Her eyes closed. Shadow’s hand found her cold hand, and held it in his. In time she opened her eyes again.

‘Did you ever figure out how to bring me back from the dead?’ she asked.

‘I guess,’ he said. ‘I know one way, anyway.’

‘That’s good,’ she said. She squeezed his hand with her cold hand. And then she said, ‘And the opposite? What about that?’

‘The opposite?’

‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘I think I must have earned it.’

‘I don’t want to do that.’

She said nothing. She simply waited.

Shadow said, ‘Okay,’ Then he took his hand from her’s and put it around her neck.

She said, ‘That’s my husband.’ She said it proudly.

‘I love you, babes,’ said Shadow.

‘Love you, puppy,’ she whispered.

He closed his hand around the golden coin that hung around her neck. He tugged, hard, at the chain, which snapped easily. Then he took the golden coin between his finger and thumb, and blew on it, and opened his hand wide.

The coin was gone.

Her eyes were still open, but they did not move.

He bent down then, and kissed her, gently, on her cold cheek, but she did not respond. He did not expect her to. Then he got up and walked out of the cavern, to stare into the night.

The storms had cleared. The air felt fresh and clean and new once more.

Tomorrow, he had no doubt, would be one hell of a beautiful day.