When Jiff held the brandy bottle upside down, a single golden drop landed on his tongue.
He set it down next to the first empty one and started opening a third bottle.
Sitting on the sofa, Daniel and Rosie could hear Mason upstairs, talking on the phone. He was laughing.
Frank sat back in his chair and raised his glass and then downed what was in it and cleared his throat. He licked the scar on his cleft lip. ‘Tell me what it’s like, Jiff.’
‘What?’
‘Feeling so great. Being reborn.’
‘What do you think?’ And Jiff started laughing as he tugged at the wrapping round the bottle. Then he stopped and looked round. ‘Why don’t you try it?’
‘Nah.’
‘Why not?’ Jiff raised his hands and pointed at himself and then nodded over at Daniel. ‘I could do him and show you how quick it is.’
‘Wasted on him,’ said Frank.
Jiff nodded. He fumbled at the cap on the bottle when he felt a throbbing in his head and cursed as his fingers slipped. ‘I need a drink.’
He poured another brandy for himself and then filled Frank’s glass, bending down to study the man’s cleft lip. ‘You shouldn’t be so chicken. I could make you handsome, you know.’
Frank said nothing as he stared at the golden flask on the table in front of him. Then he took a sip from his glass and set it down. He took the black revolver out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Jiff. ‘Make it quick,’ he said.
‘How quick do you wa—’ but before he could finish, Jiff raised the gun and fired point-blank at Frank’s forehead.
Frank slumped back in his chair, dead in an instant.
Jiff tossed the gun into Frank’s lap and finished his drink. Sniffed and admired his handiwork.
He smiled at Daniel and Rosie, and then turned round to pick up the flask from the table beside the empty brandy bottles. He missed it and grinned. ‘I’m so drunk,’ he said. But, when he went to pick up the flask again, he missed a second time. He looked at his hand and then at the flask and reached slowly for it, watching his fingers slip through one side and out the other.
When he tried the other hand, it wafted through the flask too. He turned to Daniel. ‘Get up! Get the flask open. Get it open!’ But Daniel just sat there, watching Jiff’s panicked face. He managed to pick up the flask between his elbows and unscrew the cap with his teeth. But, as he spat out the cap, the flask fell straight through his elbows and landed on the floor, spilling the contents into the carpet.
‘No,’ gasped Jiff, shaking his head ‘No!’ He kicked out, but his foot went straight through the flask. He bent down and tried to lick the wet carpet, but his tongue touched nothing.
Quickly, he turned to look at Frank and screamed at the bloody mess in the chair as his whole body started to fade.
Mason had heard the gunshot. And he had heard the scream. He came down the stairs and strode into the living room and saw Frank in the chair, his brains sprayed on to the wall behind him.
When he saw the flask on the floor, he picked it up and swilled it round next to his ear. He tipped it up and there was not a single drop left.
‘Where’s Jiff?’
‘Gone,’ replied Daniel.
‘Gone where?’
Mason bent down to pick up the gun from Frank’s lap, but his hand wafted through it. He tried again.
He looked up. ‘What do you mean gone?’
When Daniel and Rosie said nothing, Mason stood up and stepped back from them. ‘What do you mean gone?’ he said quietly, holding up his hands in front of his face and staring straight through them at the two of them sitting there on the sofa, watching.
After Mason had vanished too, there was nothing but the sound of Frank’s chin dripping red spots on to his chest.