“What are we going to do with him?” Jonghyun asked Onew, indicating Papa who was now looking sheepish after Taemin’s laugh. Onew was their leader of their group, the one with the most experience as a Messenger. Minho was the next experienced, and Key was their latest recruit. But Messenger teams came as a unit of five. And as Onew had told them earlier, Papa was mortal.

Onew rubbed his eyes, still half-asleep. He pulled out his pocket watch, which spoke of their connection with Time. As Messengers they were time driven to deliver the Whispers, or the Whispers lost their power. The souls who spoke them would no longer be at rest and turned black. Onew considered the cost of having their extra guest with them. Papa could slow them down. Not that it seemed to matter much at the moment, he thought to himself, because Time was going backwards again. Onew frowned at the oddity. He had noticed that they were travelling backwards in time more often now. What was Time doing? he asked himself.

Onew looked about the bus and saw that they were now left alone. The other passengers must have alighted whilst they slept. It was only them and Jonghyun’s ridiculously named bus conductor and the unnamed bus driver. Onew then spoke freely of their plans: they would go to the Gods Pavilion and see what they can find out.

Jonghyun, Taemin, and Minho collectively pulled away and cringed. Reluctance was written all of their faces. They did not want to go there unless they had to. The Gods Pavilion was a place that always resulted in trouble for lesser supernatural beings such as themselves. Onew regarded each one of them and his eyes rested on Key’s as he continued speaking.

“A mortal existing in our world is not meant to happen, but it is not unheard of. The gods must know a solution for him to return, since it was undoubtedly one of the gods that brought him over here. Only they have the power to work such powerful magic. Besides, it was Taemin that bought him over to us. If you want to blame someone for us having to go to the Pavilion, then blame him.” Taemin tried to hide himself; he had thought that he was safe from the responsibility of Papa seeing them.

The bus came to a stop. They had reached their next site for collecting. Someone would die and their soul will need to be unburdened from their memories. And the soul will wait until the Whisper is complete and then will it be able to completely pass on into the supernatural world.

“Well,” Jonghyun drawled as he stood up and smoothed his pants and fixed his coat. “That means you will be staying with us for a while longer. What is your name, old man?” he addressed Papa.

“Yuki,” Papa replied. He was unsure whether he wanted to meet gods. All the legends he had heard as he was growing up told him not to mess around with the gods or he would be turned into a goat. Or fried with a lightning bolt.

“Well Yuki, I am Jonghyun,” and he introduced the others: Onew, Minho, Taemin, and Key.

“Whilst you are naming all of us, why not name the bus driver too?” Onew called out to Jonghyun as he passed and nodded thanks to the conductor. Key carefully alighted with his photo album, followed by a quiet Minho and the now energetic Taemin and an awkward Yuki.

Jonghyun paused as he was fixing his top hat on his head. “Ah!” he realised his lapse aloud. “Let me think of something. Just wait old man, ok?” he winked at the alarmed bus driver and loudly said his goodbye to a Subaru.