Happily Ever After.

The last hope of a desperate Muse.

Taking one last look at Dave, you play the Card. Its energy surges through your hand; a warmth that fills you with a sense of longing.

There is an irony to it all. At the moment of this final chance, you simply want things to be over. To be done. To know the truth.

…

There is a tinge of doubt.

Is this fair?

Of course, a part of you wants her back. She was everything that you could have asked for – and more. A Muse that made you feel real. Genuine. Capable of the whole breadth of sentient experience. But… why? Why do you want those things? You had no need for them before you met.

…

…

Can an Impression even provide those? That is all they are: an impression. A thought in the moment. Isn’t that what they are? No – surely there is more to them. Surely you could teach them what to do. How to be.

…

That’s monstrous. That isn’t who you are.

The energy has dissipated now, and the stony coldness of Far Dream embraces you once more. Nothing. Silence.

You wait.

Was it really all for nothing? You wanted closure, not… this. This emptiness. This lost hope, whispering away on a Dream. This empty nothing. Even a simple ‘no’ would have sufficed – would show that the world recognised you. Understood what you wanted, even if it couldn’t give it to you. But it’s like it doesn’t even care. It can’t care. It simply is. Immutable.

…

No. This is not the Transcendental. This is Dream – endless possibilities, lives growing and changing and living. Anything is possible if you find the right Vignette… right?

A flash in the corner of your eye. You turn your head. Fall Ever Faster, as she was on the day she died – all dressed up. All thoughts leave your head – your heart races, and you feel a numbness tinged with fear. You feel awkward, frozen. You smile.

She beams back at you, but with a familiarity you had forgotten. The small dimples of her face, and the slight awkwardness of her demeanour. Small details that even you had forgotten in your grief. Not some perfect archetype. It’s as though you’ve only been gone a few hours. She is simple. She is ordinary. She is Fall.

She is real.

Dave looks on, opposite you.

“Joseph! Where’ve you been? I’ve missed you! Have you been out here networking or something?”

She thinks it’s the party. That night. That night.

All of the willpower inside you builds. You’re not sure why you’re so aware of it – these movements, these expressions, they come naturally to you around her. Or at least, they did. You just need some time to get used to it. You’re about to sp-

“Sorry, sorry! Yes. I was rather caught up chatting to my associate out here.”

Joseph Caesar walks out of you and towards Fall, embracing her. She looks happy and content. Not overwhelmed, but simply at ease around the Muse that she loves. But not you. Not the Joseph that you are. Joseph Caesar walks out of you. The Joseph that this Fall loves.

They exchange a brief kiss – only for half a second – before holding hands and walking back in the direction of that fateful party. A party that they are destined to enjoy together – and will soon have long-forgotten. Your eyes well up.

As they begin to fade away, they pass through Dave’s solemn form – as though he were not there at all. As though he could not be there for their happily ever after. An existence that both is and never was.

You, too, are happy. Happy for them. Happy for what would have been.

“Good day Jo,

How are you? So I just wanted to let you know that here in Spindle we have some… concerns. About your lifestyle. We would just like you to re-emphasise that you are responsible for the lives of the thousands of Muses and Impressions that live in your Dream.

As such, we feel it is appropriate for us to make some recommendations: healthy eating, regular exercise and getting plenty of sleep (especially that last one). Also, if you ever feel tempted to take up smoking, please don’t.

We’ve also been looking into ways to extend your life (and hence ours), and the NFWS (that's Nightmare Fuel Weather Station, our scientific organisation) have some further recommendations on this front:

* Whatever you do DON’T EAT GOLD! However we do recommend a daily supplement of Cinnabar, which has favourable alchemical qualities.
* There's this great website called Gloop which has some fantastic health advice.
* You NEED to get yourself some quartz, its ability to balance energy promotes a long and healthy life.

I honestly don’t claim to understand the science on these, and I’m not sure things work the same way in the Mundane as up here, but this is the expert consensus on what is best for you.

And by the way, it turns out stress is bad for your health so whatever you do DON’T STRESS, FOR THE LOVE OF YOU DON’T GET TOO STRESSED ABOUT THE THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO WILL DIE IF YOU DO.

Joseph Caesar

P.S. As we are now reasonably confident that all of your fellow humans also have civilisations of Muses living in their heads, we would appreciate it if you could encourage them to follow these recommendations as well.”

’A Retrospect’, in the Interesting Times.

Few can lay claim to moral authority in Spindle after the events of our times. The very foundations of our society were shaken time and again: despots were toppled, revolutionaries overthrown and our most fundamental institutions re-ordered and rebuilt. In such chaos, it is little wonder that those with the ability to do so took control – wrestling Spindle towards their own ends.

One such individual was Joseph Caesar. A true force to be reckoned with, Caesar rose to the top against fierce competition and exerted his will on those around them. Few dared stand up to him. Though is it any wonder? Only one Muse dared terrorise the tyrants.

Eventually heading up the Anti-Corruption League, Caesar successfully founded and built the system of law under which we all live today – along with colleague Bet Wimpole. As well as reforming and rewriting many laws themselves, they successfully pioneered a democratic system of justice that remains accountable to all Muses, rather than only those who lay claim to authority.

Despite all this, Caesar's efforts within the League have been more than a desk job: personally leading special operatives into covert operations, he successfully kept tabs on any Muses deemed to be taking advantage of their power – whether these were power-hungry officials or those with the potential to cause metaphysical problems. Porphyrius Noise’s Juice incident, famous for being the trigger of the “Get Juiced, motherfucker” Memeification, was only kept under control due to Caesar’s tireless efforts in tracking her down.

Undeterred by the unpopularity that his work brought him in some circles, Caesar persevered for the rest of his career – in the latter years, educating younger Muses on their legal rights and duties, as well as ensuring a fairer society for all through charity work.

Now retiring, he plans to take up painting and casual research. We wish him all the best.