Epilogue

She was being chased. The thing behind her giggled with a high, cracked voice, his laugh pouring out from his mouth in breathless gasps. She could only run.

She tried to skid to a halt as she saw something coming; it was her reflection. A mirror blocked off the passage. She spotted a smaller doorway and took it, the thing skimming along behind her, still laughing. He was enjoying this.

A card swooped over her shoulder and hit a column, making it collapse; she cried out as it hit her, but it was only made of rubber and did not hurt. She crawled out from under it and found the creature standing in her way.

His unfocused eyes followed the orb slowly circling her, and he giggled. "oOOoh, white-lily-o! Love the white, I do!"

She jerked back as he leaped at her, crimson-tipped fingers slashing at her like claws; they did not touch her, however, but rather yanked away the floating white orb. She fell back and tried to shove herself away, mind suddenly reeling. It felt somehow as if someone had inexplicably reached into her mind and pulled out a thought or idea.

The creature was biting into the sphere like it was a ball of candy, and she saw that he had small, dainty fangs. He chortled to himself around the orb, eyes closed in happiness.

She watched in a type of morbid fascination as the sphere grew smaller. He seemed to be sucking its insides out. Gradually it grew to the size of a baseball, then a ping-pong ball, then a quarter---and then it was gone, leaving behind only a sparkle of iridescent shimmer in the air.

The thing licked its fingers happily; a fang scraped too close on his ring finger, and it began bleeding. He stopped and stared at it, fascinated. His face reminded her of a young boy who has suddenly learned that balloons can pop.

Then he grinned and stuck the finger in his mouth, sucking greedily. His eyes closed again in the contented look he'd shown earlier when he'd been devouring her orb. She swallowed, feeling her stomach churn.

He stopped and looked up at her, smiling proudly like a child who has just accomplished something. "Pretty blood, pretty shining blood!"

She took a careful step back. He peered at her closely, his grin becoming wider. "Pretty bet you have lOOOTs of blood!"

She screamed as he pounced at her again, his cape spread wide like the wings of some strange neon bat. Turning, she tried to run before those blood-tipped fingers could grab her and suck her dry like they had the orb, her beautiful orb. She found herself ludicrously mourning her sphere.

His fingers dug into her shoulders as he landed on her back, knocking her to the ground. She gasped once more before the small, glimmering fangs sank into her wrist.

The creature chuckled happily to himself, ignoring the fact that it made the dream-blood trickle out the sides of his mouth. She was aware, vaguely, of the cold feeling of droplets dripping down her skin.

She felt no pain. The creature was strangely light, and the crimson fingers did not dig into her flesh. She whimpered and contemplated trying to fight her way out.

The sound---a small, stammering whimper---made him pause mid-suck, eyes suddenly opening wide. She felt his fangs pull away from her wrist. He let her go and stumbled back, mouth open in amazement or horror, blood staining his dainty lips a bright cherry red; one hand was pressed against them, palm facing out. He gaped at her. She stared back at him, fuzzily.

Without another sound, he turned and fled.

Slowly she raised herself up on one arm, staring confusedly down the mirrored passage he'd taken; moving her fingers to the back of her wrist, she could feel the small, dainty holes his fangs had left.

With a stifled gasp, Emily sat upright in bed, sweat beading on her forehead and hands clutching the blankets with desperate strength. A beam of moonlight streaked through her window, highlighting the wooden blocks she and her brother had played with during the day; they lay scattered and in disorder, an entire town of buildings and castles tumbled to rubble by the single sweep of someone's hand. The full moon beamed silently down upon the chaos of a ruined world.

Only a nightmare.