Danny's Demons

The First Summons

In a dark room, several candles surrounded a red pentagram overlaying a strange symbol on the floor at each point. A lone hooded figure was kneeling over them, reading a book and chanting.

"Esor Ysiad Sram"

"Ainuetp Pilut Nrutas"

"Retipuj!"

Suddenly, the pentagram lit on fire, and a voice filled the room. "Hahahahahaha!" From the fire, a red and black bird-like shadow emerged. "Who dares summon the Goetic Prince of Hell, Stolas?" However, now that the fire had lit the room, Stolas had a good look at who was summoning him. At the pentagram was a young boy in a black hoodie who now stared at him excitedly with big blue eyes at his summoning. "Really?"

'Strange. Usually, the humans would scream in fear at my demonic form.' Stolas reverted to a more manageable appearance as the fire died. He was an anthropomorphic owl demon, tall and slender. He had two almond-shaped red eyes, one set atop the other, with no visible irises or pupils. His gray-blue feathers contrasted his long, thin black limbs and bird-like clawed feet. He wore a deep red tunic with six linked golden buttons down the breast, beige breeches, a feathery top hat adorned with a regal gold crown encircling it, and a long burgundy cape.

Stolas sighed, "Apologies, child. I had a long day today, so let's keep things simple. What's your name, and what do you want?" He expected the boy to ask for something trivial like candy or no school.

The boy stood up with a smile. "My name is Daniel Fenton, Mister. I like Danny, though." He walked over to his bookshelf and pulled out an encyclopedia with an image of the solar system on the cover. "Can you teach me more about space?"

Stolas paused at the request, his disbelief giving way to a hint of joy. "You want me to teach you astronomy?"

Danny jumped in anticipation. "Yeah! I wanna be an astronaut when I grow up. I heard you know all about stars, planets, and stuff."

Stolas' eyes softened, and a warm, fatherly smile spread across his beak. "Well, young Danny, you have summoned the right demon." Stolas coughed into a fist and tried to maintain his composure. He walked over to the wall, flipped the light switch, and extinguished the remaining embers. He noticed the room was filled with rocket toys and posters of the wider universe beyond Earth. He turned to Danny. "Where are your parents, young one?"

"My parents are busy in the basement working on their science stuff, and my sister is away on a sleepover." Danny frowned a bit, downcast. "My parents are always busy."

The boy before him tugged at Stolas' heartstrings, reminding him of his daughter. He looked down at the pentagram and unlit candles. "How did you learn to summon me, Danny?"

Danny smiled as he held out the book he was reading. "I got this from the library."

Stolas read the title. "Satanic Rituals and Bargaining for Dummies: The Beginner's Guide to the Occult and the Demonic. Huh..."

Danny suddenly remembered something. "Wait, Mr. Stolas!" he called, hopping out of bed and rushing to his closet. He pulled out a plate covered with a napkin and a glass of milk. "I almost forgot! Offerings are part of the summoning, right?"

Stolas raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Indeed they are, young one. What do you have there?"

Danny proudly unveiled the plate, revealing an assortment of fudge and a glass of milk. "I brought these for you. My mom says it's polite to offer guests some snacks."

Stolas' eyes gleamed with delight at the sight of the baked goods. "How thoughtful of you, Danny," he said, taking a piece of fudge. He took a bite, and his eyes widened slightly. "This is quite tasty."