Sweet MYTH-tery of Life by Robert Asprin

Everywhere you looked there were gargoyles, dragons, and snakes . . . stone ones, fortunately . .. peering back at you from rooftops, balconies, and window ledges. Normally I don’t mind such creatures. Heck, as you know I have a dragon of my own, and Gus is one of my best friends even though he is a gargoyle. It should be noted, however, that those individuals manage to maintain their relationship with me without constantly displaying their teeth in bloodthirsty glee, a courtesy which their stone counterparts here in Limbo did NOT extend.

Then, too, there were the bats.

For every one of the aforementioned frightful creatures, there must have been ten or twenty bat decorations on display. They came in all sizes, shapes, and poses, and seemed to have only one characteristic in common . . . none of them looked friendly. It was an unnerving reminder that a goodly proportion of the dimension’s inhabitants were vampires.

“Umm … Is this Blut, by any chance?” I said, ostensively studying the buildings around us while, in actuality, sneaking sideways peeks at Cassandra, trying to get another peek at her teeth.

“As a matter of fact, it is!” my date confirmed. “Don’t tell me you’ve heard of it?”

“Actually, I’ve been here before.”

“Really? That’s strange . . . but then again, Vic did say that you were better traveled and informed than most off-worlders.” Cassandra seemed genuinely impressed. “So, what did you think of the place?”

“I didn’t really get to see much of it,” I admitted. “I was sort of here on business and didn’t have much time for socializing or sightseeing.”