I watched from a distance, high upon a hill, as the shining god stood emotionless and still. His caduceus beckoning the wailing wisps to gather around him as moths to an electric lantern. The cloud of spirits were thick enough to obscure my sight, but still the caduceus could be seen through them all.
Once the clouds were sufficiently gathered, and caught in the staff’s light like strands of cotton candy, the god measured time with his steps and led the captive spirits towards a small boat in the distance.
Black hands with blacker talons wrapped around my chest and arms as the god left. Serrated canines grazed my throat in greeting. Thick motions blew across my scalp as the shadows welcomed me among their number.
The light of the caduceus ceased. The god had left.
We descended upon the plain beside the shore. It had become dark with the absence of the god.
We made it darker.