And so, a breath is taken,
and the colourful universe feels

Scales and trunks halting,
causing the world to pause

A Witches' hat lowers
Hairpin halting
On the path to the bun,
A toothless grin falters,
A mother shushes her young,
A triple voice soars, and cracks,
falls
silence
just for a second
just this one

A hedgehog stirs from slumber,
a palace, blacksmiths, markets, circle,
Elves cease to smile
Just this moment

There is peace

The trolls, asleep in sunlight, are bought to
consciousness, and they lift their lichen in a salute
more beautiful than any enchanted guitar or
harp.

Dwarves halt in the smell of gold, lips parted in
shock, beneath beards which now quiver, rather
than quaff.

Hex's parts come to a standstill, the ants, overcome,
clutch the teddy bear and Hex's light, blinks off
then on.
A single word flashes on the output screen
<Gone>

The Wizards, third helping finished, long for
answers: anything but this
so wrong
But Susan only shrugs
Poker held aloft, she searches the the
monster, but even Iron is not
that strong.

Stop The Press
Stop All the Clocks
Even Dibbler stops picking a lock

All the egg timers stop

A howl from the forest
A salute
A Goodbye

The universe filled with an inevitable sigh

Pyramid's shaking
Orcs quaking
Goblin's sobbing
Tiffany Aching

Even de'Quirm's thinking
is placed on pause

As hats
and staffs
and lords
and trees
and daggers
and guitars
and paws

Even sad little bladders on sticks

Are raised in tribute
As reality quickens
And a thin arm asks for an AUTOGRAPH

The Cori Celesti bows
To the Chief of all Gods
As the timer runs of Sand