My Cardboard Balcony

Before I Go by Belinda Roddie Before I go, I'd like to tell you all how grateful I am that you invited  me to this lovely party - what a ball! But now I need some rest, and my sweet bed is calling to me. It is late, and I have work tomorrow, but I hope that you all get a good night's sleep. I say goodbye, but no need to be sad or look so blue. It's just a "See you later," or a "Catch you on the flipside!" I know that I'll see most of you again at the office. Mask your sorrow for a moment as I leave. Oh - no one's listening to me, I guess. I tried to socialize; I did my best!

If you follow her up her obsidian tower, then she will offer you a golden bauble. But the gold is just painted on - the rest is sparkling, fooling pyrite. Still, if you open the bauble, you'll be both stunned and horrified to see her tiny heart beating in its gleaming chambers. Still, she advises you not to take it home with you. It's only to look at, only to marvel at. She is one of the last left - the ones who can be sustained without organs or flesh.