.

“Sheesh! Their job was harder than mine, for less than minimum wage?”

“And you never could pass up a pan handler. If you didn’t have any money, you’d feel terrible,” said Kevalyn.

“I’m just glad to be out of the concept of economy,” said Stefan. “I hated it.”

“I’m glad I was never in it,” I said.

“Wasn’t your family line quite wealthy?” asked Catherine

“They didn’t send me to market to buy the produce, or whatever. I also never owned one coin in my entire life. I
was just a perpetual student of sorts, and the only real work I ever did as a mortal, was take care of our animals, and
help with the harvests, not that I had to.”

Macha said, “He just used to like to climb trees as a kid, and fruit picking was a good excuse to do it.”

I said, “The lady speaks the truth. I would have been a court scholar and artist, or perhaps turned to Druidic
practices, if I’d stayed at Bri Leith. I would never have followed in my father’s footsteps, not that a runt like me
could have even made a very imposing warrior. Even my mother was a little taller than I am, now.”

“Your father’s quite attractive, but what did your mother look like?” asked Aurore.

I materialised a picture of her in photographic form, and got up, and handed it to Aurore, who showed to to
Catherine, who handed it to Stefan, who handed it to Kevalyn.

“She was quite stunning,” said Aurore.

“The Tuatha are a very attractive race, by mortal standards,” I said.

Aurore eyed Macha. “I see.”

“I mean, we’re flawless by design. We’re not native to Earth. Some of us just sort of adopted it as a new home. Of
course we weren’t a very good role model, but at least we added some art to the culture,” I said.

“I think you were morally superior to what I lived in,” said Stefan.
“In some ways. We helped those in need, more. We didn’t look down on anyone because they fell into bad
circumstances. We were also quick to kill. Then again, we had a more realistic understanding of death. We were
more comfortable with it, since we knew the truth about it, and being killed is the only way our kind can die.”

“Would you say you died the moment you were taken to Hades?” asked Catherine of me.

“Not really,” I said. “Our kind can travel the different lower planes with no problem after we learn how; or are
looked after before we learn how, if we’re born on Earth. We’re alien, on Earth. We look like you, perform all the
same functions, but we’re descended from the Etheric. We retain all the abilities and traits of the Etheric. We just
have to learn how to use them, if we’re Earthborn. And you and Aurore are just like us, now.”

And I thought I had questions to ask them. Oh, well.

I ended up explaining more about my people, and after our fourth cup of tea, it was mutually decided that I would
ride.

*****

When I initially mounted Hesper for the show, I made sure to land, facing his tail. I gestured like it had been an
accident. I planned to add a bit of comedy to this exhibition.

Hesper was as graceful, as ever. His gait was still as smooth as an oil slick, and he pranced and high-stepped like no
to-morrow whenever he wasn’t doing a stunt-run. I might as well have been in telepathic communication with a very
intelligent person, only communicating in pictures, instead of words; as I’d stated in a previous volume of this series.

When I did my handsprings, I deliberately ended up with only one foot on his back, and landing halfway on Hesper’s
side, twice; allegedly holding on to his harness, for dear life. The staged ‘mess-ups’ were harder to execute, than
doing it right.

Thanatos chuckled. “Donn can be such a clown. This isn’t real,” he said.

“His last performance was flawless,” said Catherine.

“So’s this one,” said Thanatos. “By Donn’s standards, anyway.”

I did an aerial to dismount, and appeared to land with one foot touching the ground, one knee touching the ground,
and reaching up. Didn’t really happen. I landed just fine on both feet, and slid gracefully into position, as quickly as
possible. If someone had a camera on me, and played in slow motion, it would have been obvious, but hey! That
wasn’t going to happen.

Hesper kept going for a few yards, reared, pirouetted, and I quickly got to my feet to remount. I stood up on his
back, did a few Eastern dance moves, and dismounted as impressively as I could, again. When Hesper came around
again, I didn’t mount him, but more or less vaulted over him. By the grace of Chaos, I landed on my feet; with some
degree of refinement.

I pushed myself to the limit. I put on the most impressive show I was ‘physically’ capable of. Indeed, my show
would have been a hell of a lot more impressive, if I’d gone Etheric, and been unaffected by gravity and such, but
what’s the point of that? One might as well watch a cartoon.

After I dismounted for the last time; I faded out, and came back in my tunic, looking a hell of a lot less disheveled. I
immediately walked over to Stefan, and sat by him, putting my arm around him.

“That was absolutely wonderful,” said Catherine.

“Thank you,” I said.

Catherine smiled. “You’re better than any Cossack I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s quite a compliment,” I said.

“I also have to thank you for this treat,” said Aurore.

“Might we also have another picnic?” asked Catherine. “I couldn’t duplicate Stefan’s fruit salad from that one time.”

“No problem,” said Thanatos.

Catherine pointed to some willows by a stream. “How about over there.”

“You’ve got taste, mi’lady,” said Thanatos. “Sure. Let’s go.”

Hesper walked with us.

*****

When Deliah awoke, Thanatos was wrapped gently around her. “Hey, babe. You missed a killer ride by Donn. He
did another exhibition.”

“Did you see it?”

“A piece of me. I’m also in Tir na nOg, enjoying a delightful picnic with the gang, Catherine the Great, and George
Sand. Would you like to go?”

“I’d love to.” She lifted Thanatos’ arm, and turned to face him. “Is this a formal or casual affair?”

“Jeans and T-shirt’s fine. Why don’t I time trip us back, so you can watch the exhibition?”

Deliah did her best to hug Thanatos. She kissed him on the cheek. “You are so wonderful.”

And, so they did.

Chapter 7

Hesper commandeered me after the picnic, and Stefan came along to help; to Hesper’s expectations, and delight.

We gave Hesper the full treatment. Brushing, wipedown, spa, and as much mollycoddling as he could take, until he
got absolutely sick of it. It was one of the longest sessions of spoiling that pony I’ve ever been a part of, not that I
minded. He didn’t leave us, after we were done with him, so we ended up going back to Tir na nOg, to kick back
under an elm tree. Hesper wanted to be here, now; as opposed to Tech Duinn.

Hesper had lain down, and both me and Stefan propped ourselves against him; as if he were a pillow, though we both
had a hand on him to scratch him behind the ears, on the neck, or his back.

Stefan asked me, “If you can turn yourself into a horse, why shouldn’t Hesper be able to turn himself into a person?”

“Maybe he can, but he doesn’t want to.”

“How can we ask him?”

“Wait a second.” I sent Hesper a picture of me shapeshifting, then I sent him a picture of himself shapeshifting. I
got a picture of him biting me. “He’s hostile to the concept. He doesn’t want to, though I don’t know if he’s
capable.”

He gave me a push with his nose.

“He’s capable,” I said. “He just doesn’t think it’s nice to request someone to change species, and he’s opposed to
being anything other than what he was intended to be. I mean, it’s like how would you like it if I said; I’m never
talking to you again, until you materialise a smaller nose?”

“Then we’d be spending eternity in silence.”

“It’s a personal issue. Why don’t you take it up with Percy?”

Stefan smiled. “I’m under the definite impression Percy likes being a cat. He’d probably bite my nose of if I
suggested it to him.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Donn?”

“Yes?”

“I thought you liked my nose.”

“I do. It provides a good wind break, in harsh weather.”

He moved closer to me, and put his arm around me. “Oh gods, how can I resist those loving words?”

“Later, ma’am. Not even you come before Hesper, my dear.”

He chuckled. “Ooooh! Is that an implied promise, or a threat?”

“Definitely.”

*****
Thanatos, Deliah, Macha and Kevalyn were back at the minature golf course. No one was keeping score this time
either, and they never would. Thanatos and Macha played a perfect game, Kev and Del were lost causes, on this
round, but they had fun; mocking their own ineptitude.

“I love Donn’s stunt riding exhibitions,” said Deliah.

“So do I,” said Macha. “He really outdid himself with the last one.”

“I don’t think you’ll be seeing a more impressive show,” said Thanatos. “That was about the limit of what he can do
with himself, as he was.”

“Who cares,” said Kevalyn. “It was a beautiful exhibit. Made even me almost want to go to bed with him. He is so
incredibly gorgeous, and this new hobby flaunts it even more than his ice skating.”

“His new hobby would be more dangerous, if he were mortal, but I think his skating is still more aesthetic,” said
Thanatos.

“I’m blown away by Hesper. How much that pony loves Donn, to co-operate and work with him like that? I think
Aslan would tell me to go to a place where the sun never shines, if I suggested something of the sort,” said Deliah.

“I don’t think Aslan has to worry about it, Del,” said Thanatos. “My Grandfather will incarnate as a garden slug,
before you become a stunt rider.”

“This is true,” said Deliah. “I ain’t the bad-ass, macho type of chick. Never was, never will be.”

“Not macho, but pretty bad ass with the mental games and dry wit,” said Kevalyn.

“One Macha is enough, thank you,” said Thanatos.

“Don’t look at me to be a stunt rider,” said Macha. “I don’t like pain enough to train for something like that. I
mean, I know what Donn went through.”

“He does so much for us,” said Deliah.

“He learned that for himself,” said Thanatos. “It’s just that we benefit from it as an afterthought. Anyone feel like
going to the garden for some tea?” (Endless tea parties, and making out. What else was there? Oh, we’d get over it
eventually.)

“Japanese gazebo?” asked Kevalyn.

“Sounds great,” said Thanatos.

“Yeah. This course is a trip. I think I’ll play it myself a few times a little later for practise. I’m such a lousy putter,”
said Kevalyn. “Do we walk, or transfer?”

“It’s only a half mile. Let’s walk,” said Macha.

“A most scenic half mile, I might add,” said Thanatos.

*****

Me, Stefan and Hesper ended up more or less engaging in a sort of three-way conversation. A picture-thought
conversation.

Hesper thought we were strange for eating, when we didn’t have to, or indulging in any other ‘Physical’ instincts,
which were only there due to non-innate memories of pre-death addictions, or adopted distractions of others’
seductions.

Yeah, right; Mr.-Give-Me-A Rubdown-In-The-Spa-With-A-Loofah-Sponge-For-An-Hour-Or-Two. The hypocracy
of that message about floored Stefan. The gentle reminder of how similar the other species really were, to mankind;
and all. Also, how wise they were, in considering humanity superfluous, and wasting so much time on things that
didn’t matter.

Stefan ended up hugging Hesper. Sidhe pony, or otherwise, Stefan was motivated by remembering how humanity
abused the animal kingdom. No, there’s not a beasty alive that would have invented the can opener, or even the can,
but they were along the correct track of thought, unless they got trained out of it through no fault of their own. So
advanced by their own simplicity, they were.

Stefan crawled to Hesper’s head, and kissed him on the forehead. “I can’t believe I’m talking to a horse, and he’s
talking back and outphilosophising me”

“Well, you’re not actually talking. I think, communicating is a better word. You usually got what Percy wanted to
convey to you, when you were living on Earth.”

“I could communicate with him, better than he with me. I mean, I knew about the thought pictures, but it’s a lot
harder to receive than it is to send, when you’re just a dip-shit mortal, ya know?”

I leaned over to him, and ruffled his hair. “You weren’t a dip-shit.”

“No, I guess not. I was a twat plug.”

I shook my head, and smiled. “I’d delete that passage, if I could.”

“I’m glad you can’t. It was one of the funniest things in the book, only behind you contemplating telling Macha to
get a vibrator, and her leaving you high and dry.”

I had to laugh. “Stefan, you are so adorable.”

“Thanks. You know, I have this strong urge to check out our workload in psychopompery?”

“I kind of feel that pull myself. Hesper?”

Hesper whickered, and signalled us, he was going to stand.

“We’re off, I guess,” said Stefan.

“As soon as we get dressed for it, anyway.”

The Druid, the angel, and the palomino pony. Stefan wouldn’t be calling Shiva, for this.

*****

As soon as Kevalyn sat down, she said, “I remember! I remember the otherlife skating exhibit that Donn gave, and
everything else before that.”

“I don’t remember anything,” said Deliah.

“You won’t,” said Thanatos. “You were in The White City, long before us. You didn’t live with us before, so
there’s nothing for you to remember; and you won’t remember The White City, until you either are there, or just
before the transfer, because not even you would be spared the emotional trauma of knowing what it is, and not being
there.”

“But I can be there,” said Deliah.

Thanatos said, “You specifically asked to be relocated to Tech Duinn. You wanted to be with us, and experience our
fun and dysfunctionality. Only thing is, we’re not even ten percent as dysfunctional as we used to be.”

“I don’t think you’re dysfunctional at all,” said Deliah. “It’s still fun being with you guys, though; despite the fact
the humourous volitility seems to be only inspired by Stefan’s nose.”

Kevalyn and Macha laughed. “Even Kyle made an issue of her nose, when Stefan was said mortal,” said Kevalyn.

Thanatos smiled. “It takes all kinds, huh?”

“Oh, yeah,” said Kevalyn. “I wouldn’t change a thing, though. It was a blast. Still is.”

“Definitely,” said Macha. She put her arm around Kevalyn, and kissed her on the cheek. “Gods, what you must
have put up with.”

“Endless compliments of my nosehairs, and threats of exile if I dare trim them,” said Kevalyn.

“So, you weren’t unconditionally kept,” said Deliah, before having a sip of her tea.

“No,” said Kevalyn. “I was valued for my nose hairs. Nothing else mattered.”

Macha chuckled. “Too bad Stefan isn’t here to defend himself.”

Thanatos said, “Red Tail would say that Kevalyn was telling the truth. It was a lifelong game that they played.”

“Why are my memories of the former life so vague?” asked Macha. “It’s like I’m almost aware of them, but not
quite.”

“Why don’t you re-read Donn’s first three books, and meditate on them,” said Thanatos.

“I think I will,” said Macha. “after this get-together.”

“Mind if I join you?” asked Kevalyn.

“Not at all, Kevin,” said Macha.

“If that’s not a hint, huh?” asked Deliah.

“Totally,” said Kevalyn.

“Too bad Donn didn’t write some scenes as racy as Kyle’s,” said Macha.

“No, but Donn did have to bloody write about how Kyle’s stories affected me when I was on my second
incarnation,” said Thanatos.

“Unbridled passion, as opposed to every move controlled, along with true, desparate desire, as opposed to operating
on a feeling of obligation, huh?” asked Deliah.

“If I looked at making out in such a flatlined way as you say, we’d be doing it a lot less.”

“You NEVER instigate it,” said Deliah.

“I don’t have to. You instigate it enough for everyone at Tech Duinn.” He sent non-verbally, ‘Wanna make out after
this?’

Deliah winked at him. ‘Hell yeah! Can you pretend you’re still all Keith?’
‘I’m sure I can, but I’m not sure I will.’

‘Is that a statement denoting detachment, or aversion?’ sent Deliah.

Thanatos looked up at Macha and Kevalyn. “If you two will excuse us, I have a point to prove to a lady who’s too
intelligent for my own good.”

They disappeared from the garden.

*****

Me and Stefan landed in the tower after our stint as Gate Keepers. Hesper had decided to go his own way. “Only
five cases? We worked a lot harder last time around, huh?” asked Stefan.

I chuckled. “Statistically, we never worked that hard. Obscurity has its advantages, but yeah! From what I wrote,
we do seem to be doing a bit less. Probably, because we already took care of what we had to take care of, and we
don’t repeat what we did on that last time around. We have less work, because we already did it, I imagine.”

“Makes sense to me,” said Stefan, as we looked over to Ireland.

There were clouds and a flash of light to the far west. “Electric storm incoming,” I said.

“The winds are pretty bollistic, too. Wanna go temperature sensitive in a bit?”

“Stefan, why are you such a glutton for punishment?”

“Then how about just before we leave the tower? Then we can run to the couch with the fireplace, and snuggle while
drinking a couple gallons of tea or hot chocolate?”

I smiled. “Hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon stick sounds good. Sure! Just before we leave here?
That might be a while.”

“All right by me,” he said, as he put his arm around me, covering my back with his cloak.

I held him, in turn.

We experienced the storm coming in, getting unsensately wind-whipped, a little wet, and watching one of the most
impressive shows that nature had to offer. We just stood there, wrapped around each other, and taking it all in,
though we did go from open window to open window, getting an eyefull from all four directions.

We ended up walking, rather than running to the couch. Having gone temperature sensate, walking by the spa sure
was tempting, but we refrained. The trip to the couch, and the more delicate warm up procedure of fire, snuggle and
hot beverage held a greater appeal for both of us, at the moment.

*****

The rather slight Deliah half rested on Thanatos. “Keeeeeeeith. . .was that so bad?”

He ran his hand through her hair. “It wasn’t me. Not my style. What you had me do made it seem more like I was
on the clock at a corporation, or something.”

“Isn’t it always like that?”

“Del, I love making out with you. My way. I think you’re a work of art to be delicately appreciated as opposed to
being selfishly savaged.”

“Prepared like a gourmet meal, huh?”

Thanatos smiled. “I couldn’t have put it better, myself.”

“I love that too, but I must admit I do like a little variety. Keith?”

“Yes?”

“How about we do what Macha and you used to do. Fight it out?”

“Del, you wouldn’t last three seconds against me.”

Deliah raised herself, and ran her finger down Thanatos’ nose. “I’m thinking more like, if I can last a hundred and
fifty moves or more against you on the chess board, we do it my way, and if you defeat me sooner, it’s your way.”

“I like that.”

“As I am, I’m sorry I can’t sling you over my shoulder to carry you away to ravish you, though.”

“That’s quite all right. Now, what do you want to do?”

“How about tea and a game of chess?”

Thanatos sat up. “You know, there’s a powerful electric storm going on, right now?”

“OK, let’s watch that for a while first, and then have that tea, and game of chess.”

“Storm watch in the garden?”

“Hell yeah!”

“Sure. Let’s transfer, though. Direct under the fully roofed English gazebo?”

“Love it.”

*****

After I finished my second cup of hot chocolate, I suddenly had a very clear influx of memories of my former life.
The intigration process was happening with full force. I was hit with all the garbage I’d put Stefan through, and I
just threw myself around him. “Stef! I’m re-intigrating again, but more fully.”

He dematerialised his cup, which hadn’t been quit empty, and held me. “I’ve done some of that.”

“So have I, but not like this. Vague bits and pieces, but now it’s like I was just bombarded with all these graphic,
intense memories of like all my former self wrote about, all at once; and a whole lot more that my former self didn’t

write about, and I am so sorry for all the crap and torture I put you through in that last. . .uh. . .incarnation, for the
lack of a better word.”

“Donn, the life of Stefan in your stories was beautiful. A little frustrating at times, but hey! It wasn’t bad. I mean
you weren’t off limits to me completely. Not in the ways that were really important, anyway. I love being here with
you like this, just snogging it up.”

I kissed him on the cheek. “So do I.”

“Is the intigration having an effect on your personality?”

“Only in making me wonder on why I was so damn weird.”

“So you’re staying as you are, and not blending with what you were.”

“Not anymore than Keith and Thanatos blended after their intigration. Keith was left on the back burner. The
memories of the experiences are there, but I am what I am.”

Stefan kissed me on the nose. “Good.”

I shifted my position, so I was just leaning agains Stefan, with one arm around him, and I moved the blanket on our
laps to a more organised looking state. I also materialised more fuel for the fire, and then a cup of tea in my free
hand. I couldn’t deal with too much hot chocolate. Two cups were my limit. It was just too rich, for someone who
preferred lighter beverages.

Stefan on the other hand, went for one more hot chocolate. The one who considered a quarter pound cube of butter,
a single serving; even when a mortal named Kyle, wasn’t fazed by the third helping of thick cocoa topped with
whipped cream. His version of cocoa was made with half cream, and half milk. Mine had been all milk.

As he had a sip, I commented, “With the way you used to eat, I’m surprised you didn’t weigh a half a ton when we
picked you up.”

“I was a little pudgy.”

“Fifteen pounds overweight after the stuff you ate, wasn’t bad.”

“I was always on the move, at work,” said Stefan.

“Yeah. Walking back and forth a room, monitering the online and printing a few reports every day; and running a
few internal errands for the behind the counter folk up front. Not exactly running the marathon every day.”

Stefan shrugged. “Fast metabolism, not that any of that is relevant any more.”

“True.” I had a sip of my tea. I brushed the side of my face against his shoulder. “Stef, can you change gender for a
while?”

“Damn straight! Wanna do anything?”

“For now, just snuggle. In a while, I have no idea. Will there ever be a time when you won’t have me offering an
apology for not being predominantly gay?” I sat up straight for a short moment.

“When all concept of gender is gone.” He faded out to return in the feminine.

I leaned back into her. “Thanks. As if you’re that heavy into non-polarity.”

“I don’t care. I’ll be whatever you or Thanatos want me to be; though I do admit I prefer you both in male, not that
I’ve ever seen Thanatos is feminine form.”

“You might, if you ask,” I said.

“Nah! I like him just the way he is. Even with you, I’d rather be the chick.”

She got another kiss on the cheek. “I know! What do you want to do after this?”

He closed my eyes. “Are you in the mood to read some classical poetry with me?”

“I’m not opposed. Sure. Here?”

“Nah! I’d rather be prone, under an electric blanket, in a room on the exterior of the castle, so we can hear the
thunder, and the stronger gusts of wind.”

“OK.”

“Sure. Off to my bedroom, then. Who are you reading?” asked Stephanie.

“Lucan.”

“I think I want to read Wolfe. I haven’t reviewed her in a while.”

“Excellent choice. Maybe I’ll check out some of her works, as well.”

“When we go, want to walk, or transfer?”

“This time, I think I’d rather transfer,” I said. I finished my fast cooling tea, and dematerialised the cup.

Stef’s turn to kiss me on the cheek. She dematerialise her again, unfinished cup, and said, “Let’s.”

*****

Macha and Kevalyn were over a chess board, and Kev was getting beaten; as always, but she was holding up better
than ever. Macha suddely tensed. “Ye gods! It’s happening”

“What?”

“The intigration. I remember all the way up to wht Donn wrote about me being time tripped back by Thanatos, to
fight the Formorians.”

Kevalyn got up, and stood beside Macha, putting an arm around her. “Are you OK?”

“I just suddenly feel like my life was twice as long, or something. All these memories that I knew about from an
intellectual perspective, just becoming a part of me. I’m fine, though. No worse than you. It’s just that with you, the
process has been more gradual, and it’s been going on a lot longer.”

“I’m sort of living two lives at once, but the other one isn’t that important. A knowlegde, but nothing more.”

Macha looked up at Kevalyn, and smiled. “I’ve been waiting for this. Gods, I used to be so different.”

“I know. We read about it.”

“But now, I intrinsically know how I was, and I don’t have to see that aspect of me as a fictional character,
anymore.”

“That’s one way to put it,” said Kevalyn.

“Let’s go find if Thanatos is available.”

“I’m sure he’ll be pleased to find out what’s happened.”

“No doubt.”

*****

Macha and Kevalyn appeared beside Thanatos and Deliah, under the gazebo in the garden, after warning them of
their ‘incoming’.

Of course, Thanatos and Deliah were wrapped around each other. Macha stroked Deliah’s hair, then went to to other
side ot Thanatos, and put her arm around him. “I fully remember my other life to the point of where you helped me
with the Formorians.”

He kissed her on the cheek. “Good.” He closed his eyes. “Donn just had that happen to him, as well. A little before
you, actually. We’ll be going to our other home, soon.”

“Is a part of you in The White City, now?” asked Deliah.

Thanatos said, “Hell, yeah.”

Deliah looked over to Macha. “So, would you like to borrow Keith, for a while?”

“Keith, huh? Love to. Especially if he’s acting like his old Keithy self,” said Macha. “Before I challenged him,
anyway.”

Thanatos looked at her. “You really know how to push the envelope, huh?”

“Like a postmaster, baby.”

Thanatos asked, “How about later?” He ruffled Deliah’s hair. “This little slave driver is making me contemplate
long term celibacly again.”

“You wouldn’t!” said Deliah.

“I jest,” said Thanatos.

“Thank the gods,” said Macha. She looked up as the lightning flashed. “Nice storm.”

Kevalyn linked herself to the chain, by putting her arm around Macha. “Isn’t it, though.”

“We miss a lot of them, by not paying attention,” said Thanatos.

“This is so awesome, with the heavy rains, the undousable torches, and the temporary daylight from the lightning. I
never could have dreamed an electrical storm could be so impressive. The castle, is the ultimate,” said Deliah, as she
turned her head to the House of Donn.”

“Thanatos, I know we didn’t come back here the last time we went to The White City, because we didn’t want to.
What if I don’t want to not want to come back here, this time around?” asked Kevalyn.

“That almost sounds like a Stefanism,” said Thanatos. “In reality; this place is pretty mundane, compared to the
levels of The White City. There’s no reason you can’t experiment, but after you’re there for a while, I can guarantee
you won’t think of this place in the same way, anymore. I mean, comparatively, this is the most beautiful place
you’ve ever been to in your recent memory, but it’s really nothing, to what else is out there.”

They all ended up facing the castle. “I kind of wish Donn and Stefan were here,” said Deliah.

Thanatos closed his eyes. “They’ve already had their enjoyment of watching the storm from the tower. In fact they
saw it come in. Now they’re listening to it, while reading poetry in bed.”

“That sounds like fun, too,” said Macha. “I could use another dose of Maya Angelou.”

“Oh gods, she is good,” said Kevalyn.

“After this, is there any reason we can’t all snuggle up somewhere and read whatever we want?” asked Deliah.

“Nope. Not at all,” said Thanatos. “Couch, or modify a bed, though with you three in the same room, read is all I
want to do.”

The women all chuckled. Deliah said, “Understood!”

“How’s about we make my bed wider,” suggested Deliah. My room’s smaller, and the fireplace keeps it warmer,
and I am going temperature sensitive for something like that.

“Sure,” said Kevalyn. “I’m going sensitive, too. It’s way more fun.” (Another common philosphy.)

*****

Me and Stephanie ended up reading our stuff aloud to each other, with me doing most of the reading. We’d never
done anything like that before, and I thought it was pretty sweet. I didn’t finish Pharsalia, of course, but a copy
would be on Stephanie’s side table, before we passed out, pressed against each other. It was so comforting to have
her wrapped around me, while listening to the crackle of the fire, and the claps of thunder, while under a nice, warm
electric blanket.

Chapter 8

Thanatos ended up doing a verbal reading of quite a bit of ‘The Maya Angelou Poetry Collection’. Macha, Kevalyn
and Deliah were rapt, listening to him. His Irish accented tenor was attractive, and hypnotic; not to mention he was
reading one of the most spell-binding poets of the twentieth-twentyfirst centuries, that existed. They were having a
blast, and this sort of thing would become a new past time, for a while; though in the future all six of us would be
to-gether, instead of us being split up, like this. Thanatos would be the general reader.

*****

With me; Stephanie woke up first, and she chose to make use of the situation. It wouldn’t be the first time, and it
wouldn’t be the last; it’s just that I’ve not written of it before, but let’s just say she chose to wake me up in such a
fashion, that it was a bit of a challenge for me not to wrap myself immediately around one of the bedposts, not that I
mean this in a bad way. It’s happened to everyone, in every combination, I must admit.

When we left the bed, of course the storm was over. Stephanie had become Stefan again, and we immediately
transferred to the beach, desensitised of our former temperature sensitivity.

The sky was a clear blue. There wasn’t a cloud in sight. The grassy plains on the main island would smell
wonderful, no doubt; as if we were going to go there.

Yeah, right! Not!

The scent of the ocean was intoxicating. It was high tide, and the salt air couldn’t be more invigorating. Me and Stef
just couldn’t resist dressing down, and running through the surf. We even went for a short swim, in the now calm
water. It would have felt relatively warm out here, if we could have been aware of it. Of course, I speak of the air
temperature, and not the water. The water was cold, and if we were in a state to feel it, we wouldn’t have gone for
that swim. There was a limit to our degree of masochism.

After we got out of the water, we had a light snog in the sand, and ended up walking to the garden, getting ourselves
fully dressed, halfway there. “I wish it were cloudy,” said Stefan.

“Soon enough,” I said.

“I feel like spending more time outside, when it’s night, or foggy, or stormy.”

“That’s easy enough to do,” I said, as we entered the garden. We sat under a gazebo with grided walls, and a slat
roof, with grape vines all over it. Stefan grabbed a bunch of grapes, before we sat down.

“Yeah. All we have to do is be aware of the desire to be outside, and check. Want some grapes?” he said, as he
held out the bunch.

“Sure.” I pulled a small stalk off, and ended up with eight grapes. “That’s enough, thanks.”

“I wish Thanatos were here.”

I closed my eyes. “He’s in a discussion regarding Maya Angelou’s poetry. He’s not going anywhere, unless you
want him to split himself up a little more.”

“No. That’s OK. Maybe later.”

“Stef?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you poemed out yet?”

“No.”

“Let’s read what they’re talking about, time trip back, and join the conversation,” I suggested.

“Maya Angelou? Oh, yeah! Where?”

“NOT in bed.”

Stefan ended up laughing so hard, he almost hit the floor.

*****

When we walked into their meeting, Stefan made no qualms about planting himself directly in Thanatos’ lap.

Deliah said, “Now, why didn’t I think of that?” She was to his right side.

Thanatos looked at her. “You are a more comfortable lap animal.”

Deliah grimaced. “Never mind.”

“Shall I lighten the load?” asked Stefan.

“And ditch the cloak,” said Thanatos.

Stefan dematerialised the cloak, and switched gender. “Better?”

“Much,” said Thanatos. About fifteen or twenty pounds lighter made a difference.

“I read you, and. . .” I started saying.

Thanatos interrupted me, “I felt it, and you dug what we were talking about, so you read what I read to these guys,
and you time tripped to now to be with us. Yeah!”

“Right,” I said. “So, where are we?”

“I was talking about how depressing ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ is,” said Macha.

“No argument from me,” I said.

“She really makes you think,” said ‘Stephanie’. “I loved her when I was in high school. It also seems that the best
and most under-represented in so many things are of African decent. Comics. . .Aaron McGuder, ‘In Living Colour’
was the best variety show there ever was, I love Alice Walker, and Donn’s skating teacher. . .Surya Bonaly. I also
met a wonderful healer, named Reverend Delorise Lucas. Powerful telepath, too. She was part Blackfoot.”

“It’s a drag how history buries Africa,” I said.

“Stupid,” said Stephanie. “‘Human Family’ should be a must read for everyone. It’s sooo true.”

“More than ever, with what you know now, huh?” asked Thanatos.

