Book excerpt: What is more painful: life or death? For Mason Cornell, that choice is one he’d rather not make at six years of age. His priorities lie more with playing with his imaginary friends: a talking flower with razor sharp teeth, a tree filled with fire, and a glob of acidic magma. They know secrets that Mason can’t even begin to understand, including the truth behind his and his sister’s parents’ tragic death. Artemis Cornell, Mason and Beth’s uncle and guardian, is a man of reality and facts. He is thrown into raising these two unique children, while struggling with his own guilt and past. As well as trying to wrap his head around his nephew’s imaginary world. He finds that he can travel to this world, at the expense of his physical and mental health. When Mason’s mind takes a turn for the worse, the lives of the Cornell household hit a rocky road.. a road that leads them to an asylum?