“Finny, you can’t just- I mean, you don’t mean to tell me…” he was stammering, looking at me like I was some sort of space creature with an even number of heads. I took his criticism in stride.

“Just. Be quite. Sit there. Watch,” I said, sitting in the middle of the floor. I crossed my legs and looked up at him, his face tight and drawn, unbelieving.

I closed my eyes, but I could still feel him sitting there, looking at me. I breathed deeply and tried to free my mind of that image – of all images. I concentrated on my own pulse, and then freed my mind of that as well. I reached as deeply down into my own consciousness as I possibly could – until I felt that my head would split clean in two. And then I let it all go, I reduced myself to nothing.

Hearing him gasp brought me hurling back.

“Y-you just….!” He stuttered, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and admiration. “You were gone! You… you dissappeared! How…?” His eyes were a huge question mark.

“I just brought myself back to nothing.”