Then, suddenly, the sky above cracked open, and a white beam of light reached down into the Earth, smiting the Mother of Harlots asunder and setting the blood lake to a boil. As the Beast descended down into the lake of fire, Isaac ascended towards the crack in the sky, and as he flew he could see echoes of his past before him:

He saw his mother mourning the loss of her son.

He saw his father leaving them without turning to say goodbye.

He saw his mother sleeping, and his father taking money from her purse.

He heard the late-night fights they had that kept him up at night, and the guilt he felt for what he believed he was causing.

He felt the pain in his stomach during those sleepless nights, and saw his shadow in the closet, waiting for him.

As he rose, he felt his fears drop from his body. His shame, his worry, pulled from his being. As he became lighter, his ascent became faster.

He saw his one true companion, alive and well.

He saw his mother and father together again, holding each other.

He felt his mother kissing him on the head after he had said his prayers, and the comfort in knowing someone was watching over him.

He saw his own birth, and the faces of his parents filled with joy and optimism.

And then... he saw nothing.

Dad: Are you sure this is how you want this story to end, Isaac?

Dad: You're the one writing it, it doesn't have to end this way.

Dad: Here, how about we tell it a different way - maybe a happy ending?

Isaac: Okay, Daddy.

Dad: Good. Are you getting sleepy yet?

Isaac: Yeah.

Dad: Okay, so... *Ahem*

Dad: “Isaac and his parents lived in a small house, on the top of a hill...”