THE WEAVE:

Pluto calls Mercury…

"What do you want
Pluto?" Mercury asks
as he picks up the phone.

"What do you mean?"
Pluto calls back to him.
"I mean, what do you

want?  And what are you
doing over there, in
your office, alWays

working, working?"
Mercury expands the question.
"A magician, never reveals

his tricks," Pluto says.
"You're a workaholic,
Death King," Mercury diagnoses.

"I prefer the term,
relentless," Pluto edits it.
"But to what End?"

Mercury questions him.
"To the End of All
Ends," Pluto pronounces

with a flourish.
"But what's the point 
of that?  The End

doesn't need you.
It's an illusion of Self
importance, you serve.

The King is but a servant
to a benign Darkness
that needs no servants,

but in fact serves
each person equally.
It has never needed you

to keep the scales
of Life and Death
in balance.  It might be

good for you, to try
to focus on something
other, than killing Life."

Mercury ends.
"I don't kill Life.
I receive Death,"

Pluto corrects him.
"You say that like,
it's something special

that only you can do.
The Truth is, the nymphs
are just as good at it,

if not better, than you.
They receive Death,
and then they make sweets.

You just wallow,
and make people miserable."
"I don't make Lilith miserable,"

Pluto tweaks the Story
again, "We're besties."
"That's because Lilith

makes honey from you,"
Mercury says, "And she's so good
at it, you haven't even

noticed yet."