Circe passed another lazy Saturday afternoon on the patio of a cute little downtown cafe. She had eaten well lately, very well. And so she was particularly content to sip espresso and suck down cigarettes while the world passed by in front of her.
She liked people watching. Living as long as she had, she found she developed a tendency to imagine the stories of the mortals in her midst. It had been so long since she was one of them. And she still dimly remembered real fear, real hope and real desire.
Her expression was hard to place. Perhaps something akin to a cat who had recently chanced up an entire nest of baby birds. The absolute contentedness of a predator who faced no external competition of any kind. Who could pick and choose her meals as she wished.
Still, she had seen it all before. The interminable vanity and drama of the human race had passed before her eyes again and again over the millenia. And she had grown increasingly jaded that there would never again be another novel experience under the sun for her.
She found herself waxing melancholy, thinking about her childhood on the shores of an ancient ocean. The smell of the sea, the screeching of the gulls. It was a sense memory buried deep within her. Bringing her back to a more primordial earth. One that had writhed with the primordial force of magic. Life had been such an adventure then.
With a sigh, she tapped a tastefully manicured nail against the gem embedded in her chest. It was sated for now. But it wouldn’t be long before it hungered once again. Compelling her to seek out new victims.
Circe had been bound to the magic of the gem for much of her vast lifetime. And it had grown to be a part of her in the past five years. Literally fusing into her body. She loved and hated the ghastly thing. It had been her one and only true companion all these years. Its insatiable appetite for the hopes and dreams of mortals was the only force she’d ever found that matched her own lust for life.
But that lust for life was waning. And as Circe grew increasingly weary of the abortive woes of the human race, she wondered if the gem might not be consuming her. As they had done to so many others over the ages.
“...C'est la vie” She said to herself with a resigned sigh. The rich aroma of caffeine filled the air, which she sucked in greedily. There were still some small pleasures to derive from this life. Such as eavesdropping on the banal and pointless conversations of the people around her. Which she found impossible not to do.
Over the course of her immortal life, Circe had developed a keen sense for the kernel of true desire behind the ordinary things that people said. Everybody wanted everything. It was just the nature of mortals. An intrinsic fact of the human condition. But most people knew they couldn’t have it all, and so they rarely said what they actually wanted. For fear that they might feel the pang of longing at the things they desired but could never grasp.
And so, when she overheard a young man in the corner complaining about his luck with women. She instinctively knew what he really meant was ‘I want to be able to fuck as many girls as I want without consequences and also have deep, meaningful romantic relationships’
She looked over her shoulder. There were two young men sitting and commiserating about their girl troubles. A ritual as old as the human race. Crice couldn’t blame them for it. They were only human. But she had heard this trite conversation before.
They said things like, ‘there’s plenty more out there’ and ‘You’ll find the right one soon’. It was the kind nonsense that mortals used to cope with their own lack of agency. Their finite lifespans forced them to interpret beauty in the indifferent brutality of the universe.
One of the young men was particularly handsome. And she couldn’t help but notice that he had such sad eyes. His poor little puppy dog expression was beckoning to her. The gem in her chest thrummed.
“Ugh..I shouldn’t. Let’s just let him get along with his life”
“I dunno man. I just wish girls liked me more”
“Oh, fuck”
Circe felt compelled by her nature to approach the amusingly sad mortal. He had literally and metaphorically said the magic words. There was no holding back now.
She watched as the other boy sat up and made way for the washroom. Leaving her the perfect opening to introduce herself.
“Is this seat taken?” She said, knowing full well that even though it was, this guy probably wasn’t going to refuse her company.
“Oh, uhhh. Y-yeah”
She sat herself anyways. Reaching her hand out to greet her latest victim.
“So, My name’s Circe. Nice to meet you”
“I-I’m Eric” He shook her hand limply. Nervously refusing to meet her gaze.
Aww. He even had a cute name. He was on the youngish side. Even by mortal standards. Probably barely into his twenties. He was quite thin. Probably owing to a young metabolism more than a conscious effort towards fitness. And he was quite handsome in a very unassuming way. Circe also concluded that he might have even been a virgin from his self conscious mannerisms.
He also had an air of being very repressed. Which Circe found to be very typical for an American of his age. And also, kind of irresistible. Oh yeah, this guy had wishes to be exploited. All she needed to do was coax one out of him.
“Sorry but I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation”
He seemed visibly taken aback as he worried with the remnants of a paper straw wrapper. “What? What do you mean?”
“Nothing, just that I heard you were having some kind of girl troubles”
He turned bright red. “Umm, yeah. I guess so”
“Don’t be embarrassed” She reached a hand out and placed it on his thigh. “It’s the most ordinary thing in the world you know. To be frustrated at one’s own limitations”
“Well, ok, C’mon. It’s not like I don’t know how to talk to girls or something”
Circe had to keep herself from chuckling a bit. This entire conversation was proof that the poor boy couldn’t talk to girls at all. In fact, by the way he had said that it almost seemed like he was attempting to flirt. Which, well it was only natural since an attractive girl was approaching him out of the blue and striking up a personal conversation. It was just so cute.