“Totally,” said Stephanie. “It pisses me off now, but in life, I had so few black friends. Only co-workers and casual
contacts. I wanted to get closer to so many, but I never had time.”

“You had so few friends, period,” said Thanatos. You didn’t have time for anyone, regardless of colour. Either you
were working a ton of overtime, and that last year when your job cut the hours back all the way, you were working
to transcribe Donn’s books.”

“The best seven months of my life,” said Stephanie. “I only wish I knew it was real, for sure; instead of all of the
uncertainty.”

“You would have been a hopeless snot, Stef,” said Thanatos. “You would have been insufferable. You might even
have driven Kevin up the wall.”

Stephanie chuckled. “Yeah, I was like that.”

Thanatos gently scraped his fangs on Stephanie’s neck. “You can make up for your lost time, after we get off this
island for good. The White City is a rainbow of all cultures, despite it’s name.”

Stephanie chuckled. “Ooh, that felt good. Yeah, it’s only called that because of the building materials. Del, can I
take Thanatos away from you for a while, later?”

Deliah still had her arm around him, though he’d let go of her, to hold Stephanie. “Oh, I suppose so. Will you make
it up to me?”

Stephanie looked at Deliah. “Sort of.”

Thanatos looked at Deliah. “Of course, I have no say in the matter.”

“None, whatsoever,” said Deliah. She looked at Stephanie. “Of course, we could share him, again.”

“Not like last time, babe,” said Thanatos. “Digging four graves consecutively with a spade would have been easier
on me, than what you put me through.”

“I think I’d like to hear this,” said Macha.

Thanatos looked at her. “No you wouldn’t!”

Macha chuckled. “Well, I can guess. I mean I have my memories of Keith back, you know?”

Thanatos held onto Stephanie a little tigher, as he himself laughed. “Oh, Macha. Can you please refrain from going
there?”

“I thought we were supposed to be talking about Maya Angelou, anyway,” I said.

“We are,” said Thanatos. ‘Thank you, Donn.’

And to the proper subject we detoured.

*****

After the discussion, Macha and Kevalyn left us. Apparently, Stephanie and Deliah also changed their minds about
having their way with Thanatos, because Stephanie went straight over to me after getting out of Than’s lap, and took
my hand, and changed back to the masculine gender. We ended up walking up to the more intimate meeting room
with the circular couch. The seating arangement was Stefan, me, Thanatos, and Deliah; and of course, we all had our
tea. My cup was currently on the table, and I was leaned heavily against Thanatos, and had pulled Stefan in my
direction.

“My memories are incorporating so much of the latter stuff I wrote about in ‘Life With Thanatos,’” I said. “We’re
due to leave here, very soon, I assume.”
“Correct,” said Thanatos.

“What’s keeping us here, now?” I asked. “We don’t have the stupid psychological problems we had in the stories.”

He kissed me on the temple. “If I was to tell you we were going right now, you’d be a bit perturbed, huh?”

I thought it over. “Yes, I believe I would be. I guess, now the problem is getting Tech Duinn out of our system.”

“Hm hm. Of course, you could theoretically come back any time,” said Thanatos.

“I personally love this place. The library? I mean, it must be the biggest library in existence,” said Deliah.

“Biggest library on Earth, so to speak, and not one piece of garbage in it.” I said.

“Piddlywinks compared to the Akashic Library, not that you find books there,” said Thanatos.

“Are there minature golf courses in the White City?” asked Deliah.

“Minature, regular, tennis courts, everything.” said Thanatos.

“But no night,” said Stefan. “No storms. That part sucks, I think.”

“So, if the storms don’t come to you, go to the storms! Sheesh! Donn wrote about that option.” said Thanatos.

“What are we going to do to celebrate our moving on?” asked Deliah.

“Short of you making use of all three of us, simultaneously?” asked Thanatos.

“Damn telepaths,” said Deliah. “How about a last meal, then; before our interest in food starts to wane.”

“Sure. More of Stefan’s fruit salad,” I said.

“I can dig it, you know?” asked Thanatos.

Both Deliah and Stefan smiled, and shook their heads.

I asked, “And your place in The City is still as it was described?”

“Top three floors, from the start; with eleven and twelve being communal. Deliah has a pre-decorated apartment
ready,” said Thanatos.

“Cool,” said Deliah. “Tons of pictures of you, Donn, and Stefy-poo?”

“Yup,” said Thanatos. “And one of you and me.”

“That ‘me in shredded toga’ thing that Donn described in ‘The White City’?”

“Hm hm. You loved it then, and you’ll love it now. After all, it is quite tasteful.”

“Can you send me a mental image?” asked Deliah.

“Sure.” Thanatos closed his eyes, and more or less sent her a ‘thought photo’.

“Gods, that is gorgeous,” said Deliah.

Thanatos looked at me. “Wouldn’t it be a trip if Del started dressing like royalty from ancient Greece, or Israel, or
Babylon, or whatever?”

“Is that a hint?” asked Deliah.

“Is it that obvious?” asked Thanatos

“Will it get me sc. . .” (rewed more? She didn’t have to finish, and we didn’t have to be telepathically active.)

“Not possible!” interrupted Thanatos. “Del, you make the Macha of Donn’s first book seem conservative. I mean, if
someone turns you down, you just go through the roster until you find someone that’s game.”

“With her looks, it’s easy enough,” I said.

Thanatos kissed me on the temple. ‘As if any of us fall short,’ he sent me.

“Thank you, Donn. Is that a pass?” asked Deliah?

I had to chuckle. “Oh, sure. It’s been a little while, hasn’t it?”

Deliah got up, and forced herself between me and Thanatos, wrapping herself around me. “Cool.”

In about two seconds, I found myself sitting on the edge of Del’s bed.

*****

Thanatos and Stefan stared at the empty spot of where me and Deliah had been sitting. They both did a double take,
before virtually laughing their heads off, and moving closer to-gether. “Ye gods, that woman is something else,”
said Stefan.

“So conservative in life, but now. . .”

“Hey, if the door to the cage is opened, might as well fly, huh?”

Thanatos raised his teacup. “Well phrased, my dear.”

“In a little while, can we ride double on Gilgamesh through the Elysian Fields?”

“Definitely.”

*****

I’d started with Deliah, by brushing out her thick, raven mane. I was going to move slow, and appreciate her
flawless feminine aesthetics to the fullest, and I didn’t care how much she begged, or yelled at me to get on with it. I
could feel her slowly accelerating desperation, and she could feel my determination in not backing down to her. We
both knew I was going to ‘win’ this one, and Deliah really didn’t mind.

I worked an exotic floral scented oil into her that she liked, after we mutually undressed her, but not a shred of my
own clothing was yet out of place.

So delicate, so slight, so absolutely gorgeous. She finally got up, unclasped my belt, and my tunic fell apart. She
materialised a very sharp knife, and cut away the support of my leotards, and skivvies. “Are you, and Keith, and
Stefan all three different versions of the same person?” she asked, very quick to notice that I wasn’t overtly
aroused. . .yet, anyway.

“No. We just appreciate each others’ styles so much, that we ended up emulating each other to a degree where you
can’t tell the difference. I mean, we dish out what we appreciate, we do everything in our power to please each
other, so we just sort of ended up with identical modes and expectations.”

“Keith is a little wilder,” she said.

“Not with me, he’s not. I don’t care for that aspect of what you do, anyway. Keith; as you like to call him, is a bit
more willing to compromise his intrinsic nature, for you. I’ve patterned myself after his true self. So has Stefan,
since Stef likes his innate style so much.”

“You and Red Tail aren’t quite as graceful, but I do appreciate your artistry,” she said, as she pounced on me to
knock me on my back.

Deliah took over for a while. She took me to an exquisite apex; which of course we both felt. We traded places, and
we finally connected seconds after I took her to the edge; which completed the process in our state of heightened
sensitivity in one move, and then I took us Astral to get the full emotional surge of what was happening.

It was the only way to go. (Did I say this before? I can’t remember.)

When we got back to the physical, we passed out in an entangled mess.

*****

‘Stephanie’ was seated in front of Thanatos on Gilgamesh, as the tall stallion was off at a leisurely canter down a trail
through a forested section of the better parts of Hades.

They were in a remote locale, and they wouldn’t run into anyone, or anything. They didn’t want to. They just
wanted some time alone, which they hadn’t had in a while.

Soon, Gilgamesh slowed to a walk, sensing his riders’ desire for a more calm ride. “Thanks, Gil,” said Stephanie, as
she stroked his neck. “Than, are they already having those cultural parties in The White City, or do we have to get
them started again?”

“They’re having them. Everything we set up before, is in place. Even Donn’s books are popular. Moreso than when
you all actually lived there.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Hm hm.”

“Before I saw you putt your way through a perfect game, have you ever picked up a golf club of any sort before in all
of your existence?” asked Stephanie

“No. I just judge angle, distance, force, and do it. I’m an instinctually mathematical creature.”

“That’s why you never miss your target in archery?!”

“After set-up. I’m not going to waste my time on it, but I could also play on a single pinball forever, and don’t even
think of challengeing me to a game of pool.”

Stephanie pressed herself into him. “You’re so Vulcan, in some ways.”

Thanatos scraped his fangs on the side of her neck. “Oh, no I’m not. I have feelings, unlike your former Star Trek
heroes.”

“Feelings, but no uncontrolled passions.”
“Hm hm. Drives both Deliah and Macha up the wall.”

“I noticed. I wouldn’t have you any other way. When we shared Deliah, I don’t think I ever saw such obvious
esteem ever shown a lover, as what you did with her. And you are so damn perfect, and beautiful in your
movements.” (Another oft repeated observation.)

“I show you the same,” said Thanatos.

“But I’m too busy enjoying you, to watch.”

“You know, we don’t have much time left, here.”

“Are you actually instigating something?”

“Tantric?” asked Thanatos.

“Please.”

Chapter 9

I awoke before Deliah, thank the gods. I was still in my boots, socks, and what was left of my shredded leotard
stockings.

Oh, well.

I gently got myself free of Deliah, dressed in a more presentable fashion, and sat in a chair facing the bed with a cup
of creamed black lichee. I was so glad to wake up first, or I had the feeling it would have been quite a while before
we’d have left the room.

I re-lit the fire, and wondered if I should materialise a book, or wake the lovely hedonist.

I decided to finish the tea, and wake her up.

I sat beside her, and stroked her hair. “Del?”

She stretch, smiled, and took my hand. “Verrrrrrgil.”

“Sleep well?”

She sat up. “Oh, yeah.” She got off the bed, and dressed in a long, sheer, sleeveless, multi-layered, lavender dress,
lots of silver jewlery, as in bracelets, asp armlets, rings, pendants, silvered cross garter sandals, and a tiara. She’d
kohled her eyes Egyptian style, and she looked about as regal as they come.

“You look absolutely ravishing,” I said.

“I know. Want to go to the library?”

“Love to.”

“I want to check out some of the early American poets.”

“Maya Angelou’s got you hooked, huh?”

“Oh, yeah,” she said.

I had a few more sips of tea, and de-materialised the half-empty cup. I stood up, and kissed her on the forehead.
“Maybe dressing like this will get you screwed more, but now; shall we walk or transfer?”

“I’d rather walk,” she said, extending her hand.

I took it, and as we took a leisurely walk to the library, I said, “Del, you have no idea how happy I am that we met.”

“Surely, I can’t begin to compare to Thanatos.”

I chuckled. “That’s not what I’m thinking of. You are just so damn funny. The whole concept of how you just sort
of took us over, and your one liners, and such.”

“And my art, of course.”

“Yes! You’re one hell of a painter, on those rare occasions when you come up with something.”

“And speaking of art, when are you going to skate for me, again?”

“How about after you get the poetry out of your system, but let’s see if Stefan wants to do any teamwork, and if
anyone else wants to watch?”

“Sure,” she said. “I hope Stef does want to join you. It’s pretty impressive, on how syncronised you two are. Too
bad, he still can’t do a triple axel.”

“It’s a confidence thing. He’s strong enough to do it. I mean, we’re evenly matched,” I said.

“He still doesn’t do aerials, either.”

“I don’t think he ever will. Trust me! It was painful for me to learn how, too.”

“But now, you do it like you walk across the hall.”

“It’s easy, once you get the knack,” I said.

“Isn’t it like that with everything?”

“Hm hm.”

“By the way, do you know if Sylvia Plath is any good?”

I grimaced. “I’ve read a few pieces, and I couldn’t stand any of it. Some of it literally churned my stomach.”

“So she’s intense.”

“I guess she’s good, but not in a way I like. I don’t like dwelling on abuse, and random lines of killing. She’s so
negative, and has a lot of gratuitous hostility and violence in her work. I like epic poetry, romantic poetry, and the
intellectually provocative stuff, like Maya Angelou. I don’t want to read about someone continuously venting their
madness and anger; if you can even think me fit to give an opinion.”

“How much did you read?” she asked

“Only about ten or eleven pieces. They weren’t very long, and I just couldn’t get into it, but Plath is in the library. I
suggest you check it out yourself.”

“I think I will.”

“I know exactly where they’re at.”

“So do I,” said Deliah. “Wanna run?”

I looked at her. “With you dressed like that?”

“It’s not a confining dress. I can do it.”

I looked to the ceiling. “Sure.”

I let her set the pace, and I followed easily. She took the stairs, two at a time. She wasn’t a ‘fluffy’ runner. She had
a good, determined style. She was just so damn short. I was somewhere between five and six inches taller than her.

*****

Thanatos and Stephanie had technically engaged in only a mental interlude with Thanatos taking full control of the
situation, and taking them Astral at the high point. When they returned, neither one of them needed to crash out, but
they did relax under a fully loaded tree of black figs, and they’d picked a few to munch on. “I definitely have qualms
about the concept of not being able to go lower than the realms of The White City, without being able to come to the
lower planes without discomfort,” said Stephanie. “I mean, you can do it. Why shouldn’t we be able to?”

“As soon as you learn how to divide yourself up, you can. A part of me is always in The White City.”

“Can you teach us how to do that, like you taught us so much else? The instantaneous route?”

Thanatos started peeling a fig. “I can help, but not all the way. This is a personal evolution thing. There’s some
things you just don’t want to rush.”

“Instead of bitching about it, I think I’ll listen to you,” said Stephanie. “Now, a part of me wants to switch gender,
and a part of me wants to. . .uh. . .you know. . .”

Thanatos chuckled. “You still can’t say it.”

“And I’ll never pet Donn’s nose again if he writes it. Want my last two figs?”

“Sure. You obviously don’t really want to change gender right now. Also, in my present state of mind, I am likely
to pass out at your side, if you take me over.”

“And I may join you,” said Stephanie, as she gave Thanatos the figs.

He kissed her on the cheek, and stroked her hair. “I think I’ll hold off for a little on the rest of the fruit.”

Stephanie closed her eyes, and leaned against the tree trunk. “You are so sweet.”

He scraped his fangs on the side of her neck. “So are you.”

*****

Deliah was sitting at the end of the aisle on one of the chairs, and she said, “This isn’t that bad.”

I materialised my own copy of ‘Ariel’, and went through a few of the pieces. I read Lady Lazarus; a piece I’d missed
before. “A bit of disdain for her own culture. Reminds me a little of Kyle Shannon, but. . .uh. . .Kyle was more
eloquent in the way she dealt with her issues, I think.”

“This stuff is a little graphic, but it gets the point across. I think she’s great.”

“It’s the graphics that disturb me,” I said. “I’ve experienced the stuff she writes about personally when on th job,
you know? The reliving of others’ lives? And to immortalise that garbage in poetry just doesn’t sit with me. I must
admit she is good, though. I just don’t like dwelling on the material.”

“Why don’t you invite her here, provided she got away with the suicide, and she’s available.”

“Stefan would love to meet her. Yeah, I’ll see if Thanatos can hunt her down, later.”

“Stefan. . .or should I say Kyle, resented being German for the same reason Sylvia did, and both Sylvia and Kyle
hated their mothers, and both were as suicidal as hell.” said Deliah.

I smiled. “If she comes here, she’ll love us. I mean, I don’t feel the same way about her, as I do her poetry.”

“You obviously studied up on her.”

“Oh, yeah,” I said.

“Why don’t we take this to bed, and read the whole thing? I mean, it seems to me, as if her writing was therapy for
her. You might like some of it. I mean, you read hardly anything, so how can you judge from reading one percent of
her works?”

“Considering the awards she’s won, sure. In bed, though? Haven’t we spent enough time there?”

“OK, then; on the couch in front of the perpetually burning fireplace, under cover with tea in front of us,” said
Deliah.

“Temperature sensitive, of course.”

“Definitely. Increase the pleasure of the snuggle factor,” she said.

“Like I’m going to argue?”

*****

Kevalyn put her guitar on the stand, as Macha swung her legs over the bench of the organ to face her. “That was
pretty good. Your composition has a strong French style. It’s beautiful, though. Considering how much you like
classical music, I’m surprised you write so little of it.”

“Maybe I’ll start working on writing more of it.”

“Now, we have to see if the rest of the gang wants to contribute something, or if this is going to be a two man
project,” said Macha.

Kevalyn smiled. “Two ‘man’ project? Yeah right!”

Macha shrugged. “That can be theoretically arranged.”

“Macha, have you ever taken a masculine form in your entire existence?”

“Once; for about ten minutes, there was no one around, and if you tell anyone; I’ll have to kill you.”

“Understood,” said Kevalyn, barely succeeding in controlling her laughter.

*****

Me and Deliah read for a while, and she said, “Let’s find Thanatos to bring Sylvia here.”

“OK. It’s also nice to know that not all of her work is a slap upside, but I do like our poetry better.”

“You guyses poetry tells a story. It’s more direct. Sylvia uses a lot of symbolism which I’m not sure I always
understand.”

“Hm hm. Let me zero in on Thanatos,” I said.

I closed my eyes. “Elysian fields with Stefan. . .Stephanie. Not quite asleep. We have an invite.”

“Let’s go.”

*****

Stephanie had her left hand under her head, and Thanatos rested his head on her ribcage, as he lay beside her.

“You guys just wake up?” asked Deliah.

Thanatos smiled. “No, but I feel like I might as well be asleep.”

Deliah sat beside him, and stroked his snowy mane. “Gods, you look so beautiful.”

He closed his eyes. “Probably dishevelled.”

Deliah looked at Stephanie. “Stephanie, can I impose on you one day to take me over, et cetera?”

Stephanie stretched out a little. “You wouldn’t be imposing, Del. I’d get a kick out of it.”

I asked Thanatos, “Can you get us another great poet?”

Thanatos said, “Sylvia Plath! Yeah, I can get her. She’ll appreciate us, but she might not want to leave us
afterward.”

“Do we care?” asked Stephanie. “She was a beautiful, award winning poet. She got away with committing suicide,
then?”

“Sort of,” said Thanatos.

“Meaning?” I asked.

“She worked her way through her inner demons on this side of the veil,” said Thanatos. “Donn; want to give me an
excuse to invite her?”

“Another ride? Sure. Who else do we alert?” I asked.

Thanatos sat up, and gave Stephanie a kiss on the forehead. “Whoever you want, Donn.”

“Everybody, who’s been here before,” I said.

“Picnic after?” asked Thanatos.

“Standard porcedure,” I said. “It’s better than before the ride.”

He came over to me, and brushed my bangs back from my face. “It’s going to be your last exhibition here.”

“It is?” I asked.

He brought his forehead against mine, and embraced me gently. “Sylvia is in The White City. She already knows
about us. If we invite her, we can’t ever let her go, because she’ll never let us go. She also can’t come here long
term, and you all are so close to belonging to The City, I may as well take you shortly after our meeting with Sylvia.”

“If we can come back here to visit once in a while, I don’t care,” said Stephanie, as she sat up.

“Later,” said Thanatos. “There’s other places to watch storms. Del! Would you like to satisfy your curiosity with
Stephanie, now?”

Deliah looked at Stephanie. “Would you mind?”

Stephanie extended her arms. “Oh gods, no.”

“Good,” said Thanatos, and I found myself suddenly somewhere else, still in the arms of Thanatos.

Chapter 10

I collapsed in Thanatos’ arms. He picked me up, and carried me to the couch, and lay me on it. I’ve never seen the
place in my conscious memory, but I recognised what I’d described in my fourth book, I heard the ‘angelic’ music,
and I felt the peace and love. Thanatos had transferred me to The White City, and I was in the place that would soon
be home.

I slowly got my bearings, and sat up. “I wrote about it, but I don’t remember it,” I said with a smile. “All I can say,
is it’s probably the most beautiful experience I ever had in my life.”

Thanatos sat beside me. “This version of it, huh?”

“I guess so. I assume I’ll remember what happened in book number four pretty soon?”

“Probably.”

I leaned against him, and put my arms around him. “How bad will I feel when I go back?”

“As I already told you; I can ease the worst of it,” he said.

“I don’t want to lose what I feeling, now.”

Thanatos stroked my hair. “Remember when we met for the first time in Hades after you father and grandfather took
you to me?”

“Like yesterday.”

“Do you think you feel better now, or when we were one unit.”

I pressed the side of my face against his chest, and held him tighter. “OK, I admit it. Nothing surpasses us being one
unit.”

“Let’s do that again, so you get a proper perspective on you being in The White City, then. We’ll also meld a lot
more often, after you move here.”

I closed my eyes, and smiled. “OK.”

“Donn!”

“Yes?”

“I’m all here, now. Every last bit of consciousness. I’m not split up. There’s no other Thanati running around
anywhere else.”

I chuckled. “Thanati, huh?”

He traced his right fingertips delicately across my chest. I had an immediate reaction. “Donn, we’re going to blend,
but I want to go as slow as possible. Etheric, Astral, Causal.”

“Aiyyah!!!!!!! I can’t go. . .Causal.” I whispered.

“No, but I can, and I can take you. Then we’ll see Sylvia, who; by the way, loves our poetry and paintings.”

“Have you met her?” I asked.

“No. I didn’t have to. I can focus on anyone, and find out all about them.”

I unclasped my belt. “You’re a little more powerful now, huh?”

“No. Just more knowledgeable.”

“Shall I change gender now?”

“No. Later. What we’re doing now will never happen again with us. You won’t care for this stage of what we’re
doing at all, after we’re done. In this respect, you’ll be like me.”

“My choice, huh?”

“Totally.” The voice was slightly different. I looked at Thanatos. He was a she. Definitely the most attractive
woman I ever saw in my life.

“Oh, gods!” I whispered.

She kissed me on the cheek, and said, “Be prepared to re-set yourself a few times.”

I nodded.

If I’d been with anyone else, I would never have done, or subjected myself to over half of what happened, despite
how good it felt, but I’m not going to write about that.

The concluding Causal merging was beyond indescribable. WAY beyond it. Come to think of it, so was everything
else.

A part of me would never get over what happened, and I mean that in the best way possible.

Depite the fact that it completely destroyed any innate desire I had for sex again, that is. I really couldn’t see
wasting my time like that for my own sake, after the Causal experience.

*****

After Thanatos gave Sylvia a mental ring, it was decided that she’d come to Thanatos’, or should I say ‘our’
apartment. She’d been absolutely thrilled to get the invite, she did a direct transfer to our coordinates, and she was
holding a compilation of everything she’d ever written. “Hello. Thanatos and Donn, or Keith and Vergil?” she
asked.

“Whatever you prefer,” said Thanatos.

She held up her tome. “Thanatos and Donn, then. I sensed you wanted this?”

Thanatos took the book. “We did. Autographed, I hope.”

“It is. Where is everyone else?” she asked.

“Still on Tech Duinn, but not for much longer. Donn is doing a final exhibition of stunt riding, then all those invited;
of which you are one will have a picnic, then our household will straighten up any last minute issues, and here we’ll
be,” said Thanatos.

Sylvia looked at me. “I thought you were a skater. Now you’re a stunt rider?”

I shrugged. “I do both. I still skate quite a bit. More than I ride, in fact.”

“I’d like to come. Of course I’d like to know who else is on the list.”

“Quite a few poets,” said Thanatos. “Byron, the Shelleys, Vergil, Cebes, and of course Vergil’s rather attractive
Alexander, Wolfe, Longfellow, Mary Stuart, Wilde, Joyce, a few historical rulers, and their lesser known loves, to
name a few. Ted Hughes is not on the list.”

“I don’t hate him, but thank you,” said Sylvia.

“He suffered quite a bit from your suicide,” said Thanatos.

“I know. He loved me more when I was gone than when I was there, but it’s always easier to love a ghost, isn’t it?”

“The guilt followed him to his grave,” said Thanatos.

“Me and Ted have talked. It’s all OK now, but I have to admit, when Assia killed herself the same way I did, I about
lost it. I still had quite a bit of hostility in me, and I haven’t laughed so hard to this day.” (Assia Gutmann Wevill
was the woman Ted Hughes dumped Sylvia for.)

“Stefan thought that was as funny as hell, too. I suppose, in a morbid, kind of tragic way it was,” I said.

Thanatos pointed up at the ceiling. “Poetic justice.” (Ted was a poet, too.)

Both me and Sylvia totally cracked up laughing.. Ye gods, that one was worthy of Deliah.

“Gods above and below, that was a good one,” I said, after I recovered. Yes, I am capable of laughing at the
expense of another.

Thanatos smiled. “Sylvia! So would you like to move in with us now, or wait until everyone else it here?”

She scowled. “Are you serious?”

Thanatos tilted his head. “Look yourself up in the Akashic Library, lady.”

Neither me nor Thanatos were ready for what came out of the woman’s mouth, next. “Does that mean you’ll sleep
with me?” She was another very foreward lady, who wasn’t afraid to ask for what she wanted.

Thanatos walked over to the nearest wall, and put his forehead against it. “Ye gods.”

“Is that a yes, or a no?” asked Sylvia.

Simultaneously, I said “No,” and Thanatos turned, and said “Yes.”

Me and Thanatos looked at each other, as Sylvia said, “OK, I can live with that.”

Thanatos looked at me. “Shall we go to Tech Duinn, now?”

“And me?” asked Sylvia. “You described being separated from this place after having been here, painful.”

“We would like you to come with us. Just keep in mind that it won’t be for very long, and I’ll help you both with the
pain of transition after we get there.”

“OK,” she said. “Take me away. I’m dying to meet Stefan. How big exactly is his nose?”

Thanatos chuckled. “It’s quite respectable, but it fits him. Barely. He’s absolutely beautiful.”

*****

Thanatos did an absolutely awesome job of easing my discomfort of leaving The City, and Sylvia’s as well. Of
course it ended up being a three-way merging.

*****

When we got to Tech Duinn, Deliah was in a total euphoric daze, and Stefan. . .yes. . .in male again. . .Stefan was
still with her. They were on the couch in front of the perpetually burning fireplace, and Deliah was lying down with
her head in Stefan’s lap. Stefan looked pretty sedated, himself.

“Sylvia, this is Deliah and Stefan.”

Sylvia said, “I know all about you; Stefan, but Deliah; I have no clue as to who you are.” She had not read my fourth
story, not being aware of it. It wouldn’t be available in The White City again until we got there.

“A later adoptee. Nice to meet you. I love your poetry. Will you forgive me for not rising to properly greet you,
Sylvia?” said Deliah.

“I’m not a judge or a queen. That’s not necessary.” Sylvia mentally sent Thanatos. ‘What happened with those
two?’

Thanatos sent back, ‘Stefan, or should I say Stephanie; considering the controller must be female, the way we do it;
just took Deliah’s mind, and all sense of responsibility over for a while, among other things. It’s a total vacation
from themselves, for the passive party, and it takes a while to get over it.’

‘Ah yes. The mysterious ritual that is partially censored by Stefan in the last book, was it?’

‘Hm hm, though technically, book three is not the last.’

A semi-unwilling Deliah dragged herself to a seated position, to make room for a couple of us, and Thanatos and
Sylvia joined those two on the couch, and I sat in one of the chairs between the couch and the fireplace. I
materialised the first cup of tea.

Stefan was next with the tea, and he asked Sylvia, “Who was your psychopomp?”

“Azrael.”

“Is he still in your life?” asked Deliah?

“My life?” asked Sylvia with a chuckle. “My existence, I’d say. No. Not anymore. He was for a while, having
helped me come to terms with everything, but I didn’t call on him after I didn’t need him anymore.”

“Strange that I never met him,” said Deliah.

“Why?” asked Sylvia.

“I was Jewish,” said Deliah.

Sylvia gave Deliah a sad smile, and extended her hand. “I am so pleased to meet you.”

Deliah gently took Sylvia’s hand, and a mental exchange took place between the two, that I would never know.
“Thank you,” said Deliah a moment later.

Thanatos said, “Let’s call Macha and Kevalyn. Those two are going to trip on you being here.”

“OK, let’s,” said Deliah.

*****

My ride! It took place in Tir na nOg; like all the others, and I’d have a guest I never would have dreamed of. Sylvia
had asked Thanatos if he could beckon Azrael, and Azrael actually accepted. A raven haired fox, with a nose that
Stefan just had to compliment. Could I have found an individual, who was less self-conscious than Stefan, in that
regard?

Probably not.

Sylvia ended up sitting between Thanatos and Azrael for the show, and my execution went perfectly. I gave a
serious performance, with no attempts at looking a fool. I’ll give no description, for all I’d be doing is writing about
what I’d already written of one more time. (I swear, I’ve never written any story section with so many borderline
repetative scenes as this one.) I’d come up with no new moves, but I still had my audience’s rapt attention, and my
skills on a horse. . . pony; rather, were appreciated.

Afterward, poor Sylvia about had a cow, being there were so many people (women) she wanted to talk to, and have a
bitch-session with. Catherine the Great, Theodora, Boadicea, Cleopatra, Hypatia, Frances Farmer, and the list went
on. Most agreed to meet Sylvia later, in The White City. Tir na nOg was a step down for all of our guests, but they
didn’t mind, since our guests ended up more fascinated each other then with my exhibition.

The picnic ended, with Hypatia and Mary Stuart coming back to Tech Duinn with us, due to the pleas of Sylvia
Plath. Thanatos set up a large circular couch, right in the middle of the rather wide east hall, with a circular table for
our tea, and we all listened to a question and answer session between Sylvia, Hypatia, and Mary; though we did have
a few of our own questions.

The only one who posed no queries, was Thanatos. No surprise.

Epilogue

We had transferred to The White City shortly after the picnic. The moment we set foot in The City, we all
remembered everything I’d written about, which was relevent to us personally. Deliah; of course, would remember
nothing of the time she wasn’t with us, simply because, she wasn’t there.

