Yes, I'll admit it, it wasn't the most exciting or admirable of jobs, but it was definitely a job worth doing. Well, seeing as I was enslaved at the time, no job was really worth doing, but of all of them, this was a good one. And when I say "good," I mean "not bad," and when I say "not bad," I mean – well, you get the picture. In truth, it was not good at all, unless you enjoy making a fool of yourself.

Let me just fill you in on a few details, as otherwise your tiny human mind might find everything else difficult to comprehend (no offence). My current master was a dark-haired young man named Paul. Well, he didn't tell me his birth name, obviously, but Paul was the one written on his collar.

My charge was embarrassing in type, and demeaning in nature. Yes, he charged me to get his shopping. The cheek of some people! Well, I'd soon set him straight: though he didn't give me his birth-name, he failed to specify what type of pie he wanted! My revenge would come soon in the form of a large "chocolate" pastry.

As I strode down the brightly lit, Christmassy London streets, I had to keep telling myself that I hadn't lost my touch. My guise was that of a boy, about seventeen years of age, with closely cropped dark hair. I really needed to find new inspiration for my guises – my most common ones were of previous masters, if they could be called that.

Something stirred at the end of the street. It seemed to be a shadow of some vaguely humanoid creature, yet I could see no such being anywhere. I quickly scanned all seven planes, and all but the seventh revealed nothing of any interest. On the seventh plane, the shadow became a dark green haze that ebbed around the street corner.

I advanced cautiously, not that I was afraid, of course, but because there was still a single demon hybrid on the loose, and caution was always in my best interests. As I approached, the greenish fog seemed to dissipate, and I was able to return to my master's house. No doubt there would be plenty more demeaning jobs for me that would be better suited for an imp to carry out.

Paul was not an overly cruel master; rather, he was quite neglectful. Fortunately for him, he was not neglectful when it came to summoning us great and noble spirits, so I didn't get a chance to devour him before…sorry, I'm getting too ahead of myself.

"Is this a chocolate pie?" Paul asked upon inspection of my shopping bag.

"If you say so, sir," I grinned slyly as he cut himself a slice before dismissing me. I swear, I could hear his yells all the way from the Other Place. Ah, me. He must have really enjoyed that pie!

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Nathaniel opened his eyes slowly as he turned to take in his surroundings. It took a moment for him to remember who he was – let alone where he was and how he got there. Suddenly it all came flooding back to him: Bartimaeus, Kitty, Makepeace, Hopkins, Nouda, and…his own destruction. The latter part confused him - if he was dead, then was this…heaven?

"Where am I?" he wondered aloud. He looked around again, his head slightly clearer. Nathaniel stood in a stone ring, which distinctly reminded him of Stonehenge; beyond the ring were forests and crystal-clear springs; beyond that were snowy mountains, and beyond that…Nathaniel could no longer make anything out.

It was about this time that Nathaniel realised that he was completely naked, but then, who would need clothes in a place such as this? The temperature was warm, and he felt no need to cover himself, as there was nobody to cover himself from.

Nathaniel leapt into the crystal lake, sending ripples across its smooth surface. Suddenly, he was hit by a memory, which was strange, as it was not his own. Apparently, Bartimaeus had had quite an impact upon him. Colors flitted past his vision, Babylon and Egypt flew by, he caught a faint glimpse of Solomon, of Ptolemy, and he was back, floating on the surface of the water.

Nathaniel's head was aching from the sheer enormity of it all. He clambered out of the pool, now, and allowed the warm sun to heat him dry. As he lay there, it occurred to him that if this really was "heaven," then surely Ptolemy, Solomon, and even Mr and Mrs Underwood would be here. Even as he pondered this, he drifted off into a deep sleep.

(A/N: Please do tell me if you think I should go on…or if I should just stop now)