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Chapter 16 - Unicorns and Horses

Chapter 16 - Unicorns and Horses

Weaver

It had become a habit over the past months. Francis would pile his tray with breakfast enough to feed a small army. Selene would arrive shortly with her grey backpack. They'd feast on pancakes and bacon while she wrote her story and he sketched his visions from a different lifetime.

And I watched her from the other side of the café while I pretended to be doing something else. While I pretended not to be envious. Nor jealous.

Francis got to read her story in print-or at least a soft copy of it. I got to watch her tale formed in her dreams.

I closed my eyes behind my shades and I sunk lower into the chair. Last night's dream was very intense. It took all my resolve not to reveal myself. It almost didn't matter that my father had not yet decided to improve my appearance in Selene's musings.

It had been three full moons since I first entered her world. And each week, she had grown more beautiful. I had initially thought she chose a portal to nightmares-the best writers often pulled ideas from all sorts of fear-but no. All her creations were a concoction of surrealism, terror and reality.

Last night's creation was extremely tempting.

My beastly form slavered at the sight of an ageless Selene standing before her cyclones. The small tempests pulled at her clothes, like puppies eagerly vying for their mistress' attention. I could imagine how they felt. At one point, her long dress wrapped around her legs too tightly and she stumbled.

I had to stop myself from going to her.

I was not prepared for what she did next.

Selene slowly stood up and discarded her tunic. Her delicate parts were concealed by shadows as if even in the privacy of her own dreams, she knew to remain modest. Tasteful.

And beautiful.

From what I could see, she was all satiny curves. She was resplendent. Alluring.

My prehensile tail coiled around my hind legs, warning me, knowing how tempted I was to step forward. The coal eyes of this monstrosity I inhabited grew brighter and I gritted my pointy fish teeth as I struggled against the lure.

Selene fused with her cyclones, all creamy flesh and dark tresses, before she completely disappeared in their turbulent embrace.

I exhaled in relief. I was not certain how long I could have resisted.

A sugary sweetness wrapped around me, the aroma snaking through and around the holes of my cranium. This was her scent. I could drown in her saccharinity.

It pulled me forward. And I followed, but stopped myself by the edge of the gummy barbed shrubs, making sure I stayed hidden in their silhouette.

The whirlwinds merged and grew violent. The product spun and expanded and wrenched the forest by the roots. My viscid cover was a good choice because it held tightly to the earth and kept me hidden while everything else was deracinated. I worried I was going to be exposed.

Then a hush. And everything fell to the floor. The raging tornado simmered and spewed a giant rock. The rock cracked in the middle, and from it stepped out a fire-breathing baby unicorn.

That would've been cute had it any skin.

For a few seconds, it had worn silvery fur, but just as quickly, its coat dissolved as if removed by an invisible carving knife. The little creature's hide had been peeled off and its flesh decayed with every fiery neigh. The white of its skull was starting to show as the meat was ripped off its head. It brayed in agony. Or anger. Or pride. I couldn't tell. I had mirrored thousands of beasts, but never a unicorn. I found the creature too fanciful. It often made an appearance in Phantasos' delusions.