Those of us who were there from the start of the novellas, ended up laughing at our past foolishness, pranks and
neurotic tendencies.

Sylvia would leave us in the dust as far as poetic composition went, and her pieces were a lot more lighthearted, than
her more volatile works when she was on Earth. We were as lucky to have her, as well as Deliah.

Did I become celibate again, like I would have preferred?

Oh, yeah. After a little while. If I hadn’t catered to Sylvia, I never would have heard the end of it. I also couldn’t
drop everyone at a moment’s notice. This time, some of us took a little longer to come around, and what could I do?

Oh, well.

Sometimes a man’s got to make sacrifices.

*****

OK! I admit it! I did end up acting something like the 'Vergil Xanon' of Kyle's trilogy. So I was a bit of a slut, for a
while. I had some catching up to do, all right?

Not that it was always my idea, you understand.

I also admit this tale could have been better, but what I wrote was important to me at this stage of my life. Yes, those
tea parties were a high point of my existence. They had a ritualistic aspect of closeness that a non-telepath will never
know.

Actually, 'The White City' left something to be desired as well, but worry not! The future writings are a little better.

On the other hand, I don't make my living as an author for a reason, huh?

Yes, despite what is written here, I still have my day job.

;O)

Oh! Sorry! That's Stefan's logo.

;^ )

The Akashic Castle

2005-09-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

The Akashic Castle

Prologue

As I record this, we exist mostly in the High Astral, and Low Causal Realms. In other words, the whole lot of us. .
.me, Thanatos, Stefan, Deliah, Sylvia, Kevalyn, Macha, Andre; who I had not written of before, being he had just
joined us, and the animals spent all our time there as a single energy unit, and there really isn’t anything to write
about, as far as this aspect of our existence went. We were one, our thoughts and memories had lost all concepts of
individuality, and the I-we basically learned, evolved, explored, taught, and created.

Our creations were in the lower realms, and our enjoyment of those works of art is what I will be writing about; in
addition to the induction of Andre (Courtois) to our group.

Anyways. . .in the Xanon Chronicles as written by Stefan as Kyle Shannon, Kyle had written of a black marble castle
on a planet far away with two stars and six moons, where the world spun on its axis in such a way, that both polar
regions were uninhabitable due to the fact that one faced a perpetual summer, and the other a perpetual winter. In
the book, we were toward the far side of the sun, in the land of eternal twilight. In Kyle’s story, we were situated on
a high plateau, and it was always cold, though it was possible to live in it, if one dressed for it; and so it was (Though
we spent ninety nine point nine percent of our time temperature insensitive, so it wasn’t relevent to us.). The castle
was unimaginably huge, and it had a room dedicated to every civilisation that ever had, or would exist on Earth;
which was an elaborated version of what I had on Tech Duinn. Of course, one floor was devoted to a library, also
like on Tech Duinn, but bigger; again, with everything from every era. Physically, like what ‘Kyle’ had written of,
the concept of all this was not possible. Of course it was Etherically possible, being the laws of physics did not
apply on the Etheric Planes, so yeah, we (Mostly Thanatos) actually ‘built’ a castle like what was in ‘Kyle’s’ third
story. The ultimate Earth-based museum and library. One nice thing was, that our black marble castle accessed the
Akashic Library, as well.

As for the planet; we had discovered something like Kyle’s world a long time ago in our explorations of the universe,
though it had seven moons, not six. The sky was red, not blue. A place couldn’t be any better, I thought at the
moment. Of course, I’d be proven wrong, later. Much later. Later than this story.

*****

Andre Courtois. The moment he’d faded from The White City, he tracked me/us down. In his last life on Earth, he
was half French, a quarter Sudanese, and a quarter Navajo. He looked basically black, you couldn’t tell specifically
what his ancestry was, but he was very attractive. Sometimes I felt he surpassed Thanatos in the aesthetics
department; depending on what mood I was in.

Andre had been a mechanic for Boeing, and he was electricuted on the job at age twenty nine. He’d left behind a
wife and one year old daughter. Thank the gods Andre could handle Stefan’s sense of humour regarding children.
In the old times when Stefan had worked as a psychopomp (We were all completely retired from that, by now), he
treated children very well, but off the job, he was pretty bad with his ridicule; and by now Stef had even put to-gether
a mid-sized cookbook on what to do with children, but that is not going to be included in MY series of stories.

Andre’s father had been French, and his mother was Sudanese-Navajo. Andre had been educated in a private school,
and before anything, he was French. He spoke English, French and Spanish. He’d been born and raised in Trenton,
New Jersey, he’d had an upper-middle class upbringing, and he was quite sharp. You had to have a degree of
intelligence and a very open-minded attitude to deal with us. Andre had it all. This tale starts from just a little after
his arrival.

*****

I will mostly write of incidents of the Etheric Planes. All else was just regarding an energy field of seventeen
individuals (I’m including the equines, and Percy.) merged into one, doing nothing worth writing about. This is
another translation of things that occurred, in analogy. I mean if I didn’t write about how things actually happened
before, I sure as hell ain’t doin’ it now; ya know?

Chapter 1

Me and Stefan sat beside each other on a loveseat, Thanatos and Andre were in their own recliners. No, there was
no tea. None of us consumed anything anymore. Our interest in food and beverages had completely faded, and we
couldn’t handle it without causing ourselves undue trauma, not that we were even motivated to try. Yes, we were
surrounding a fireplace, and we were discussing my literary series.

“The stories seemed to cater to a short attention span, but I still enjoyed them.” said Andre. “You just wrote what
happened, and kept the descriptions to a minimum. ‘The Second Time Around’ was kind of shallow, you never
explained the touching signifigance of your tea rituals anywhere in the story set , and there are a few unanswered
questions in the saga.”

“What did that mysterious ritual that Stefan, or rather; Stephanie entail, that our lovely Red Tail will kill me for, if I
tell?” I asked.

“Can you tell me, now? It seems to be a closely guarded secret that’s not even in the Hall of Records.”

“You mean, you actually looked?” asked Stefan, in a slight state of shock.

Andre shrugged. “Yes. I like to have my questions answered.”

Stefan scowled. “Uh, it’s pretty stupid. Happens all the time. I just had issues with it. Still do.”

“I think I know what it is,” said Andre. “You -censored- everyone you did this with?”

“Yup! You got me,” said Stefan.

“That’s what occurred to me when I read it. A lot of people are going to figure that out. Also, I have three more
questions.” said Andre.

Thanatos didn’t even wait for him to ask. “I got upset about being compared to John Holmes because even though I
was one, I didn’t want the reputation of me being a wild conjugal partner, and no, I was not a record setter for
schlong size. Far from it. This shapeshifter accomodated his individual lovers, if you get my drift. Donn, would
you like to answer why you requested Macha to go from six to seven inch blade length for those knives she threw at
you?”

“That was the maximum length I could catch with a guarantee of no error. No, there was no phallic symbolism
involved. Any more questions?” I said.

“Thank you for clearing that up. I’m still not used to this. Can you guys please let me ask the questions first? I
mean, I just got here, you know?”

Thanatos smiled, reached toward Andre with an extended index finger, and made a stroking motion with it. “Would
you like to merge with us?”

Andre flinched. “Mon Dieu (My God), I felt that! You didn’t touch me, but it felt like you petted my nose.”

“Nice, huh?” asked Stefan.

Andre smiled. “It felt better than it should have. Do you guys all already know me?”

I shook my head. “No. I wanted your permission first.”

“Same,” said Stef.

“I have no choice in knowing,” said Thanatos. “I’ve already seen to-morrow, and you; my dearest Andre are a part
of it as far as I can see.”

Andre smiled, and nodded. “Actually, I do have another set of questions.”

“Shoot,” said Thanatos.

“It is said that what is imagined in one realm is reality in another. Then what about Seth Karnak?”

“That’s a mistranslation by Stefan. What Stef, or rather Kyle wrote about, was an incarnation of my Grandparent.
The personality about fits, not that ‘It’ would incarnate on Earth. Nice phantasy, though. That took me a little bit of
thinking to figure out, way after I read the series.”

Andre crossed his right ankle over his left knee. “It must have been interesting to just have been transferred to Tech
Duinn, and not die.”

“To say the least. I mean, to close your eyes in one location, then open them to another, not to mention suddenly
having a completely different body of lower density,” said Thanatos.

“Hm hm. It was the trip of my life,” said Stefan. “Shall we do a more thorough tour of the castle, next?”

“Please?” said Andre. “Can we go to the observatory again?” It was in our tallest tower in the building, and Andre
had been a little bit of an astronomy buff.

“Of course, you want to walk,” said Thanatos.

“I’d be a fool, not to. I mean, all the statuary, and paintings you have in the halls?”

“And the rooms will detour us every once in a while,” I said.

“No doubt. We’ve got forever though, huh?” asked Andre.

“At least. The ladies might also join us, after they’re done with their recording session. Sorry, but Sylvia came up
with a bad time to write some amazing lyrics.” said Thanatos.

“That’s another thing! I think I’d like to sit down and hear some of the music you guys wrote. Also, Donn! Stef! I
recall reading you are both killer on the ice.”

“Yeah, we can give you a performance, later,” I said.

“Actually, Than is even more entertaining to watch,” said Stefan

“Yeah. If you prefer half illusion to sheer skill,” said Thanatos.

“Uh huh! Like you can’t do a triple axel and an aerial?” asked Stefan.

“I can, but. . .”

Stefan interrupted Thanatos. “You’re better than me, dude!”

Thanatos looked at Andre, smiled, and shrugged. “I guess it’s your call.”

“I’d like to see you on skates, too.”

“OK.”

*****

It would take almost forever to get to the observatory. Andre was a great appreciator of art, history, culture, and our
progress of actually hitting our current destination was severely curtailed for it.

Our current meeting with Andre was strictly intellectual. Andre didn’t really know how to approach us. All the
conversation was directed at what we saw on this tour.

“These torch lit halls are a marvel,” said Andre. He stroked the black marble wall. “It looks so modern, yet so
ancient. What were the Tech Duinn halls like?”

“Stone,” I said. “Same means of lighting, though.”

As we were stopped, Stefan put his arm around Than’s waist, and leaned into him. “It’s still there. Shall we go visit
Tech Duinn later?” Stefan asked.

“The principle of the place was the same as this, huh? The library you said you have, rooms dedicted to the different
civilisations, and all,” said Andre.

“Only this is bigger. This has everything, of all Earthly eras.” I said.

Andre smiled. “Still give your pony spongebaths in the whirlpool?”

I scowled. “Uh. . .no. Actually, the whirlpool is something we didn’t transfer, here. No one seems to care. We’re
not into that type of pleasure or sensuality any more.” For now, anyway.

“Do you still go temperature sensitive?”

Thanatos chuckled. “Gods, hardly ever. It’s thirty degrees in these halls. We only spend time here for the visual
arts, and to create things the old way.”

“And a bit o’ snoggin’,” said Stefan.

“You still snog?!” asked Andre.

“Hell yeah,” I said. “I love a good snog, before the blend, if you know what I mean.”

“I’ve never done that High Etheric merger that you started up in The City. I never heard of it until I read your books,
and when I talked to others, they heard of it, but they didn’t know what the hell you were talking about. I’ve had
friends who tried it, but they just blended into each other with nothing but the psychological oneness. No ecstacy or
rapture in any other way.”

“It’s a vibration rate thing,” said Thanatos.

“Should I re-write a few passages to be more descriptive?” I asked.

“Don’t bother,” said Thanatos. “Someone else can do that.”

We started to move down the hall again, and ended up being detoured by the room dedicated to Babylon. Thanatos
and Stefan; who were arm in arm, disengaged and walked in, with a delighted Andre and me to follow.

Andre traced the back of an intricate, jeweled chair. “All the rooms are dedicated to royalty. Nothing to how the
commoners lived.”

I looked at him. “What would you rather see? Versailles, or a peasant shack?”

“Point taken,” said Andre. “This seems the ultimate paradise. It’s beyond my imagination. All information of
everything that ever was.”

“You should have been born later,” said Stefan. “You would have loved the internet.” Andre was killed in 1983.

“Tell me of it,” he said.

“Well, it. . .” started Stefan

Andre interrupted, while shaking his head with a smile. “No, Stef! I know all about it. What room is next?”

“Aksum,” said Thanatos.

“Never heard of it,” said Andre.

“Area is now occupied by Ethiopia,” said Thanatos.

Andre crossed his arms. “For you guys being so hung up on non-white cultures. . .”

Thanatos cut in, “We do not actively adopt people into our family. They come to us. We didn’t even intend to take
Sylvia on a permanent basis. She decided on staying, after discovering what she’d had in common with Stefan.
Thank you for coming to us, though.”

A smile crossed Andre’s lips. ‘So, Than? If I’m going to be here forever, what will our relationship be like?’ he
sent nonverbally.

‘Close. Very close. You can loosen up, and quit being so distant.’

Andre looked at me, and we simultaneously reached out to take each other by the hand. There was no telepathy
involved. It just happened, and we both chuckled a little. “Off to Aksum,” I said, and we all slowly walked out of
the room.

*****

Kevalyn switched the settings of the mixer, and said, “We almost have it.”

“Hm hm. Then shall we meet our new guest?” Asked Deliah, who was on the oboe.

Macha closed her eyes. “They’re kind of preoccupied. I think it would be good for them to finish this tour, first.
Let Andre satisfy his curiosity about the place, because quite frankly; I’ve seen it all, and I don’t want to see it all
again.”

“I know the feeling,” said Sylvia, who was only a vocalist for this one piece.

“I think this next take is gonna do it,” said Kevalyn. “After this, anyone want to go for a ride in the desert below?”

“Gods, we haven’t done that in forever. I’d love to,” said Deliah.

“No objection from me,” said Sylvia.
“You know better than to ask me,” said Macha.

*****

Andre looked through the telescope. It was moved by computer. It was too powerful and precise to be maneuvered
by hand. “This is incredible. And to be in an alien star system, and to be on a planet with multiple natural satellites.
Can we go Astral, and see them up close, later?”

“No problem,” said Thanatos. If only it wouldn’t slip our minds.

“I think I’m ready to meet with the other half of the household, when convenient,” said Andre. “Especially the
redoubtable Percy, as he’s been called.”

“Aw, Percy is a real pussycat most of the time,” said Stefan.

I looked to the ceiling. “Yeah, right.”

Thanatos’ right eyebrow went up, and for a second, a smile crossed his face that looked as devious as hell. He
kneeled, and in no time; he had one of the most beautiful ebon cats I ever saw, in front of him. Percy reared up on
Than’s bent knee, and the two nosed each other. Percy then walked over to Andre, looked up at him, and meowed.

Andre just sat on the floor, and stroked the sides of Percy’s face. It was obviously love at first sight.

Percy got up, and rubbed the side of Andre’s face. I wasn’t ready for what happened next.

Both Percy and Andre blinked out for just a split second, and then they re-appeared. Sort of. Percy came back about
a hundred eighty pounds heavier, then when he’d left. Andre had a leopard before him.

As Thanatos leaned against the wall, laughing his head off, I said, “Gods above, and below”, being in a state of total
shock.

“Percy?” asked Stefan, as the black leopard looked at him. “Is that you?”

The cat gave him an acknowledgement that sounded like a non-threatening growl. Stefan sat beside him. “Andre,
what did you do?”

Andre smiled, and shrugged. “It took a little while, and I obviously had to time trip, but I’ve always wanted a
leopard as. . .an owner, I guess.”

“He is absolutely ravishing,” I said. “Of course I can paint you two, to-gether?” I asked Andre.

“I was hoping you’d offer,” said Andre.

“He won’t be the only one,” said Stefan. “Would it bother you it I told you you were a total fox?” he asked Andre.

Andre shook his head. “I’m too evolved for that, Red Tail. It’s far beyond being an issue anyway.”

Stefan sent him, ‘I think I love you.’

Andre sent back, ‘I know I love you. I love everyone here.’

Stefan walked over to him, and extended his hand to help Andre up. “Can’t wait until we all really learn each other.”

“I assume we’ll meld when all of us are to-gether?” asked Andre, as he allowed Stefan to give him the lift.
“That would be more practical. Let’s beckon our fair other half,” said Thanatos.

“Percy in on the meld, too?” asked Andre.

Thanatos scowled. “Donn’s done that with Hesper, but I’m not sure that would be a wise idea. Percy is not a Sidhe
cat.”

“You mean you don’t know the consequences?” asked Andre.

Thanatos scowled. “I never looked. I didn’t see it.” Thanatos himself walked over to Percy, and kneeled before
him. He jerked himself back to a standing position just in time to keep his face from getting rasped by the leopards
tongue. “To absorb that primaeval intelligence. To blend that, with our own. Do we all want to become part cat?”

Stefan looked up at him. “Purr?”

Thanatos scowled. “You know damn well the panthera class can’t purr.”

“Sarcasm.” said Stefan.

Thanatos smiled. “I notice.. Let me focus on the ladies.”

*****

After a brief introduction, Kevalyn wrapped herself around the re-formatted Percy. Our generally feminine
counterparts came to us, rather than us going to them. “Andre, how in the world did you talk him into this?”

“I’ve had cats all my life. I also knew about picture thought communication since I was a child. A very young
child.”

“It’s instinctive, but trained out of everyone in the so called civilised cultures,” said Thanatos.

“I relearned it,” said Stefan.

“That’s easy enough to do,” said Thanatos.

“I noticed. I just had to be told it can be done. Or read about it; rather,” said Stefan.

“So, we all want to become part cat?!”

“Definitely,” said Deliah. “It should be interesting.”

And the leopard became part person, in our merger of acquaintanceship.

Chapter 2

I don’t know how I let myself be talked into it, and I don’t know how in all eternity I’d live it down.

Percy! My dear beloved Percy. The lovely copper eyed black beauty that had spent so much time (which doesn’t
exist) in my lap; being stroked, and purring up a storm. The ravishing creature that sometimes rested on my pillow,
as I slept, on Tech Duinn, and in The White City. I moved his black rook according to his telepathic instruction,
and I found myself mated.

I looked at Thanatos. “I just lost a chess game to a leopard.”

“So, I see,” said Thanatos.

‘Don’t be so hard on yourself, dude,’ sent Percy. ‘You never play any more, and I’ve decided to retain the skills of
Than and Macha.’

“Hey!” said Deliah.

The leopard looked at Deliah. ‘Oh, you’re good. You’re still third rate compared to those two, though. I think I can
cream you on the board.’

Deliah stroked Percy’s head. “Being what you are, please don’t use the word ‘cream’ and my identity in the same
sentence, my dear.”

Percy gently rubbed the side of his head against Deliah’s thigh. ‘I wouldn’t hurt you for the life of me, my love. I’m
not sure I can out-do you in the way you use words, I must confess. That does seem to be a specialty of yours in
which I might not be able to compete.’ Yes, he was underestimating himself.

“I wouldn’t bet on that, you little upstart,” I said.

‘You flatter me to no end, Vergil.’

I chuckled. “You little button pusher.”

Percy tilted his head. ‘Little? I weigh more than you, buster.’

“So you do!” I looked at Andre. “So now that I’ve been subjected to one of the most humiliating moments of my
existence, would you like to play this black beauty next.”

“Later, when no one’s watching, thank you. I have a feeling he’ll whup my ass, as well.”

Sylvia stretched in her chair. “I never thought I’d ever enjoy watching a chess match, but this was a bit of fun.”

I looked at her. “Especially since Percy left me in the dust, huh?”

“How many moves, Than?” asked Sylvia.

“One and forty.”

I glared at him. “What’s it Del always says? I’d hate you, if I didn’t love you so much?”

Thanatos smiled. “Something like that.” He pointed to Macha. “You guys wanted to go for a ride in the desert.
Anyone else, here?”

‘I’m game. I can keep up with a horse, now,’ sent Percy.

“Let’s,” I said. “It’s so rare we’re all to-gether like this here.”

*****

This place was Stefan’s ultimate dream. He’d even written a poem about it, long ago. The land of perpetual
twilight, where the main star was always just barely visible on the horizon; after we’d visited it, of course.

Thanatos had time tripped to find Andre a black and white pinto mustang stallion of perfect form. He was an
independent natured animal, and when he was called on for service, he was guaranteed to request a payback that
went way beyond what he’d delivered, but Andre agreed. He’d been a wild horse, never having known the touch of
man; until a bullet brought him down to turn him into dog food.

The sky was red toward the main sun, deep violet toward the opposite side, where we’d situated ourselves. The
second star was distant, offering the planet no discernable heat, but it was visible half the time. Depending on where
you were on the planet; the main sun was brighter than anything imagineable on Earth; easily visible in our twilit
sky, and all seven moons; two of which were ringed, were now in sight. It was far from a rare sight, but it was
convenient for our satallites to be so in view, now. It was beautiful, and harsh beyond belief. Of this world’s
Physical realm, life existed on a narrow strip of the planet, and we were on the very outskirts of it. The visuals were
stunning.

As we were on the desert floor, behind us was the plateau. There was no path to get up it. If we’d been Physical, we
would have had to use picks, grappling hooks and ropes to ascend to the castle. The castle loomed, and it looked
eerier than anything found on Earth, from where we were. It was taller than any Earthly castle, as well, and from the
outside, it seemed to cover many acres. From the inside, it seemed to cover many square miles.

Eight riders, and one black leopard racing through the rocky sands, toward a sun that never rose, and never set, but
circled the horizon. (Yeah! How many times am I gonna dwell on that?) There was no sound of hoofbeats.
Gravity’s seeming effect on us was an illusion. The horses and Percy could run forever, as stamina was not an issue
in our current form. I already wrote about that in a former tale of this saga; which I am beginning to wonder, will
ever have a conclusion.

Gilgamesh was in the lead. I signalled Hesper that I wanted pole position, and he sped up. I was getting off on this.
I was visualising what I was doing from outside of myself. I was getting high. I was taking in the whole scene. The
euphoria was boundless. I wanted to scream in ecstacy.

I took the lead. Thanatos looked at me, and gave Gilgamesh a request to slow.

Suddenly, I heard a pop, like a vacuum seal being broken.

I wasn’t on my pony, anymore. I no longer had a form. Thanatos decided to trigger another merger, completely
unexpected by the rest of us, but more than welcome.

I got to know Andre Courtois better, this time.

(The animals had been left behind, by the way. Even Hesper and Percy. A very PISSED Percy.)

*****

So beautiful, so wise, so at peace, so knowledgeable, so intelligent, and so discriminated against in his early years,
when he was on Earth. Yet, so unresentful he was in life. Andre had understood.

Andre came to us first because of Stefan and Stefan’s concept of Seth Karnak, second; because of me. He fell in
love with all of the characters of my tales, however. He’d waited with patience for the chance to meet with us. He
had to transcend The White City first, according to his own rules. Chronologically, we were not there when he was
there. He’d arrived later, despite the fact, that by Earth standards he had died before Kyle and Kevin were taken to
Tech Duinn.

He could have time tripped to meet us, but he didn’t. He’d re-read my tales many times, and he had all of our prints
on his walls that he could fit. At the time, he had no clue on how to relate to us. We defied everything he ever knew.
People didn’t relate like we did. To our stream of consciousness, I had been in a continuous river of awareness of
what might seem many a millenia, but had remained neurotically celibate with the most loving, beautiful entities that
existence had to offer. Then, on my second round at Tech Duinn; I went on a ‘fuckfest’ of sorts that included
everything but standard fucking (Well, except for a couple of times under duress; with Stefan and Thanatos having
ganged up on me, but I couldn’t stand it. In fact, I was so disgusted with the activity, I couldn’t even bear to come to
a conclusion, either time. Not that I minded being the recipient of a good rutting if I was in the very rare feminine;
past tense, of course. Those few times were kind of fun. OK, so I was a hypocrite, not that I wrote that much about
what happened. Come on! Let me retain some degree of dignity.), to go celibate again.

For the longest time Andre couldn’t understand how I could have been basically heterosexual, yet ultimately
disregard the gender of my lover.

Now, he knew everything. (Well, almost everything. Let’s say he knew everything of importance. Everything
relevent. Everything that Thanatos wanted him to know.) He understood us. . .me. The enigma of his existence had
finally become clear to him.

Oh, what a paragon, was Andre. Where had he been all my ‘life’?

*****

Macha, Thanatos, Deliah, Kev, and Sylvia left me, Andre and Stef on our own; still in the energy field. It was the
polite thing to do.

Yeah, it turned into a ‘make-out’ session. Oh, it was great. However, when the three of us ‘landed’ back in the
castle, we had a bit of a surprise waiting for us.

The ‘attack’ was sudden, but it was not for the sake of injuring me, not that this could have been done. Percy jumped
on me, placing his paws on my shoulders, and he roared, proceeded to hiss, then growl.

I ended up on the floor. ‘You abandoned me, you assholes! What’s the matter? I’m not good enough for you?’

Percy had me pinned, and we were nose to nose. Stef and Andre perceived everything he was sending me, and they
looked at each other, then at me and Percy. “Uh, no. I guess Than didn’t know this was an issue with you.”

Percy got off of me, and lay beside me. ‘Make certain this doesn’t happen again. PLEASE!’

I rolled on my side, and embraced him. “Shall we go back and include you in a little bit with a High Etheric energy
exchange? In a little bit, I mean?”

He growled again. ‘In. . .a. . .little. . . .bit, huh? What about now? How are you going to make your
inconsiderateness up to me, huh?’

I scowled, and thought for a moment. “Can I brush you down?”

‘Soft bristle.’

I sat up, and materialised a brush. I went to work. Both Andre and Stefan approached me. Stefan sat on the other
side of Percy. “Percy, are you alright?”

Percy hissed at Stefan, then conveyed, ‘Help the man brush me down, or I swear I do declare, I will LICK your
NOSE!!!!’

If that wasn’t a serious threat, what was? Stefan immediately materialised another brush, and went to work.

Percy tucked his front legs under himself, lay his head down on the floor, and closed his eyes. I swear he would have
purred, if he could have.

I’ve never been so pussy-whipped in my entire life.

Andre had to leave, before he completely lost his composure, regarding his inability to control his laughter.

I sent Andre Courtois a private message. ‘Dude! I am going to get you for what you did to this cat!’

I got nothing back.

*****

Percy was incredible. He mellowed the minute I went to work on him, and he was quite a riot, when he rolled over
into a ‘rub-my -tummy’ pose. As me and Stefan continued brushing him out, Stefan asked him, “What are you,
Percy? More cat, or person?”

‘I’d say cat, with an adopted intelligence. You know, words are such a stupid, convoluted way to communicate.’

I cut in. “I’m writing a story. I can’t convey picture thoughts as easily for any potential readers who aren’t into
telepathy to understand.”

‘Excuses, excuses.’

Stefan said, “I’m glad I don’t have to feed you anymore.”

‘I suppose a couple of goats and a dozen chickens every week would have cost you a bit.’

“I don’t know. We lived real close to three different schools, so that wouldn’t have been too much of a problem.
You could have kept yourself fed. I mean, one of them was a Catholic school, and they had elementary classes, but I
don’t think you would have been that happy as you are in an apartment, not to mention the fact that I would have
needed a permit to keep you.”

‘I don’t think the town would have been happy if I started picking off school children.’

“No, but considering the economic decline that hit a few years after I took you on, some of the parents might have
been.”

‘Yeah, right.’ He stretched, and lay on his underside, again.

I was perceiving all of this. I was struggling not to laugh.

‘Can you guys call my beloved Andre back, before we do that merger you promised me a little earlier?’

I scratched him behind the ears. “Our other black panther. Depends. Not now this minute. Is he now your
favourite?”

‘Oh, I don’t know if I have a favourite. It all depends on my mood. I mean, Stefan when Kyle used to buy me all
these fish steaks, and shrimp; until I got sick of it. She used to hand feed me, and have dinner with me, and she was
my drinking buddy, considering at least once a day, when she had a cup of tea, she’d pour some cream for me, and
we’d enjoy that to-gether. Thank you, Stefan. . .Kyle. . .whatever.’

“Welcome,” said Stefan.

“I never could have dreamed that this sort of thing could be of importance to a cat.” I said.

‘Dude! Being a telepath, and picking up what was important to Kyle, made me what I am. An arrogant, hopeless
romantic. After all, she often did concentrate on how much I awed her. If someone keeps telling you that you’re a
god, eventually you tend to believe it.’

I kissed him on the forehead. “But you give back so much. You’re with us so much of the time, when we’re
lounging about, or when we slept, or whatever.”

‘Hmmmmm. Love does existence, make.’

I lay down, and pressed myself against him. “Did you like that run in the desert?”

‘Oh, yeah! I’d love to do it again. However, if Thanatos leaves me out of the loop again, I swear I will slap him
silly.’

“Oh, don’t do that. He’s a sweetheart.”

Percy looked at me. ‘I wouldn’t seriously do that. I mean, he’s treated me like royalty as well, but what he did was
sooooo thoughtless.’

I brushed my finger down his nose. “Maybe he did that, so we’d be having this conversation, and so that you’d have
an excuse to get spoiled like this. Thanatos is not an inconsiderate individual. He’s also not the type to make a faux
pas like this. I think it was deliberate.”

‘Can you check?’

I nodded. ‘Than?’

‘How goes it with Percy?’

‘He was a little upset at being left out of our interlude.’

‘I assume you mollified him?’ came the response.

‘In less than a minute, but it seems we have a harsher taskmaster on our hands than ever, not that he’s not worth it.’

Thanatos appeared in the room. I was virtually spooning the cat, and Stefan was sitting on the other side of him, still
brushing him. “How adorable,” said Thanatos.

‘Why did you leave me out after I’m now virtually one of you?’ asked Percy of Thanatos.

Thanatos sat down at the leopards head, and gently put his hands on the side of the cat’s face. “The merger was for
Andre. You already know us. You have known us since you’ve existed with us.”

‘Now I know you from another perspective. Human, as well as feline. I am become hybrid.’

Thanatos now kissed the cat on the forehead. “Who quotes the Bhagavad Gita, to a degree.”

‘Everyone here has read it, I am both all of you and myself, and it seems I’ve adopted all your tastes and outlooks, or
rather had them forced down me throat; not that I terribly mind.’

Thanatos caressed him. “You are not us, now. You were, during your mindshare, but now you are an individual
with our memories, and we are inividuals with yours. As soon as you do another mindshare, or when we go back to
the Astral, then you are the rest of us.”

‘Hm.’ He stretched again, got up to a seated position, and put his right paw on Thanatos’ knee. ‘I guess I can live
with that. Why wasn’t my awareness increased in previous mergings?’

