“this…cannot be real,” Angela says, nearly loud. “It’s not true.”

“It’s fine, I get it,” says Mary. “You are in a state of denial.”

Then Angela weeps in her husband’s arms as Mary watches with a headshake. Such a dramatic woman, she thinks. Dramatic as her characters and stories.

Really Mary begins to realise there is something strange with this Angela woman, this author. This rather extremely weird author – her tears contradict her denial.

The weep continues, Mary notices it’s not only a power – this thing they don’t have a name to (what would you call it?) – it’s a gift, a gift and a curse. Because all those learners at Denver wouldn’t have been killed if it wasn’t for the novel Blood Everywhere Angela wrote. So many tragedies and hurdles that could not have happened it Angela wasn’t a writer at all. But seeing and hearing the cry, Mary thinks she too was oblivious to all of this.

She touches Angela’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault,” she tells her. “You didn’t know.”

“Yes my love, it’s not your fault,” adds Richard. But Angela is still crying; guilty conscience eating her up in big bites. First the failed presentation at work, now it’s this.

“Listen, love. How about…” Richard hesitates, unsure of what he’s about to say. But says it anyways, “how about you write happy stories so that good things will happen to people?”

“That’s impossible.” Angela says. “Bad things always happen.” She relieves herself from Richard’s arms. Both he and Mary are surprised to see a smile on her face; a wet smile of tears and red eyes. Why does she look so…Evil?

She’s not normal, Mary thinks.

“Bad things,” Mary says. “Which reminds of Other Things.” Angela speaks with a giggle this time, as if saying the words tickles her. She tells them it’s too late.

“Too late…too late for what?” Richard asks, as Mary was about to ask the same thing.

“Other Things, the name of my new novel. It’s too late to stop it. It has been edited and the cover has been created. Money has been spent. The book is coming.” Angela sounds demonic Mary swears there’s some spirit inside of her. Evil spirit.

Angela tells them the book, Other Things, is about a virus originating from China, spreading from country to country, killing millions in the world. Masks, sanitizers, quarantine, social distancing and vaccines will be used as protective measures. “The novel will be published in the end of this year, 2019,” Angela says.

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