Fear, love... and betrayal; that's what I feel about my new life.
It's a life I never asked for, at least not like that.
I certainly dreamed of adventure, of escaping from my ordinary life, but nothing prepared me for what would happen when my norma...
"There's not a word yet, for old friends who've just met." Jim Henson
A door slams in the distance, and then nothing. After a few seconds, light footsteps approach on the hardwood floors. I turn and spot a little ball of fur wriggling towards us.
"Mr. Merlin, how are you? And where is that little brat, Flicka?"
He picks up the furry little beast I identify as a ferret, its odor giving it away. Who is this Mr. Merlin?
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"Is this a polymorph like Gertrude?"
"Oh, goodness, no. It's a ferret! Can't you tell?"
"How am I supposed to know what it is, given that yesterday Gertrude turned into a panther? If I hadn't seen her transform with my own eyes, I would never have known she wasn't a real one."
He hands me the ferret, me, the one who detests anything that looks like a rat. Not that they frighten me, but it's more that I find them disgusting. Regardless of my qualms, I accept the animal. How could I refuse a host who keeps me well stocked in candies and chocolates? The ferret approaches his clammy little snout to me, ignoring my apparent disdain, and nuzzles my neck while licking my ear.
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"Blech! Can you take this little rodent back, please? He's licking me!" I say, handing the little animal back, who now looks at me with an expression that seems to say, "what's up with her?"
Hurried footsteps ring out in the hallway.
"Oh, that's where you are, you little knucklehead! I've been looking everywhere for you, didn't I tell you not to go and lick perfect strangers. One day someone is going to turn you into a shish-kebab."
A petite brunette with long straight hair enters the room and grabs the beast from my hands. She then wraps it around her neck like a scarf and Mr. Merlin offers her the same greeting he had given me only moments earlier.
"Hi, my name is Flicka! And you must be Lou. I'm so sorry about Merlin; he adores new faces. Oh, my, my! Caramels! Uncle, you know those are my favorites!" says the energetic young woman, grabbing the last two caramels to my dismay. It seems this is the niece that Charles told me about yesterday. She wears green tights and high leather boots with wings adorning the back of her calves. Her sweater is also green, and she wears a leather corset that is laced up the front. The cuffs of her sleeves are punctuated with bracelets that match the green of her clothing perfectly. Her features are delicate, and given her small stature, she seems to be light as a feather.
