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c::::: Judgment of Osiris

Barbara Jensen "Ryuu" Toperzer

I took out my heart and dropped it on the The taller man plucked my heart from

table. It landed with a wet thud and pulled the older man's hands and turned it over.
quietly, trying to pump blood that was no
"Huh," was all he said. He disappeared
longer available. I looked at the man across
the table, waiting. for a moment. I heard shuffling, openings and
closings, coughing, the squawk of a bird, and
The man coughed and put on a pair of then he returned, significantly more dust cov-
thin reading glasses. Gently, delicately, he ered. He held a scale in one hand and a small
picked up my heart and turned it over and
over, examining it. feather in the other. Once the scale might have
been silver, and the feather white, but like my
"Hmhm, interesting, interesting," he heart, both had seen better days.
said after a long silence. "Normally I, hmm,
The dark man pulled a chair up to the
only get hearts that've been, hum, shattered. side of the table and fiddled with the scale,
There's a few, ahmm, old wounds here and adjusting. He placed the feather on it, and
there, hmmum, but it seems it's never been,
ahh, broken violently." while the scale did not move, he still tweaked
Once the the adjustment. Then he
I didn't say any- scale might took the heart and placed
thing. it on the scale. Naturally,

"Though, hmm, the heart sank lower, but
there's quite a lot of have been silver, and
much slower than one
wear. Been through a the feather white, but would expect. If this meant
lot. Ground down, re-
anything to the dark man,
ally, rather than broken. like my heart, both had he didn't say it. The older
Worn out, hmmm. Inter-
man said, "hmm, ahmm,"
esting, interesting. With seen better days. and made a few notes.
most folk they, hmm, get
ground down into noth- I wasn't sure if I

ing. It's, ah, rare that I get one like this. Not should speak or not. Lac~-
ing a heart means you lack a bit of will, so ~t
perfect, of course, but what heart is? Perfect
hearts aren't, hmm, given away." seemed to me better to stay silent, yet logi-
cally I knew I should say something. Ask a
I still didn't say anything. There wasn't
anything to say yet. stupid, naive question or some such.

"Yes, yes, not broken but simply worn Instead, I asked, "How much?"

out ... hmhm, I can see why you'd want it The older man adjusted his glasses. "Well
gone."
hmmm, that depends on what you want for
it."

He picked up an old phone and dialed. I considered.
"You just wanted rid of it," said the dark
"Hello, I need you in here. We've got a cus-
tomer." man. It wasn't a question.
I stared at him ..
Through the door behind him came a
taller, darker man. He sighed. "You wanted dreams, but they wouldn't
come. You wanted passion, but it was alrea~y
"You know, you could turn around and gone," he said. He looked at me. "Do you still
knock instead of using the phone." want dreams?"

"Hmhm, what?" I stared at him.
"Nathmi g ... "

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