Smoke Mirrors, Mirrors Mirrors Reading the Entrails: A Rondel Introduction The Wedding Present Reading the Entrails: A Rondel Nicholas Was… Troll Bridge The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories The White Road The Facts in the Case of the Disappearance of Miss Finch The Daughter of Owls Virus Only the End of the World Again Fifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock The Sweeper of Dreams Vampire Sestina The Sea Change When We Went to See the End of the World by Dawnie Morningside, age 11 1/4 Tastings Babycakes Snow, Glass, Apples CHAPTER 1: Chivalry CHAPTER 2: Nicholas Was… CHAPTER 3: The Price CHAPTER 4: Troll Bridge CHAPTER 5: Don't Ask Jack CHAPTER 6: The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories CHAPTER 7: Eaten (Scenes from a Moving Picture) INT. WEBSTER'S OFFICE. DAY. THE QUEEN'S SALON. CHAPTER 8: The White Road CHAPTER 9: Queen of Knives CHAPTER 10: The Facts in the Case of the Disappearance of Miss Finch The First Room The Third Room The Fifth Room The Seventh Room The Ninth Room The Tenth Room CHAPTER 11: Changes II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. IX. X. XI. XII. CHAPTER 12: The Daughter of Owls CHAPTER 13: Shoggoth's Old Peculiar CHAPTER 14: Virus CHAPTER 15: Looking for the Girl CHAPTER 16: Only the End of the World Again LAWRENCE TALBOT ADJUSTER CHAPTER 17: Bay Wolf CHAPTER 18: Fifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot 1. The Magician 5. The Pope 7. The Chariot 11. Justice 15. The Devil 17. The Star 20. Judgement CHAPTER 19: We Can Get Them for You Wholesale 3… CHAPTER 20: One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock CHAPTER 21: Cold Colors I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. IX. X. CHAPTER 22: The Sweeper of Dreams CHAPTER 23: Foreign Parts CHAPTER 24: Vampire Sestina CHAPTER 25: Mouse CHAPTER 26: The Sea Change CHAPTER 27: How Do You Think It Feels? CHAPTER 28: When We Went to See the End of the World, by Dawnie Morningside, age 11 1/4 CHAPTER 29: Desert Wind CHAPTER 30: Tastings CHAPTER 31: In the End CHAPTER 32: Babycakes CHAPTER 33: Murder Mysteries CHAPTER 34: Snow, Glass, Apples Also by Neil Gaiman Collections Sandman Miscellaneous Graphic Novels As Editor
CHAPTER 2: Nicholas Was… « ^ »
…older than sin, and his beard could grow no whiter. He wanted to die.
The dwarfish natives of the Arctic caverns did not speak his language, but conversed in their own, twittering tongue, conducted incomprehensible rituals, when they were not actually working in the factories.
Once every year they forced him, sobbing and protesting, into Endless Night. During the journey he would stand near every child in the world, leave one of the dwarves' invisible gifts by its bedside. The children slept, frozen into time.
He envied Prometheus and Loki, Sisyphus and Judas. His punishment was harsher.
Ho.
Ho.
Ho.