[Sketch, teaser 4-17-2026, 4-22-2026, more sketches 5-4-2026]
Scales of Osiris
Book 1
featherweight soul
Copyright © 2026 John P. Healy
Epigraphs
There’s a saying: “The examined life is worth living.” But what if one loses even recall of recent moments, let alone a life’s worth? Is that soul forfeit? Does it yet wash ashore on an infinite beach, like a stranded starfish?
There’s a saying: “When you do things right, people won’t be sure you’ve done anything at all.” (Futurama S3 E20 3-17-2002)
a ÷ n approaches 0 as n goes to infinity
a ÷ 0 = undefined
CHAPTER 1
• an exchange of cards
When I shuffled out of the bathroom, still not fully sober, she was poised in my office. Statuesque. Old, but not ready for the “winkle wagon.” Her aura … I glanced at the Egyptian deities on the nearby shelf. Perhaps she was a super-ager (or had some work done).
But her voice was pleasant, not commanding like a goddess. She grabbed my attention.
“Oh, Jimmy, eyes up here … I saw the glance. I’m not another “goddess” to screw. You might say I’m a cousin.”
A card appeared in her hand. I noticed the ring of Osiris on her index finger. It was turned backwards.
“Here’s my business card.”
Eileen Maat
Osiris Data Services [logo]
Consultant
Tag: Right data without GIGO
“Don’t look so disappointed.”
“OKay … well … I just didn’t expect … Did Mom say something about me?”
“Didn’t have to. The scribes suggested a follow-up – not exactly any reports of progress, eh.”
“Well, I’ve only been here 7 years, getting the lay of the land.”
“Yeah, I heard ‘lay’. Celestial accounting uses a different clock. Operatives like you are cut some slack in adjusting to a mortal life. To get your land legs. But Mom’s big on balance. She gets agitated about alignment, chaotic drift.”
“Sorry … I’m coming to like it here, getting a handle on things. But the social vibe can be so negative … like terrible Tuesdays. The news cycle. It just beats me down, makes me depressed.”
“Jimmy, I get that – your desire for decency … it takes you up & down on a seesaw between empathy & clarity. Balance is a bitch.”
“So, am I being recalled?”
“No, I’m here to help. To assist you. Um, from the clutter … and the smell – like, um, a museum storeroom … you need a secretary, but actually I’ll be part of your investigations.”
“No choice then?”
She grinned, “This will be a good thing for us both. Our futures.”
“Yeah, I get it – while maybe saving the world.”
She smiled, “Is there a good place to have lunch nearby?”
I said, “Yes, I’m familiar with several. First mortal food in a while?”
“Yeah, …”
“So, traditional … or do you crave something not so natural?”
Eileen said, “How about a bit of both?”
• another look
“Sure … first, there’s something I want to show you here in the office. There’re cameras in the hallway.” I touched an amulet on my wrist and murmured a short spell.
She shifted her stance but without astonishment. “That’s not what I expected … You no longer look like a private dick. Walking shoes still … but the Mandarin collar shirt and chinos make you look like someone who rowed crew in seminary and became a chaplain. The ankh on your shirt is interesting.”
“Well, in this part of town, as you’ll see soon, looking like a minister provides some protection, raises less questions. And that’s proved useful in developing contacts and informants. … I recommend you do something similar. Allow me? Or, roll your own?”
She touched an amulet on her necklace and softly spoke a spell.
I said, “I like it. You no longer look like a trope for a 1940’s female executive – perhaps modeled from your last world tour?”
She said, “Yes … I’m going for a vibe of a social worker, a casual layered look with artful jewelry.”
I picked up a sport duffle bag on top of a pile of boxes.
We dawdled in the hallway outside my office. She chuckled at the reflections of our new personas. I squinted in the bright light from the tall window nearby.
“At least you got a view.”
“Yeah,” I replied. “That was one reason I liked the place. I’m not sure if you went celestial to get here, but we’ll need to take the stairs down.”
She nodded, “Yes, I noticed. How long’s the elevator been out?”
I sighed, “Too long. But the exercise might be good before we eat.”
CHAPTER 2
• the cacophony
Exiting the lobby, Eileen reacted to the cacophony outside; her expression was creased by disorientation and alertness; she jerked to a halt and ducked briefly, then continued moving alongside Jimmy.
