did you pray for Hell on Earth? We had a gargoyle in our garden last night. It ate our neighbor's Pekes—which was fine by me, incidentally. Those damn dogs barked all night. But then it came over and rooted through my shrubs, and when I ran out to chase it off, it flew over our car and dropped a bucketload of the stinkingest . . ." Mary took a sip of her Diet Pepsi and said, "By the time we got the mess off, parts of the paint job were eaten down to the metal. And you know what my damned insurance agent told me?"
Dayne shook her head slowly.
"Insurance won't cover the damage—because gargoyles are an act of God."
"Oh, no!"
"Those weren't quite the words George used. But I was saying—you could have prayed for a sensible miracle, you know. Something that would benefit everyone." Mary flipped her chart shut and o