exhalation at dusk

illustrations by konrad kraus

euphemia exhaled softly her youth was over nothing could bring it back now alfred was carefully knotting his cravat beyond the green lawn the sun had set contrary to the gypsy’s prediction demons had not erupted from the earth and the encyclopedia remained on the shelves alfred’s followers were expected shortly and he would gratify them with a heroic excorication of the current government in which no room would be left for incomprehension the juniper bush was still in bloom due to the kind ministrations of the old gardener who had served the household since lady lucretia’s time and the moonlight showed them to advantage no such advantage would accrue to mr noakes the oldest member of alfred’s party and the most persistent in his impertinent questions to euphemia of which she had repeatedly complained to the implacably sanguine alfred tonight would be no different unless there was an unexpected invasion of those very demonic forces that euphemia devoutly wished would exponentially devour the countryside and the yet to be born new world of which she was already heartily tired