They walked along the sidewalk, on which an encampment extended for several blocks; there were many tents, occasional bicycles, makeshift carts, some packed cars. Jimmy paused here & there, said hello to many by name, asked about food or medical care; he sometimes handed out food bars or vouchers from his sports bag.
Eileen was struck by how routine all this appeared to Jimmy. After a couple of blocks, she asked, “So, homelessness persists here still. Do handouts change anything?”
Jimmy handed her a voucher, “Let’s talk more when we get food; chat about braiding strands and feeling stranded.”
• the menu (mortal ambrosia)
They arrived at a tall building, which looked like a converted warehouse; but almost the entire first floor was a food court.
Jimmy said, “I’m familiar with the cooks here, lots of choices; but for traditional fare – recognizably from fauna & flora – whether old world or new, I recommend the near court; the far court may delight your taste with more chemical than natural ingredients. And there’re booths for coffee, tea, juices.”
“What do you like?”
Jimmy replied, “Well, today, I’m going for a burrito and banana smoothie.”
Eileen said, “I’d like to see what today’s burgers & fries are like. Do they still have milkshakes?”
Jimmy replied, “Yes, at the ice cream place. For burgers, go as animal as you like, and customize with regular & additional condiments.”
• the taste of things
They loaded food on trays and wandered over to a table. Started eating. Eileen gazed around. After a few minutes … she commented, “The burger’s yummy. The milkshake okay. I noticed that you didn’t pay …”
Jimmy explained, “Yeah, all I had to do was wave my wrist amulet; it’s keyed to their touchless system. My tab is comp’d anyway.”
Eileen smiled, “Like magic, eh. I assume the vouchers work the same way?”
Jimmy replied, “Yeah, easy-peasy. … Um, I noticed when we exited my office building that you slightly ducked. Old memories?”
“Yes, so many loud noises: street vehicles, voices, air plane roars, jackhammers. And I flashed back to a battle zone …”
“How recent was your last tour?”
“I was here during the Great Depression and until a few years after WWII.”
Jimmy said, “Yeah, I’d like to hear more about those times; it’s stale history – if at all – for everyone now, just voices in books, classic films, mostly unread or unseen. Rusty’s given me an overview, some notion of the vibe – but not really a visceral understanding. Would you be willing to meld, do a sharing spell?”
“Sometime … soon. I get the impression that you’ve been busy after all. More than just this foodcourt, as a sponsor – the ankh on the voucher.”
Jimmy mused, “It still feels like a single, small beachhead.”
“And you have Rusty … Mom approved?”
Jimmy brightened, “Yes, we upgraded this world’s Mattie. Rusty’s eye of agency works for you as well. Your ring will quicken alignment.”
• the sharing spell
During the following week, Jimmy described his “beachhead” further. Explained additional personas and funding. He preferred to work with nonprofits, sometimes as a member of their Board of Directors. In cases where a physical presence was not required, Rusty acted as his proxy.
The vouchers were for local businesses which he sponsored – places to eat, shower, clean up, get haircuts, find clothes, inquire about trainee positions.
But there was more, a lot more. An expanding circle of contacts, confidants, collaborators (whether they realized that or not), …
He struggled with the notion that privileged elites expected endless second chances, while denying underclasses such opportunities. Was his take that celestial justice might be different just spitting into the wind?
Rusty helped prune away slop, curate promising threads, even connect some dots. But he needed lived experience to tune leverage points in order to tweak balance.
Eileen said, “Yes, the knack, the art. Is Set playing us all? Or being played as well? … Um, you had me at slop. … Let’s do the sharing spell.”
CHAPTER 3
Epigraphs
We’ll always have Paris. We didn’t have, we, we lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night. … I’m no good at being noble, but it doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. – Rick, Casablanca (film, 1942)
Dear Lord, we’ve come to the end of our journey. In a little while, we will stand before you. I pray for you to be merciful. Judge us not for our weakness, but for our love, and open the doors of heaven for Charlie and me. – Rose Sayer, The African Queen (film, 1951)
• the flashback
[Eileen shared many stories with Jimmy. Here’s one of her shorter ones, illustrating her talents & skills, amid a mashup of order & chaos, permanence & progress. And her moral dilemmas with an earlier Rusty.]