“There’s no offense intended. You should be nice to me, you know. There are many benefits to being on my good side”
Eric seemed to squirm. Circe had meant to imply that she might grant his wishes. But of course he had no way of knowing that. When he eventually summoned the courage to open his mouth, he blurted out a clumsy come on.
“Y-you don’t look like you have a bad side” He said, still failing to meet her gaze.
“Oh, oh my goodness. That’s so cute. You’re actually adorable”
Despite herself, Circe laughed. She had done this all before but Eric was just so innocent. So hopelessly naive. She almost couldn’t bring herself to ruin his life with a maliciously misinterpreted wish. Almost. Like his dreams were just too pure to consume.
“Ha ha, thanks” He seemed to let his guard down.
“Ok buddy. Don’t get too comfortable” She found herself flirting back just a bit with a smile and a wink. “Now, back to the aforementioned girl troubles. If you could wish for anything, what would it be?”
Eric seemed to really be enjoying himself now. Circe had flirted with men before. So many it was just an incalculable blur of experiences at this point. So it was rare for her to actually get anything out of it. She smiled as she realized she was actually enjoying this.
“I might wish for your phone number” Eric said with stammering, pseudo-confidence.
Circe laughed. Cradling her head in her hands as she leaned into the table. “Ha ha. No, really. Wish for something” Her mood turned more serious. “Like, I’m actually a witch. I’ll grant your wishes”
“I thought that was what genies did?”
“That’s stupid, genies aren’t real” She said with Faux condescension.
“Ha ha. How foolish of me”
Circe reasoned that she would probably need a display of her power for this clueless guy to stop interpreting her words as flirting. A situation that certainly wasn’t helped by the fact that she kinda, sorta was flirting. Which was surprising to her. Not that she wasn’t partial to playing with her food. But she was honestly surprised by how much she was enjoying this.
This was stupid though. Circe was an ancient being. The very primordial force of desire coursed through her veins. And Eric was a boy. A cute boy, but just a boy. One who’d probably never seen a female nipple up close in his life. Flirting with him was almost as wrong as the other thing she was planning on doing. Namely, twisting his wishes to suit her hunger.
“Eric, Darling. I’m being quite serious here. And you should be taking me seriously. Don’t pass up on this rare opportunity”
The poor young man was just totally, totally flustered at this point. Unable to even speak properly.
“Oh my god. You’re so helpless. Just, just say what you want. But please phrase it like a wish. And no boring wishes. I don’t grant those”
“I...Uhhh”
“Ugh, ok. There is a limit to how long I can tolerate this puppy dog routine you know” Circe scanned the room until she noticed an attractive young woman standing at the counter. “Ok, you see that girl over there?”
“Yeah?”
“Wish for her phone number”
“What?”
“Just say. I wish she would give me her phone number”
“...I wish she would give me her phone number”
The mysterious gem embedded in Circe’s chest flashed a brilliant rainbow light.
“Perfect. Well done”
Eric watched with wide eyed disbelief as the girl at the counter shook her head and then started walking over towards him and Circe.
“E-excuse me” She said “I know this is going to sound strange, but. Can I give you my phone number? Like, would you call me some time?”
“Uhh…”
Circe smiled broadly and genuinely as she drank in the stunned expression on Eric’s adorable face. No doubt he was more inclined to believe her now.
The new girl gave Eric her number and shook her head once again before walking away.
“So? How did you enjoy your first wish?”
“I...uhh. I need some time to process this”
“Of course you do, darling. Here” Circe produced a pen from her purse and scribbled a number on a napkin. “Here’s my number. Don’t lose this one”
Eric carefully grabbed the proffered napkin. Making sure not to get his sweaty palms on the ink.
“You make sure to call me when you decide on a good wish”
Circe rose from the table. Indulging herself to blow the young man a kiss before walking off.
-
Circe smiled to herself as she walked down the block. She didn’t have anywhere in particular to go. But for the first time in a long time, she actually felt excited about something. She simply could not decide whether she wanted to kiss Eric, or devour him. Maybe she would do both.
It had been unusual for her to grant such a simple wish. Without manipulating it or anything. But she reasoned that she probably just wanted to hook Eric and get him to wish for something really big. That way she could really have her fill.
“What a cutie” She said to herself.
Just as Circe was actually enjoying herself, she felt a sharp pain in her chest.
“Ow!”
Looking down, she couldn’t help but notice that the gem had expanded. Stabbing out in a jagged little line. Causing her to bleed just a little bit.
“Dammit! You fucking thing! We’ll eat soon. I promise. Goddamn”
This was Circe’s curse. She had enjoyed a long and incredible life. The likes of which no human being could ever hope to experience. In her youth she had found the gem, washed up upon the shore of her home island. It had whispered in her ear and promised the one thing she truly desired. That the pleasures of youth might never end. If only she would say the words ‘I wish’
But it never ended. For all of Circe’s immortal splendour, the human in her meant that she could never truly grasp what she wanted. Experiences were fleeting and ephemeral. And she always needed more. The millenia had turned even the most extreme experiences and sensations into a dull, lifeless affair. And now the fucking thing was going to eat her.
And maybe that was what she deserved…
“Cest la vie”
Poor Eric. He really had no idea what he was in for.
Fri Jun 11 16:08:26 2021
3 comments Last updated: Sun Jun 13 07:43:01 2021