Excerpt: The Afterlife and Other Bureaucracies

“Do you think that someone could have gone into your world and told people not to speak to you, to beware humans bearing surveys?”
“Gregory, nobody goes back. You know that.” Gregory began shuffling his feet nervously.
“Yes. Yes, of course you’re right. Everyone knows that. Ha ha. I knew it was a silly idea when I had it. Ha ha.” Lundon frowned at his unconvincing performance.
“Gregory…”
“Yes, Lundon?” Gregory said, wringing his talons.
“I don’t want to hear it. I just don’t want to hear it.” Gregory promptly burst into tears.
“It’s true! It’s true! There’s a way back!” Lundon quickly moved over and pulled the demon down to his height.
“Keep your voice down, you fool!” he hissed. “Do you want to get us both in more trouble? You know that Scappick has it in for you. Pull yourself together.”
“Sorry, Lundon. It’s just that I’ve been thinking about this for so long. I just couldn’t hold it in any longer.” Lundon ran a hand over his furrowed brow before shaking his head in resignation.
“So. How long have you known?” Gregory thought about it for a moment.
“Almost an hour.”
“You held out for an hour?”
“Almost an hour,” he corrected.