27 Book One, Chapter Twenty-Three

Published: Dec. 11, 2007, 5:43 p.m.

b'"Assam & Darjeeling" is the story of two children who set out to rescue their dead mother from the Underworld -- a nightmare place where the mythological desperately tries to keep pace with the world above. The children encounter cell-phone carrying demons, forgotten deities from defunct pantheons waiting tables, and one nasty character called Juniper who takes a particular, personal interest in their quest. In the twenty-third chapter of our story, Assam and Jee make their way downriver with nothing but mist and misery for company.'