Her brown eyes turned angry and belligerent. Seven made the jam jar dance in the air and turn over several times until she started laughing and clapping her hands. Then he asked, “Why the jam? I know, but I want you to tell me.”

She glowered for a moment, but he was her very own friend; no one, she knew, saw him but her. So she smiled, brilliantly this time, and opened her mind to him the way he’d taught her. Seven saw her then, earlier that day, in a rage, screaming for bread and jam. Bianka was busy and sent her out of the kitchen. So straight-away, after bed, Tweety rushed outside all by herself, down the stairs and out—something she wasn’t allowed to do when she was awake—and she took the hallucinated jar of jam. (Killing two birds at once, Seven told Cyprus later.)

But Seven said nothing. He turned himself into a snowman for her while she tired herself out racing around him. Then she followed him upstairs to bed and he read her the material on Sumari Geography that she hadn’t heard before. This time, though, he kept watch on her, and read more slowly so that she could ask questions.

Cyprus returned, looking like the ancient yet ever-young woman. “You are going to tell her how to keep in touch with her life, aren’t you?” she asked. “And certainly you intend to discuss magic and Sumari Time …”

“Hello,” Tweety said, matter-of-factly. She’d met Cyprus before, under these same circumstances.

“Of course,” Seven said to Cyprus. “Don’t rush me. Those subjects are in other chapters.”

Looking nowhere in particular again, Cyprus said, “Seven, I have a suggestion. Actually your little book could help many people, not just children. Let’s publish it in the Appendix of Jeffery’s book. That way, people can read it themselves when they’re awake.”

Seven was so pleased that he couldn’t maintain himself. He took three images at once, all of them dancing. “What do you think of that, Tweety? Your little book will be read around the world,” he said.

But Tweety was really fast asleep this time, spirit and all.

“Your Little Book can follow the Afterword and Jeffery’s notes,” Cyprus said.

“Afterword?” Seven asked.

And Cyprus said, “The gods still have a word or two to say on their own behalf, so they’re inspiring Jeffery to write an Afterword for them.”

Afterword of the Gods

“Is anyone looking?” Zeus asked. “Verily, no,” Christ answered.

“Are you positive?”

“Would the Son of God lie? Aren’t I omnipotent?” Christ asked. “Aren’t you?”

“Oh, Jesus!” Zeus thundered.