Toffee lowered herself sinuously to his side and leaned close to him. She observed him amusedly through langorously lowered lids. "You're going to see a lot of me, lover," she crooned, "in more ways than one. If you want a word of sound advice, just relax and enjoy it. That way, you won't get quite so messed up." "Now, don't ..." Marc said thinly. "This is no time for nonsense!" "This is precisely the time for nonsense," Toffee said, slipping a cool, slim arm determinedly around his neck. "Don't start anything!" Marc cried, trying without success to disentangle himself. "Let go of me, you thinly-draped hussy." "I only wonder why I'm so good to you," Toffee sighed. "I suppose it's because you may not live much longer--if you don't behave yourself." "You're not good to me!" Marc said desperately. "You're awful! You're worse than...." Whatever Toffee was worse than never came to light, for Marc's words were smothered beneath a warm, lingering kiss that went beyond words. A moment passed before she released him. "There," Toffee said. "Now it doesn't matter if you survive; your life has been rich and full." "Now, see here, you," Marc said forcefully. "If you're thinking I'm going to lounge around with you...." "I'm only wondering if you're strong enough," Toffee said. "Stop saying things like that!" Marc said, holding his voice steady with an effort. "I'm not exaggerating when I say that you absolutely must not materialize--not even a finger!" "Oh, never just a finger!" Toffee said with false alarm. "I intend to go much farther than that." "Evidently," Marc said. "But you must realize...." He stopped, for suddenly the valley had begun to blur, strangely, as though it were seen through a panel of water-washed glass. Even as the words died in his throat, a heavy greyness dripped through the sky, dulling its radiance. On the horizon, the odd, feathery trees seemed to melt and merge, and the grass upon which they were sitting became a wavering sea of misty green. "Oh, my gosh!" Marc gasped. He turned to Toffee, his eyes filled with alarm. "Now, you've got to take me seriously...." "Oh, I will!" Toffee said happily, locking her arms around his neck. "I'm going to be positively grim about you!" "No!" Marc cried. "Let go of me!" The darkness was coming rapidly now, and the last traces of the sky were nearly gone. "Let go!" "If I feel myself slipping," Toffee said breathlessly, "I'll just hook my fingers in your ears." She drew her lips close to his ear. "Lover," she murmured, "I'm going to stick to you like a barnacle on a boat. You'll never scrape me off!" * * * * *