Night Owls

Jerry glanced down at the photograph in his hand, then back up again at the woman sitting alone at the back of the cafe.

His pulse was racing and his mouth felt bone dry. Could it really be her? The idea that she was sitting right over there, only a few feet away seemed incomprehensible. A sudden chill ran up his spine as Jerry remembered the snow falling delicately on her casket so many years ago.

All at once a blinding light coursed through the space. Jerry and the woman froze. And then a creature appeared, seemingly from the air itself.

The creature was like nothing they had ever seen before. It appeared to be made up entirely of bright, iridescent light. It reached out a closed fist and opened it, palm up. Inside was an old pocket watch with the initials GD engraved on the front. Jerry heard a faint ticking...