A high pitched caw tore through the room as the glass shattered on the floor. Von stood motionless, dumb in shock. Nicholas stood in the center of the broken frame, the glass scattered around him. His eyes were misty, his arms stiff at his sides. His head was tilted down as if he were searching for something in the ruined mirror. Von tried to move, but he feet refused his command. Suddenly a black crow burst from out the mirror, glass shooting upwards and across the room, cutting Nicki's face and Von's. All the lost color of the living refilled the room, blinding and almost unimaginable. Nicholas turned to watch it streak through the window, a small smile playing on his lips. He swayed slightly before collapsing, cushioned by the shards. Von finally regained control of his body and ran to pick him up.

A cool breeze filled the room, dim sunlight as its accompaniment. Nicki opened his eyes slowly, and he blinked at the warm, rich color. It flooded the room, and yet seemed perfectly natural. There were no blues or grays, no mutes tones as if the world were covered it dust. It was normal, and it was real. Von was across the room at the bookshelf, a decent pile on the floor. No doubt he was making good on his threat to rid the house of all things Poe. This wasn't Usher after all.

Nicholas sat upright, everything flooding back to him. Von noticed the movement out of the corner of his eyes. "Don't sit up so quickly, you'll pass out." He dropped a book on the floor, coming to sit on the floor next to Nicki. "You took a pretty bad hit there. A fifty pound mirror, straight to the head, and only a few cuts to show for it. I'm surprised you're not dead. What a shame, now I really will have to poison your hot chocolate." He pushed Nicki back into the couch. "I don't want you stressing yourself out now. I called to let your professors know you're sick, and that I'll be by to get your assignments. Yes, I know, it is shockingly courteous of me isn't it? I want you to rest. I'll be back at five."

"Where are you going?" Nicki sat up anyway, putting a hand to his face. He could feel the minor cuts, along with the larger ones that had been stitched. There was a bandage on his cheek covering the worst. It stung to move his face.

"To work. I have to present my campaign. Strange, it's as if nothing happened. No mildly interesting weekend for us. Except maybe for your concussion, but that's another story. Did I not just get through saying I didn't want you running around?" Von stared in amazement as Nicki got up and moved to the window.

"So then what happened? It all just snapped back to normal? I almost kill myself and that's it?"

"Did you expect more? Fireworks, a light show? A Hitchcock finale where the crows peck your eyes out? Ew, that one was morbid, even for me."

"It can't be that easy. Where did they go?"

"Who cares? It's done, and we're not dead, insane, or both. What's wrong?"

"It makes less sense now than it did when we were trapped in it. It just ended."

"I'm going to call out of work. I'm not sure I want you to be alone today."

"You don't have to do that. It's just...it all began with a storm, the entire city saw it. I can still see the effects of it outside. It's wet, trees are down, and it’s humid. How can it just end?"

"You were out cold Nicki. The storm broke a few minutes after you collapsed. I watched all the crows fly off, after I latched the window of course. I swept up the glass and the frame. It's all in the trash outside."

Nicholas leaned against the windowsill. The sun was bright enough to sting his eyes. A black bag sat outside on the curb, bits of glass poking through it. The broken frame sat next to it.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

"No, I'll be alright. I think I'm just going to sleep. I need it."

"Alright." Von kissed his cheek. "I'll see you later." He twirled his keys around a finger before heading to the door. He paused, looking back.

"You don't think we were hallucinating do you? Or that this will ever happen again?"

Nicki continued to stare at the bags outside. One glittering shard had cut the black plastic. The glass fell out into the grass, and Nicki could have sworn he saw black wings. He closed his eyes, rising and closing the curtain. He looked at Von and shook his head. "Erom reven."