Diabolical Plots #131B, January 2026
In the After Realm, Aoife works at the Department of Fading Gods, where she and her new intern Cata review tiny, nearly forgotten deities to determine whether they should be erased from existence. The job appears to be about “winnowing” gods with insufficient belief, tidying away divine scraps for the Powers that run the After Realm. But as Cata quickly discovers, there’s more to this work than bureaucratic decluttering.
The story opens with Aoife interviewing the God of Ice, now shrunk to finger-width and barely coherent, capable only of repeating their domain’s name. Cata, fresh from her recent death and stylishly dressed in skeleton-embossed funeral attire, finds the whole process bizarre. She questions why they should care about these diminished gods who have become nearly powerless.
Aoife reveals her personal connection to this work: when she was alive, helping on her brother’s farm, her four-year-old nephew slipped into a river. She jumped in to save him but couldn’t swim well herself. A tiny, nearly forgotten deity—the God of a Small Stretch of River-water—gave Aoife just enough strength to save her nephew before she drowned. That small god heard her when she needed help most.
As they process various forgotten deities—gods of items lost on trains, lemons, chestnut trees in autumn—Cata grows increasingly uncomfortable. She challenges Aoife’s methods, suggesting they’re hoarding gods rather than properly evaluating them. The tension reveals Cata’s own recent grief about her death and the losses that come with it.
During tea, Aoife explains the Department’s true purpose. The job isn’t really about winnowing gods at all—it’s a loophole system to remember and nourish them through belief. By reviewing each god, by believing in them even for a moment, Aoife sustains their existence. She argues passionately that small things matter: secret languages, bird’s nests, photographs, fragile and odd things that deserve remembrance even if nobody else cares.
The story’s emotional climax comes when a new god spontaneously manifests around them, called forth by the depth of feeling in their conversation. Cata recognizes her immediately: the God of Wildflowers Gathered by a Child for Her Mamá. This deity represents a sacred memory from Cata’s life, and Aoife writes the god’s Name in indelible ink in the book, where it will remain forever—one of the job’s special perks.
The story concludes with Aoife and Cata heading to the Festival of Memories together, an annual celebration where the dead can experience small joys from life. Cata places a marigold behind Aoife’s ear while wearing wildflowers in her own hair, a crown left by her tiny god. They’ve formed a bond through shared understanding that many things are sacred, and that remembering the small, forgotten, and fragile matters deeply—whether gods or the memories we carry of those we loved.
