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Bo
“I trust you are feeling better today, Bo
There was an accusation there. Carter was a stickler. Bo
“Much better,” Bo
It was a bit of a lie. She wasn’t herself, but she was adjusting. The goddess had been right. Yesterday had been rough. Last night, even rougher. This morning wasn’t so bad. She still felt the weight on her chest, the desire to surrender herself to oblivion. But that wasn’t her. That was the goddess’s influence. Knowing that helped her to work around it.
Carter frowned, but she was always frowning. “Good, Bo
“Yes, Ms. Carter.”
Her boss walked away in her standard kick-step mode of walking.
Bo
A customer threw a stack of bridal magazines on the counter while Bo
“I need to return these,” the woman said.
“I’m sorry, we don’t take returns on magazines,” Bo
“But they’re defective.” The customer opened the top magazine and pointed to a random page. “Look!”
At first glance, the photo seemed fine. A closer inspection revealed the anomaly. The beautiful bride wasn’t quite so beautiful. She had the perfect dress, the perfect hair, the perfect bouquet. But she was snarling, and the mascara around her watery eyes was smudged.
Bo
Modern Homes magazine was full of photos of burning and crumbling houses. All the plants in the gardening magazines were dead. Bo
“I want my money back,” said the customer. “I don’t care what your policy is.”
“Yes, I see what you mean,” said Bo
“Hey, Bo
“I think she’s in her office.”
“Not there. I checked.” He leaned over the counter and rifled through the drawer beside her. “Have you at least seen the key that unlocks the store radio station? I’m getting sick of listening to ’Copacabana’ over and over again.”
Barry Manilow’s crooning tragic tale was stuck on permanent replay. Although it seemed that every ten minutes or so Lola’s end was a bit more tragic. Bo
“Somebody at that radio station is going to lose their job,” said Vince.
She feigned ignorance.
After refunding the customer’s money and throwing the magazines away to dispose of the evidence, Bo
Bo
“I’d say I’m sorry, but you asked me not to do that anymore.”
The café clerk placed a cup of coffee before the goddess. “Here you go, ma’am. I’m afraid that all our dairy products have spoiled, so it’s free.”
“Why, thank you. I prefer it black actually. Black like the endless night that inevitably engulfs and devours all mortal souls.”
Bo
“What do you expect me to do?”
“Go away. Go home. If you can’t leave me alone then at least go back to my apartment and wait for me there.”
“There’s nothing to do there.” Syph sipped her drink. She frowned. “More bitter than I expected, but then again, it always is.”
“May I speak with you a moment, Bo
Bo
“Have you seen this?” Carter held up a romance novel titled Love’s Empty Promises. The art was traditional except that the subjects weren’t particularly attractive. The long-haired hero was flabby and the redheaded heroine was cross-eyed and hunchbacked. They had their backs turned to each other, and the real shame was that this prevented them from noticing the cattle stampede rushing toward them.
“I think there’s something going on here.” Carter pointed over Bo
“Probably just a homeless person,” said Bo
Carter pushed past Bo
Syph took another sip. “I can’t do that. Not without her.”
Carter followed the goddess’s gaze to Bo
“I can explain, Ms. Carter. I can. This is all just a misunderstanding.”
“No misunderstanding. I’m her goddess.”
“No, she’s not. She’s not! I didn’t solicit her, didn’t ask to be her follower.”
“You said hello,” observed Syph.
“I keep telling you that doesn’t count!”
The goddess shrugged.
Carter’s frown deepened. “Bo
“She’s not my goddess!” said Bo
Carter’s brow knit in a disapproving glare. The outburst would probably find its way into Bo
She pulled Carter closer and whispered, “This is only temporary. I’m taking steps to get rid of her.”
Carter’s jaw tightened. “The policy of Books N’ More is to foster a spirit of tolerance toward its employees and whatever divine powers they choose to align themselves with, providing said alignment does not negatively affect their job performance.” She held up the romance novel. “Does this look as if it is not affecting your work, Bo
“Look, I’ll take my break now,” said Bo
Bo
Carter cleared her throat.
“I’ll take an early lunch now,” said Bo
“She’s coming with me, and when I get back, I’ll come back alone. It’ll all be fine. I promise!” She grabbed Syph’s hand, ignoring the chill passing through her, and dragged the goddess toward the door.
There was a Burger Town just down the street. Bo
“We need to have a talk,” said Bo