Американские боги

           Somewhereinthere,attheendofit,hetookabreath,acleardraughtofairhefeltallthewaydowntothedepthsofhislungs,andheknewthathehadbeenholdinghisbreathforalongtimenow.Threeyears,atleast.Perhapsevenlonger.

           —Nowrest,shesaid,andshekissedhiseyelidswithhersoftlips.Letitgo.Letitallgo.

           Thesleephesleptafterthatwasdeepanddreamlessandcomforting,andShadowdiveddeepandembracedit.

           Thelightwasstrange.Itwas—hecheckedhiswatch—sixforty-fiveA.M.,andstilldarkoutside,buttheroomwasfilledwithapalebluedimness.Heclimbedoutofbed.Hewascertainthathehadbeenwearingpajamaswhenhewenttobed,butnowhewasnaked,andtheairwascoldonhisskin.Hewalkedtothewindowandclosedit.

           Therehadbeenasnowstorminthenight:sixincheshadfallen,perhapsmore.ThecornerofthetownthatShadowcouldseefromhiswindow,dirtyandrun-down,hadbeentransformedintosomewherecleananddifferent:thesehouseswerenotabandonedandforgotten,theywerefrostedintoelegance.Thestreetshadvanishedcompletely,lostbeneathawhitefieldofsnow.

           Therewasanideathathoveredattheedgeofhisperception.Somethingabouttransience.Itflickeredandwasgone.

           Hecouldseeaswellasifitwerefulldaylight.

           Inthemirror,Shadownoticedsomethingstrange.Hesteppedcloser,andstared,puzzled.Allhisbruiseshadvanished.