Saturday. 28 March 2010.
Hazina (or Zina for short) sat on the floor of her frilly pink Littlespace room and chanted the words her mother had taught her at a young age. She laughed and drank from her silver goblet, closing her eyes and savouring the taste of the red wine on her tongue.
She set her cup down on the floor next to her and finished the ritual, standing up and brushing off her hands. She laughed to herself, knowing it was silly nonsense. She liked to say the words upon occasion when she felt especially small her Littlespace. She liked to goof around with candles and spells and silly things like that.
She started to pick up her ritual items when she heard a knock at the door.
She dropped everything in her hands to the floor and skipped up the stairs from the basement to the front door. Her black ponytail hairstyle bounced with each step, her purple tutu fluffing out behind her.
She looked through the peep-hole in her front door and saw a man with reddish brown hair and brown eyes. He was beautiful, enchanting even.
She opened the door and flashed him a big, toothy smile.
"Hello. How can I help you?" She asked, standing on her tippy toes to be as tall as the man.
He gave her a small chuckle, a smirk forming on his face as he glanced down at her frilly blue socks.
"I believe you summoned me." He stepped passed Zina into her home, leaving her to gasp and think about what he could've meant.
She closed the door and turned to look at him.
"Are you-?" She started to ask.
"Lucifer himself?" He looked around the plain beige and white kitchen, then back to Zina in her purple tutu and frilly blue socks and red flamingo tee shirt. "Why, yes, I am. I must say you've called me at a very good time, Hazina. I was just finishing up some business in town when I heard your beautiful voice."
"Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry, Mr. Devil I didn't think it would work, it never has before!" She apologised frantically, clasping her hands together tightly. "Please forgive me I didn't mean to actually call you, Mr. Devil, I-"
The man held up a hand to silence her, the rest of her sentence trapped in her throat. "Please, call me Lucifer. It's no trouble at all, sweet Hazina."
"P-P-please, call me Zina." She stammered. No one ever used her full name. Only her mother if she was in trouble.
"Oh, I believe Hazina is Swahili for treasure, is it not?" Lucifer asked her, raising his eyebrow ever so slightly.
Zina nodded her head slowly. "M-my mom always told me I was her treasure."
Lucifer nodded, having another look around the kitchen before stepping through the dining room into the living room.
He scanned the walls lined with pictures of Zina on her adventures around the world; photographs of every animal she met and got to hold or touch in some way papered the entire back wall of the living room, leaving only the space around a couch empty of paper.
"You like to travel." He noted.
"But you already knew that." Zina smiled slightly, walking past him to the the wall of the animals. "I've been to every wildlife preserve in the world. Not counting zoos of course, those places are animal prisons. Nothing like the preserves here in Europe." She looked fondly at the photos of her and the animals, remembering each and every one of them.
Lucifer nodded, turning back towards the front door.
"You're not leaving, are you?" Zina asked, a sad tone in her voice.
The man turned to face her again, "Not if you don't want me to."
Zina gave him a smile, walking back to the kitchen and fixing him a cup of tea.
"Make it real hot, dear, you know what Hell is like." Lucifer said, untying his black oxfords and setting them on the floor in front of the closet in the dining room.
Zina nodded, fixing herself a mug of hot tea as well.
The two of them chatted about the many adventures of Zina Acevedo, her wildlife safaris and generous donations to animal preserve charities.
Before Zina knew, it was past her bedtime and she was getting sleepier by the minute. She yawned in the middle of her sentences, rubbing the sleep and makeup from her eyes.
"I think you should get to bed, little one." Lucifer suggested, getting up off the couch to put his teacup in the sink.
Zina nodded, "I probably should. I don't have to work tomorrow, though, so I could stay up a little while longer."
Lucifer clicked his tongue, "Tsk tsk tsk. Hazina you know it's past your bedtime."
Zina nodded, shuffling towards the basement stairs. "Will you read me a bedtime story?" She asked innocently.
Lucifer chuckled. A small smile on his face, he nodded.
Zina jumped with joy and headed down the stairs to her fluffy room. Lucifer followed close behind her. He looked around, nodding and sighing in approval at Zina's surroundings.
Zina changed right in front of him into a set of red pyjamas with seagulls on them. She pulled out her favourite book, Charlotte's Webb, and excitedly handed it over to Lucifer. She got comfortable in her big bed with all her stuffed animals, snuggling down under the covers and pulling close her favourite stuffed dragon she affectionately named Sir Cockbosom with love due to the shape of his snout. She had quite the sense of humour, she prided herself in it.
"Charlotte's Webb, huh?" Lucifer flipped through the pages a bit before flicking to the very first one. Zina nodded, a smile on her face.
"It's my favourite." She said quietly, yawning.
The man sat on the bed next to her, a chuckle escaping his throat. "I know." He cleared his throat and began to read, "Chapter one, Before Breakfast..."
Zina was fast asleep before he finished the chapter.
He pulled her duvet up around her and Sir Cockbosom to keep them warm, turning on her twinkling star nightlight and turning off the big light in the basement. He turned to the stairway and headed up to the couch. He saw Zina's precious kitty Luna, a beautiful grey tabby with a white tip of her tail. Luna danced around the mans legs for a moment before heading down the stairs to where Zina was fast asleep.
Lucifer made his way in the dark to the couch, grabbing a blanket from the big brown chair in the corner of the room and getting comfortable.
He didn't sleep, he didn't need sleep, but he did cuddle with Zina's other cat Marzipan the whole night.
He turned on the TV to a movie and watched until all that played was news.
Marzipan fell asleep soon after the movie ended, leaving Lucifer the only one awake in the light of only the TV.
