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All this time, and he hadn't said a word to her. Not a single bloody word! He walked out of the room when she entered, closed his bedroom door if she passed by and made damn certain not to be at the shop when she was. It was horrible. Irritating. Hurtful. And she knew she deserved it.
She hadn't mentioned her shoulder bag. She had left it in his car and knew now – she'd checked, first thing upon coming to the house – that he had taken it, moved it... hidden it. She would find it. She had to. She needed it. She needed the little bottle of sweetness hidden inside. She had to have it back. It was hers, after all. He had no right to take it from her.
But, now, more pressing things.
He had taped the photocopy of a page from one of her own books, at the shop, to her bedroom door, and scribbled a note:
If you don't feel like actually taking care of your business, maybe you need some help.
Did he think he was being funny?! Emmy certainly didn't find it at all amusing. But, even still... the idea was intriguing. The truth was, she did need more help at the shop. She didn't like leaving her employees on shift one at a time. It wasn't fair to them, especially Milly and Aidan himself, neither of who were contracted to work the counter.
This might solve that problem.
She had set up her things in the back room of the shop, the page at her side and the ceremonial fire in a small stoneware basin on the floor before her. A tiny fluff of curly caramel hair frolicked at her feet, a little puppy she had picked up in town as tribute to her arriving guest.
The words were in a tongue not her own, one she had never used before. But they were easy to pronounce, easier still as the ceremony went on and soon they spilled from her lips as though it were her only natural language.
The fire in the bowl blazed, casting shadows upon the walls. The puppy hid behind her feet, frightened of the flame and the howl of wind that had surfaced in the room. It finished quickly, the fire going out in a poof, and there stood the conjured demon.
He was covered in bristly brown hair, his nose flat and wide-nostriled like a pig's. His ears were short but flopped down behind two horns that greatly resembled a ram. His feet were long and flat, with toes thick and long as fingers and topped off with sharp, yellowed claws. His fingers, in contrast, were without nail, short and pudgy. His teeth were yellow and pointed, a snaggletooth hanging out the left of his greasy mouth.
A frightening visage, if he had been more than two feet tall, and not wearing thin-rimmed wire glasses, a green pin-striped vest and a yellow bow-tie, a Spiderman backpack slung over its shoulder.
He muttered something in a guttural language that Emmy did not understand.
"I... I'm sorry," she muttered, amazed at the sight before her. "I don't understand."
The demon rolled it's eyes, producing a handkerchief from it's vest pocket and took off it's glasses to clean them. "I take it you summoned me here, milady?" he asked. "I don't see my tribute." He returned his glasses to his face, his handkerchief back to his pocket.
Emmy nodded slowly, and knelt to produce the puppy that still cowered behind her. "Erm... well, yes. Here it is."
The demon took the puppy in its small, pudgy hand and inspected it for a moment. "Yes. Yes, this will do just fine."
Emmy winced, unsure of what would come next, but then froze in surprise when the demon pulled a pink leather collar from his pack and place it on the dog, patting it on the head and setting it back on the floor.
"Just fine," he repeated, giving a smile that seemed more of a grimace with his snaggletooth pushing forward. "I shall call her Gus."
"Gus?" Emmy asked, quirking an eyebrow.
The demon ignored her. "My name is Liam. I come from a tribe of demons that, interpreted for your primitive tongue, can be called ‘Helper Demons'. You have summoned me here and I accept your tribute. I will stay in this place, provided you supply me with what I require, and do your bidding." He paused a moment to glance around. "A store, is it? Well. I haven't worked in retail since the ‘50's. This should be fun."
Emmy frowned. "Erm... I'm not sure that you should... erm... I mean, the customers, they might...."
Liam clicked his tongue and snapped his fingers. In a moment the stunted demon was gone, and there stood a tall, charming man who looked to be in his early thirties; dark eye, bright blue eyes and a wide smile with just the hint of a snaggletooth.
"I assure you, I am quite well suited for this work, milady," he said in the demon's voice, before returning to his natural form. "I require of you a place to sleep..." He paused and glanced at a beaten up green couch. "This will do nicely. Also, food for myself - I'm lactose intolerant and I don't eat green vegetables - and for Gus. She will require brand-name dog food and biscuits. And do inform your other employees of my presence, milady."
"Emmy," she said, shaking her head at the strangeness of the situation. "Please, call me Emmy."
He nodded. "Emmy, then. If you don't mind, I've had a rather trying journey... you see, I was in Sri Lanka as you called me and I could use some rest before beginning work tomorrow. Goodnight, milady Emmy."
Emmy nodded. "Thank you, Liam. I appreciate your help."
He wave his hand to dismiss her thanks and climbed up onto the couch. "Think nothing of it. Come along, Gus." The puppy obeyed and jumped to lay beside her master.
Emmy left, still shaking her head to herself. Before leaving the shop, she wrote a quick note and posted it on the bulletin board behind the counter.
( To All Employees )
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predatory
tired
quixotic