“You misphrased that. It’s not a question of awareness. You understood everything, but you just didn’t care. It’s an
issue of priorities. All you know now, you considered too superfluous to bother with, so you totally disregarded it,
like thinking in words. You understood everything we said, but you considered it not worth your time to bother with.
The only thing that’s changed is that now you are a more complex creature, because Andre basically force fed you
his nature.”

‘He shouldn’t have done that, huh?’

“It’s not generally advisable. What he did destroyed your true nature, but on the other hand; I don’t think any of us
wants you any other way, now. Including yourself, huh?”

‘You have something there.’

Thanatos scratched Percy under the chin. “And it looks like you are going to be the most spoiled little bastard of the
castle.”

Percy took his paw from Than’s knee, and put it back on the ground. ‘Well, you guys are just proving my ‘head of
household’ status.’’

“So, we are.”

‘Now, about that merger; though sans Andre, unfortunately?’

Thanatos looked at me and Stefan. “Are we ready for a futher Astral mental unification with a leopard?”

I shrugged. “Sure.” I kissed Percy on the forehead.

Boy, did Percy have a good life.

*****

Thanatos went his separate way with Percy, and I with Stefan, after the Astral meld.

Would our addiction to snogging on couch in front of a fireplace ever be overcome? It didn’t look like it. Well, this
time Stef was sitting down, and I lay on the couch with my head in his lap, as he was playing with my hair. The fire
was just for show, for this place could not have been heated up without central heating, and like that wasn’t going to
happen. “After we are done here, I want to paint Andre and Percy together,” said Stefan.

“Same. I think I want to paint him on his horse with Percy at his side, in Dineh clothing and accessories.”

“I’m going for the African look. No horse, just an African warrior with his hunting cat.”

“I’d like to do that after we get our fill of each other, here.”

“Do you mind that I paint mine in another room from you? You still intimidate me,” said Stefan, as he petted my
nose.

I closed my eyes. “Stefan! You’re end products are as good as mine. It just takes you four or five times longer.”

“Double that if you’re watching me.”

I worked my way to a seated position, and kissed him on the cheek. “I could watch you from a formless perspective,
and you wouldn’t even know it.”

Stefan chuckled. “And now I’ll be wondering every time I do a painting, if you’re beside me, huh?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that to you. I don’t get the same pleasure out of watching the completion of a painting from
scratch, as you do. To me, that’s like watching the grass grow.”

“Watching me paint is like watching the grass grow. Watching you, is like watching a flower open up.”

“That’s a beautiful line. Thank you.”

Stefan leaned into me, and put his arm around me. “We’ve about stopped writing each other poetry. I wonder if I
should do something with that line.”

“Maybe. You might trigger another spree, but what is there left to write about. Our poetry was mostly about
longing, seduction, bitching about the past, and our dysfunctionality. That’s all over, now.”

“Hm, yeah.” He faded out, and leaned into me.

OK. End of what I’m going to talk about, for this interlude.

*****

“I can’t believe what Andre did to you, and I find it even harder to believe that you allowed it,” said Thanatos to
Percy. They lay on a rug, side by side, with Thanatos having an arm around the leopard.

‘He was very persuasive. Being this way has it’s drawbacks. I mean I’m more aware at what shallow creatures you
are.’

“Is there anything less arrogant than a feline?”

‘You know damn well most cats aren’t like me. I’ve been worshipped since the day I walked into Kyle’s apartment.
What can you expect?’

“I wonder what you’d look like, if you were a man.”

Percy closed his eyes. ‘Whatever I felt like looking like. I could probably take a form to break down the currently
celibate tendencies of Deliah and Sylvia; but I don’t think I will. After being first neutered as a kitten, then
transferred to where none of it is relevent any more, I have no such inclination.’

Thanatos sat up. “That’s easily understood. Would you like to go for a walk with me?”

‘Hm. . .not really. . .unless you brush me out after, for a very long time.’

“Are all cats merchants?”

‘That’s a rhetorical question. You know the answer to that. Of course I can relate unconditionally. It’s just that I’m
in such a relaxed state, I’d find a walk rather inconvenient at this time, so if you are going to inconvenience me, I am
going to inconvenience you.’

“I’d love to give you a long brushing out. Don’t you ever get sick of that, though?”

‘Uh. . .I’m a cat. Hell, no.’

“You’re not doing much for the stereotype, Sir Percy.”

Percy stretched, sat up, and rubbed the side of his face against Than’s shoulder. ‘Oh, let’s go for that walk. No, you
don’t have to brush me out.”

“And if I want to?”

‘I guess I’ll let you.’

“Percy?”

‘Yes, I can be a bastard. I’ve been told that often enough, too.’

They both stood up. “Want to go to the observatory to look out the windows?”

‘Do you plan to actually get to our destination, or are we going sight seeing, and admiring the artwork on our way?’

“What would you like to do?”

‘Race you to the observatory.’ Percy crouched, lunged, and took off at a dead run.

Percy would be followed and surpassed by a stark white cheetah.

*****

Andre was on a three seater, snuggled against Deliah and Sylvia. Kevalyn and Macha were on a love seat that they
had temporarily materialised for the meeting. The CD player just turned itself off from the song that the women had
just recorded.

“I am impressed. If I’d been more aware of it, I would have had quite a collection of old Irish music,” said Andre.

“You wouldn’t have been able to find anything like this. It’s related, but the straight Tuatha music isn’t the same,”
said Macha.

Sylvia brought her hand to Andre’s shoulder. “Can you please untie your ponytail?”

Andre’s hair went halfway down his shoulderblades, and he always tied it up. He simple dematerialised the hair-tie.
“Go ahead. You curious too, Del?”

“Hm hm.”

Sylvia stroked his hair, first. “Nice. Soft.”

“Versatile, too,” said Deliah.

“Too bad inter-racial dating was such an issue in our day, huh?” asked Deliah of Sylvia.

“Just don’t bring that up when Stefan’s in the room. He’d rant about that non-stop for hours,” said Macha.

Sylvia pressed herself against Andre, and faded into him. He closed his eyes, clenched his teeth, and pressed himself
against the back of the couch.. “Mon Dieu (My God), I should have known better.”

“Wait for me,” said Deliah, as she also disappeared into Andre.

“Aye-yay-yay.” Said Andre softly. “Merci (Thank you) for asking, you little. . .ohhhhhhhhhhh. . .” He disappeared
from view, and the three went Astral.

Andre used to throw in a French word here and there for the benefit of his listener perhaps learning a bit.

Chapter 3

Percy was on his hind paws, holding himself up on the window ledge with his front paws. Thanatos was beside him,
as they looked at the small part of the eternal sun that was visible. ‘I’m not all cat anymore,’ sent Percy

“And I’m part cat,” said Thanatos.

‘I’m more like you, than I am cat. You still have most of your basic identity.’

“Correction! I have all of my basic identity. It’s just that I know your life and how you think, though I am only
familiar with your thoughts. You never acted like most cats. You were and are still very demanding, and born to
rule. So, can you answer Stef’s question on having been in Ancient Egypt before this incarnation?”

‘I wasn’t, but you know that.’

Thanatos stroked Percy’s head and neck. “That, you came back to Kyle from being the cat she had when she was a
child? Yes. I found that out during our merger.”

‘I know. Can I ask how I can repay you after all this household has done for me, unconditionally?’

“You already have. Just being in my lap and purring, was enough. Your kneading behaviour also felt pretty good.
Granted, you don’t measure up to Stefan or Donn in the backrubs, but you may have noticed no one ever kicked you
out of bed.”

‘If I could guarantee you I’d keep my claws retracted, shall I give you one as I am now?’

Thanatos kissed the leopard on the bridge of the nose. “No, but here’s the why of it. We do that as much as we used
to, but more to appreciate each other’s aesthetics from a visual perspective. Art lovers, we will always be. As for
the sensualism we engage in, it’s almost always in the realm of energy exchanges.”

‘Almost.’

“We have our moments, but it’s been a while, and why are we discussing this? You know damn well, what we have
and haven’t done since we left The White City!”

‘Hm hm. Nothing worth filming, as Donn or Stefan would say.’

Thanatos laughed. “I somehow knew that you’d be as sarcastic as hell, if you were to use words, when you were still
a housecat.”

‘You are very perceptive.’

Thanatos ran his hand down Percy’s back. “And Stefan is currently your favourite. Why don’t you ask him if he
wants a backrub from a leopard. I mean he, or rather Kyle and Kev have even talked about it when they were still
alive on Earth.”

‘One of glowing red eyes. Stefan isn’t here now, yet you are. Oh, most powerful one. Can you add on a tower taller
than this, where you can actually go outside, like the watchtowers of ancient Europe?’

“The cat is now an architect?”

Percy looked Thanatos in the eye. ‘Out! Out! Out! I want ouuuuuuuuuuut!!!!!’

Thanatos chuckled. “You could almost say that, when you were a housecat.”

‘And they’d always open the door for me.’

“Come on! Let’s go outside.”

Thanatos and Percy transferred outside, but it wasn’t under Than’s power.

*****

A somewhat stunned Thanatos regained his composure. “Ye gods! I thought I was gonna do that.”

‘You suggested going out, so. . .’

“Uh, yeah! Just out of curiosity, can you install the tower, too?”

‘Where do you want it?’

“I’d say, this side of the castle, closest to the edge of the cliff, next to the entrance.”

Percy actually nodded, once. The tower appeared. ‘Want to check my work, or enjoy the scenery out here?’

“Percy, you impress me.”

‘I see you time tripped, and find it to your satisfaction.’

“Let’s stay out here for a while. How’s about sitting at the edge?”

‘Fine by me.”

They walked to the edge of the precipice, and sat down. Thanatos dangled his legs over the cliff.

They sat there for a while, and eventually faded into each other, disappearing from the site.

*****

Andre, Deliah and Sylvia sat on the floor in front of the fireplace, in the main living room. “You’re a conniver,
Andre,” said Sylvia.

“Sitting between us; with our reputation, and you playing so innocent, so coy, when you know damn well you are one
of the most beautiful, exotic, irresistable, men we’ve ever seen, “ said Deliah.

“Am I complaining?” said Andre.

“No, but you’re trying to abdicate yourself of all responsibility of what we did to you, even though you instigated the
outcome.”

Andre said, “My father said the woman should always be the aggressor. It worked for him.”

“You’ve kept to yourself until now, since you died,” said Deliah.

“I have my standards. My wife was a hard one to measure up to, before I became detached. Then I just didn’t care.”

Deliah looked at Sylvia. “He sounds like another bane at Tech Duinn, the first time around.”

“Is there one male here, who wasn’t?” asked Sylvia.

“Keith, for most of his time, there,” said Deliah.

“Only for Macha,” said Sylvia.

“How little faith ye have in me,” said Del.

“Never mind,” said Sylvia.

“Says the demure gender,” said Andre.

“Tell it to Macha,” said Deliah.

“Yeah, right,” said Andre. “Is there any way I can ask you two to take me on an extended tour of this castle out of
time, that I didn’t see yet?”

“Glad to,” said Deliah.

*****

Both me and Stefan time tripped out of the castle dwellers’ perception of it. We also had to invade Andre’s past
privacy, unknown to him, being both me and Stefan wanted to paint him with quite a bit of skin showing, and neither
one of us had seen him less than fully dressed. It turned he was a bit on the scrawny side, but his muscle lines were
quite prominent. He was another epitome of masculine beauty.

Historically, there was nothing wrong with painting Andre in a Navajo setting. The unwilling imports to the New
World adapted rather well to the Native lifestyle, for it was similar to their own back in Africa, as the New World
was being destroyed. Hey! Jimi Hendrix was a quarter Cherokee, and as I said in my intro, Andre was a quarter
Navajo.

Andre’s face was very refined. He had a narrow, high cheekboned face, wide ebony eyes, sensuous, full lips, and a
nose of medium width, that did extend from his face a bit more than it would have, had he been pure Sudanese sans
Arab blood. He wore a thin moustache that traced his upper lip, and had a chin that was neither really squared off, or
rounded. He looked artistically, aristocratic.

I had to also trip out of the place to look at Andre’s horse, who he’d named ‘Wind Warrior’. We’d just call the
stallion, ‘Wind’. Stefan time tripped to get Percy the pardale, at his finest. These projects took both uf us a bit more
effort than we’d originally thought.

After we were done, we met at the same time we left the castle, so no one would have been the wiser to us being
gone. We hung the paintings on the each side of the fireplace of the main living room, and left. This was the most
commonly visited room in the castle, and both me and Stefan decided we were too into each other right now, to be
bothered by all the accolades we’d get for these works. No one has painted anything for a while, so a fuss would
have been made over this. Now, me and Stefan just wanted to be to-gether.

*****

Me and Stefan doubled up on Shiva, and went for a slow ride on the plateau. We spotted the new tower right away,
and planned to head for it after we took care of Shiva’s payback. We rode from one end of the castle to the other,
enjoying the view of the red-violet sky. We could see four of the seven moons very clearly, the other three were on
the verge of disappearing over the skyline, the main sun was on our side of the plateau, though the secondary sun was
on the other side of the planet.. I would never tire of this alien landscape. It’s surrealistic appeal would never fade.

“What would it be like to go temperature sensitive, here?” asked Stefan.

“Painful, and your nose would fall off. Don’t be stupid. It’s twenty degrees out here.”

“I’ve been in worse.”

I was holding onto Stefan from behind, and I almost laughed. “Like the time you got sent to New Jersey in
December to do some cleanup for your data centre, and you only brought your Bay Area clothes? Oh yeah! Run
like hell through the field to the Chinese restaurant, about three hundred yards away in six degree weather, while in a
pair of jeans, and a regular cotton long sleeved shirt and T-shirt. Yup! That was absolutely brilliant, Stef.”

“Wasn’t it, though?” he asked.

“I don’t know what was worse. That, or you running for the ocean waters of Tech Duinn, dressed like you are now.”
He was in his breeches, boots, silk shirt, gloves and cloak.”

“Close call. I still act before I think, some times.”

I ruffled his hair. “I notice. It’s funnier than hell, when I write about it later. It adds to your appeal.”

“That I’m an idiot, sometimes?”

“Reckless, is a better word.”

He leaned back into me. “Gods, can I love you any more?”

I put head on his left shoulder, and pressed my face against the side of his head. “I don’t think your love for me can
be surpassed, though it’s obviously matched by Thanatos.”

“Hmmmmm. What do we do for Andre, on the ice?”

“How about Blue Oyster Cult, and Led Zeppelin? Later, though. I just want your company, right now.”

“Sounds good to me. Let’s get out of standard time, though. I treasure having you all to myself, like this.”

“Let’s let Shiva go, and you and me go Causal for a while,” I suggested.

“Oh, yeaaaaaaaaaaaaah.”

No, I’m not gonna write about that. I mean, how boring; ya know? Same moves, different story.

*****

Del and Sylvia had Andre between them again, and Thanatos was on his feet, pacing in front of the couch. “You
want me to what?” Percy was laying in front of the fireplace, focused on the conversation.

“You heard me! Add a tunnel in the back of the castle, and put a hot spring at the end of it,” said Deliah.

Thanatos stopped in front of her, and scowled. “Do you know how high this place is?”

“About two thousand feet?” asked Deliah.

“Closer to twenty five hundred, but you want me to rearrange the whole geography of the area so you have an excuse
to. . .um. . .what exactly do you have in mind, for our intrinsically evolved Andre?”

“Not much,” said Deliah. “The usual. Cuddle, snog, and you know the rest. Energy exchanges are us.”

Thanatos chuckled. “Uh, huh? More like, whatever you can get away with.”

Andre shrugged. “Well, maybe once. For the experience?”

Sylvia put her arm around him. “Excuse me, but there are two ladies at your side? If you do anything of the lower
planer sorts with her, and not with me, I will search high and low, for a way to destroy you, sir.”

“Twice,” said Andre.

Thanatos closed his eyes, smiled, and nodded his head five time. He then looked at Andre. “I note a touch of
ambivalence.”

Andre shrugged. “Only twice. I’d rather concede to that, than be ridiculed for the rest of eternity in the worst
possible way. Judging from the entries of The Xanon Chronicles, you know damn well what I’m talking about.”

“Oh, yeah. I sure as hell do.” Thanatos parted his lips, and bared his fangs, as he gave a wide grin. “But you’re
doing no such thing the first time in the hot spring.”

Deliah scowled. “Why?”

“Because there’s a storm incoming. Electrical. I’m coming with you to our new spa.”

“Oh my god!” said Sylvia.

“Let’s get everybody!” said Deliah, as she made an immediate effort to contact all castle dwellers resembling
humans.

‘I think I’ll pass,’ sent Percy, to everyone. ‘This isn’t my idea of entertainment.’

Thanatos went over to Percy, and scratched him behind the ears. “Understood, love.” He closed his eyes. “Donn
and Stefan are Causal now, but they’ll time trip back to a few moments from now. The hot spring is set up, and
Macha and Kevalyn are already looking at it, thanks to Del.”

“Will you transfer us to the tunnel?” asked Sylvia.

“If you like. I even added the beloved multi-coloured torches to the scene,” said Thanatos.

“Sounds interesting,” said Andre.

“Temperature sensitive?” asked Deliah?

“I would really wait, until I was actually in the water, or at least just about to step into it.” said Thanatos. “I also
wouldn’t do anything stupid, like get out of my clothes by actually taking them off.”

“Didn’t the guys in Tierra del Fuego run around naked?” asked Deliah.

“Del, if you really want to suffer. . .”

She gave Thanatos a sarcastic smirk. “This once Jewish rich bitch ain’t that masochistic, babe. I’ll take your advice,
my love.”

Thanatos transferred them to the entrance of the new tunnel. A black marble beauty, where you could see you
reflection on the walls, and flames of every gas on Earth and here, burning on the walls. Yeah, there were a few
undescribable colours

*****

Me and Stefan ‘landed’ at the door of the tunnel a few minutes (Yeah, yeah, yeah! No time. It’s that illusory
perception thing again, OK?) after everyone else had come this way. Percy’s new tower would come later. We were
a little dazed, in an elated sort of way, having totally gotten off on our total Causal energy and mind-share. We
walked slowly down the hall, stumbling every so often, and laughing about it when it happened, but we didn’t
actually talk to each other. We didn’t need to. There was absolutely nothing left to say to each other, unless one of
us just thought of some sort of witticism to share, and believe me! Neither one of us was feeling terribly creative,
right now.

Due to a lightning strike, the sky lit up in a brilliant red, right as we got out of the tunnel. That was the only time,
this place actually saw ‘daylight’. The clouds weren’t quite over us yet, but the freezing rain was coming down
hard, and hitting us; due to the high winds. Everyone was sitting by the edges, conveniently submerged up to their
chins in the Thanatos-made, seemingly natural (yeah, right) hot spring, with a ridge that surrounded the interior of
the sides, that was of varying height, so everyone could find an area suited for them. Me and Stefan, our arms still
around each other, simply waved to everyone. Everyone waved back. No one said anything.

I dematerialised my clothes, entered the pool, and went temperature sensative. Stefan, uh. . .Stefan, being Stefan,
dematerialised his clothes, went temperature sensative and entered the pool very slowly. Inch by inch, so to speak.
Our minds were still connected, I could feel what he was going through, and I felt like getting up, and pulling him
into the water. I think I had goosebumps, despite the fact that I was soaking in roughly hundred and five degree
water, give or take. He was shivering up a storm, yet he did not budge on his slow motion entry into the water.

OK! I suppose I could have disconnected myself from him. On the other hand, that would have put a damper on
what we’d just done in the Causal Realm, so I didn’t. I was relieved, when he was up to his waist. It had taken him
about three or four minutes to get there. Probably closer to three, but to me, it felt like a week. I sent him, ‘Stefan,
if I didn’t love you so much, I would vice-grip your nose, for you for what you’re doing right now. I don’t want to
lose touch, so I have to suffer with you, you masochistic fool!’

‘I’ll make it up to you,’ he sent back.

He waded over to me, put his back against the wall, and proceeded to sink into his seat, taking a couple of minutes to
do so. The steam of the hotspring could have helped, if the virtually gale force wind, didn’t drive it off. After he
was completely seated, he put his arm around me, rested his head against my shoulder, and drew me into complete
bliss.

Would Stefan ever get over that ‘It feels so good when it stops’ agenda? Uh, yeah, there’s no time, but if there was,
how long would we have been to-gether by now? Over a century, quite easily. It was still happening.

No, it would never end.

*****

We were enraptured by the fantastic light show. Even when the clouds came over us; they had breaks, so you could
still sometimes see our main sun, the one far distant that looked a little larger that the earth’s moon, and the currently
two moons in our skyview, at different times. We sat in the toasty water, and the freezing rain cascaded on us
sometimes, and drizzled at other times. It was a metaphysical experience. That, with me being still so strongly
linked to the storm obsessed Stefan, made it an experience beyond ecstacy.

Still, no one said anything. We stayed there, until the main sun circled one fourth of the horizon. Finally, Thanatos
said, “If we stay here much longer, we will look like prunes.”

Macha said, “Yeah, I think I’ve had enough. I think I’d also like to transfer into the heart of the castle, with
temperature sensitivity gone.”

“I’m with you there,” said Andre.

Thanatos said, “Let’s go to the main living room. Andre, you haven’t seen the pictures Stef and Donn did, of you?”

Andre looked at me. “You did pictures of me? You didn’t tell me!”

“Sorry,” I said. “Things just piled up.”

“You couldn’t have sent me a thought?”

I shrugged, “We wanted to surprise you, to tell you the truth. We figured you’d have been in the main living room,
by now.”

“Let’s say I got distracted.”

I looked at the rapt Sylvia and Delia. “So I see.” (Andre looked pretty content, himself.) I extended my hand to
Thanatos, who took it. “We ought to do this more often. This was an amazing experience. Let’s join hands and get
ourselves back in the castle.”

“OK,” said Thanatos. We did, and we ended up all standing to-gether, fully dressed, in front of the paintings. I will
not bore everyone with the endless stream of compliments me and Stefan got.

Then, me and Stefan checked out Percy’s tower. It was a nice addition.

*****

“Where’s Percy?” asked Kevalyn, as we all sat in a circle in front of the fireplace in the main living room, after a
slight, temporary re-arrangement of the seating.

Thanatos closed his eyes. “He’s on the sunny side of the habitable part of the planet. He’s on an exploration trip.”

“I’d like to do that one day,” said Sylvia.

“Same, but it’s low priority. I mean, note that I haven’t bothered yet,” said Deliah.

“I’m still into ‘Give me Niflheim, or give me death.’ I’d rather not. I never want to see daylight again. You all can
just send me the thought pictures of what you saw,” said Stefan.

“Percy can show us, when he gets back,” said Macha. “I’d like to spend some time mollycoddling that gorgeous
creature.”

“Can I help?” asked Kevalyn.

“We both know he’d appreciate that,” said Macha. “He’s always liked to be spoiled in stereo.”

“Tell me about it,” said Stefan. “Now he’s big enough to be spoiled in quadrophonics.”

“At least,” said Thanatos, “but what a remarkable creature he is. Thanks for persuading him to become like this,
Andre.”

Andre smiled. “Welcome. Now I find that though I’ve always wanted a pet leopard, there’s not even such a thing as
a pet cat.”

“Household despot, is more like it.” said Stefan.

“The only way to relate to them,” said Deliah. “Cat’s make better rulers than people, it seems.”

“They do tend to be more reasonable,” said Thanatos.

“Reasonable? As long as you cater to their hedonism to the nth degree. I mean, I’d come home from a double shift,
and can I just open a can of cat food and leave? Nooooooo! I had to measure out a half a pound of shrimp, thaw it
in the nuker, and hand feed it to him one by one. Not the little ones. He liked the big ones. Nine dollars a pound,
you know? If I didn’t hand feed him, he’d go hungry, and I’d feed the waste to the ferals. Sometimes he ate too fast,
and he’d throw up. Arrrrrrgh! It’s like, I could have eaten that,” said Stefan.

“It was a touching sight to see,” said Kevalyn.

Stefan smiled. “So, it was. I mean, I didn’t always hand feed him. If I was eating my own dinner, he’d feed himself.
Just as long as we ate to-gether. Percy really is quite a romantic (As I’ve said before). In fact, I am tempted to
beckon him.”

“Of course we were the first to declare dibs on him,” said Macha.

“Fine,” said Stefan. ‘Percy? Have you had your fill of the hellside of the planet yet?’

‘I will not pounce on the beasties, I will not pounce on the. . .’

Stefan chuckled. ‘I hope you are being sarcastic.’

The leopard materialised at Stefan’s side. ‘Of course. You know, only about twenty two percent of the surface of
this planet is habitable?’

And we were on the far outskirts of that habitable region.

Stefan asked, “Are you a geologist and mathematician, now?”

‘Hey, zone-case! I know everything that you and everyone else knows; that they have chosen to share with me now.
Remember? I have all of everyone’s memories and knowledge, here. In fact, I retain things better than you, because
I have a higher degree of perpetual self-awareness than you; you damn space cadet. I am a CAT!’

Stefan kneeled, and kissed Percy on the forehead. “Macha, Kev? You can have ‘im. He’s being a bit cantankerous,
here.”

“Well, considering that you did just insult his intelligence. . .” said Macha.

Stefan embraced Percy. “I’m sorry love. I hold everyone to my own standards, and they appear to be lower than
yours.”

‘I notice, but I forgive you. After all, you’re only just a person.’

Deliah laughed. “Ye gods.”

Stefan looked up at Andre. “Dude! Do I pet your nose, or slap you upside?”

“Hopefully, neither,” said Andre.

Percy got up, and stepped away from Stefan. Suddenly, it wasn’t a leopard that was standing beside Stefan, but a
man.

We were all absolutely stunned. Even Thanatos. Stefan was the first to speak. “Holy shit! David Selby, eat your
heart out!” Percy did look a bit like the young David Selby, though with copper eyes. Only better, if that could be
imagined.

“Thank you,” said Percy. “Now can we all start realising that there is more to me than just a desire to sleep in front
of the fire, or a desire for a tummy rub and play time? I mean, you gave me all your shallow traits to top the basic
personality traits of my own kind. You hybridised me, and I suppose now you have to pay the consequences of
putting up with me.”

Stefan scowled. “If you were still a cat, I’d kiss you on the forehead, but you’re not, so I don’t think I will.”

Percy smiled, and shook his head. “Stefan, Stefan, my dearest Stefan. You know, you must be the most confused
individual in existence, regarding issues like this.”

“You mean, it’s not me?” I had to ask.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Donn. Not only does Stefan take the cake in what ‘it’ is/was, and what ‘it’ wants/wanted, but
it’s taken the whole damn bakery, as the expression goes.”

“My former cat, the psychologist,” said Stefan.

“YOUR cat?” asked Percy.

“You didn’t exactly open your own cans of catfood, dude.”

“That’s what slaves are for,” said Percy.

“He’s got you,” said Macha.

“I think I’ll quit while I’m behind,” said Stefan.

“Wise decision, Stef,” I said.

Percy went over to Stefan, and embraced him. “Thanks for everything, love.”

A tear trailed down Stefan’s face, as he returned the gentle hold on Percy.

Percy did get that kiss on the forehead, after all.

Chapter 4

Thanatos took Stefan, me and Percy away from the rest of the lot. This time, it was Percy who was wrapped around
Stefan, as we were led to the room devoted to Scotland.

Stefan had gotten himself well under control. “Percy, I really wish I’d payed more attention to you. I didn’t give
you one tenth what you deserved.”

“You had other things to do. I mean, it took a lot of money to keep me in the royal style you’ve got me accustomed
to, and I knew that even when I was alive, as if you let me forget. You gave me a lot more attention then most
people give to the felines they share their households with.”

“Why didn’t you sleep with me more, on Earth? I mean, you seemed to enjoy it?” asked Stefan.

Percy chuckled. “Cats are notorious grudge holders, and I was very immature. Whenever you did something I didn’t
like, I punished you by depriving you of myself. You weren’t always a good enough telepath for my taste.”

Stefan and Percy sat next to each other on a three seater, while me and Thanatos pulled up a chair in front of them.
“Do you know how confusing it is to relate to you, now?” asked Stefan.

“Would you prefer I become a leopard again?” He didn’t say so, but in reality, Percy preferred it so.

“Sometimes, maybe. The form you wear!”

“I took it from your mind,” said Percy. “You thought I’d look like David Selby if I were a person, and I just couldn’t
resist improving the look according to your standards. After all, you saved my life from becoming a tragedy when
you adopted me. You also gave me the best food available. The high class sea food? The organic cream? The
Nutro catfood? The bottled water? Then there was the cat structure, and all the toys you bought me? Those times
when you brushed me out? The snogging sessions, where you acted like you were scent marking me back? You
really cared about me. You still do. And all you wanted from me, was that I sit in your lap and purr.”

“You did a lot more than that. You even got me to work on time, when I forgot to set my alarm.”

Percy ran his right index finger down Stefan’s nose. “I was accustomed to eating at a certain time. Cats a sticklers
for schedules. We don’t like to be kept waiting.”

Thanatos asked. “Considering the heavy duty nose petting that’s going on, shall we leave you two alone?”

Both Percy and Stefan laughed. “Gods, no,” said Stefan. “I guess I just had to clear up some guilt feelings.”

Percy pointed at Stefan. “You know, you treated me better than you treated Kevin? You rather slept with me than
Kevin.”

“You didn’t snore.”

“Tell me about it,” said Percy. He looked at me and Thanatos. “I also thank both of you, for all you’ve done for
me.”

“It was our pleasure,” said Thanatos.

“Totally,” I added.

“Thanks. Now, might it be possible to cater to me in satisfying my curiosity about some things?” asked Percy.

“Like, the intimacy of the tea rituals we used to have a long time ago?” asked Thanatos.

“I remember the days of Tech Duinn. You’d all sit on the couch under cover in front of the fire place, and everyone
would have a cup of tea, and sometimes I’d be in someone’s lap, enjoying the heat of the fire if I’d decided to go
temperature sensitive.”

“I was never even aware of you having the ability to turn your senses on and off, like that,” said Thanatos.

“I guess you just took it for granted that I had everything figured out and didn’t play stupid games like that, huh?”
asked Percy.

Thanatos smiled. “A polite way of putting it.”

“Well, I did; being the hedonist that I am. I’ll forgive you. I mean, you obviously thought of me as more than just a
cat.”

“I would hope so, Sir Percy,” said Thanatos.

