OMNIBUS; Series: Tales from the End of Time; Note: Contains A Messiah at the End of Time and Legends from the End of Time
"Pale Roses" begins with the destruction of the rainbow part of Werther de Goethe's creation Rain by the Everlasting Concubine, Mistress Christia, and Werther's despair. After a short interlude, Werther discovers, by the use of a parachute that closely resembles a Hot air balloon, a child (Catherine Lily Marguerite Natasha Dolores Beatrice Machineshop-Seven Flambeau Gratitude) who is the fourteen year old daughter of two time travelers, and deigns to take on the role of her now deceased parents.
Following a masquerade with the theme of Childhood, Werther is passionately overcome and engages in sexual intercourse with Catherine. After the event, disgusted by what he perceives to be the enormity of his acts, he is even more disgusted in Catherine for having enjoyed what she describes as le petit mal. The story climaxes with Werther's suicide by jumping from his tower unaided by his parachute and his subsequent resurrection.
It is then revealed that Catherine is really Mistress Christia in disguise, the series of events being an attempt to reconcile after her having destroyed his rainbow.
"White Stars": after discovering that he had inadvertently destroyed one of Lord Shark the Unknown's experiments with lichen, the Duke of Queens offers to duel with him in order to rid himself of his guilt.
In "Ancient Shadows" a time traveler, Dafnish Armatuce, and her son, Snuffles, arrive at the End of Time, and become involved with Miss Mavis Ming.
In "A Mesiah at the End of Time" a self-proclaimed savior has arrived at the End of Time, home of the deliciously decadent and frightfully bored. Unfortunately, the last thing they need is a messiah. Especially one like Fireclown--who offers such unlikely gifts as Madness, Pain and Doom.