4:30 PM
(Dedicated to Sir Terry Pratchett and Marc Warren)
Soul-less black, pinpointed light
So clear and yet so lifeless
Faint swirls reflected within inky depths.
Ripples break against a porcelain rim
Grains of white crash and tumble throughout the onslaught of silver finery.
Pale skin shakes; murky droplets stain white lace.
A sudden jerk.
A sudden surge.
A flood of nobility and time washes clean mahogany –
Stains the present.
Teh-ah-tim-eh sighs;
Pours himself another tea.
Teatime: "My name is Teh-ah-tim-eh. Jonathan Teh-ah-tim-eh."
Susan: " As in four thirty?"
- Terry Pratchett's The Hogfather [Sky One adaptation]