“Your master, your liege, aye?”

Thanatos winked, and pointed at Percy. “Only when you’re a cat. In this form, you can open your own damn cans.”

“As if you ever fed me.”

Thanatos cocked his head. “That can be arranged, if you like.” His tone of voice was a bit on the suggestive side.

Both me and Stefan jerked our heads in his direction. Both our lower jaws had dropped, too. “Say, what?” I asked.

Thanatos said, “Read me, babe.”

I did. It was only said in jest. “Ye gods! Remind me to establish a stronger connection with you, before you give
me a cardiac.”

“As if,” said Thanatos.

I smiled, and shook my head. “You are something else. Stef, mind if we time trip Percy to Tech Duinn?”

“Not at all.”

Thanatos raised his right hand, and flicked his wrist, with index finger extended.

Suddenly the four of us were in Tech Duinn, in the main living room with the perpetually burning fireplace, a thick
blanket was on the couch, and four cups of creamed China black tea were on the table. Percy and Stefan sat in the
middle. It was one of the most beautiful nostalgic moments we ever had. Of course none of us could even think of
getting the tea down without gagging, though we did enjoy its scent; which was the only reason we materialised the
cups.

*****

“We are the same. All creatures, all objects. Exactly the same,” mused Andre.

“Eventually,” said Macha.

“Every mammal, bird, reptile, insect, fish, rock, and speck of dust.”

“You knew that,” said Deliah.

“From an intellectual perspective,” said Andre. “Now I know it intrinsically. I ‘grok’ it, so to speak. I understand
everything Carlos Castaneda wrote about regarding inorganic life forms, and all. I feel like another blanket has just
been lifted from over my head.”

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” said Sylvia. “I know exactly what you’re talking about.”

“Unfortunately, I seem to have lost the company of a leopard.”

“Would you like another one?” asked Macha.

“I’m not sure. Percy is something special. Because of all the care he’d gotten, he was pretty anthropomorphised
even before I did my complete mindshare with him. He had a lot of Stefan in him. Those two are virtually soul
mates. Donn didn’t write about that,” said Andre.

“He didn’t consider it worth writing about.. We’ve all talked about it, though. Percy was rarely mentioned in the
Xanon Chronicles, but he did spend one hell of a lot of time with us. If there was a lap available, he’d be in it much
of the time. He also liked to sleep with whoever was asleep that day or night,” said Macha. “He was a very
affectionate animal.”

“Still is, from what I can tell,” said Sylvia. “Whatever the hell I should consider him as being.”

“I might have married him, if I’d met Percy in life in his human form,” said Deliah.

Sylvia snorted. “He’s legions over Ted.”

“I thought you forgave Ted?” asked Andre.

“I did, but I also stated a fact. I mean, by now Ted Hughes is pretty much a dead issue.”

“Brilliantly phrased. I’ll have to remember that line for Stefan,” said Deliah.

“You and Stefan seemed to have almost everything in common, when you were alive,” said Andre to Sylvia.

“I loved my children, and I was comfortable with my femininity, unlike Stefan. I was also a hell of a lot more
jealous and possessive of my slutty husband, not that I was easy to live with.”

“Neither was Stefan, or should I say, Kyle?” said Andre.

“I think I was worse,” said Sylvia. “Me and Kyle did have a lot of overlapping issues, though.” She looked at
Kevalyn. “You know how goddamn weird this is, talking about you guys in the past, when you were alive? I mean,
not only didn’t you keep your names, you didn’t even keep the facade of the gender you were.”

Kevalyn shrugged. “Stefan doesn’t even like the concept of gender.”

“I could tell,” said Deliah. “He was also such a frustrating lover.”

“No, he wasn’t,” said Kevalyn. “He was damn good.”

“Depends on what you wanted,” said Deliah. “You weren’t going to get unbridled passion or a good fuck, from him.
Same with Donn and Thanatos. They were all the same. So artsy, do controlled, so deliberate, so appreciative, so. . .
goddamn quiet. I mean, why be so self conscious of your dignity at moments like that? Never once did I get wild
abandon from any of those three, not that I really wanted them after the first time. Man, how can anyone feel more
unused, you know?”

Andre had to laugh at that last line. “Is this a bad thing?”

“I couldn’t make those guys lose control of themselves,” complained Deliah. That did wonders for my ego. I mean,
LOOK at me.”

“You’re very beautiful,” said Andre.

“The time is gone, though. I don’t really even care if you don’t cater to my rather weak curiosity on what you would
be like in bed,” said Deliah to Andre. That attitude wouldn’t last with future adoptees, regarding Deliah.

“Then maybe we shouldn’t, because I must confess that I have no desire whatsoever,” said Andre.

“All right,” said Sylvia. “Let’s let our lower bygone instincts stay at rest, then.”

Andre smiled, and said, “Anyway, I admired Donn and Thanatos so much, I’d be incline to imitate their style.”

Sylvia scowled at him. “If you had Stefan’s priorities, I’d threaten to bite your nose off, for saying that.”

“I’m glad I don’t share what’s important to him, then. My nose also doesn’t extend halfway across the room.”

Everyone laughed over that one.

*****

“This is nice,” said Percy. “Now, while we are back at Tech Duinn, what is it like to swim in the ocean, to ride a
horse through the surf, to sit in the perfumed spa, or to sit under the English gazebo on a foggy night as a person?”

Thanatos looked at me. “Looks like we’re going to be here for a while.”

I shrugged. “Fine by me.”

“Would you like an equine ally?” asked Thanatos of Percy.

“No! Can a borrow one?”

“Hm hm. I’ll ask Aslan.”

“Thank you,” said Percy.

Aslan was cool with being ridden.

*****

Percy ended up preferring to ride double, not that riding really mowed his lawn. Despite his now human form,
Percy was still such a cat, and he liked being in close contact with someone else.

He liked romping in the surf, and hitting the ocean. Leopards don’t have an aversion to water, and that carried over
to the human Percy. Even when Percy was a housecat, he used to love playing in the rain, although he wasn’t too
thrilled with baths. Nevertheless, he tolerated being put in the tub without a fight, when the situation called for it, on
those days when he’d been trapped on Earth.

We ended up spending quite a bit of time, playing in the ocean. I had fun, myself. We stayed temperature
insensitive, of course.

We’d had to time trip to get to a foggy night in the garden for the stint under the English gazebo, and Thanatos had
no problem directing us to the conditions we wanted. Afterward, we walked through the garden. The neglected
torches were still burning, and everything was just as we’d left it.

We walked to Percy’s final experience of curiosity. The spa.

Percy wanted to experience the self torturous method of disrobing in the hall while being aware of the uncomfortably
cold temperature, and feeling the relief, as one walked into the steamy room. We all did that. Would this be my last
time?

Gods, I didn’t know. Before now, I thought I’d never see Tech Duinn again. The whirlpool would be filled with
jasmine oil, thanks to Thanatos. Percy used to love the scent when he was a housecat, and that hadn’t changed.
Percy entered the water first, and he all out revelled in it. He sat between us, and rubbed the side of his face first
against Than’s shoulder, then against mine. We ended up having a platonic make-out session of sorts, basically
treating Percy like he was still a cat. Mutual scent-marking behaviour, light snogging, and me and Than traded
places on giving him a light, something of a back and shoulder rub. If we’d been filmed for a controvercial flick, the
audience would have been bored to tears. Stefan, not being next to Percy, just sat there.

When it all ended, the four of us did a sensuous energy exchange, and we went Causal to do another complete mental
merger. It was sweet. Percy had a quality about him, that wasn’t found in people. An innate knowledge. An
alien innocence.

We time tripped back to the Akashic Castle to the moment before we had left, but to that room devoted to Scotland.

*****

Andre, Deliah and Sylvia stood outside of ‘The Room of Akasha’. “Past, present, future, anywhere, everywhere,”
said Andre.

“Hm hm,” said Deliah. “Every world that exists, in every time frame, on all levels of existence.”

“Will I come out sane, if I enter?”

Sylvia smiled. “It’s not a case of ‘Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.’ You just view it internally. You just know
it.”

“And you can just open up, and let the knowledge flow,” said Andre.

“It hits you all at once. A good analogy might be, you getting seven thousand tomes downloaded into your memory
banks in less than a second,” said Deliah. “It’s cool. I’ve done it lots of times. Just don’t develop any passions with
your knowledge. That’s very counterproductive, and unless you can gaurantee yourself that, you don’t want to go in
there.”

“I remember that from our merging, but I’m not sure I’m ready for this,” said Andre.

“Then let’s go read some books, for now,” said Deliah.

“Sure. The library seems to go on forever,” said Andre.

“Almost,” said Deliah. “It’s a student’s dream, huh?”

“Would you forgive me if I said, ‘totally’?” asked Andre.

“We would,” said Sylvia. “We say it periodically. Thank you, Stefan.”

“I love it,” said Andre, “but can we walk?”

“Seeing that you want to see more of the castle, it seems the library isn’t your highest priority,” said Deliah.

“You haven’t seen it all, yourself,” said Andre.

“No. Not by walking through it. I absorbed it,” said Deliah.

“And I want to actually see more of it. I know what you know about it, but I want a more in depth experience.”

Deliah smiled, and put her arm around Andre. “Then, let’s go!”

*****

After we got back to the castle, I had an intense desire to blend with Stefan, but I refrained. Instead, I embraced him
as well as I could with one arm, and sent him the warmest feelings I could, along with a ‘Thank you for having taken
such good care of Percy, and paying so much attention to him.’

He looked at me. ‘What brought this on?’ Stefan returned the telepathic transmission.

I smiled, and brushed my head against his shoulder. ‘By catering to him as you did, and by having been aware of
how to communicate with him when you were alive, you helped him become quite an intellectual creature.’

‘He struck me as having been born that way.’

I couldn’t resist this. ‘Well, he was smarter than your average cat.’

Stefan’s eyebrows went up. ‘My love, my liege! Have I ruined you, with my memories of silly childhood cartoons?’

‘Call me ‘my liege’ again, and I may ruin you, nostrils for brains.’

Stefan had to laugh. “Oh, Donn! I can’t believe how adorable you are,” he said aloud.

Percy then said, “I couldn’t have asked for a better liege, myself.”

“Percy!” I exclaimed.

Percy smiled. “I perceived every thought you guys shared with each other. Now, that telepathy stint wasn’t polite,
was it, my dearest Tuatha prince?”

“Oh, spare me! Please,” I said.

Stefan ruffled my hair, turned to Percy, and kissed him on the cheek. “Mi gatito bonito!”

Percy raised his left eyebrow. “Your pretty kitten, Stefan? Now?”

“Mon chat? Mon leopard?” (Leopard has an accent over the ‘e’, but. . .you know the story on my software.)

Percy chuckled. “Andre is rubbing off on you. Spanish suits you better. French in an Irish accent is atrocious, and
at least you have the decency to adopt a little bit of a Mexican accent when speaking Spanish.”

“Thanks. . .I think,” said Stefan.

Percy leaned into Stefan. “I’m glad our relationship hasn’t changed with my form.”

“How can it? Will you ever take the form of a leopard again?”

Percy tilted his head. “Oh, how you’d like to be pressed against my back, with your arm around me, as you pass out
on a cold evening, under an electric blanket, before a raging fire, on a nice, soft bed. Of course, I’m becoming a
leopard again. This form is deplorable. So weak, and inefficient.”

“I haven’t slept in forever, but that does sound nice,” said Stefan.

“Yes, it does. I’ve never slept with a big cat before,” said Thanatos.

Percy looked at him. “Take a number, babe.”

We found that statement quite amusing.

Yeah, I wanted to experience crashing out with Percy in leopard form, as well. An alternative would do, however. I
looked at Thanatos. “Remember the time we first met, when you introduced yourself as Keith?”

Thanatos shook his head, gave me sardonic smile, and suddenly a snow leopard sat, where formerly was either the
first or second most attractive thing in humanoid male I ever saw, was; depending on my current taste.

*****

Snow leopards are nowhere near as big as a true leopard, but Than’s soft, lush fur, more than made up for it. In a
rare show of this type of hedonism, I crashed out with the lovely cat. Sleeping with my face against his neck, was
nice. I wondered why we hadn’t done this, in so long. It’s been since my early days on Tech Duinn, when me and
‘Keith’ first met, as I shall now confess.

Thanatos wouldn’t be sleeping with Percy in leopard form, or any other form, though. He wasn’t as curious about
crashing out with a large cat, as he’d verbally implied.

*****

Andre stopped in front of a statue of an Oriental jade dragon. “I was pretty good at geography, and now I find that I
didn’t know ninety odd percent of these nations existed.

“You were good at what was your current geography. You weren’t exactly a histroy major,” said Sylvia.

“I studied it to a degree. So much was ignored,” said Andre.

Deliah put her arm around his waist. “Gods, I love people with a penchant to grow intellectually.”

He stroked her hair. “It takes one to know one, eh?”

Deliah cocked her head. “I suppose so. Too bad we were born in different times and countries.”

“What would your father have said, if you were dating a black man?”

Deliah scrowled. “I think he would have had a cow, and died in the delivery room.”

“And people wonder why I couldn’t adjust, in life,” said Sylvia. “Having to live with attitudes like that, you know?”

“And, you should have seen how many people went into shock, when I displayed any level of intelligence,” said
Andre.

Deliah snuggled against him. “And you were never bitter.”

“My father told me, that if anyone ever gave me any of this garbage, just to look at the situation objectively, and
remember that I had a private education, I had more money in a trust fund that most could dream of, and that with my
choice of careers, I was going to make four times the national average in salary. Granted that is not a very spiritual
philosophy of dealing with the situation, but it worked, I never got defensive, and I actually made a few friends
which originally never dreamed they’d be associating with a nigger.”

“I hate that word,” said Sylvia.

Andre stepped forward, and rubbed his left index finger down her nose. “Then I won’t use it again, but you have to
promise me never to call yourself a former Nazi bitch.” (I didn’t think that was worth writing about in my tales,
though it’s happened with regularity..)

“Deal.”

Andre stepped back into Deliah’s, now firmer grip, but looked at Sylvia. “You are not your ancestry. There never
was a reason to feel guilt over having German blood. Sylvia, you were one of the most enlightened people of your
time.”

The three started slowly moving forward, again. “Too bad Tech Duinn couldn’t have been like this,” said Deliah.

“If it were, you’d still be there. You wouldn’t be one third finished with exploring it, and you couldn’t have left until
you saw every last inch of it on foot. Anyway; I wasn’t there, so that would have curtailed our meeting. We couldn’t
have had that, now could we?”

Deliah and Sylvia looked at each other. “But now that we have met. . .hmmmmm,” said Sylvia. She looked at
Andre. “Shall we ask Thanatos if he can arrange for one more round at Tech Duinn, so we can scr. . .”

“No! No. . .no. . .no! Good place to visit, but not to live. I have no desire to devolve to re-evolve. Anyway, I’ve
vicariously lived through all of it during our mental merging. May I also say that I would disappoint both of you, in
bed. I don’t care, anymore. You’d find me too much like. . .uh. . .Stefan, would be the closest thing. There’s no
way I could measure up to Donn, much less Thanatos.”

“Not that there’s really much of a difference, but never mind,” said Sylvia.

Andre ran his hand through her hair. “And why waste our time on that, when we can do this?” He went
‘holographic’ (He raised his vibration rate, I have found is the best way to phrase it.), and put his hand into her
shoulder. Sylvia started to sink to the floor, but faded out before she got there. Deliah immediately joined them.

Chapter 5

Later on, Andre and Percy were sitting on the steps to the main entrance of the castle; with Percy in human form, and
the sun was almost directly in front of them. It was a partly cloudy sky. “You were one strange cat, Percy. Your
level of intelligence, and what you valued, were something else. And the games you played in San Jose?”

“Like me and Kyle chasing each other around in the courtyard of the apartment, and me jumping out from behind a
bush to attack her ankles?”

“And the way you used to jump from tree branch to tree branch? And the time you bit Kyle’s nose front and centre?
And the time when Kyle made snorting noises at you, and you returned the noises the same amount of times she
made them, and then you did the same for Kevin, just to prove that you could? But you only did that once!”

“I wasn’t a performer.”

“Yes, you were. You repeatedly kept them entertained with your antics, like jumping straight up in the air once or
twice, or on rare occasion, three times, and the time you took these vertical leaps into the air, all the way to the front
door, and then you reared up on your hind legs and put your front paws on the door with a “let me outta here” look,
and all that?

“Kyle used to dream you spoke English, until she tried to leash you,” said Andre.

“When I was a kitten, I had a brief interest in learning it, but when she leashed me, I got pretty upset. I never forgave
her for it, for as long as I lived. You don’t need to leash a cat when taking it for a walk, if you have a close
relationship with it. They just follow you.”

“As Kyle found out,” said Andre. “You and Kyle and Kevin used to walk around the neighbourhood in San Jose,
and people who saw you would trip.”

Percy smiled. “I remember. I used to love those midnight walks. Sometimes me and Kyle would run together for
half a block or so. I used to feel sorry for her, since she was so damn slow and clumsy.”

“She made a damn good servant for you, though.”

“When she wasn’t on overtime. Or should I say, when ‘it’ wasn’t on overtime?”

Andre laughed. “For the umteenth time, I have never met someone who has such a gender identity problem in all my
life.”

“I never thought about it. I can’t say I was into the concept of gender, either. I got neutered while I was in my
adolescence. I never knew what I missed, not that it ever mattered.”

“And if you were to materialise on Earth as you are, you’d have women throwing themselves at you, left and right.”

Percy scowled. “I wouldn’t do that, and I’d consider that attention a major nuisance. Unless of course, they wanted
to brush me out, give me tummy-rubs, and dangle a string in front of me.”

Andre shook his head. “You sound like Stefan. Gods, Percy. Your wit astounds me.”

Percy cocked his head. “You think I jest?”

“I certainly hope so.”

Percy’s scowl turned into a smile. “I do. Kyle/Stephanie/Stefan/whatever, left quite a strong mental imprint on me.
When people give an animal their full attention and awareness, and focus with an intent to communicate, they do
leave something of themselves behind in the animal’s personality, if there is a trust and love there. I mean, with our
telepathic natures?”

“You could even see if someone was lying to you.”

“Unfortunately, not all can. That’s been the cause of much avoidable pain and misery.”

“Not that you care that much, anymore.”

Percy shrugged. “Oh, I suppose not. I mean, everything is as it should be, huh?”

“So I’ve been informed by our lovely Thanatos, in our merging.”

“I also have nothing to complain about, in my last life. I mean I was the sire in a comfortable middle income
dwelling, and I didn’t have to do anything but be myself. My two slaves generally behaved themselves quite nicely,
except for Kevin not liking me on the table when he was eating, but I usually let him get away with removing me
from said table.”

“Usually! Uh huh! Yeah, right!”

“I trashed his studio, once. Rearranged it a bit.”

Andre nodded. “Yeah! You moved the speakers on the table, and you dragged everything on the work table across
the room. I remember those images. That was funnier than hell. And what about right after, when Kyle hissed at
you repeatedly for doing that, and you went into the cabinet and dragged out the catnip?”

“Oh, that chastisement hurt. I felt I was justified in what I’d done in the studio, and the love of my life yells at me. I
just couldn’t deal with it. At least Kyle was kind enough to open the bag all the way, being I’d somewhat destroyed
it, and serving me enough catnip so I didn’t care anymore. She learned never to treat me like that again. I mean, it’s
not nice to drive your cat to drugs.”

“Tell me about it. Especially not one like you. You know; despite what you look like, you still seem so feline to
me.”

Percy looked at Andre, and smiled. This was the perfect excuse to go back to his preferred form. He moved closer
to him, and suddenly a black leopard sat next to Andre. ‘Better?’

Andre put his arm around the big cat. “Sometimes. Do you mind that I love you?”

‘Not at all. I appreciate it. Thank you for hybridising yourself with me. You’ve made a better man of me.’

“And you’ve made a better cat of me. Want to go back inside?”

‘Sure. Let’s walk.’

“Telescope tower?”

‘I’d dig that.’

*****

I actually ended up alone, somehow. It was a rare occurance, and I used the opportunity to hit the ice. I actually got
out of my usual black tunic, and switched to one of the same design, though in multi-coloured flourescents, and a few
extra sashes. I went gravity-lite, and ice-danced to only the things I or my adopted family had written; of the Tuatha,
or later Irish styles. I also drew forth Astral-Etheric energy for a light show, and divided myself up so I could skate
and watch at the same time, and I stepped out of time so I could keep myself entertained for a short eternity, and not
have anyone miss me.

Gods, I was no so aware of what a work of art I was. I went into full grace mode rivalling Thanatos, and matching;
no surpassing the shows he so impressed me with when he strutted his stuff on the ice. The music, the colours, the
flow, and the artistry were a mind blower.

This was one of my rare moments of a narcissistic indulgence. In fact, I wondered if I should do a self-portrait of me
either at the high point of an axel, or in the middle of a flying leap.

I decided on the axel. I’d do that out of everybody else’s time frame, as well. It would give me a little ‘time’ to
reflect on the newest member of our lot, the transformation of the lovely Percy, and maybe just completely relax, and
think of nothing.

But for now, I was still on the ice. I got lost in the music, and the Etheric/Astral flow.

*****

Stefan and Thanatos went to the room of the Akashic Library connection, and sat on the floor, hand in hand. “I’ve
done this with so many other cultures,” said Stefan. “I’ve never been that bothered by their passing.”

“This is different, love. This is something you can’t imagine.”

“Knowing Atlantis isn’t as bad as visiting The White City from Tech Duinn, is it?”

“It might be comparable, to you. Then again, you might surprise me. You have come pretty far.”

“I know it a little bit of Atlantis.”

“Through me, yeah. Getting the full force of that whole civilisation through the Records all at once isn’t like
watching an Ed Wood flick. You won’t have a buffer of any kind.”

Stefan smiled. “I’m aware of that.”

Thanatos moved closer to him, and put his arm around him. “You want to do this without me guarding your mind?”

“I think I can handle it.” Stefan returned his hold, and they ended up in a half-cocked embrace.

Stefan locked his mind onto one of the greatest civilisations that ever was.

He managed to remain dispassionate, as the information innundated him.

Yes, Stefan handled it quite well.

*****

I felt so good, after my time on the ice. Kind of high, I guess. Also kind of hedonistic. More hedonistic than
anything at the castle could provide. I ended up transferring Causal for some experiences which are literally
indescribable, for lack of wording, in the English language.

*****

Percy looked at the sun, from the tower. ‘I always used to wonder what motivated people. All the strange
distractions they had that took their attentions away from me.’

“You used to love it when Kyle surfed the web,” said Andre.’

‘Oh, yeah! Sit in her lap, getting perpetually petted, purred at, and nosed; once in a while.’

“Hm. You know, it is so interesting to see all these alien constellations. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of this place.”

‘I just take everything for granted. I’ve had it so good since the day Kyle took me in, I just can’t imagine existence
any other way. Even before Kyle took me in, I wasn’t ever in need. I mean, I was rescued by some people the same
day my mother was killed by a car, and when they abandoned me, the apartment complex kept me fed and watered,
and I was only living outdoors for about three weeks,’ sent Percy.

“If only everyone had it that good.”

Percy looked out the window again. ‘Yeah. I like this place better than Earth. The darker sky?’

“Another perpetual twilight lover, huh?”

‘I’m a cat. What can you expect?’

Andre looked at him. “Leopards too, huh?”

With that, Percy changed himself into a housecat again, and raced up Andre’s left leg into his arms. ‘Sometimes,’
he sent to Andre.

Andre cradled the cat. “Those claws of yours, you know?”

‘Those wounds of yours heal instantly, now.’

Andre kissed Percy on his feline forehead. ‘I suppose you want me to carry you downstairs.’

‘To Persia. Please.’

Andre transferred them. “Carry you all that way? You’re a big cat, Percy.”

‘It was a nice thought. Put me down, please,’ sent Percy.

Andre gently put the cat on the floor. “Here ya go, my currently little leopard.”

Big leopard. Percy shifted his form. ‘How’s about a heavy petting session?’

Andre shook his head, and laughed. “Cats will be cats.”

Percy stretched. ‘Especially the spoiled ones.’

“Oh, I don’t know. You seem pretty fresh to me.

*****

I came back from the High Causal, having meditated, and more or less communing with Chaos. The feeling of love,
couldn’t be any stronger; not to mention my feeling of peace.

I remained formless for a while, after I got back to the castle. I had a vague desire to see Thanatos, and I drifted off
toward our Akashic Library connection. I know I could have transferred, but I was just enjoying all that is, and was
in no rush, so. . .

I knew he was with Stefan, and I dreamily floated toward them.

I went down the halls, and through the closed door. Thanatos and Stefan were wrapped around each other,
unmoving. Both had their eyes closed, and they were in a mind-share. I was invited to join them, and I did. I
hovered into them, in my formless state.

Stefan’s grip on Thanatos tightened, “Aiiiiiiiyah,” he said softly.

I gave him a mental caress. ‘So, you saw Atlantis from a personal perspective.’

Stefan smiled, and answered me in thought. ‘Hm hm. Impressive culture. Impressive end, too. Pretty dramatic, but
they deserved it.’

The two of them dismissed their forms, and became like me. Me; in total bliss, Stefan; the freshly sated one in the
realm of curiosity, and the evolved as they come Thanatos, became as one. Thanatos transferred us back to where I
just came from, and like I was going to argue?

*****

Macha and Kevalyn were in the library. “This place rocks, as the old cliche goes,” said Macha, as she pulled a copy
of ‘The Divine Comedy’ from the shelf.

“It’s nice to be able to come back to it, but I’m more into a Socrates mood. You know, I just love walking through
these aisles. Ancient dreams of childhood still haunt me.”

“That’s why we’re here,” said Macha.

“Will there ever come a time, when I don’t care anymore?”

“There’s a lot of things we don’t care about anymore.”

“I never thought I’d not want tea anymore,” said Kevalyn. “Some forms of nostalgia just won’t let me go, though.”

Macha smiled. “Like the embrace of a loved one?”

“Oh, yeah! It still means so much even after a complete oneness with everyone. Or sharing that communal
whirlpool in the storm, or looking at the horizon of eternal twilight. There are just some elements that I can’t get out
of my system.”

“Getting them out of your system isn’t the point. They have to leave on their own.”

“How many times has the crew discussed this, already?!”

Macha chuckled. “As if there’s a point to any of us conveying anything to each other, any more?”

“Old habits die hard, huh?”

“To say the least.”

They transferred to the ‘philosophy’ section of the library, and started walking down the aisles. There were fifteen
foot long shelves, each with torches at the ends. When standing outside the library, it seemed large, but a bit more
finite, than when actually standing inside the room.

That’s how this place worked. From the outside, it may have seemed a hundred thousand square feet, or so. From
the inside, it was many a square mile. None of us had any problems with this MC Escherian math.

The ceiling of the library went forty feet up. There was a level over the floor along all the walls that contained only
books dealing with absolute fact. They were not books of the Earth, but those compiled by those who were beyond
Earth. They weren’t necessary, but some people just get an itch to do pointless things. My adopted family was in
that catagory.

I mean, we were innately High Astral-Low Causal, but here we bide, in the realm where we experience a sometime
Physical perspective of a Physical world, from a view that bordered the Astral-Etheric. How absolutely frivolous of
us.

“This place is so surrealistic,” said Kevalyn.

Macha scowled. “Do you know what you just said.”

Kevalyn laughed. “I think that comes from having Stefan around too much.”

“Must be,” said Macha, with a smile. “Having him a part of you does have its. . .effects.”

“A nice way of putting it.”

Macha put her arm around Kevalyn. “Aren’t you glad he unloaded you on me?”

Kevalyn looked to the ceiling. “Oh gods, yes. I’ve never had such a good relationship with even Kyle.”

“I know. But who could measure up to her Donn and Thanatos?”

“It used to bother me a little. It also made me feel bad, that she wanted those two so bad, but she had to stay alive to
take care of me. I felt like a hinderance, every once in a while. I knew she resented me some times, but I’m glad she
loved me enough to stick around.”

“So am I,” said Macha.

“Back to the here-now, I’m also damn well aware that Stefan wouldn’t mind it one bit if the only two he would see
for all eternity was Donn and Than, even now.”

“And Percy, and the horses. It’s been like that since he/she/it was alive, babe. Some devotional states never fade.”

“Such sweet torture, to have been rescued by Donn.”

Macha shrugged. “Torture to love him, in those early days. What a confused fuck-up he was.”

Kevalyn tilted her head. “Like, Kyle wasn’t?”

“Hey! They were meant for each other.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Here we are. The S section.”

“S-O, a way down.”

*****

When me, Stefan and Thanatos landed on our world again, we ended up on the far pole from the sun. Of course, we
weren’t stupid enough to perceive any of it. Not the cold, not gravity, though from an outside perspective we were
grounded; so to speak. There was not any sort of sensation for us, whatsoever. We we ephemoral observers.

The distant, secondary sun, and three now visible moons from here; gave us light.

It was freezing, and covered with ice.

Thanatos tilted his head, raised his left eyebrow, and smiled. “Let’s have some fun.”

“How?” I asked.

He extended his hands. “Take my hands, you two.”

We did, and suddenly our location changed.

We looked before us. “Holy shit!” said Stefan.

“Gods above, and below,” I added. A volcano was erupting before us, about five miles away. If we’d been solid, we
would have been hit by debris. If we didn’t have enhanced sight, we’d have been walking through an ashy volcanic
night.

“To be able to see that, this close!” said Stefan.

“Want to get closer?” asked Thanatos.

“Sure,” I said. “Shall we pretend to walk?” If we’d been physical, we couldn’t have done it. The ground was
unstable, hot, and ‘physical’ visibility was close to zero.

“Fine be me,” said Thanatos. “Nice lava flow, huh?”

“I have a confession to make,” I said.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, either,” said Stefan, who was on to me.

We went through the motions of walking through steaming slush, ash, not leaving any prints or evidence that we
were there. We would have needed oxygen tanks, if we’d been Physical.

It was so weird, when things fell on me. They went through me, there was no resistence, but there was an awareness.
I felt something. What does an electric current feel, when another electric current hits it? It’s the only thing I can
think of, even though it sounds like a totally psychotic comparison.

We approached very slowly, by choice. We took in everything. We were like people walking through a hologram
set, only we were the holograms.

The volcano exploded. The top was ripped off, and the lava flow increased. A hole appeared in the side of the
mountain, and we could see the orange flaming molten rock, within.

