"There have been many offerings presented to me over the centuries," the voice continued, "yet this is the first time a banana has been used. An interesting choice."
Aine's gaze darted to the fox and she stared at it, her heart beginning to race. Was the stress of it all finally too much? Was she experiencing some sort of mental break? Clearly these had to be auditory hallucinations.
"This is quite unorthodox," the fox appeared to say, though its mouth didn't move as it stared at the yellow fruit. "What is your name, human?"
Aine struggled to make sense of what what happening. When the fox had first spoken, she had thought someone was playing a trick. Now, she found herself paralyzed by fear. And that's when its change began.
Her eyes grew wide as she watched the fox's form blur into a dark blue fog. The fog twisted and swirled, resembling an ethereal snake that thrashed and coiled in on itself, until the mist finally condensed and solidified into the shape of a man.
"Have you become mute?" the man said, his voice surprisingly deep, "I've asked your name. Speak."
The stories told during her childhood came rushing back from the depths of her memories, crashing to the forefront of her mind and forming a tangled mess of information. She tried recall her grandparents' words, tried to sort out what she might be facing, but she couldn't remember enough to be useful. Had she realized there were truths within those stories, she would have listened more carefully. What was it that her grandmother had called the beasts who could take on human form?
Whatever this creature was, its human form was probably meant to be more comforting than that of a talking fox, but all it did was frighten her more. His black suit and tie, a more vintage style than was currently in fashion, reminded her of the many villains she had seen in movies over the years. His thick, coppery hair was an unnatural shade of red and he wore it pulled back into a low ponytail. And his eyes were like two pools of ink that seemed to see straight through to her very soul.
"Wha—? Who—? I—" she stammered.
"Out with it, woman," the man demanded. His expression remained neutral, yet his tone conveyed his annoyance. "What is your name? Why have you summoned me here?"
"What the hell is going on?!" she finally exclaimed, taking several large steps backward. "Who are you?!"
"You summon me here, then ask such a foolish question?" he said, raising his eyebrows. The man then sighed and sat on a nearby rock, his expression a mixture of irritation and boredom. "I am not amused by this game of yours, Sorceress."
"I didn't summon anyone!" she snapped, her heart racing. "I was just feeding yo...um, fox-you! And you—! I mean, how did—?! Sorceress?"
Aine could feel panic slowly swallowing her thoughts. None of this was making any sense, no matter how desperately she searched for a logical explanation for the events. She couldn't even understand why she hadn't already fled.
"I grow weary of this." His eyes narrowed and his tone dropped to something close to a growl, setting Aine's nerves on edge. "State your purpose, ask your favor, and let us be done here."
Image sourced from Pixabay.
