Short story, originally published in The Earth Strikes Back, Mark Zeising Books, 1994. First time in ebook format.

With the recent death of a client social worker Chris Dennison realizes he’s hitting burn out in his job but he can’t seem to pull himself out of the downward spiral he’s falling into. He’s ready to walk away from it all until he meets a girl who shouldn’t exist, who tries to show him that if he doesn’t like the answers he’s getting, maybe he’s asking the wrong questions.

“One of the most original fantasy writers currently working.”—Booklist

“Charles de Lint is the modern master of urban fantasy. Folktale, myth, fairy

tale, dreams, urban legend—all of it adds up to pure magic in de Lint’s vivid,

original world. No one does it better.”—Alice Hoffman

“De Lint creates an entirely organic mythology that seems as real as the folklore

from which it draws.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“De Lint is a romantic; he believes in the great things, faith, hope, and charity

(especially if love is included in that last), but he also believes in the power of

magic—or at least the magic of fiction—to open our eyes to a larger world.”—Edmonton Journal

“It’s hard not to feel encouraged to be a better person after reading a book by

Ottawa’s Charles de Lint.”—Halifax Chronicle Herald

“If Ottawa-area author Charles de Lint didn't create the contemporary fantasy, he certainly defined it. …writer-musician-artist-folklorist de Lint has lifted our accepted reality and tipped it just enough sideways to show the possibilities that lie beneath the surface… Unlike most fantasy writers who deal with battles between ultimate good and evil, de Lint concentrates on smaller, very personal conflicts. Perhaps this is what makes him accessible to the non-fantasy audience as well as the hard-core fans. Perhaps it's just damned fine writing.”

—Quill & Quire

“In de Lint's capable hands, modern fantasy becomes something other than escapism. It becomes folk song, the stuff of urban myth.”

―The Phoenix Gazette