The earth shook. We didn’t. If I’d not been stablised by Thanatos suddenly putting his arm around me, I might
have done some interesting things, from the disorientation I was feeling. Fallen? Probably not, but I was having a
hard time dealing with my perception of the situation. I closed my eyes, and leaned into Thanatos.

To my concept of touch, all that existed was Thanatos.

We had stopped moving forward. Stefan was having the same problems as me, and Than supported him, as well. Of
course, none of this was an issue with Thanatos. He just braced us, until the temblor was over. “OK, you guys can
open your eyes again.”

We did. “Thanks, love,” I said.

“Ditto,” said Stefan.

“No problem. That’s what I’m here for.”

Stefan looked at the volatile volcano. “I wish I’d related to you two differently, in the past.”

Thanatos kissed him on the temple. “It’s OK. We’re all where we’re supposed to be, now. Everything that
happened, should have happened, and your motivation was always right in everything you did for us. When I was on
my second incarnation, and when Macha had me in her clutches, mine wasn’t.”

I moved forward, and reached toward Stefan. “I wish our relationship had been different, too.” I kept my thoughts
guarded for this moment.

Stefan touched his fingertips with mine. “I’m sorry,” he said sadly.

I smiled. “I wish I’d been warmer to you. Maybe not so hung up on retiring a virgin, the first time around.”

“It’s OK. You made me appreciate you even more,” said Stefan.

As we headed on to the volcano, we ended up ‘walking’ on top of a river of lava. We might as well have been
walking across the Phlegathon.

No, we didn’t walk up to the crator. We went up to where the side of the mountain was blown out, stayed there a
while, and went back to the castle.

No one had been aware that we’d even been gone.

Chapter 6

When the three of us got back to the castle, I wanted to let everyone in on what we’ve just experienced to the fullest
degree, being everyone else was too occupied to get more than a trace of our experience, in our connective thread of
unity, but Stefan over-rode me. He wanted some more time with me and Thanatos, alone.

We transferred to the outside of the front of the castle, where the sun wasn’t. We walked the half mile to the edge of
the precipice, and Stefan lay face down, overlooking the edge. There were many square miles behind the castle.
Surprisingly, none of us had actually gone to the far edge behind the castle, even via a transfer. We just didn’t care.
“None of us ever jumped off this thing,” said Stefan.

“Transferring is easier,” said Thanatos. “If you’re thinking of floating down, a gust of wind could smash you into the
side of the plateau. You’d always have to concentrate on shifting your state on a nano-second’s notice.”

“Never mind,” said Stefan.

Both me and Thanatos sat beside Stefan. Than stroked his hair. “Will you ever stop being so impulsively
ridiculous?”

“Probably not,” said Stefan.

“Good,” I said. “Don’t want to lose the high amusement factor.”

Stefan looked at me, and blew me a kiss.

Thanatos looked up. “Clouds coming in.”

“Water the lichen desert, huh?” asked Stefan. With the low light, cold temperature, and harsh winds of the area, that
was almost all that grew in our vicinity. We had a few low lying scrubby plants here and there, but they weren’t
much to look at. The fungi got pretty lush in some of the rockier areas.

Thanatos closed his eyes. “Eventually. Not anything to stay out for, though. No electricity in this one.”

“You can fix that,” said Stefan.

Thanatos looked down at him, put his forefinger, under his chin, and gently guided Stef’s face up to look him in the
eye. “Red Tail, we get enough electrical storms here. This isn’t the Bay Area of California.”

“‘Tis true.”

“I’d rather time trip, than mess with the weather, babe,” said Thanatos.

Stefan sat up. “It’s OK. Wanna walk to the edge of the castle so we can see it come in from there?”

“Sure,” said Thanatos.

We all stood up. Stefan immediately took off at a run.

Me and Thanatos looked at each other, and he shrugged. We took off after Stefan, with Than not going all out to
leave me in the dust. Well, that was one way to get there faster.

Stefan stopped as soon as he got to the front gate, and we caught up with him a few seconds later.

Yeah, I enjoyed the run. I still liked to do that. “Have fun?” I asked.

“Totally,” said Stefan. “I still don’t see the haze of rain.”

“Give it time,” said Thanatos. “After this, shall we get the others to-gether to share the volcano experience?”

Stefan put his arm around Thanatos’ waist, and invited me over for the same. Of course, I complied. “Sure. I think
I’ll have my fix of you two alone after a few hours in the rain,” said Stefan.

Thanatos looked at me. “A few hours? As if we wear watches, based on Earth time?”

Stefan then said. “Hm hm. And after we all do that, would one of you be kind enough to read me the Bucolics
again?”

“Ye gods! By now we know everything that man wrote by memory, except for the Anneid! I wouldn’t have to read
it. I could just recite it. Give us a break, laddie,” said Thanatos.

“Gods, you’d think he liked Maro’s poetry better than our own,” I said.

“Bite your tongue. Our own, I know from memory! Every piece we ever wrote,” said Stefan.

“Let’s go for a ride, instead,” said Thanatos.

“Can I double up with you?” asked Stefan.

Thanatos looked at me. “One less horse to service.”

“I’ll ride Shiva, then,” I said. “He’s not as demanding.”

*****

After the ride, we did the mental merging with everyone; which included the animals, and it was mutually decided
that we would time-trip back, and have everyone experience the volcano incident first hand. We approached the
erupting volcano on horseback. Deliah decided to go for the dramatic effect, and she wore a sheer, layered, midcalf
dress with jagged edges, coloured in flames. Andre had a hard time not staring at her, everyone knew it, and he
knew that everyone knew it. Finally he said, “Can someone do me a favour and paint this Jewish princess, as she
currently is?”

“I can’t say I’m Jewish, anymore,” said Deliah. “I haven’t identified with that religion since the day I died. Thank
you, though.”

“Can I volunteer?” I asked.

“Of course. I appreciate it,” said Deliah.

I smiled. “So do I. I’ll get right on it, as soon as we return from this adventure.”

“All this ash falling through me feels weird,” said Sylvia. Because of the very low visibility, we saw everything
through the dark haze, with Astral Sight.

‘Tell me about it,’ sent Percy, in his preferred pardale form.

“Wait until we re-experience the earthquake,” I said.

“Should we all dismount and sit down for that?” asked Kevalyn.

“You don’t have to sit down. Just brace yourself. It might be hard on the horses, though,” said Thanatos.

“I’d dismount now, and tell them to prepare,” said Macha.

“That’s a pretty good idea,” said Thanatos. “It will be a while, though.”

Macha got off of her grey mare. “It’s OK. We shouldn’t ride any farther, anyway.” Macha went and kissed her
horse on the nose, and closed her eyes, sending the beautiful creature a picture of what was to happen.

“For the sake of our perception, I’ll have to agree,” I said, as I got off of Hesper.

“It is kind of weird,” said Stefan. “Can we go to where the side of the mountain gets blown out?”

“Sure,” said Thanatos. “but if you think riding toward the crater now is a dizzying experience, are you sure you can
handle it?”

“You’re being sarcastic, I assume,” said Stefan.

“Yes. Actually, that’s a very interesting idea,” said Thanatos.

“I’m staying on my horse for a little while longer,” said Andre.

“Same,” said Deliah.

So did Kevalyn, though she didn’t say anything.

I took Stefan’s hand, as we progressed.

*****

We made it to the point of the pending structural explosion well before the time, and everyone else just got off their
horses/ponies/whatever, and we made the motion of sitting down on the shallow slope; being ghosts in the
environment.

Almost. We still felt everything that hit us and fell through us, like an energy surge.

Everyone was in both mental and physical contact with their equine companion, though me and Stefan also had our
arms around each other.

When the volcano did it’s major eruption, it was a complete mind blower.

Imagine that you are just there, unmoving, as what is under you starts to shake, and a mountainside gets blown to
smithereens, and everything goes right through you, and everything is smoking from tremendous toxic heat that you
can’t feel in the slightest. Lava goes right through you, but you may as well be surrounded by whisps of fog, for all it
mattered.

Now, to have half ton rocks, both molten and not going through you, is quite an experience. I could only feel those
energy surges, but I just had to flinch and react as if it were affecting me. Me and Stefan disengaged from each
other, I actually covered my face, and curled up a bit. At least I wasn’t the only one; and after it was over, I looked
at a very unphased, highly amused Thanatos. I pointed at him. ‘Don’t say it.’ I conveyed.

He chuckled, and shook his head. ‘I won’t.’

We all looked each other over, and even Percy, who was flat on the ground with his chin on his forelegs looked up at
me with a ‘Who me?’ expression, though he didn’t convey anything to me.

Only Thanatos had not reacted, and the rest of us, while the volcano was still madly spewing, just busted up over our
nonsensical reactions.

We stayed a little longer to watch the rivers of lava, and hear the violent rumblings of the volcano, and then
everyone. . .animals included, blended into each other, and we went High Causal.

We stayed ‘Home’, in the realm we really belonged for quite a while, from our perception.

Chapter 7

The first thing I did after we got back to the castle, was paint Deliah in the outfit that she’d worn on the volcanic trip,
on Aslan. She and Andre had really gravitated toward each other, and they both ended up watching me complete
about half the painting. Those two were the only ones with me, when I did my work.

Though for how I loved Stefan, I was a bit relieved he wasn’t there. He’d always be a pacer, walking around me,
staring over my shoulder, just being as distracting as hell. If I was lucky, he’d sit down for an (illusory) twenty
minute stretch.

They sat on a couch sort of behind me, angled so they had a relatively full view of what I was doing. They were
snuggled up against each other. Their conversation was not to be perceived by me.

‘There’s so much we could have done, if you’d been here earlier,’ sent Deliah.

‘We’ve both done everything. Just not with each other; not that there’s a point to that anymore.’

‘Some things I just can’t bring myself to do, anymore. Those cups of tea, I used to cherish so?’

‘I couldn’t stand consuming anything even before I got to The White City. Odd, considering I was French.’

Deliah smiled. ‘You were practical. Like the animals. You dropped everything that wasn’t innately you, anymore.
Everything that no longer had a function. You didn’t carry over any habits or addictions.’

He traced his left index finger down her nose. ‘I never lost my appreciation of feminine beauty.’

‘I’m almost curious enough. . .’

‘I have a better idea. Let’s do an energy exchange, and hopefully we’ll get back before Donn finishes the painting.

‘That sounds like a wonderful idea.’

*****

Thanatos and Stefan went back to the now ‘heavily modified’ volcano. It was still smoking, but now there was a fair
amount of visibility, and the landscape had been re-arranged a bit. Two hotsprings had been exposed, and this area
was beginning to look a bit like Iceland in the winter, in the middle of a moonlit night.

Actually, it was a bit brighter. The distant sun and currently four visible moons gave enough light so even Stefan
didn’t need a torch.

For Thanatos , there was no pitch blackness. His glowing eyes saw all. They walked to the edge of the hotsprings.

“This looks so cool,” said Stefan.

“Don’t even think about it. The temperature of the water is hotter than you could physically handle; unless you want
to be stew meat, the temperature outside of the steam is way colder than the coldest Antarctic night, and then there’s
those winds.”

“Not gale force.”

“At the moment.”

“Can you bring me here some time when it’s snowing?” asked Stefan.

“You really love this place.”

“It’s beautiful. I’m just thankful I don’t have to feel it.”

Thanatos chuckled. “So am I. Anyway, Red Tail! If you were affected by the cold, your nose would get frostbitten,
and have dropped off before the hour was up. We couldn’t have that, could we?”

“Heavens forbid! No! I’d fade away in agony. I love my nose as much as I love you and Donn.”

Thanatos petted that nose. “I’ve grown quite attached to it myself.”

Stefan smiled. “Let’s go up to the crater.”

Thanatos looked up. “Let’s transfer.”

“That’s what I meant. I assume you knew that.”

“Even if I weren’t a chronic low level telepath, I’d know that.”

They took each other’s hands, and transferred.

*****

When I put my brush into the water can for the last time, I turned around, and found I was alone.

*****

Deliah and Andre landed on the equator of the planet, after their energy exchange. They had a change of heart, as to
coming right back to watch me finish the painting. There was a lot more life here. They’d touched down in a
rainforest.

“Stefan won’t even consider coming here?!” commented Andre.

“Nope. He’s allergic to light not given out by fire.”

“This place is so beautiful, though.”

Deliah shrugged. “He’s seen it vicariously through everyone else who’s been here, so he doesn’t have to come here,
himself. Our telepathic unions spare him the trouble.”

“This has got to be the most wonderful bunch I ever met. Also the strangest.”

Del and Andre took each other’s hands, and started walking through the thickly canopied forest. A heavy mist hung
in the air. “Don’t worry. You’ll adapt,” said Deliah.

Andre stopped, and the ‘in tune’ Deliah turned to face him. “I wish we could have been alive at the same time, in an
era where in was OK for us to be together.”

They embraced. “We’re there now,” said Deliah.

“You are soooooo short.”

Deliah looked up at him, and laughed. “I like it like that.”

Andre laughed, too. “Yes, my dear shapeshifter. I know it suits you, or you would have done something about it.
Still, I think you must be the most beautiful thing I ever laid eyes on.”

“Surely I’m not more beautiful than Thanatos, Donn, or Stefan’s nose.”

Andre looked to the right, then back at Deliah. “All right! I have a confession to make. You are as beautiful as
Thanatos and Donn, but all three of you are slightly behind Stefan’s nose.”

“Andre? Would you consider making out here, as we are?”

He scowled. “After what we just did! On the Causal! How can you even go there?”

“Once?”

“I’d have to force long dormant desires to surface.”

“Is there no degree of curiosity?”

Andre stroked her hair. “You’re demanding, wild, and hard to please. We’re not compatible like that. You’d find
me boring, because I wouldn’t compromise my style like Thanatos did that one time he did, and I never was as into it
as Keval. . .Kevin used to be on Tech Duinn. I know you. I know everyone. There is no need for curiosity.”

She pressed the side of her face against him. “I think I’ll take your council, and not bring it up again.”

Andre kissed her on the forehead. “That’s probably a good idea. Let’s move forward, shall we?”

*****

Stefan and Thanatos stood at the top of the crater, or should I say, ‘pretended’ to stand on top of the crater. The
roiling lava was an impressive sight.

‘It’s so nice, being in the state we’re in,’ sent Stefan. It was easier than yelling over the thundering volcano. ‘To
actually be able to see things like this, up close.’

‘I don’t share your awe, but considering your past limitations, I can understand what you’re going through’

‘I take so much for granted, but at the same time, I don’t.’

‘You never really took me and Donn for granted.’

‘I used to cuss both of you out for not being there in such a way where I could touch you.’

Thanatos shrugged, ‘It was understandable, but not possible. If it were possible, it would have been stupid. I might
as well have cut your head off.’

‘I could have lived with that.’

Thanatos looked at Stefan. ‘Tell it to Anne Boleyn.’

‘Another historical tragedy.’

‘Considering neither she, nor any of those executed with her, were guilty of any of the crimes charged against them,
but it’s of no importance to any of them any more.’

Stefan chuckled. ‘Tell it to Ann Boleyn. That’s a carved in stoner.’

Thanatos nodded, and closed his eyes. ‘I just sent the conversational sequence to Donn. He found it amusing, and it
will be recorded on his word processor.’

‘The one that doesn’t do accents?’

‘That’s the one.’

Stefan ‘appeared’ to sit down, and dangled his legs into the crater. ‘There was a time we would have gotten a kick
out of sitting here, and having iced lemonade.’

‘So many of us here are still so hung up on this stuff.’

‘Isn’t that why we’re here in the first place? I mean, even you still paint and enjoy the music and visual artwork of
the others.’

‘‘Tis true. Sylvia’s the only one who’s stuck with the poetry, though. I ought to get off of my butt and start working
on some more of that.’

‘I still feel like I’ve said everything there is to say,’ sent Stefan.

Thanatos ‘sat’ beside him, and he turned Stefan’s face toward himself, gently with his fingertip. ‘You still dwell
much on the past. I’m sure you’ll dig something up to gripe about, and you may trigger mine own creativity.’

‘You have a point,’ sent Stefan, as the noise level and the lava started rising. ‘She’s gonna blow.’

Thanatos put his arm around Stefan’s shoulders. ‘Let’s stay.’

‘Sure.’

They were soon perceptually completely enveloped in lava. Actually, they were one with the lava.

*****

After I put the brush down, I just couldn’t help myself. I was into this again, and I couldn’t stop. I was on fire. I
stepped out of everyone’s time frame, and went balistic.

I did a total of three more paintings. Deliah and Andre on Andre’s pinto, with both dressed in Navajo clothing and
accessories, Percy and Thanatos snuggling; both in feline form, and Percy in human form, facing Stefan , both in
profile, and touching fingertips. Stefan was in his usual uniform with cloak and gloves included, and I painted Percy
dressed like Quentin Collins, of Dark Shadows; who he resembled, in all out Victorian finery.

That satisfied my need for a fix. I didn’t tell anyone, and just hung them up. They’d be noticed, soon enough.

I was alone.

What did I want to do?

Did I want to go for a solitary ride? Did I want to run like hell up to the observatory? Run like hell to the library,
and pick out a book?

I was feeling kind of amped. I just took off down the halls for the front exit, then raced to the edge of the plateau. I
looked over that edge, and just went nuts. I materialised a very heavy metallic spike into the ground, with a very
long rope going over the edge, to ground level. I changed my boots to a pair of mountain boots with cleats, and a
good pair of thick cloth gloves made of hemp, fastened myself to the rope, and actually rappelled down, going
gravity lite.

I wasn’t the type to generally do this sort of thing, but once in a while, you just have to try something new. Of
course, being that injury would not be a problem, I was pretty reckless, and went faster than would have been wise
for a member of the Physical Plane, but I just went with what I could do.

I had a blast. I momentarily contemplated what it would be like to take a hang glider off the top, but only
momentarily. Surprisingly, absolutely none of us knew how to do that. Off the cuff, not even Thanatos, though he
could learn in no time. He’s probably say, “Why bother? I can just become a falcon or an eagle,” which was a damn
good point.

It was a long drop, and it took a while for me to hit the bottom. I ended up laughing pretty hard over my detour
from my general mode of behaviour, and just sat down against the wall of the cliff after I dematerialised the rope and
spike.

I wasn’t going to go up the same way. There was no challenge in it for the likes of me, and I most certainly
wouldn’t have enjoyed an ascent in such a fashion.

The sun was behind me, on the other side of the plateau. Gods, I loved this perpetually eerie landscape as much as
Stefan. I wasn’t much into landscapes, but I’d have to paint this, one day. Kevalyn already had a few dozen
paintings up, of various scenes of the area, but I knew damn well that I could come up with something new. Maybe
not of the immediate area, but hey! This was a whole world. Maybe I could do a picture of the sere landscape at the
pole closest to the sun.

We didn’t call it North or South. We called it dark pole, and light pole, and facing the light pole, it was left or right.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I faced the dark pole. If I could feel it, it would be cold enough to make water
freeze. When it was cloudy, it was usually a little warmer. Granted it didn’t get as cold as North Dakota in January,
but it wasn’t something I wanted to experience.

The winds were strangely nonexistent, now. Gale force occured with regularity, though hurricane force didn’t
happen.

I dematerialised my gloves, and got back into my regular boots. I stretched out, and simply sat there for a while,
listening to the silence. What little wildlife was in the area wasn’t terribly noisy. Again, we were at the outskirts of
acknowledgable surface life. It existed, but sightings were hard to come by, and nothing came up to the castle. The
ground up there was so barren, not even the lichen of the desert floor grew there.

We all took well to Stefan’s idea of paradise. Red Tail’s imagination from the earlier days was quite a boon to us.
In fact, so was his imagination in the present. He could still be as funny as hell.

‘Hesper,’ I called him. ‘Want to spend some time just walking with me in the desert?’

I got an affirmative in a nonverbal fashion, and he appeared by my side. I put my hand on his shoulder, and we just
walked.

*****

From under a sea of flowing lava, Stefan and Thanatos materialised back into the castle, straight to the room
dedicated to Egypt’s golden age. They sat across from each other, on the floor. “I can’t believe I can still
experience new things,” said Thanatos. “You’ve actually found something I haven’t done.”

Stefan simply shrugged. “Neither have I. I can’t wait to call that meeting later, to share this.”

“Hm hm.”

“I kind of wish Donn was here.”

Thanatos closed his eyes, and smiled. “Let’s leave him alone, for now. He’s communing with Hesper, down
below.”

Stefan looked down. “Can I confess something to you?”

“You don’t have to. Everyone knows me and Donn are ultimately your whole life.”

“Is it a lie I’m telling to myself?”

Thanatos shook his head. “No. You’ve been like that since you first remembered us.”

“I used to dwell on that. Is it wrong?” asked Stefan.

“It means you can’t be totally unconditional, but to tell you the truth, no one else is, either. I mean, Macha and
Kevalyn are hooked on each other, Andre and Deliah, us three. . .Sylvia seems to show the least preference, but her
poetry is more important to her than anything else.”

“But you’re unconditional.”

“Technically, but I choose to exist here. With you. I do have preferences in some things. I mean, if I have to be
somewhere, why not be with those who’ve helped me realise myself after I temporarily destroyed what I was
originally meant to be?” asked Thanatos.

Stefan raised his hand foreward. “Than? I really want to be one with you. Can. . .can. . .I know it’s so backward,
but. . .”

Thanatos brought his fingertips to Stefan’s. “A roundabout way to our conclusive merging.”

Stefan nodded, and closed his eyes.

They stayed like that. Face to face, with only fingertips touching. Through Tantric focus, they drove each other and
themselves over the edge before blending in the usual energy exchange, and they ended up going High Causal.

Chapter 8

Well, I got to vicariously experience what it’s like to be in a river of lava, and not be effected by it. All I can say is
that it was very interesting, and I’d really rather not actually do it myself. The rest of the domicile was in full
agreement with me. Percy was convinced both Thanatos and Stefan needed therapy, after the information exchange
of our household merging. He could have done quite well without the images. Feline personalities are very
practical, and they just don’t do some things. For having such a curious nature, they don’t tend to dwell on
traumatising their senses.

We did the complete merger in the low Causal. The equines were a part of the package as well, and though they
thought Thanatos and Stefan were off their rockers as well, they did deal with it a bit better, being simply amused by
the pointless things people did.

When we got back to the castle, we split up again. Macha, Kevalyn and Sylvia off to record their latest, Deliah,
Andre and Percy as a leopard off to do some snogging and philosophising, and me, Thanatos and Red Tail, to do our
own thing.

*****

Thanatos immediately dragged us to the hall where I’d put my new paintings up. We had what amounted to about a
half hour viewing, I had to deal with all the compliments, and then we just slowly walked the halls, looking at the rest
of the old paintings, while we ‘talked’.

I fought my way into the esteemed middle, and I wasn’t going to give it up. I had Than and Stef by the hand. “No
matter how far we go, we always come back,” I said.

“That’ll have to stop evetually,” said Thanatos. “It will be of our own choosing, though.”

“I can’t imagine ever not wanting to see stuff like this again,” said Stefan, as he waved his hand across the wall
before us.”

“You’ll always see it. Just not in the same way, and that’s why we’re here now. I’m enjoying this as much as you,
by the way,” said Thanatos.

“We have changed a lot, since we first met,” I said.

Thanatos made eye contact with Stefan, and smiled. “Some of us have changed more than others.”

Stefan scowled. “Hey!!!!”

I looked first at Stefan, then at Thanatos. “You didn’t?!”

“Technically, no,” said Stefan.

“I hate it when you use the word, ‘technically’,” I said.

“No contact Tantra,” said Stefan. “Then energy exchange, then High Causal unity. We just took a circuitous
route.”

“Whatever,” I said, and I just had to chuckle.

Stefan said, “You know, no matter how absolutely gorgeous the higher mergings are, there just isn’t any point to
painting them. I mean, the overlap of two or three or however many clouds of different pretty colours just leaves me
feeling absolutely nothing. I mean, I’d rather look at a picture of a space nebula.”

“Tell me about it,” I said.

“That’s obvious from our erotically themed artwork,” said Thanatos. “From a visual perspective, I’m with you all
the way.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be too evolved to care?” asked Stefan.

Thanatos adopted a comical lopsided expression. “My love of our paintings has nothing to do with my personal
evolution, you provocative little button pusher.”

Stefan winked at him. “I’m just being a twit, of course.”

“I just told you that, though I phrased it a tad more politely,” said Thanatos.

“Israel is coming up,” said Stefan. “Can we just crash-land in there for a while?”

“Sure,” I said.

*****

Deliah lay pressed against the pantherine Percy with her arm around the cat, and Andre sat to Percy’s other side in
the violet grass, a bit closer to the Light Pole, than where the castle was. Percy had his eyes closed, his tail was
twitching slightly, and he looked like he was smiling. He was in seventh heaven. We must remember, Percy and Del
took to each other immediately when Percy was a housecat in the White City.

Andre stroked Percy’s forehead, and scratched him behind the ears. “Gods, where were you when I was alive.”

‘I wasn’t born yet, dude. You died twenty years before I was, and I wasn’t quite the big, black, beauty you have
before you.’

“Details,” said Andre.

“Nice being with my two black panthers,” said Deliah.

‘YOUR black panthers?’ asked Percy. ‘If anyone owned anyone, it’s more like you gave yourself to me, than the
other way around, you little cat slave.’

“Figure of speech, Percy. My friend, of many transitions,” said Deliah, as she ran her hand sensuously down his
side.

‘Mmmmmmmmmm! I’d purr, if I could.’

“Aren’t you a shapeshifter? Can’t you re-arrange yourself so you could both purr and roar?”

Percy looked at her. ‘I’d have to ask Thanatos about that. It never occurred to me, and I don’t have a clue on how.’

“Oh, why bother,” said Andre. “You’re fine as you are, and if we absolutely must have someone purr for us, I’m
sure you wouldn’t mind switching back to your former form.”

‘Not at all, if someone will hold me in their lap. I’m a real affection-monger, in case you haven’t noticed.’
“We’ve noticed,” said Andre.

Percy rolled over on his back, out of Deliah’s hold. ‘Tummy rub?’

“Oh, yeah,” said Deliah, and Andre rubbed the appreciative cat under the chin.

*****

We all ended up sprawling on whatever couch, mat or pillows were available. “The House of David probably never
had it so good,” said Stefan, as he closed his eyes, and threw his right arm over them.

“You tend to state the obvious, my dear,” said Thanatos.

“I suppose I do. In fact, I myself have never had it so good. Do you mind hearing for the billionth time, how
grateful I am to both of you?”

“Only if you don’t mind hearing for the billionth time, that this wasn’t exactly a one-way deal. We wouldn’t be here,
if it weren’t for you,” said Thanatos. “In your own, strange, Stefanesque way, you’ve improved our lives just as
much as we’ve improved yours. You’ve re-routed us in ways I wouldn’t have dreamed of, considering what a
nut-case you are.”

I chuckled slightly, as Stefan said, “And what would you like, for the highest compliment you just gave me?”

“You could pet my nose, at your convenience,” said Thanatos.

I laughed. “Ye gods! You’ve been converted!”

Thanatos looked at me. “Should I enhance mine own schnozz the way Stefan had, so many transitions ago?”

“Oh, please don’t. I like not having to look into a mirror to see myself,” I said.

“Of course, you could enhance your own nose,” said Thanatos to me.

“Don’t you dare!” said Stefan. “I don’t need no competition. Anyway, if you do, I’ll make mine bigger.”

Thanatos looked up to the ceiling, then closed his eyes. “I see it now! The war of the noses. With every
schnozzular increase of one, the opposing party does the same, and before long, those in the war will literally be
ninety-nine point nine percent nose.”

“Oh gods, that sounds sexy,” said Stefan in a really histrionic tone of implied awe.

“I’m just glad you guys are kidding,” I said.

“We are?” asked Stefan, still playing.

“As if,” I said.

Stefan cocked his head, and smiled. “Yeah, right.”

“After we’re done lounging around here, wanna go to the library, outside on top, down below for a ride, or Causal,
where we belong?”

“Yes,” said Stefan.

I looked into him. “Hm! I see our lovely redhead really wants to snuggle in bed for a reading session, and go from
there.”

“Sounds good to me. Perhaps we should do this out of everybody’s time frame, or they won’t see us again for a few
days,” said Thanatos.

I wasn’t about to complain.

*****

Percy stretched out, and extended his claws. ‘The three of us have something in common.” he sent to Deliah and
Andre.

Deliah stroked him again. “A life of no regrets.”

‘Hm hm.’

“The only way to die,” said Andre. “The only way to move on.”

“It’s so strange.” said Deliah.

“That Thanatos has one regret?” They’d discussed it before.

“Hm hm. The fact that he destroyed himself over losing Donn’s company again?”

“And that he regrets Keith’s whole life.”

Deliah wrapped herself around Percy. “Do you know how much I loved Keith by the end of Donn’s first story?”

“Yes. So did I. Not in the same way of course, but. . .”

“He was capable of changing gender.”

“Something he refused to do at the time, but that’s not the entire issue. You felt maternal toward him, in addition to
wanting him as a lover. I would have seen him as a mentor. I could have handled a physically close relationship
with him, like what he had with Donn. Platonic lover, light snogging buddy. I couldn’t have dealt with a gay sexual
relationship on Tech Duinn, though. I wasn’t capable of that until I landed in the White City, not that I had any
relationships at all, after I was killed.”

“You never got over your wife, for the longest time.”

Andre shrugged. “Or my daughter, even though I barely knew her. I was so at odds with myself. I was so in love,
but so detached, at the same time. I was such a paradox.

“My death didn’t really bother me. Tonya was very well taken care of. I had a very good insurance policy, my
father loved her and his grandchild, and she got married again to a wonderful gentleman two years after my death,
but it’s like I just didn’t want to know anyone else after her. . .until I read the Xanon Chronicles.”

“I fully understand.” Deliah reached her left hand up. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Andre caressed her hand, and then put his own under hers, so their fingers’ bottoms were touching each other.
“And I’m glad you’re here. Such beauty and intelligence are hard to find, in conjuction.”

“Thank you. I’ve got to say the same for you.”

“You’re not as sarcastic as you were.”

“I still have my moments. Also, you’re not Stefan.”

Andre smiled. “He’s great.”

“Our resident zone case. Everything he thinks of seems to happen, though.”

“He gets a lot of good ideas.”

“I notice. He just moves too fast, some times. He’s always existed by the ‘leap before you look’ philosphy, but he’s
so adorable, despite having been the worst goddamn bedwarmer I ever had.”

