"Okay," said Richard.

"I mean, it's true. And it's a deadly secret."

"Fine."

MacBride had been spending a lot of time recently with Mr. Aliquid, the school chaplain.

"Well, everybody has two angels. God gives them one and Satan gives them one. So when you get hypnotized, Satan's angel takes control. And that's how Ouija boards work. It's Satan's angel. And you can implore your God's angel to talk through you. But real enlightenment only occurs when you can talk to your angel. He tells you secrets."

This was the first time that it had occurred to Grey that the Church of England might have its own esoterica, its own hidden caballah.

The other boy blinked owlishly. "You mustn't tell anyone that. I'd get into trouble if they knew I'd told you."

"Fine."

There was a pause.

"Have you ever wanked off a grown-up?" asked MacBride.

"No." Richard's own secret was that he had not yet begun to masturbate. All of his friends masturbated, continually, alone and in pairs or groups. He was a year younger than them, and couldn't understand what the fuss was about; the whole idea made him uncomfortable.

"Spunk everywhere. It's thick and oozy. They try to get you to put their cocks in your mouth when they shoot off."

"Eugh."

"It's not that bad." There was a pause. "You know, Mr. Aliquid thinks you're very clever. If you wanted to join his private religious discussion group, he might say yes."

The private discussion group met at Mr. Aliquid's small bachelor house, across the road from the school, in the evenings, twice a week after prep.

"I'm not Christian."

"So? You still come top of the class in Divinity, jewboy."

"No thanks. Hey, I got a new Moorcock. One you haven't read. It's an Elric book."

"You haven't. There isn't a new one."

"Is. It's called The Jade Man's Eyes The Jade Man's Eyes. It's printed in green ink. I found it in a bookshop in Brighton."

"Can I borrow it after you?"

"Course."

It was getting chilly, and they walked back, arm in arm. Like Elric and Moonglum, thought Richard to himself, and it made as much sense as MacBride's angels.

Richard had daydreams in which he would kidnap Michael Moorcock, and make him tell Richard the secret.

If pushed, Richard would be unable to tell you what kind of thing the secret was. It was something to do with writing; something to do with gods.

Richard wondered where Moorcock got his ideas from.

Probably from the ruined temple, he decided, in the end, although he could no longer remember what the temple looked like. He remembered a shadow, and stars, and the feeling of pain at returning to something he thought long finished.

He wondered if that was where all authors got their ideas from, or just Michael Moorcock.

If you had told him that they just made it all up, out of their heads, he would never have believed you. There had to be a place the magic came from.

Didn't there?

"This bloke phoned me up from America the other night, he said, 'Listen man, I have to talk to you about your religion.' I said, 'I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't got any fucking religion.' "-Michael Moorcock, in conversation, Notting Hill, 1976 It was six months later. Richard had been barmitzvahed, and would be changing schools soon. He and J.B.C. MacBride were sitting on the grass outside the school, in the early evening, reading books. Richard's parents were late picking him up from school.

Richard was reading The English Assassin The English Assassin. MacBride was engrossed in The Devil Rides Out The Devil Rides Out.

Richard found himself squinting at the page. It wasn't properly dark yet, but he couldn't read any more. Everything was turning into greys.

"Mac? What do you want to be when you grow up?"

The evening was warm, and the grass was dry and comfortable.

"I don't know. A writer, maybe. Like Michael Moorcock. Or T. H. White. How about you?"

Richard sat and thought. The sky was a violet-grey, and a ghost-moon hung high in it, like a sliver of a dream. He pulled up a blade of grass, and slowly shredded it between his fingers, bit by bit. He couldn't say "a writer" "a writer" as well, now. It would seem like he was copying. And he didn't want to be a writer. Not really. There were other things to be. as well, now. It would seem like he was copying. And he didn't want to be a writer. Not really. There were other things to be.

"When I grow up," he said, pensively, eventually, "I want to be a wolf."

