44.
   ‘Consoled the dying and buried the dead?’, I thought. Things were getting a bit heady. I bit my tongue. You can’t mock someone who could turn around and eat you alive. I hope she wasn’t some old hag or worse, another lizard.

   It wasn't long before an amazing apparition broke through the clouds, a great balloon of flayed skins stitched together. Smug, arrogant faces stretched across its surface. Their eyes were closed now, humbled by the eternity of their destiny. A dark figure leaned out of the basket and waived to us.
   Raymond continued. “She has seen too much tragedy but she was raised with an open mind and she knows that there is as much good in the world as there is bad.”
   “Oh great, a tragic optimist.”, muttered Pat.
   “If she can put a banker to good use, she’s more of a practical optimist.”, countered Nanette.
   “Do you think I should tell her about the accessories idea?”, queried Pat. “I know a guy who puts out some beautiful product. Maybe I could set her up with him.”
   “Maybe you could keep your mouth shut.”, frowned Nanette.