“It helps if your bedwarmer had wanted you, and you hadn’t coerced him against his will. He never really wanted
anyone but his two psychopomps.”

Deliah shrugged. “That’s why I didn’t hold it against him. I mean, at least he was mechanically adequate.”

“I’m glad I’m on your side, Del. I’m also glad I’ll never be in what was Stefan’s postion.”

Deliah laughed. “If I really wanted you, I’d have you.”

“I believe that, but I think you know better.”

“I do.”

Percy raised his head. ‘I think she needs neutering more now and when we lived in the White City than I did on
Earth.’

Deliah scratched him behind the ears. “You would have cost more in hospital bills, kitten.”

‘Oh, I suppose so. It seems I was obligated to keep my looks, huh?’

“Well, you had to do something to earn your keep,” said Andre.

‘I kept everyone well entertained.’

“So you did. You still do,” said Deliah.

*****

I was re-reading a novel called ‘The Running Man’, Stef; who took middle position was working on a reread of
‘Theory of the Leisure Class’, and Thanatos was reading ‘Metamorphoses’. We were all in a modified bed with
heating pad, electric blanket, extra fireplace, and I was wearing thin gloves, being we decided to be stupid, and go
temperature sensitive. We also had an electric blanket behind us.

Neither me nor Stefan had noticed that Thanatos had closed his book, and was simply staring ahead; being we were
pretty into our own books.

Stefan read three more chapters, before he noticed Thanatos wasn’t involved in what we were allegedly here, for.
“You cold?” asked Stefan.

Thanatos smiled, and shook his head. “No. I was just triggered into thinking about the past.”

“You OK?” asked Stefan.

“Fine. I’ve got everything resolved. Everything is as it should be. Everything is now.”

“What’s so distracting?” I asked.

“Nothing, anymore.” Thanatos put his arm around Stefan. and kissed him on the temple. “Stef. . .Stephanie.”

“You want me to change?”

Thanatos nodded. “Somewhat.”

“Somewhat?” asked Stefan.

“I’d like something softer at my side, if you don’t mind.”

In a split second, a woman was between me and Thanatos. He picked up his book again.

Stephanie scowled. “You asked me to switch gender, and you don’t want to do anything with me?”

Thanatos scowled back. “I just find it preferable to have a woman at my side, at the moment.”

Stephanie handed me her book. “I don’t like being like this, so much. I’ll do it for you and Donn, but considering I
find my current state not to my tastes. . .”

The scowl on Than’s face turned to a smile, and he petted Stephanie’s nose. “I think I can make your current state
worth your time?” He closed his book again, and put it on his end table.

I put my own book down, and did a thorough read on both Thanatos and Stephanie. I closed my eyes, gave a sigh,
and snuggled next to Stephanie. “Ye gods. Is this moving backward?”

“Not really,” said Thanatos. “I just want a little extra TLC to justify, and ease my mind on that everything is as it is
because of what I did, and what was done to me.”

Stephanie did her best to pull Thanatos toward her. “You already knew that.”

“But I was reflecting on the worst of it, like I knew I shouldn’t.”

Stephanie maneuvered herself up, so she could put her arm under my neck, and she beckoned Thanatos to get into
position, so she could do the same with him. “Shall we pass out?”

“I’d like that,” said Thanatos. “In a little bit, anyway. We’ve not slept once, since we’ve been here. I’d like to do it
at least that many times. . .shortly.”

“Gotcha,” said Stephanie.

I moved myself into the crook of her arm. I dematerialised my gloves, and my tunic; though the leotards and socks
stayed. I put my left arm around her, and got all the way under the covers. “Gods, this is nice.”

Stef stroked my hair. “Isn’t it, though?”

Thanatos positioned himself like me. He was in heavy, black silk pajamas with Asian dragons all over it, and
socks. “Let’s pass out in a complete mind-share.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Stephanie.

We absolutely revelled in one another, for a while.

Three as one, we eventually passed out.

Love really was the ultimate ‘high’.

*****

Percy rubbed his head against Andre’s hip. ‘You know what I would really like?’

Andre looked into him. “White City. See the view from the top of your old home from a person’s perspective, and a
walk in the park.”

‘You got it.’

“I’m game,” said Deliah.

Andre looked down at the leopard. “Shall we hold hands, or hands and paws?”

Percy altered his form. “Let’s go.”

“All right,” said Andre with a smile.

They connected, and tansferred to the rooftop of their old flat in The White City.

It was as they’d left it.

After they’d gotten their fill of the rooftop, they checked out the old apartment.

Everything was the same, except for the fact the doors were all gone, and there were a few books lying around on
various tables. Percy about went into shock, when a finch landed on his shoulder, having just flown in from an
unpaned window.

“What the. . .” Percy started, as he put his left index finger up, sending the bird a mental image of her rearranging her
perch; which she did. “Ye gods, as you say.”

“You’re not an Earthbound cat, now,” said Deliah.

“I never killed anything other than insects. I never caught a bird, though I did have the drive to go after them. I
didn’t even kill any rodents, though I’d played with a few.”

“We know,” said Deliah.

Percy gently stroked the finch. “I must have been the worst hunter of the feline world.”

“You never had to do it for survival,” said Andre.

“Gods, I would have had to deal with fur or feathers in my teeth. I think not. I mean, when you get what I got, who
needs to waste the energy killing something that you wouldn’t even recognise as food anymore?”

You were a pacifist cat,” said Deliah.

“As long as I got my way,” said Percy, with a smile.

“Which was about ninety nine percent of the time,” said Andre.

“At least,” said Percy. “They only issue there was, is that Kevin didn’t want me on the dining table during meals, or
on the computer table, but I really preferred someone’s lap anyway, so hey. It’s just that I was so heavy, they had to
pick me up and recross their legs, being I would cut off their circulation. I didn’t like that, but it came with the
territory, and sometimes even I decided to take the bad with the good, although I did often protest.”

“Yeah, you could really make Kyle feel bad, with your rebukes,” said Deliah.

“Oh, well. It never damaged our relationship. It gave her another reason to call herself ‘pussywhipped’.”

“We do seem to use that word a lot, because of you,” said Andre.

Percy shrugged. “Being default head of household has its advantages.”

“Only when you’re in panthera or felidae form, baby,” said Deliah.

“Then I’ll just have to be the preferred cat the majority of the time. Mind if I slide down the rail?”

“We have to get rid of the post at the bottom of the stairs,” said Deliah.

Percy scowled. “I am not Stefan. I don’t think so.”

“This, I’ve gotta see,” said Deliah.

“Let’s go,” said Percy. “I’d like to see more of the park from this perspective.”

They walked out the front door, and Percy looked down the spiral staircase. Deliah put her hand on his shoulder.
“So much for feline caution, huh?”

Percy winked at her, as he disengaged from Deliah, and mounted the stair rail. “No problem.”

“See you in a few,” said Andre, and he and Deliah transferred to the bottom.

Both Andre and Deliah focused on Percy, and saw vicariously what he was going through. He was going down
sidesaddle, and his speed was something Stefan couldn’t touch. Percy’s sense of balance and control was far greater
than Stefan could ever hope to attain.

When Percy was almost at the bottom, he simply jumped off, landed on the third step from the bottom, and
pirouetted to the landing with a grace that would have left Bruce Lee in the dust. He then bowed histrionically. “I
am innately a cat.”

“So you expect us to be less impressed for that fact?” asked Deliah.

“Oh, I suppose not. Going up there was a waste of time. I’m sorry,” said Percy.

“How about going to the park, and then the museum across the street?” asked Andre.

“I’ve never been to The Gallery. I’d like that,” said Percy.

“You never expressed an interest before.”

“Cat’s can and do appreciate beauty, but see no pleasure in paintings. That’s more for birds.”

“Understandable,” said Andre.

They went outside, and crossed the ‘street’, to the park.

Percy took a great delight at looking at the statuary, the gardens, and the fountains. In this land without night, they
walked every last path the park had. Deliah walked in the middle, holding the hands of both Andre and Percy, for
most of the trip. The three of them had a grand old time, and when they finally got to The Gallery, they saw or
absorbed every last MS Escherian square foot of it, being so much of it was new to even Deliah and Andre, by now.

*****

I woke up first, and immediately repositioned myself, and covered the temperature sensitive, unconscious Red Tail,
to her neck. I pressed myself against her, as I myself got almost completely under the covers. I debated making the
freezing temperature irrelevent to me, but decided to go the masochistic route.

My movement woke both Stef and Thanatos. I brushed my nose against Stef’s upper arm, with Stef still retaining the
Drakkar scent. “Hi,” I said.

“Gods, I’m cold,” said Stephanie. “I almost can’t feel my nose.”

“You threw the blankets off when you were asleep,” I said. “I just covered you up all the way less than a minute
ago.”

“Of course, we could do the wise thing, and go temperature insensitive,” said Thanatos.

“Don’t wanna,” said Stef. “Move closer to me, Great White.”

He did. “Stephanie sandwich.”

“May I switch to my other more masculine facade, now?”

“Oh, I suppose so,” said Thanatos with a reluctant edge.

“You obviously prefer I wait ‘til we leave this bed,” said Stephanie.

“Obviously,” said Thanatos.

Stephanie smiled. “Then I’ll wait.” She brushed her head against Thanatos’ shoulder, then turned to embrace me.
The fireplace was suddenly fed spontaneously by Thanatos, and the fire couldn’t have gotten any bigger. “You two
had nice dreams, I imagine?”

“Mine were Nirvanic,” said Thanatos.

“You’ve got to take us there, one day,” I said. “Mine were High Causal.”

“Same,” said Stephanie. “Can I ask something stupid?”

“You want to go into a star that is in the process of a supernova,” said Thanatos.

“Hm hm.”

“Can I sit this one out?” I asked.

“Sure,” said Thanatos. “And while we’re at it, shall we also find a galactic collision, where they half destroy each
other?”

“Sounds great,” said Stephanie.

“I’ll read you when you come back. I think I can do without the direct visual sensory overload,” I said.

Stephanie reached into me, and I grabbed the side of the mattress in shock. “How about another type of sensory
overload.?”

“Ye gods,” I said through clenched teeth. Her Ethereal arm was still in me, and what I felt was becoming more
unbearable, by the nonexistent nanosecond. She slowly blended into me, and I held out as long as I could, before
becoming like her. Then Thanatos blended into us, and we ended up winding our way through the Astral Levels, to
the High Causal.

It turned out, that my plans of not joining those two on their interstellar adventures wouldn’t go as I’d planned them.

I was pleasantly coerced into going on the tour.

Chapter 9

Imagine being boiled alive in the brightest liquid fire that can possibly exist. Imagine a noise that is beyond the
concept of loudness. When we experienced the collision of two stars as getting hit from two directions, I swear I
would have gone insane if Thanatos hadn’t stablised me, even though it was only like a hologram to us.

It was magnificent. It was beautiful. It was overwhelming. I’m glad all we were, was perception. Gods, but I really
wasn’t ready to deal with what I saw, without help. My mind just couldn’t fathom it. Things like what we were
experiencing just weren’t meant to be experienced.

Another thing that blew me away, was to actually be aware of how fast things move in space. You don’t have time to
think. Also, Stefan reminded me of a line of one of my oldest poems, about catching a comet by the tail.

Yes, we figuratively ‘rode’ a comet, an asteroid and a very large meteor, all the way to the surface of a planet, as it
burned up.

After that, I felt like I experienced all there was to experience.

Well, almost.

When we got back to the castle, Thanatos made sure we landed sitting on the couch. Two of us needed that.
Without warning, the always slightly in tune Thanatos then reeled his head toward Stefan, barely controlling his
impending laughter. “Stef! Are you nuts?”

Stefan did start laughing. “Uh, yeah. A little.”

“Go ahead! Say it,” said Than, with an escaped chuckle.

“Than, do stars have atmospheres?”

Thanatos closed his eyes, and nodded. “Yes, Stefan. They do.”

“But they burn, so they have oxygen. So we can breath on them, right?”

I looked at Stefan. “Where in the nine hells do you come up with this?”

Stefan just shrugged, as his chortles subsided. “No clue.”

Thanatos shook his head. “Where is Stephen Hawking or Carl Sagan when you need them?”

I looked at Stefan. “You will never change.”

“I hope not,” said Stefan.

Thanatos said, “To tell you the truth, I hope you don’t change either, Red Tail.”

“The monarch of brilliant idiocy?” asked Stefan.

“Something like that,” said Thanatos. “When everyone else gets here, we’ve got to ask them if they want to see this,
though I think all the equines but Hesper will decline.”

“Percy?” I asked.

“I’d rather not disturb him, now. He’s just finished doing a museum viewing in The White City with Andy and Del.”

“Andy, huh?” asked Stefan.

“All right, Andre. Yeah, I know you like the sound of that better. You know Stef; for having such a lofty opinion
for the French culture, you sure came down on them a lot.”

Stefan shrugged. “Easy target. Everyone did it. Only I did it better.”

“Well, with more imagination, anyway. Lily Pond. You are the only one who ever called the nation of France that,
from the day you first said it. Of course it’s caught on by now; being our lovely Donn Ui’Midir did record it in his
ongoing series, but. . .”

“I’m really writing more?” I asked.

“Hm hm,” said Thanatos.

“What is this?” I asked “A never ending story?”

“Oh, it’ll end. The prose, anyway,” said Thanatos.

“Might be a while, huh?” I asked.

“Yes, it most certainly might,” said Thanatos, as he ruffled Stefan’s hair.

“But what else do I have to say? I mean, even I have to admit that the quality of my writing has been diminishing, as
the series progressed,” I said.

“You’re just a very direct writer,” said Thanatos. “Like what Aurore Dupin told you. You get to the point, and there
is no fluff. You don’t put much into the description of scenery, or atmosphere, and such. You write what you think
at the moment.”

“I never claimed to be another CJ Cherryh.”

“This is true,” said Thanatos. “On the other hand, your poetry is something I feel compelled to re-read periodically.”

“Isn’t that ‘our’ poetry?” I asked.

“Yes. Our compilations, but you are damn good. What could one expect from a Tuatha prince?”

“Thanatos, shut up. My Earthly origins are no longer relevent, and I’ve rejected that stupid title from the day I knew
what it meant.”

Thanatos blew me a kiss. “Another reason I love you so much.”

I smiled at him. “Thanks.” I returned the virtual kiss. “I love you, too.”

Stefan leaned back into the couch. “I won’t say it.”

“Yeah, damn fruits,” I said.

Stefan looked at me. “You’re as bad as I am, some times.”

“Now, if that isn’t a compliment. . .” I said.

Thanatos finished the sentence. “What is?”

*****

“Let’s go up to the old flat again,” said Deliah. “I’d like to hit the spa.”

“That is so boring,” said Percy.

“Surely you don’t have a housecat’s aversion to baths, now,” said Deliah.

“No, and nor will I say that I’ve got a tongue, and I know how to use it,” said Percy. “Not around you, anyway.”

“You just did, and I’ll take it in the proper context, oh formerly raspy tongued one,” said Deliah.

Percy smiled. “Cat licks.”

“Not Catholics?” asked Andre.

“No. Cataholics,” said Deliah.

“Stefanisms. Let’s transfer upstairs,” said Andre.

“I’m not going in the water. I’m going to check out the prints at a more leisurely pace,” said Percy.

“OK,” said Deliah, as she held out her hands. “You can reserve the right to change your mind.”

Both Percy and Andre took one of those extended hands. “I won’t,” said Percy. “Hot tubbin’ ain’t ma thang.”

Andre scowled. “I don’t talk like that.”

Percy tilted his head. “I am a black cat, when in feline form.”

“The next time you take the form of a housecat, I may pick you up, transfer you here, and throw you in the water if
you keep that up,” said Andre.

Percy winked, and smiled. “I dare you.”

Andre transferred everyone up to the living room. After they landed, Andre kissed Percy on the forehead. “Don’t
worry, mon chat. You could beat me up even as a housecat.”

“But I wouldn’t do that, my love.”

“Of course, mine own threat was quite idle.”

“I’m aware of that, but the sarcasm was amusing,” said Percy.

“Darn tootin’” said Andre.

“Ye gods,” said Deliah, as she looked at Andre. “Let’s go hit the whirlpool.”

“I’ll sit with you later; though out of the water, depending on who finishes getting their jollies first,” said Percy.

“Sounds fair to me,” said Deliah.

“See ya,” said Percy, as he more or less dismissed them.

Andre and Deliah walked downstairs.

*****

Stefan reloaded the fire in front of us, for visual enhancement. Stefan leaned back, and having the treasured middle
position, he put one arm around me and the other around Thanatos. “Here we are, in the Akashic Castle, where we
have all information of what happened, what is happenning now, and what will happen everywhere in existence, and
here we sit, watching a fire before us, whilst seated on a couch.”

“You find a lot of the information upsets you,” said Thanatos.

“I like exploring ruins,” said Stefan.

“Uh huh,” said Thanatos. “Then you go on to research the civilisation, you familiarise yourself with their birth, their
golden age, their disgusting or tragic end, and then you get all emotional about it,” said Thanatos.

“Sometimes,” said Stefan.

“Usually,” I said.

“I’ve got a hankerin’,” said Stefan.

“You know just about everything in Earth’s recorded history, on a subliminal level, and everything of every
civilisation that ever caught your fancy,” said Thanatos. “How’s about another visitation of different worlds?”

“Can we see some dead ones, and you tell us about them?”

Thanatos smiled, and stroked Stefan’s hair. “Sure. We’ll do a mindshare while we explore, and I’ll spare you the
goriest details of the personal experience, and we can talk about those gory details later, so you won’t experience
them first hand.”

“That sounds good to me, too,” I said.

“Yeah,” said Stefan. “Now?”

“Fadeout,” said Thanatos.

Our facades disappeared into a gaseous cloud, and we were off, three as one.

*****

Deliah and Andre sat acrosss from each other, in the water.

“Your wife was very beautiful,” said Deliah.

“Second generation American. One hundred percent Masai. She was a classic beauty. I’m glad I found her.”

“What if she found you again? From your memories of her, I like her quite a bit.”

Andre shrugged. “I’d welcome her back. What are the odds, though?”

“We could search for her.”

“She’d gotten married again. I’m not sure it’s a good idea. I only did enough research to find out that she was taken
care of.”

“Let’s look her up, later.”

“OK, lets.”

*****

Yellow skies, pale violet skies, orange skies, red skies, green skies, glorp skies. . .oh I’m sorry, but again we have
those colours with no definitions, for they exist not on Earth.

We were under the direction of Thanatos. He knew what we wanted, and he knew where to find it. Long destroyed
worlds, where no one would live again, until another race found it from a distant planet.

Some ruined architecture was similar to Earths Classical Ages, like Greece, or Gothic Europe, but some was really
alien. There were structures that reminded me of segmented insects or myriapods. One I found interesting, was a
structure made of a smooth ceramic that looked like plastic, and there were a number of large domes, connected by
tunnels that only went halfway up the dome. Nothing had any windows, but when we went inside, all the domes
were two stories up, and had a basement and sub-basement. There were furnishings inside the structures, but
everything that could move, had been smashed to bits. There was no sign of anyone who’d lived there.

A huge Earthquake had taken the immediate region down. The mess had started with an astroid shower hitting the
place. That triggered all kinds of little niceties, like setting off a Caldera bigger than Yellowstone’s, other
widespread volcanic activity, tsunamies, and weather from hell.

Sometimes I really wanted to throttle Stefan. We were originally supposed to explore ‘dead’ civilisations. Stefan’s
curiosity just couldn’t be contained, and he had to ask Thanatos to time trip us back to the days of this world’s
destruction.

It was one of the saddest, most disgusting things I’d ever witnessed, but at least the reasons were right.

It was a very evolved utopian world. All of it. The people could transcend no more, and they were removed from
the scene by divine intervention, but I think it would have been far kinder to simply take them Etheric, like what
we’d done with ‘Kyle’ in my first story. Just transfer them, instead of killing them, some over the course of a few
months.

Well, both me and Stefan were kind of on the devastated side, after witnessing the holocaust of space and nature. It
wasn’t as bad as it could have been, being Thanatos anchored us, but sheesh!

Yes, I know I could have withdrawn from the situation. I also knew I had incremented my knowledge, and that just
because I didn’t know about it didn’t mean it didn’t happen, and I was due to know about it in the end anyway,
but. . .

That didn’t stop me from materialising a feather duster, and taking it to Stefan’s face, after we got to the castle, while
calling him a morbid bastard. Hey! It worked on cats. When Stefan was Kyle, she’d done that a few times to Percy
when Percy was being a bad puddytat, and it would discourage him from his indiscretions for the moment.

I don’t know who laughed harder; Thanatos, or Stefan. After the incident was over; we all sat down to-gether, and
entangled ourselves amongst each other, as usual. One good thing came out of the situation, and that was that I got
the middle position, this time. I told Stefan; who usually got it, that he owed it to me to give the coveted seating
arrangement, for putting us through what he’d put us through with his desire to see yet the end of not only another
civilisation, but an entire world.

“This sort of thing always hurts us. Why do you persist in instigating it?” I asked him.

“Why do you go along with it?” He asked, in turn.

“Because I’m a stupid idiot, I love you, I like to share experiences with you on the same level, and I wanna know
too.”

“Then, quit yer bitchin’.”

I looked at Thanatos. “I can’t counter that, can I?”

“Not considering what you just said before that.”

“I thought so,” I said.

Thanatos managed to give us a cock-eyed scowl with his smile. “You two are becoming more and more alike, every
day.”

“Thank you,” said Stefan.

“Heavens forbid,” said I. “If I become much more like Stefan, all we’ll be talking about is noses.”

“Like there’s something wrong with that?” asked Stefan.

Thanatos chuckled. “Ye gods. You are going to write this down, eh Donn?”

“Oh, I suppose so. Prove to all existence on how silly we can get?”

“I’m mildly amused,” said Thanatos. “You two are also dealing with the destruction of that planet a bit better.”

I pulled both of them closer to me, to the best of my ability. “Oh, yeah.”

*****

When Percy walked back to the whirlpool, Andre and Deliah had moved beside each other, and were in a mental
merging. Percy, being Percy; shifted to his leopard form, and roared.

Both Andre and Deliah jumped. ‘Haven’t you been here long enough?’ sent Percy.

“Ye gods! You could have time tripped,” said Deliah.

‘Maybe next time. Man, if I’d stayed in here much longer in human form, my clothes would have been sopping wet,
with all this steam. Now I just have to deal with wet fur.’

“If you’d been in human form on Tech Duinn, you might have gotten into this,” said Deliah.

Percy sat down right behind them. ‘I’m not sure about that. I was never fool enough to go temperature sensitive
when I was there. I’m not sure I’ll ever do it again. It’s not a practical thing to do. I get no pleasure from suffering.
Just let me lay my head in your lap, and you can stroke me, scratch me behind the ears, or best yet; under my chin.
Or hold me in your lap in the form I was born to. Now that’s what I like.’

“Or a jasmine oil backrub or having your hair brushed out in your human form?” asked Deliah.

‘Sounds nice. Try it, some time,’ sent Percy.

“Before, or after we look up Tonya Kinyanga-Cortois?” asked Andre.

“Think we should do what’s more important, last?” asked Deliah.

‘Sure. I can wait,’ sent Percy.

Andre looked up at him. “No, I think you’re getting your rubdown first; you beautiful little snot.”

Percy put his chin on Andre’s head. ‘Little? I’m as big as you are, now.’

“True. And you would like your backrub in Egypt, no doubt?”

‘Of course,’ sent Percy. ‘Deliah can brush out my hair, and you can give me that backrub.’

Percy lifted his own head from Andre’s, balanced himself, put a paw gently on both Deliah’s and Andre’s heads, and
transferred them.

*****

Both Andre and Deliah had to transfer out of the room dedicated to Egypt for a split second to both dry off, and
dress. Percy in human form, wore a pair of flared jeans and heavy socks. He didn’t bother with shoes for what was
pending. He simply sat down, materialised a brush, and held it up. “Del, my love?”

Deliah got behind him, and took the brush. She first ran her hand through his thick raven hair, then proceeded to
drag the brush through it. “Ever planning on wearing longer hair?”

“It’s hardly short. It touches my shoulders. I’d find what you, Donn and everyone else but Andre wears, a nuisance.
This feels nice, by the way.”

“As good as getting scratched under the chin, as a cat?” aske Deliah.

“No. I don’t think anything feels as goods as that. From what I was permitted to know about, anyway.”

“That’s not a hint, is it?” asked Deliah.

“No. Just a statement of fact.”

Del kissed Percy. “Kitten, and if I wanted you?”

“No. I also know damn well it’s only a theoretical question.”

“True,” said Deliah. “I just had to verify.” She stroked his hair again, before resuming with the brush.

“Hmmmmmm. You always did know how to treat a cat.”

“You hung around in my apartment enough, buster.”

Percy closed his eyes. “Because you knew how to treat a cat.”

“Spoiling you rotten,” said Deliah.

“It’s the only way, huh?” asked Andre.

“Darn tootin’,” said Percy.

“Says the most sensualistic species in existence,” said Andre.

“You’ve got that right,” said Percy.

Deliah said, “You know Percy, when you were a housecat, you always used to play the masseur. I’d like to pay you
back.”

“When you weren’t bitchin’ about my claws. Later. I know both your styles from our mind shares, and I like what
Andre used to do with Tonya, better than what you used to do with your lovers, here.”

“You spare no one with truths untold,” said Deliah.

“Nope. I’m a cat.”

“But there were times when you did stuff wrong, and you’d give Ste. . .I mean Kyle and Kevin that ‘Who, me?’
look,” said Deliah.

“But I never denied doing it.”

“Is there a way of doing that in Catonese?” asked Deliah.

“Of course. Everything you can convey, a cat can convey; if only the person can understand.”

Deliah said, “Kyle was damn good at figuring you out.”

“She got good at it. During our last few years, it never took more than three translation attempts to give me what I
wanted, and she often got it on the first try. Earlier, it might have been seven or eight times. At least she
endeavoured, and did successfully learn my lingo. Which reminds me. After you two are done serving me my silver
plates, I think I would like to see Stefan. . .as a cat, of course. Of the panthera variety.”

“Of course,” said Deliah. “That’s how you get his best attentions.”

“Don’t I know it,” said Percy. “I love your light touch with the hairbrush, Del.”

“Thanks. I figured you like the same treatment, regardless of what species you are?!”

“Big time.”

*****

By now, me, Thanatos and Stefan were walking the halls. We were headed toward the library at a leisurely pace, not
for the sake of getting any books, but just to experience the atmosphere of the place.

“It is so weird,” said Stefan. “The minute a culture stagnates, be it bad or good, it is destroyed.”

“The point of existence in any realm is evolution, and once that stops, you are taken out of there. If you hit a low
stagnation point, you reincarnate, if you hit a high stagnation point, you move to the next level. It’s like a video
game,” said Thanatos.

“That makes it sound like all we are to The Source, is a game of Tetris,” said Stefan.

“That’s a very basic way of looking at it, but it’s a good analogy,” said Thanatos. The highest level is when you hit
Home, but you knew that.”

“That’s a pretty innovative way of phrasing it,” I said.

“I know the pain stops as soon as the transition is complete, but the horror of that transition is so damn common.
Knowing what I know, it just all seems so unnecessary, even if people do agree to die they way they do, before they
are born,” said Stefan.

“Isn’t it amazing, that you used to think that once you transcended the Physical Plane, you thought you’d innately
understand everything?” asked Thanatos.

“On a subliminal level, I do,” said Stefan. “At least all that you let me know of you, but in the foreground, I’m still
me. I can only access most of what you’ve shown me, in meditations.”

“Stef, I’m still learning, too. Before what we just did, I never rode a comet, or floated between colliding stars, or
any of that. It had never occurred to me to do that,” said Thanatos.

Stefan smiled. “Thanks.”

“I’ve got to call a meeting later, to share all that,” said Thanatos. “If I leave it to randomly all get to-gether again, we
might as well be waiting the equivalent of a century.”

“We’re so much more cohesive, yet we’re not,” I said.

“Well, we always seem to be aware of one another, but our interests and tastes have diversified so much, that there’s
no point to existing like we did, when we’re in a place like this.” said Thanatos.

“So weird, how we’re completely one in the Astral and Causal Realms, but here, we have grown more separate than
ever,” said Stefan.

“We revel in our short bursts of illusory independence,” said Thanatos. “I admit, I do.”

“I thank you both for staying with me,” said Stefan.

“We wouldn’t leave you for anything. Now, I wonder what other adventures you’re going to come up with?” said
Thanatos.

“ We could investigate the digestive function of a cow, first hand,” said Stefan.

“No!!!!!!!! Never!!!!!!!!!” I said with a vehemence.

“I’ll sit that one out, as well. You can tell us about it. I don’t think I even want to do a mindshare on that one. I
mean there are some things even beyond me, I find now that I must admit,” said Thanatos.

Stefan started laughing, and the rest of joined in, at the thought of engaging in his repulsive concept of an adventure.

Yes, he had been joking.

*****

Macha, Kevalyn and Sylvia turned the horses back to the castle. “Damn, we’ve come far,” said Sylvia. The mesa
looks mighty small.

“If it’s OK with our mounts, we could get the rides of our existence, back home,” said Macha.

Kevalyn stroked her black equine companion. “Nova! Want to make a mad dash home? I’ll give you the longest
grooming you ever had, after we get there.” Thought pictures were sent, as well.

The way to a horse’s heart, was definitely through it’s hedonistic tastes.

All three took off.

*****

Percy was stretched out on a silk covered mat, with his head resting on a silk covered pillow, and his eyes were
closed. “Hmmmmm. I almost feel like making purring noises.”

Andre poured more of the jasmine oil on his back, and gently rubbed it into Percy. “I’m that good, huh?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“And why can’t I do it?” asked Deliah.

“You brushed and played with my hair. Maybe next time, if you study Andre, and promise to try and stick to his
technique.”

Andre said, “Next time you want me to spoil you, I want my black leopard back.”

“That can be arrrrrrrrranged,” said Percy lazily.

“Me too,” said Deliah. “I can take a soft bristled cat brush to you.”

“I’d like that.”

Deliah sat beside his head, and started stroking his hair. “It’s almost hard to not think of you as a cat, even though
now you have human form.”

“Good, if you’re going to treat me like this.”

Deliah wrapped an index finger around some of Percy’s mane. “You know Percy? I really, really wish you’d shown
up before we moved to Tech Duinn, in ‘The Second Time Around’.

