Page 88 of Grave Humor

I’d need a lot of time to think about that mystery of the universe.

“Maybe you all should go home,” I suggested, waving the angelic and devilish congregation away with my free hand. “I am going to clean this up, head back to my house, and figure out what to do in the meantime. I also have plans for the rest of my honey rocks.”

“Of course you do,” the devil replied with laughter in his voice. “You are a shameless addict.”

I laughed. “I really am.”

“They are quite good. I find them pleasing,” Eoghan admitted. “They are a pleasant and harmless vice.”

“Then you will enjoy helping her to grow a garden of them in the back so she can enjoy them at her leisure. Perhaps you should build a greenhouse so she can enjoy them year round.” The devil smiled and kissed the top of his wife’s head. “And with that, I will pay you a visit another time. I have much to do tonight.”

The pair disappeared, and the angels followed the devil’s lead, leaving us alone. I opened my hand to regard Hammel’s seed with a frown. “I really don’t know what I’m supposed to do with this, Eoghan.”

“Take your time thinking about it. It’s going to be just about an eternity before the devil is done with that one. Deserved, if you ask me.”

“Did he scream a lot?” I asked, aware Eoghan had already commented about Hammel’s departure.

“For a rare change, I liked it,” Eoghan announced. “It is well enough he will have many long years in the devil’s care for his deeds. My memory is long. I do not feel he suffered enough in the transition for his crimes.”

“You can’t torture the seed anymore than it’s already being tortured.” To make sure Eoghan didn’t do anything nefarious to the seed, I put it in my pocket.

“I like that you admit the seed is being tortured,” he confessed.

“It seemed fair at the time. When an archangel seems to think it’s a good idea, it probably is. Still, poor Darlene.”

“Did you see her soul?”

“See it? No. I felt it. She had wandered near the boundary, and it is a cold place. I’m not sure if I want to see the boundary again. I’ve been there once, and feeling it is bad enough. Her soul doesn’t stray near the boundary anymore.”

“And now? Is her soul restored?”

I smiled. “I think she’ll be just fine. The devil has a pretty nice soul for a bad guy. It just took a little shooing to get her to go where she belonged. I suspect her soul is enjoying a lot of snuggling right now. He’s surprisingly warm, bright, and gentle. I guess he hasn’t lost all of his original nature, has he?”

“Souls rarely do for all they are balanced before returning to life. But they can change with time, given the right environment. I’ve seen the darkest souls cross through the boundary to live their next lives as remarkably good beings. It can happen.”

“And where I help plant this seed will help determine if it happens, doesn’t it?”

“It’s not an easy burden to bear.”

I shrugged. “Somebody has to do it.”

“Right you are. I suppose it was only a matter of time before the universe tired of doing the job. It hadn’t taken the universe long to tire of death, creating me. Shall we relocate this picnic to your other home? It seems we have to think about what we should build here.”

I knew exactly what we would build on the property: our future. Smiling, I went to work cleaning up the picnic. I saved the weed whacker for last, and blue fire danced along the handle, covered my hand, and infiltrated the pocket containing the seed. As far as I could tell, nothing had changed about the seed, but I couldn’t be sure.

For a brief moment, I swore I heard an angel’s ringing laughter, but I spotted no sign of one of the divines nearby.

“Angels are assholes, Eoghan.”

He laughed. “Did you just figure that one out?”

“Not really, but I thought I’d let you know anyway. Let’s get out of here.”

Twenty

I’m going to need a manual on how to seduce an ancient antique.

The potential for life lurked around every corner, waiting in the oddest of places. I spotted another seed of life in Lady Luck, just chilling on the dashboard until it could bring its soul back to the mortal coil. I buckled in, regarding the tiny grain of light through narrowed eyes.