Circe could not help but pause to contemplate her actions as she applied a little bit of pink lipstick. Was this for her benefit, or for Eric? It was actually ridiculous. To think that she might be attracted to him. But, if she was, it was probably some kind of fetish for his youthful innocence. That made a sort of sense. Considering innocence was the one quality she could never possess ever again.
She waited at their agreed upon meeting point. A quaint little park downtown where overworked city people came to enjoy a small facsimile of nature.
Whatever this...infatuation was, exactly. It would probably vanish the moment that Eric wished to make some poor girl his sex slave. Men often wished for something approximately along those lines. And she entertained little doubt that Eric was actually any different. Maybe he’d just wish for wealth, or something equally trite like that.
She sat on a shabby old bench and watched the old timers feed the birds for a while before Eric showed up. Looking nervous as ever. For some reason he wore a coat and sunglasses. Like their rendezvous was something out of a spy film or something. She smiled and shook her head. Somehow everything he did was kind of adorable. It almost seemed like a shame to consume his dreams. Which she was totally going to do. Definitely.
“Ok” He sat beside her and leaned in conspiratorially “I think I know what I want to wish for”
Circe felt a little disappointed that he hadn’t commented on her outfit. She’d gone with a white sweater that both concealed the gem that was slowly consuming her and accentuated the swell of her breasts. Eric was probably a boob guy. Virgins usually were in her experience.
“Eric! You didn’t even say hello”
“Oh Sorry!...H-hello”
“Don’t be nervous, darling. I don’t bite” She smiled deviously.
“Anyways. Before I make my wish I want to know the rules”
That was a fair question that she got often, but not always. Circe had learned over her many, many years of doing this that she projected an aura of danger. The same instinct that prevented early humans from venturing too close to long grass also told them to be wary of her. It was a good instinct. One which people were made to regret ignoring more often than not.
“She laughed. There are no rules, darling. Magic is the realm of imagination. The only rule, if you can even call it that, is not to bore me. I’ve been doing this for a long time so try not to be predictable. If you can manage that”
“Ok! Well, there’s this girl I like and-”
“Ugh! No no no!”
Eric flinched as Circe found it impossible to keep her disappointment contained. Throwing her head back and sighing with the greatest case of world weary resignation in history.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“Oh my god. You said everything wrong! Eric, can you even fathom the number of horny young men who have asked me to force some girl to be attracted to them. And besides. Don’t you think that’s somehow unethical?”
She nearly choked on her own words. Like she gave a damn about ethics. But she had thought for a brief, shining moment that maybe Eric did. She rummaged through her purse and produced a half spent pack of cigarettes with practiced ease.
Eric was turning bright red as he sat, pondering his next words very carefully.
“O-ok. But...but the girl I was gonna wish about was...y-you”
Circe dropped her cigarette, mid puff. It fell to the ground with a little pink lipstick stain adorning the filter. Ok, she thought to herself. This wasn’t exactly something new. Like, it wasn’t completely unprecedented. Men had sought to own her power in the past. But Eric was worth giving the benefit of the doubt. This whole situation had definitely edged its way back into cute territory. For once, she was at a loss for words.
“That’s…” She considered her response carefully. “That’s very...sweet Eric. But please. Wish for something less stupid. You just...you just don’t how laughable that is”
Eric looked crestfallen. And Circe felt more than just a little guilty for rebuking him so harshly. But it was for the best. She was over 20,000 years old for god’s sake. She might have been human once. But that simply was not the case anymore. There was every chance that romantic involvement with this literal ch1ld would end in tragedy. Besides, wasn’t she planning on eating him anyways?
“I-I’m sorry. But at least hear my wish out”
“...Fine. But I’m definitely not saying I’m going to grant it. But you can say it”
“Well I just...Thought you seemed lonely. And I just wished we could be...I dunno, like, friends?”
Circe turned bright red. For some reason, she didn’t just laugh in this poor naive boy's face. Like she would have to just about any other guy who had fed her a bullshit sounding line like that.
“Oh my god...You’re just saying that because I chewed you out! There’s no way that’s actually what you were going to wish for!”
“Honest to god”
“Bullshit!”
Eric simply gave a look that implied some kind of ambivalence and shrugged his shoulders.
“Honest to god” He repeated.
Circe had to process this. She prided herself on her ability to discern people’s true intentions. Eric just seemed so sweet and genuine. So either she was slipping in her incredibly advanced old age, or he was just that stupid.
“Eric, darling. I...appreciate your intentions here. But I am not nice. Like, I’m not the kind of person you want to be friends with”
It had been a sincere warning.
“Well, now I’m calling bullshit. Besides. If I wish for it, we will be friends. Right?”
“...Why the fuck would you want to be my friend?”
“Ok, well. I thought about it. If I make a wish you’re going to grant it and then leave. Or I mean, that’s just what I figured. And...I didn’t want you to leave…”
Circe was quite pleasantly surprised to discover that her initial impression of Eric as this sweet, lonely sad boy had been right on the money. He really was just a sweetheart. Which was funny because in the world she grew up in. men like him simply didn’t last. He would have been ambushed by a saber-toothed cat or some other abomination in a heartbeat on her earth.
As she felt herself letting her guard down, Circe had to remind herself. She was the predatory abomination. And an ambush was more or less exactly what she was planning to do to this poor boy. But...Maybe she could hold off on consuming him. Just for a while.
“Eric, I am nobody’s friend. Now make a wish and let’s get on with it”
Her tone was terse and her body language was defensive now.
“Ok, Fine...But now I don’t know what I want”
Circe and Eric sat on the park bench. Not saying anything for a long time. They were both a little exhausted from the emotionally intense conversation that had been going on. And they were also pretty sure that they were attracting a lot of attention from fellow park-goers. Conversations about magic tended to do that though.
It wasn’t exactly an uncomfortable silence. Circe kind of liked this guy and she wasn’t afraid to admit that to herself. She definitely had to keep him at arm’s length though. The thing in her chest was distinctly ravenous lately. And it really wanted poor Eric to make that wish already. An unfamiliar feeling was welling up within her. Which she supposed had to be guilt.
Maybe he could have just one wish with no strings attached. Something fantastic and incredible that he would really enjoy. Before she allowed the needy thing in her chest to devour him whole…
“Dammit, Eric. Use your imagination. This is literally magic I’m offering you here. Wish to live like a king. Wish for a whole harem of babes to fight over your dick...If you want. The sky is the limit here”
“Hmm. Ok, I wish for-”
“Wait! Really think about it. Wish for something really good. Your absolute heart’s desire”
Eric gave her a little smile as he thought it over. He seemed a little sad to Circe. And she was feeling more than a little ashamed. It was stupid though. She’d done this countless times before. Taken a little wish and twisted it into something deliciously ironic to feast upon. The gem in her chest was no longer the thing it had been before though. And now she knew that the only thing that could prevent it from consuming her was if she let it consume someone else.
“Ok. I wish for…”
Poor Eric. She thought to herself. She was really going to make sure he got to enjoy this wish before the end.
Sat Jun 12 18:55:24 2021
3 comments Last updated: Sun Jun 13 02:28:01 2021