“No you don’t,” said Percy. “You would have gotten me very upset. I wouldn’t have screwed you then, either. I’m
not like you. Animals are different.”

“What about now? What are you, now?” asked Deliah.

“I’m still innately a cat. I would not have eaten, or joined any of your silly rituals on Tech Duinn. Also, don’t forget
I was neutered on Earth before I even mated, and we are completely devoid of all mating drives after we transcend
the Physical Plane. You would have gotten me very upset if you’d tried to relentlessly seduce me. If we didn’t have
those obnoxious mating drives so firmly ingrained on the Physical Plane, we would have let ourselves all die out.”

“All animals?” asked Deliah.

“Yes.”

“I didn’t pick that up in our merger.”

“It’s pretty far back in my mind. I don’t think about this, spontaneously, but that’s the way it is. We aren’t so stupid
as to perpetuate Physical existence voluntarily.”

“But you chose to be born,” said Deliah.

“Yes. As for your next question, the answer is, love. I saw what I was due for, before I lived. You think I was going
to turn that down?”

“What about lab rats, and other vivisection victims?”

Percy chortled. “Huh! We’re no nobler than the human race. We have to suffer to evolve too, sometimes. I already
paid my dues in former lives, just like you.”

“The last life of everyone isn’t always paradise, though mine was.”

“Sylvia had a hard life. Ste. . .Kyle! When will I stop refering to that mortal incarnation as Stef? Anyway, Kyle’s
life wasn’t easy. She always had enough to eat and a roof over her head, but she had to work her tail off,” said
Percy.

“So that’s why she didn’t have a tail,” said Deliah.

“Yeah, right,” said Percy. “She always put me first, when she could. I mean, she gave me the whole bag of
langostino most of the time. Other times, she might filch two or three from the one pound bag, but she spent more
money on me, pound for pound, than she did on herself most of the time. I mean, I got organic cream, while to
compensate her budget, she put half and half in her tea.

“I did what I could, to pay her back. The kneading, the waiting to eat with her if she had her dinner on the table with
me, the request for cream when she was having her tea, so we could be drinking buddies. . .it meant so much to her.”

“You are very sweet.”

“I loved her more than anyone. She tried so hard to learn to understand me. Most people don’t bother, and they read
a bunch of garbage into us. It was so nice to be treated as an intelligent individual, instead of a goddamn toy, you
know?”

“I know,” said Andre.

Percy said, “Andre, you can stop now, and I really am very grateful to both of you, for doing this for me. We can
trade places the next time, if you two aren’t totally fixated on spoiling a leopard.”

Andre closed his eyes, and tilted his head down. “Stefan-Stephanie-Kyle is the main reason I’m here.”

Deliah reached over to him, and stroked his tied up hair. “We know. The Seth Karnak trigger.”

“Interesting, how Stef is the only one who doesn’t go by the latest past life name.”

Percy said, “Well, you know how it goes. Those who come back to life exclusively for the sake of serving the
‘Cause’ of re-intigration by any other name, retain the identity they had when they volunteered for the un-necessary
physical torture of living another physical life, even though they don’t have to; the moment of transition to the
Etheric.”

Andre chuckled. “Not personally. Considering what a case Stefan is, I’m almost amazed he/she/it falls into that
catagory.”

Percy shrugged. “Intent and priorities are everything. Being happy in your dedications isn’t a requirement. Stef, as
Kyle felt compelled to do what she could. No, she didn’t have a major impact on the world like she’d wanted before
she insisted on returning to the Physical Realm, but to even help one individual is enough, and she’d helped way
more than one.”

“It is so strange, referring to someone of varying genders,” said Andre.

“Gender is a dirty word, with Stef,” said Deliah. “In fact, if he switched to chick, it’s kind of hard to tell that he did,
in those clothes of his. Stephanie’s a little thinner, but you really have to know what you’re looking for.”

“Voice is a little higher, and adam’s apple gets less noticeable,” said Percy.

“I can hardly tell with the voice,” said Deliah. I guess it’s a cat thing, huh?”

“We are more sensitive, and I refuse to compromise my senses when I take this form,” said Percy.

“Understandable. There’s one other thing about you all that really made no sense to me,” said Andre.

Deliah stroked his hair again. “How some of us waited to experiment with the wildest of the sensual experiments,
after it didn’t matter anymore? Yeah, that was pretty weird, but some of us did have issues; the biggest one being
shared by Donn, Thanatos and Stefan.”

“Gotta make love for the sake of the other party. Yeah. And then only doing something once or twice for the sake of
experiencing it, and never again, regardless of how good it felt?” asked Andre. (Don’t ask.)

“You have to admit, from a philosophical perspective, love can reach no higher apex, than what those three feel for
each other,” said Deliah. “Can you untie your hair, and let it go as it was meant to be? It feels nice, like that.”

Andre nodded. He dematerialised the hairtie, and ran his hand through it. He dematerialised for a split second, and
came back with an Afro. “Better?”

She caressed his hair again. “This softness is not what I would have expected, when I was still alive.”

Andre said, “Their love for each other is as plain as day, from their poetry. I can’t imagine a bigger treasure, than
having been let into their circle.”

“Tell me about it,” said Deliah.

Looking at Deliah, Percy asked, “If I become a leopard again, will you pet me, too?”

“I thought you’d had enough?” asked Andre.

“Enough of your skills as a masseur, dude. I’m still a cat, despite the form I now wear. I’m getting jealous.”

Andre and Deliah looked at each other, and both smiled. Deliah said to Percy, “Go ahead. Take something closer to
your true form, and we’ll fawn over you.”

“Purr.”

The three stayed to-gether for quite a while, until Percy grew bored and left them.
Chapter 10

Later, Andre met Stefan and the pantherine Percy in the halls of the paintings. Andre looked at Percy. “So that’s
where you went, you little deserter.”

‘I’ll ‘little’ you, Andre. Remember that Stefan, by any other name, is my main servant. Always has been, so I should
give him some time, shouldn’t I?’

Stefan scratched Percy on top of the head. “You have such a way with words, dearest.”

‘Purr. Anyway, should we go toward the Light Side, or the Dark Side for my next picture?’

“Another painting?” asked Andre.

“Oh, yeah. Percy in attack mode. I’m debating on whether to put him on a snowy cliff, or in the tropics,” said
Stefan.

‘I think black on white is more dramatic,’ sent Percy.

“OK, then we’ll go Dark Side.”

‘You know what I’d really like?’

“What?” asked Stefan.

‘On the side of your volcano, with lava streaming beside me, and omit the ash in the atmosphere.’

“Sounds cool,” said Andre.

“I’ll do it. Wanna go over and pose, so I can do a mental snapshot?”

‘Sure,’ sent Percy.

“Can I watch?” asked Andre.

“Oh, I guess so,” said Stefan.

“Maybe I’ll get into painting myself, one day,” said Andre

“The more the merrier. Let’s go,” said Stefan.

The three of them transferred to our favourite volcano, and Percy took the most fiercesome pose he could.

*****

Me and Thanatos were on Gilgamesh, on a rare ride toward the Light Side of the planet. I rode in front, Than was
wrapped around me, and Gil was going at a fast walk in a temporate meadow. The orange red sky and the violet
leaves in the bright of the day was a rare sight for me. I loved the alien nature of this locale as much as ever. We
materialised enough of ourselves to be affected by gravity and touch. We could not now go through anything.

None of the animals were afraid of us, and we’d had a few curious birds land on us. Everything had the same basic
design of two sense organs like eyes, ears, nostrils, four legs, tails, claws, or hooves, and such. Of course the colours
and more intricate details of the animals varied a bit more, and there were some non-insect land animals that couldn’t
be remotely be classified as mammalian, reptilian, amphibian, or anything else. There were leathery looking, slime
covered creatures which left a residue on you similar to a slug, if you petted them, there were others with a body
cover similar to raw cotton, and things that would remind you of pre-history.

With the telepathic assurance that we meant no harm, many a creature came to us, to check us out; and we were quite
cordial to all that were interested. Not quite Eden, it was. Of course, these creatures still ate each other.

We remained insensitive to the temperature. When we got to a small brook, we detoured, and rode along side of it,
upstream. When we got to a small waterfall, we stopped, and dismounted.

“Want to stay here for a while?” I asked.

“Sure. A few nostalgic moments. It reminds me of a young Earth.”

I sat down at the edge of the pool by the waterfall. I dematerialised my boots and leotards, and put my feet in the
water. “I’ve only seen that through you.”

“It was like this, only in different colours. The nice thing about this place, is nothing like man will ever set foot
here.”

I smiled. “Unless they’re High Etheric, or Low Astral.”

“We’re kind of Physical now.”

“For a little while, but I know what you mean.”

Gilgamesh lay beside me in a feline fashion, tucking his front legs under him, with his head and neck erect. He
looked at me, and I leaned into him. Me and the stallion exchanged a few mental waves of peace and love. He
nosed my shoulder, I stroked his forehead, and scratched him behind the ears.

Thanatos sat a little behind me, slightly off to the side. He then got to his knees, crawled foreward, touched the
water, and sat behind me again. “I think I’ll pass soaking my feet.”

“I haven’t done it, since we’ve been to the Elysian Fields. I wonder what the water tastes like, but at the same time, I
recoil at the thought of trying it, even if I could get it down.”

“It’s not our world. I don’t think it would be wise to test it, though I know it wouldn’t instantly kill our kind, if we
were capable of being poisoned. It’s dihydrogyn oxide, but the mineral content is not what you’d find on Earth. I
think I’d definitely not go there. Even my curiosity is a bit tempered in this case. If I were still into sampling food,
foreign worlds are best left alone. This is reality, not Star Trek. We’d get sick and die here, if we had to breath the
air for too long, though it could keep us alive for a little while if we were mortal.” (Proof we were really
communicating telepathically, and not talking, but let us now forget the scientific facts behind this story, please.
Now, back to Analogyville.)

“Sage advice, noted. I assume we have no name for some of the tastes available here.”

“We have that problem even on Earth, as far as the specifics of sweet, salty, bitter, and all that go. On the other
hand, we have good, bad or indifferent.”

I chuckled. “True.” I reached for him, and he embraced me from behind.

“Too bad our everso morbid Stefan is so hooked up to the castles area or the Dark direction.”

“How in the past he’s bitched about full daylight, I think it would be better to leave him in the twilight world, and
just share this moment with him vicariously.”

“Hm hm,” said Thanatos, as he ran his fingers through my hair.

I trilled softly.

I ‘knew’ Thanatos had raised his vibration level and faded to a higher form without looking at him. I felt his Etheric
form trace me delicately across my back, within my back. The pleasant electrical sensation made me tense. “My
dearest Donn,” he said softly.

“Ye gods,” I whispered, as he did it again.

He blended slowly into me, and he actually kept me from going Etheric.

By every deity in the pantheon, it felt good. On the other hand, it was sheer torture.

Here we were, overlapped. Etheric on Physical. Oh, it wasn’t much to look at on the provocative scale, but it got to
be pretty unbearable in a ‘couple of minutes’ of illusory time.

Thanatos kept me trapped, until I about exploded. This had never happened to me before. Then, he let me fade
Etheric, and it started all over again. I automatically reset when I switched form.

We were out of there. The same procedure was followed on the Astral, the Causal, the Mental, and the Highest
Nirvanic Realm there was. He’d dragged me higher than I’d ever been, to feel things I’d never felt before.

When we got back to the castle, Thanatos made sure we landed on the couch. I was so overtaked by what had just
been done to me, I keeled over sideways. As I passed out, I had a smile on my face. Thanatos dematerialised my
boots, as he rearranged me to make sure I was comfortable.

What sweet dreams I had, as he sat beside me rereading Medea, by Ovid.

*****

Percy had switched to human form to watch Stefan paint, and Andre sat beside him. Stefan threw on a white acrylic
undercoat, let it dry, and then sketched the lovely part time black panther in attack mode, with bared fangs more than
slightly elongated.

“I swear you were a cat in a former life, Stefan,” said Percy.

“Not how it works,” said Stefan, as he started filling in Percy. The first colour he worked with, was light blue.

“But you are hybridised, now that we’ve done such an intense mind share. You’re part cat, now.”

“Yeah, I guess so. I’m trying not to go over there right now, and rub my head on your shoulder to claim you as my
property.”

Percy chuckled. “You know Stef, you’re quite welcome to do that any time. Of course, I’ll scent mark you right
back to claim you as mine, instead.”

“So we’d have a scent marking frenzy?” asked Stefan.

“I’d love to see that,” said Andre.

“Might be a while,” said Stefan. “I’m not going to put my brush down for that.”

“Understandable,” said Andre. He looked at Percy. “Do you have any desire to mark me as your territory at the
moment?”

“I suppose I can accomodate you.”

“Can you become a cat, first?”

Percy narrowed his eyes, and gave Stefan a mental signal to turn his head toward himself and Andre. As soon as
Stefan turned around, Percy turned into a leopard, pounced on Andre, rubbed his cheek on Andre’s, and pinned him
to the couch. ‘OK, Andre. You’re mine. So what shall I do with you?’

Stefan laughed. “You asked for it.”

Andre smiled. “So I did.” He managed to kiss Percy on the bridge of his nose. “All right, kitten. You can let me
up, now.”

‘Purr.’ Percy let Andre sit up, and he lay beside him, resting his head in Andre’s lap.

*****

A bit later, as I stirred, I found myself under an unnecessary blanket, and I suddenly found my hair caressed. I just
had to smile. “Than?”

“None other.”

“Gods, that was great.”

“I should have asked.”

I stretched out, and sat up. “I indirectly invited you, didn’t I? And like I’d turn down the full treatment from the
love of my existence?”

“The full treatment, is becoming one with Chaos, love. What we did was just another little indiscretion that took you
one step higher than what we’ve done in the past.”

I rested against him. “And what can I do for you?”

“Silly question. I was just as involved in our unifying experience as you. Everything you went through, I went
through. The only thing is, you can’t instigate it yet. In a little bit, I’d like to do it again, but only with our currently
occupied Stefan, with us.”

I closed my eyes. “Painting.” I zeroed in on the project. “Nice one of Percy, though it’s a little stylised. The cat
looks a cross between a leopard and a smiledon. Gods, those teeth and muscles.”

“Want to join Andre and Percy?”

I wrapped myself around my virtual twin. “Oh, sure. In a few. Shall we run, or transfer?”

“Let’s run, and I’ll pace myself to you, OK?”

“Thanks.”

*****

Deliah crossed her arms. Macha, Kevalyn and Sylvia closed their performance. “You guys have been might busy,
here,” said Deliah. “That was absolutely beautiful, as always.”

“I never thought the Morrighan could make music to rival Apollo,” said Kevalyn.

Macha chuckled. “Hey! I am of the Tuatha de Danaan.”

Deliah uncrossed those arms, and leaned on the right armrest of her chair. “That’s a good of an excuse as any.”

*****

When me and Thanatos got to the art studio, Andre and Percy were totally focused on each other. Their eyes were
locked, and Andre was stroking the leopards temples. They both looked hypnotised. With Percy sprawled out along
the length of the couch, there was no room for me or Thanatos to sit down, and I ended up kneeling before the cat,
and running my hand over his neck and shoulders. Andre backed off to let me kiss Percy on the forehead, and then I
stood up and went over to Stefan. He hadn’t gotten very far, as applying the paint, went. I went back to the others.

Thanatos leaned over Andre. ‘Let’s you, me, Percy, and Donn go to the Akashic Library for a few. We’ll time trip,
and no one will be aware of us being gone.’

‘OK,’ Andre replied.

*****

Andre scowled. “Tonya! She’s in the White City!”

“She hasn’t forgotten you,” said Thanatos. “She thinks of you, often.”

“Gods, I still love her so much. But now there’s Deliah.”

“And Percy,” said Thanatos.

“But Percy’s a. . .”

Percy immediately transformed into his human form. “Percy’s a what?”

Andre looked at him. “Cat.” He swallowed. “Sometimes. Uh. . .never mind.”

Percy smiled. “Right, lover.”

Andre looked down, and brought his right hand to his forehead. “Oh gods.”

I laughed. “Who cares if you love Deliah. You love everyone here, and you think Tonya is going to care? We are
not Earth dwellers any more. I know you’ve never considered another until you came here, but what was, is no
more.”

“You’re going to bring her here?” asked Andre.

Thanatos stepped toward Andre, and put the tips of his fingers under Andre’s jaw, gently tilting his head up. “Shall
she read about us before, or after?”

Andre caressed Thanatos’ wrist, as Andre’s eyes started tearing. “You’ll actually transfer her, here?”

“Of course. She gave so much of herself, using her wealth to benefit humanity. She’s right for us, and right for you.
I can honestly say, that she belongs here.”

“Let’s let her read the series first,” said Andre.

“You deliver it,” said Thanatos to me.

“Me?” I asked

“Yeah! You wrote the thing,” said Thanatos.

“I’ll tell her Andre sent me.”

“You do that. You also can time trip outta here, and come back when you finish with your next story, and you give
that to her, as well,” said Thanatos.

I scowled. “Say, what?”

“You heard me, babe.” He went telepathic, and it was directed only at me. ‘And before you do, as soon as Stefan
finishes his painting. . .I’m taking you both to the edge of High Nirvana. Everyone else; later.’

I tilted my head foreward, and looked down. “Let’s go back to Stefan.”

Chapter 11

Thanatos got us back to the moment of departure, with Stefan. We weren’t missed.

Percy, back in his leopard form, jumped off the couch, and walked over to Stefan. When Stefan rinsed his brush,
Percy stood up on his hind legs and put his paws on Stefan’s shoulder. ‘That is so flattering, I might even take the
form you represent me as in that painting, once in a while.’

After getting over his initial shock, Stefan said, “Thanks. I’m glad you’re not mad at me for misrepresenting you.”

Percy gently scraped his fangs on Stefan’s neck and shoulder. ‘Complimenting me, is more like it.’ Percy put all
fours on the ground, again. In a split second, he was more muscularly defined, had a heavier bone frame, and his
fangs extended over his lower jaw by three and a half inches. He turned to me, and yawned.

“Wow,” said Andre.

Stefan turned around. “Percy! By gods, you are gorgeous, like that.”

‘Purr.’

“Purr! That about explains everything,” said Thanatos, as he came over, and kneeled beside the cat. “I don’t think
we have a leopard, anymore.”

‘You don’t want one back, I sense,’ sent Percy.

“Not if you give us this as an alternative,” said Andre. “Whatever your species is, now.”

‘It doesn’t exist,’ sent Percy.

“It does, now,” said Thanatos.

“I don’t want to paint anymore,” said Stefan. “Not with you looking like that, Percy.”

‘Sorry,’ Percy took his human form again. “but can I motivate the fire within you again, to finish this project by
threatening not to become a cat again until you do?”

Stefan walked over the part time man, and stroked his hair. “You always get your way with me, don’t you?”

“Almost.” Percy stroked Stefan’s nose. “Thanks, but you do understand.”

Stefan smiled, and said, “Hell, yeah,” as he went back to the painting.

“We’ll have to beckon the ladies, pretty soon,” said Thanatos.

“Deliah is going to be impossible to pull away from Percy after she sees him with the longer fangs,” I said.

“I find it hard to stay away from him, myself,” said Stefan. Stefan looked at him. “When he’s a cat, anyway.”

Percy narrowed his eyes. “Stefan?”

Stefan looked at him. “Kidding, love. Want a backrub later?”

Percy smiled. “Sure. After you finish the painting!”

*****

When Stefan stepped back from the painting, we were pretty enthralled. It must have been the painting of the most
‘bad-ass’ looking feline that had ever been painted.

“That is so beautiful,” said Percy. ‘Stef; I know I repeat myself, but I don’t know if I can love you any more. I have
never met anyone who has put so much of themself into me,’ he sent nonverbally.

I scowled. “Isn’t it amazing, that even though you would be the only one of your kind on Earth, if you materialised
there like this, someone would want to shoot you?”

Percy shrugged. “I’m glad I’m never going back.”

I put my arm around him. “So am I. You’ve been wonderful company.”

Thanatos took Stefan’s hand, and brought him closer to me and Percy. He winked at Andre. “Thank you again, for
all you’ve done for us. Percy, thank you for choosing to be with us.” He blew Andre a kiss. “Andre, the four of us
old timers have something to see to. We’ll be back in a minute, to your perception. Just have a seat, and we’ll set
you up for your wildest dream.”

Andre pointed at Thanatos. “I know what it is. Thanks.”

Thanatos took me, Stefan and Percy out of there. We ended up on the other side of the equator of the planet. Poor
Stefan had no say in being forced to see daylight again, but he didn’t complain.

*****

Thanatos pointed at Percy. “Actually, I want to take care of a further bonding with you, and pleasure before
business; not that it should matter to Andre, for I told him th truth. Can I take you to the border of the point of no
return with us before Donn writes his next book?”

Percy tilted his head, and raised his left eyebrow. “Before my time? With another class of being?”

Thanatos smiled. “We know you. We’ve been one. We are all hybridised. We have different origins, but we are all
the same, now.”

Percy smiled. “In a unity that’s about as overtly sensual as you can get, as well as intellectual, among other things?
That’s been denied me, since I was a kitten. I suppose I’ll have to try that.”

Thanatos looked at me and Stefan. “Step into us.” Thanatos, then blended into Percy, who immediately clenched
his teeth, and tensed up.

Me and Stefan went to the two overlapped ones, and Stefan faded out and stepped into them next. I was last, and
again, I/we was/were trapped in the state I/we was/were in until we were blasted Astral in our High Etheric energy
culmination, to do it again, through all the highest levels of all the Planes, until we hit Nirvana, which was the final
stage of our complete unity, for this set of interludes.

After this, there was truly no difference between us and Percy at all. The bridge of the human (Tuatha and second
generation from The Source, included.) type and animal type had been completed.

When it was over, three of us had to pass out, and we did. Under the shade of a grove of trees, in the soft purple
grass of the Light Side of the planet.

After we awoke, Thanatos transferred us back to the castle, and I ended up in front of the word processor.

*****

“So, I just type up a concise review on what we’ve done since we’ve been here on this little vacation from the
Causal?” I asked.

“Yeah,” said Thanatos. “Then you go down to the White City, and give a copy to Tonya.”

“And the story ends with me sitting here, now?”

“No, your sarcasticness. Speculate on the future, and make it happen.”

I scowled. “You make it happen. I can’t do that.”

“Well, just write what you’re expecting. It doesn’t have to be exact. In fact nothing you write ever is like what
actually happened anyway. You yourself admits to writing in analogy in the books, so what’s the deal?” asked
Thanatos.

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” said Percy.

“I can. It’s been stranger,” said Stefan.

“That I will have to admit to,” said Percy.

“OK,” I said. “I’ll see what I can do.”

*****

One more short story, of review. I was one hell of a fast typist, and it was one hell of an easy project. If I’d been on
Earth, and needed no sleep, it would have been done in under three days.

I knew damn well that I’d be writing another tale, very soon.

Chapter 12

The minute I finished my book, we came back to Andre; and it was more like a few seconds to him than a minute.
After that, we called everyone for a meeting in the hall of my newest paintings

Deliah, Kevalyn, Macha and Sylvia were sitting around the sabre toothed Percy, none of them being able to get
enough of the re-formatted leopard. Yes, they all loved my painting of him.

“So, we are actually going to aggressively pursue an individual to kidnap them?” asked Sylvia. “I thought we
weren’t supposed to do that.”

“No, we will not kidnap her,” said Thanatos. “It will be Tonya’s choice, and I guarantee that she will choose to
come here. She’s evolved enough to exist here. She can’t come Causal with us for very long, but staying here until
she is ready is hardly a sacrifice for us, considering how much we enjoy this place.”

“It will be so nice to share her company again,” said Andre.

“Nice to have another foxy chick on board,” said Stefan. “One more gorgeous art project to work on. Putting you
two down to-gether is something I can’t wait to do.”

Andre smiled. “Thanks.”

“You two really are a beautiful couple,” I had to agree.

Andre shrugged. “Unfortunately I know better than to say it was an accident of nature.”

Thanatos said, “Well, what’s a little vanity among friends. Let’s drop the story set off.”

*****

Tonya was on the fifth floor in our own very former place of residence. I had Percy with me, and an awkward eight
odd hundred page book.

When I knocked on the door, Tonya wasn’t the one who answered. Instead, it was a young Asian man. He
recognised me. “Donn! You’re here?!” he was delighted to see me.

“Have we met?”

“No, but I’ve seen you before. I was at your Irish bash, when you played. Unfortunately I didn’t read your books
until after you moved, but I am so glad to see you. Tonya?”

“Yes?”

“Donn Ui’Midir’s here.” (I hated it when people said that. For those of you who don’t know, ‘Midir’ is pronounced
‘Meer’, and yes, Stefan had been known to say, “Never fear, Donn Ui’Midir is here,” and I swear! If he ever says it
again, I am pouring a bucket of cold water on him the next time he goes temperature sensitive.)

“Don’t leave him standing out there. Let him in.”

The man looked at Percy. “Cat, too.”

Tonya came to us. “Donn! Come on in.” She looked at the cat. “Who is that?”

“Percy. Have you read my stories yet?”

“No. Only your poetry. Ronin’s read them, and he recommended them to me.”

“I added one more story,” I said. “Andre is with us, and I was supposed to give these to you to see if you’d want to
join us.” I handed her the book.

Her eyes lit up. “Andre? My first husband?” She kneeled down, and stroked Percy.

“Same. He still loves you like anything, though he also has another girlfriend.”

“Can Ronin come, too?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I guess so. I don’t see why not.”

He extended his hand. “Ronin Sakanashi. Me and Tonya have been friends since she first got here.”

I shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Tonya stood up, and motioned for us to follow. “Have a seat. Would you like some tea?”

Me and Percy followed. I sat on the couch, and Percy remained on the floor. “Thank you, but I have an impossibly
hard time getting anything down anymore. You just come to a point where you just lose the desire to continue in the
habits you had that you needed to survive.”

“Understandable,” said Ronin. “We don’t consume things either, except for extenuating circumstances. Social
ritual, and such.”

Tonya scowled. “There is a problem with us leaving, now.”

Ronin sat down. “Yes, there is. Warren Colfax! We can’t leave him in the lurch.”

“Channel?” I asked.

“Yeah,” said Ronin, with a mischievious grin. “English channel.”

I chuckled. “That’s bad.”

“He’s a sweet kid. He’s into music with a message. We can’t desert him.”

I held up my index finger. “Wait a minute.” I closed my eyes. ‘Thanatos. I’d be bringing back both Tonya and her
friend Ronin, but I’m not sure if they can come now. They have a channel.’

‘So many White City dwellers do. What year?’

“What year is it, to Warren?” I asked.

“Two thousand six,” said Tonya. A pre-Ahau Kankin date. Lovely. Well, that’s existence, out of time.

‘I got it,’ said Thanatos. ‘Look into him. If he’s OK, and he’s OK with it, transfer him. There’s so little time left, I
think I’ll be excused for authorising this.’

“I heard that,” said Tonya. “He’s OK. Very benevolent and thoughtful. Helpful to a fault, kind of shy, and bothered
with the state of world affairs. He’s way ahead of his years.”

“How old?”

“Twenty one,” said Tonya.

“That’s not much time to get ones self established. How’s the music?”

“He’s personally established, but musically, not. He has our shared ideas, but he can’t do it alone, you know?” said
Tonya.

“So getting professionally established won’t happen at all,” I said.

“The best he could hope for, is to be another Kyle Shannon,” said Ronin.

I had to say it. “If he’s another Kyle Shannon, he can stay where he’s at. I’m sorry, but one of those in my existence
is enough.”

Ronin crossed his arms. “You know damn well, I meant from a musically professional standpoint. He’d help a few
people along if he had the time to do it. He’s another one who exists for others. Besides that, his work and future
brilliant lyrics would only go to a small audience and be buried in the Akashic Library.”

“Well, our group always has room for more musicians. Can I take you guys with me now, or would you like to read
about us first, Tonya?

“Ronin told me all about you. I don’t have to read it, and how’s Andre?” she asked.

“He’s a treasure. We’re glad he came to us.”

Ronin beckoned Percy. “I’ve never seen an animal shapeshift before.”

‘I bet you’ve never seen an animal form sentences before, either,’ sent Percy.

Ronin stroked the cat. “No, I haven’t.”

“Andre’s doing,” I said. “He unified himself with the cat, and talked Percy into becoming a leopard, among other
things. Percy took this form after Stefan painted him like this. He’s also quite an attractive gentleman, in human
form.”

“What a trip,” said Ronin.

“Totally,” I said.

Tonya said, “So Percy! Are you going to satisfy my curiosity, and take on your human form for a moment?”

‘Oh, I suppose so. Will you acknowledge me as being a part of this conversation, then?’

“I’m sorry, kitten,” said Tonya. “Most animals don’t care for human conversations.”

Percy shifted his form. “I’m not most animals. I’ve been hybridised.”

Tonya’s lower jaw dropped. “My god! You look like Quentin Collins without the muttonchops.”

A look of shock crossed my face. “You used to watch Dark Shadows too?”

“Oh, yeah! David Selby was such a babe,” said Tonya.

I looked to the ceiling. “This is getting more interesting by the moment.”

“I think I’ll go back to my feline form, thank you,” said Percy.

“Mmmmmm. And how about coming to me, after?” asked Tonya.

Percy looked at Rodin. “Chicks! I swear!”

Tonya tilted her head, put one arm akimbo, narrowed her eyes, and with her mouth slightly skewed to one side, she
said, “Neutered pussies! I swear.”

“Ye gods! Please don’t go there,” I said.

Percy pointed at Tonya. “I’m kidding, if you are, with my derisive implication.”

Tonya chuckled. “Of course, I’m kidding.”

“Good! You know what I’m gonna do?” I asked.

“What?” asked Percy.

I lifted my book. “I’m going to drop this set of stories on the dining table of Warren’s house, and if he takes to us, I
will take him to the Akashic Castle, myself.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Tonya.

Chapter 13

I lay the book on the end table next to his bed, instead. He still lived at home with his parents, so I couldn’t have left
it in a communal area. I also found out what he looked like, just then.

A flawlessly featured, green-eyed, red-brown haired lad.

Thank the gods we were where we were, on the evolutionary scale.

If we’d still been on Tech Duinn, I don’t think he would have been allowed out of the bedroom for an eternity, at
least.

*****

OK, I just finished this tale. I guess I’ll have to get busy on the next.