I have to agree with the "mehs" on this one.
The biggest barrier keeping me from enjoying this story more was my complete inability to sympathize with Michael's angst. Sorry Michael, its really not all about you, now get your head out of your ass and start enjoying life! For me, it took Michael way too long to come to this realization.
As for the fantasy, the idea of the extinct animals was a cool one, but it was left too undeveloped for my taste. At first I thought Michael could see the yeti because of his state of internal conflict which put his soul in turmoil (something akin to not being "the blessed" alluded to on the paper that Michael crumbled up and put in his pocket). Yet if this were the case Michael would have no longer been able to see the Yeti after his conflict was resolved, and also most people would be familiar with this phenomenon, having been in turmoil at some point in their lives as well. "Seeing the extinct, Michael? We've all been there. Why don't you take a few days off work until you pull yourself together..."
The idea that the extinct animals are all there to relive life in some way, as Dave said earlier a sort of ghost story, has some appeal (and of course is stated in the story), and explains why Michael could see the extinct animals (because he needed to learn the lesson of live life now!), but doesn't explain why his wife was able to see the yeti at the end.
Of course, the yeti could simply have been the elephant, err, gigantopithicus, in the room. and/or been some sort of alter-ego for the unborn child, reaching out to Dave to try to keep him in her life (it was a female gigantopithicus, after all), and later to save the mother and itself. But then what's up with the other extinct animals?
Some interesting ideas here, though, which is good to see, and I do like the inclusion of modern fantasy.
[I take way too long typing these posts - two new replies posted while I was writing and now another while I checked the new posts...]