"It'll never happen," said MacBride.

"Maybe not," said Richard. "We'll see."

The lights went on in the school windows, one by one, making the violet sky seem darker than it was before, and the summer evening was gentle and quiet. At that time of year the day lasts forever, and the night never really comes.

"I'd like to be a wolf. Not all the time. Just sometimes. In the dark. I would run through the forests as a wolf, at night," said Richard, mostly to himself. "I'd never hurt anyone. Not that kind of wolf. I'd just run and run forever in the moonlight, through the trees, and never get tired or out of breath, and never have to stop. That's what I want to be when I grow up ..."

He pulled up another long stalk of grass, expertly stripped the blades from it, and, slowly, began to chew the stem.

And the two children sat alone in the grey twilight, side by side, and waited for the future to start.

Neil Gaiman January 1994

ORIGINS.

Early artwork associated with Elric's first appearances in magazines and books

Original artwork by Geoff Taylor, used for the cover of The Fortress of the Pearl The Fortress of the Pearl, first edition, Victor Gollancz, 1989.

Elric thumbnail illustration (enlarged here), by James Cawthorn, used for chapter headings in The Fortress of the Pearl The Fortress of the Pearl, first edition, Gollancz, 1989.

"The World of Elric" map, appeared in Elric of Melnibone/The Fortress of the Pearl Elric of Melnibone/The Fortress of the Pearl, Japanese edition, Hayakawa Publishing, Inc., 2006.

Cover artwork by "Hugo," for Elric of Melnibone Elric of Melnibone, Taiwanese edition, Fantasy Foundation Publishing, 2007.

Cover artwork by "Hugo," for The Fortress of the Pearl The Fortress of the Pearl, Taiwanese edition, Fantasy Foundation Publishing, 2007.

"Elric" map by Li-Chin Zhang, appeared in Elnic of Melnibone Elnic of Melnibone, Taiwanese edition, Fantasy Foundation Publishing, 2007.

"Elric Stormbringer," by Frank Brunner, used as cover artwork for La Fortaleza de la Perla La Fortaleza de la Perla, Spanish edition, Martinez Roca, 1982.

Cover artwork by Walter Simonson, for Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer, issue No. 1 (of 4), DC Comics, 2004. Michael Moorcock's Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer Michael Moorcock's Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer published by DC Comics. published by DC Comics.

A double-page spread, by Walter Simonson (written by Moorcock), from Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer, issue No. 4 (of 4), DC Comics, 2006. Michael Moorcock's Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer Michael Moorcock's Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer published by DC Comics. published by DC Comics.

Cover artwork by Dawn Wilson, for The Fortress of the Pearl The Fortress of the Pearl, first American paperback edition, Ace Books, 1990.

For further information about Michael Moorcock and his work, please send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: The Nomads of the Time Streams P.O. Box 385716 Waikoloa, HI 96738

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

MICHAEL J JOHN M MOORCOCK is the author of a number of science fiction, fantasy, and literary novels, including the Elric novels, the Cornelius Quartet, is the author of a number of science fiction, fantasy, and literary novels, including the Elric novels, the Cornelius Quartet, Gloriana, King of the City Gloriana, King of the City, and many more. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds New Worlds, Moorcock fostered the development of the New Wave in the U.K. and indirectly in the U.S. He won the Nebula Award for his novella Behold the Man Behold the Man. He has also won the World Fantasy Award, the British Fantasy Award, and many others.

ALSO BY MICHAEL MOORCOCK

Behold the Man

Breakfast in the Ruins

Gloriana

The Metatemporal Detective

CHRONICLES OF THE L LAST E EMPEROR OF M MELNIBONe

Elric: The Stealer of Souls

Elric: To Rescue Tanelorn

Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress

Duke Elric

THE C CORNELIUS Q QUARTET

The Final Program

A Cure for Cancer

The English Assassin

The Condition of Muzak