Ouch. Sonora sat up, her head acing and her throat insanely sore. She opened gummy eyes to such splendor as she had never seen. The bright, hot sunlight was filtered by millions of tiny aspen leaves above her head. The dirt was light and sandy, cleaner than any soil Sonora had ever felt. The world was silent but for birds singing her little lullabies.

Sonora sat up slowly, easing the spinning in her head. She stumbled to the well and drew up some sweet, clear, cold water. She brought the water to her lips, but she looked up and dropped it.

"I am sorry, Milord. I did not know this water was yours!" she exclaimed.

The man who had startled her was strikingly handsome. He had thick black hair and sapphire blue eyes. He smiled at her, showing her brilliant white teeth through the thick black beard. "Please - make yourself at home. I would love to have you stay."

Sonora raised the bucket back to her lips, still smiling shyly at the broad-shouldered man before her. He leaned against the other side of the stone well with ease. Suddenly, a terrifying felling came over Sonora. She dropped the bucket again, splashing the water all over herself.

The man swept around the well, scooping her up in his arms and rushing her out into the sun to dry. They sat together until she was.

"Where am I?" Sonora asked him, completely relaxed again.

"In Heaven," he replied. "Or at least, close."

"This is Heaven," Sonora sighed. She closed her eyes. Imprinted on the back was Ollie. The eyelids flew open. "No! I don't belong here!" She rose to her feet in a blind panic, running back to the well.

The man caught her hand and whirled her back into his arms. She suddenly no longer felt safe in his arms. She had to find Ollie!

"What's wrong, Love?" the man asked.

"I don't belong here!" Sonora repeated.

"Yes you do," he soothed. "Everyone does, sooner or later. I'm sorry if bad dreams are plaguing you. Ignore them, and they will come less often. I know what you need!" he exclaimed happily. "You'll be hungry!"

Sonora's belly growled. "Yes," she smiled. "I suppose I am a bit hungry."

The man led her by the hand to a grove of detectible pears. He picked one and handed it to her. She smelled it. The sweet, almost over-ripe scent flooded her nostrils and made her gasp.

"Oh, Sir! I've never felt more alive!" He smiled at her. She bit into the pear and let the juices run down her throat, cooling the burning pain there. She sighed. "I never asked your name, Sir."

"It's Nerull," he replied.

Sonora's eyes flew open and she backed out of his grasp. "No!" she gasped, recoiling and throwing the fruit at him. "No!"

"Oh yes," he cackled. "I am your lord!"

Sonora fell at his feet and sobbed. When she looked up, the world of her dreams had transformed. The trees were sick, leafless, and dying. The sun was a pale star on the horizon. The sandy soil was dust, and the fruit was rotting. Sonora looked up at Nerull. He was still cackling evilly, but his fair and handsome face had been transformed. The skin was taut and greenish, stretched on high-arched bones. His eyes were different sizes, and a beetle fell out of his teeth onto her. She screamed, shaking the beetle out of her disheveled red hair and sobbing.

Nerull looked down and asked, "I take it this does mean you are not interested in being my queen?" His tone was full of scorn and disgust.

Sonora looked up. "Gods no, Nerull! That's what I lived my life to avoid!"

"Oh but did you? You seemed happy enough to have me take you back when that creep Olidammara abandoned you."

"How did you know about what I felt for Olidammara?" Sonora hissed at he tall and gaunt god of death.

"You were a cleric in my name were you not? At least in name. You are lucky I kept you."

I was just an item… rare enough for him to want me…

"Oh no dear, it was more the novelty of stealing you away from Olidammara, which I seem to have succeeded in doing, despite his best efforts to get you back -" Nerull turned thus and strode away.

"What do you mean?" Sonora screamed at his retreating back. He turned back to her.

"Tut tut. We shall have to learn patience and manners, shant we?" Then he vanished.

Olidammara did care about me?