“¿Has it a næme?” I inquir’d, not taking my eyes from the small cræture. He shook his head. “Only when you give it øne.” “¿How døes øne care for it?” The man was walking ‘røund the room, picking up bibs & bobs, & eyeing my pens & ïnks. “It will et your bad dreams & night thøughts, and brïngs sleep to thøse who hear its søng. The venom will also bring a deep sleep, but can be stor’d for later use & selling. Just be quïet on it.” “¿Whyfør are they illegal?” I prodd’d. He turn’d from his æxploration of my room & gave me an odd look. “Smaug.” I blüsh’d & look’d back down into my hands at the tïny thing pawing & gent’ly gnawing my fingers. “¿How big will it get?” I rubb’d the under-chin of the I look’d up when I ræciev’d no answer. The room was empty, save for mïneself and the drägȱn. I check’d the door & rætired to bed, making a small nest for the drägȱn our of a pillow case & a scarf. - - - - Days came & went with my trying to æppease the noctøurnal cræture. Whyle I was æbl to make my dæliveries through-out the day, when I came høme in the eve, xe was quïte nøisy from hung’r. In the beginning xe fed from many dræmes of anxiety & residu’al nite-mares from the War of the Angels, but my vexætions of being nipped at by xer began to leak in, causing xer to not bond with me properly. It did-not help that xe was confin’d to a small apartm’nt in a bust’ling city. I was always süre that a neighbor cøuld hear xer cries when I was gone all day, but none e’er made any complaints nor comments. I did sense, howe’er, that a neighbor was grøwing suspiciøus. There were tïmes I caught him & his partn’r in the marketplace watchign me, ø’ watching for a bit too long as I ænter’d my apartm’nt. One eve, I pürpos’ly pace’d myself so that we wøuld be at our doors at the same tïme. “Good ævening, Miss. Pye. ¿Are we up to sømething? ¿Hiding a felon?” “Good ævening, Sïre. I am up to naught, but you seem to have søme-thing planned that I should-not be a part of.” “I hear you spæking to some-øne in the late nights. ¿Who is your læt visitor? ¿A lover?” “I take no night visitors, sir!” I turn’d to unlock my door. “¿Then a pet?” I look’d at him, to see he was leaning on the rail betwixt us. “Good-night, Mæster Holmes,” he smiled, & I went indoors.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 14:00:00 +0000