Christian's hands shook as he input his pin number. On the outside, it may have seemed a lack of gloves caused his fingers to fumble numbly through the keys. On the inside, it was painfully clear that something much deeper caused his trembling.

Christian was hungry. Yes, his stomach was in a near constant state of growling these days, but it was more than that. Christian was hungry for something more, for meaning, for purpose, for something other than the endless struggle and suffering of merely staying alive.

If Christian hadn't been so cold, he may have laughed. The universe had nothing in store for him. This was it. These last few dollars, enough for a McDonald's sandwich and maybe a hot drink, and then--and then Christian would freeze to death on the street tonight. His vision was already going in and out from weakness, Christian knew it was only a matter of time.

Finally, Christian pressed the green x and the ATM whirred. He selected "withdraw all remaining funds" and waited. The machine spat out one crisp ten dollar bill and a few coins. It was a little more than Christian had been expecting, maybe he could get fries and a chocolate shake too.

His eyes a little brighter, Christian hovered his hand under the receipt slot and waited. Nothing happened. Then several things happened. All the lights on the ATM lit up, the closest thing to a Christmas tree Christian was going to get this year. Then, the tray started filling up with bills and the coin dish started overflowing.

Christian looked around, was anyone else seeing this? This kind of money could feed him for weeks. It could get him a motel room tonight. It could buy him precious time.

No. Christian shook his head. This money wasn't his. When the ATM finally shut off, Christian scooped up the bills and the coins, intending to bring them in to the teller and explain the situation. Maybe he could get one of those lollipops on the counter while he was in there.

Christian took two steps and stopped, looking closely for the first time at the money in his arms. The coins were smooth, no grooves on the side, and president-less on the front. Instead, each was embossed with a different flower and strange symbols Christian couldn't read. The bills were even stranger. The portraits were of women and the paper felt more like firm silk than money.

For a moment, Christian thought they must be Canadian currency, but then he saw one of the portraits move.

Something was very wrong, and Christian didn't want any part of it. Before he could drop the money and run, the ground beneath him opened up in a fissure of light. As he fell, Christian could see strange creatures flying around him on all sides.

The creatures had huge leathery wings with sharp spines along the edges. Their human heads sported ram's horns and menacing fangs. One lunged at Christian mid-air but missed, nearly swatting his face with a lion's tail and screeching as it passed.

Halfway through his descent, the sensation switched. Christian no longer felt like he was falling, but like he was rising higher and higher to the ceiling. His back hit the ground and the world righted itself.

Christian was lying in a field covered in red grass and dotted with flowers. He recognized the blue ones from the smallest coins he still clutched in his hand. From across the field, he heard more thuds and gasps. A horn blew in the distance and Christian could almost make out someone yelling, "Over here! There's more!"

Suddenly, Christian was aware of how not-cold he was. How comfortable the strange red grass was. He tuned out the sounds of bodies landing in the clearing and let himself drift off to sleep.