Three months after committing the perfect murder, Mafling Yonrungon died of a heart attack. When death came, Mafling was amazed at how much it hurt. In fact, it took him a full three hours to die, which probably helped him survive the experience in pretty good shape. A great many people suffered annihilating disintegration as they died, and were never seen or heard of again.

"However," said Mafling, picking himself up from the floor, "the world is going to hear and see a great deal from me yet."

For someone who had just died, he was uncommonly confident. Like many of the recently dead, he was in denial, as yet refusing to admit just how radically his circumstances had changed. However, even so, his confidence was not entirely without foundation. He did, after all, have his pre-death agreement with Nenny Chepzik.

After the really unfavorable result of his latest medical checkup, which had suggested that he was in danger of having a massive stroke and dying suddenly, Mafling had done his deal with Nenny. Mafling's personal lawyer had drawn up a pre-death agreement, Nenny had signed on the bottom line, and Mafling had paid off his son-in-law by promoting him to the position of Vice President of Corporate Transportation, which meant that Nenny got to run the car pool.

In retrospect, Mafling should have done far, far more. Despite advance warning, he was grossly underprepared for his own demise. But, once you're dead, you have no option but to make the best of things.

*

By profession, Miki Tree was a woman.