The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Deleted Scenes: Six (Draft 2.5)

"Hi," Morpheus whispered to her.

"Hi," she mouthed.

"I like the barrettes, really."

She nodded, dared to look him in the eyes for a split-second. They were blue, mixed-up blue, and she was freckled. Morpheus noticed she had a pock mark almost at the center of her forehead. He only really noticed because he was used to picking out the one Opium had from a distance. This girl's was on the opposite side. "What's your name?" Morpheus asked.

"Seraph," she said at a whisper. She didn't look directly at him.

Morpheus smiled. "Like an Angel."

Her pout nearly thinned to a smile. "Yeah, an Angel."

"My name's Tyron," said Morpheus.

She smiled half a smile. She didn't say it, but she was thinking about a Tyrone Power movie she had seen, it was almost as if she wanted him to see the image, as if communicating by thought came more naturally than speaking.

She looked even more sad, something came over her quite suddenly, she dug the heel of her palm into her left eye. "Gotta go," she said.

Morpheus walked up to Hotel Seventeen and paid for another week in advance. He went up to his room, set the guitar against the wall and lay down. River was waiting for him, hanging on the wall. "I know," said Morpheus, "hotel's too clean, not enough for you to eat."

The lizard hopped from the wall, and perched on Morpheus' head. "I don't eat other animals."

"Don't lizards eat bugs?"

River just blinked at him.

"Sorry. I suppose it's hard for you. We can't do anything for Julien, or Joy. I'm sure we'll find someone you can help, you need to find good things to do with your life too."

Morpheus took the lizard into his hands and lay petting it. "I don't want to say anything to Opium, I know it's just the same with her, sometimes she can't help wanting to go back to Sleep. It's not like I have this idea that I'll see him some night and...fuck him, Riv," speaking curses didn't come naturally to Morpheus, but he thought that was the word for it when it was mainly physical. "It's just I miss having someone touching me. It never feels as bad as this at home, it's like this world sucks the life from you and you need so much, you need these others to come touch you and say nice things to you."

River seemed to sigh.

Morpheus picked up an issue of Vogue from the clutter of his bed and flipped through it. He recognized Julien's sister, the voluptuous tall blonde model wearing silver make-up. And he recognized Linda Evangelista. She was Julien's favorite super-model. Morpheus liked her name. "Think I could find a Djinn in New York, Riv?"

"What's a Djinn?"

"Maybe I can show you." Morpheus lifted River to his shoulder. Morpheus collected a few things from the room then. They made their way up to the roof of the hotel. Morpheus set some incense burning on the roof and stood before it, his eyes going black to the very corners. He spoke the words that would call the Daejinnim to him, kept chanting quietly till he could feel their invisible bodies hovering. He listened to their secret voices begging for attention.

Morpheus feared then he wouldn't find one Djinn that would be useful and loyal to him. These Djinn had been hovering over this city for ages, were practiced at impersonating petty Daemons for kids who played records backwards, and playing devil for those who lit black candles below inverted crosses. Morpheus wanted nothing to do with those sort of Djinn, much too impish and arrogant.