Pierre Meets a Familiar

The creature was standing right next to him and gestured what looked like a salute. To check whether he was just tipsy, Pierre formed a circle with the thumb and little finger of his left hand, then at arms length and with one stroke, put the index finger of his right hand through the circle. He smiled and looked at tabby-face and spoke out "Meowr."

The creature told him, "Come on, Pierre, the crowd is magnificent! Everything they do is osculum infame, a homage to the devil!"

"Tell me, who bears your protuberance?"

"Familiar secret, besides you look like a witch hunter."

"Oh I'm not always what I look like. You know my name but I do not know yours."

"Farrand," Tabby-face extended his hand, "Farrand Singleleg."

"A lovely name!" Pierre took the familiar's hand, it was smooth and firm like a man's, "And I was totally afraid I might have to drink the night away all by myself!"

"ah! Mugwort!" Farrand pointed to Pierre's cocktail, "Invigorates the higher senses, but doesn't last long; fresh leaves picked under a full moon do better, I tell you!"

"Who bears your protuberance?" Pierre asked once more, "You can tell me, I'm no witch hunter."

"Then what are you?"

"Well," Pierre paused and after a while decided to tell the truth, "I'm an angel."

"I've had suspicions!" Farrand jumped up in excitement, "But an angel who drinks mugwort?"

"I'm also a fallen angel."

"A devil, you mean."

"No, I was mistaken, not a fallen angel. My father is a giant, one of the few who coupled with the mortals of the earth a long long time ago!"

Farrand was aghast, "You survived the great flood?"

"Yes," Pierre replied modestly. Farrand let out a purr and told the angel, "I like you already."

So the familiar took Pierre outside and lent him his cat's eyes so he could see the phantoms dancing in the night. Pierre's delight was intense.

"That's Zigzaggery," Farrand pointed to the dancers, "That's Rotgut and Paddock."

And after being introduced to a dozen other phantoms, Pierre had to ask tabby-face the million-dollar question before the mugwort wore out, "Tell me, who bears your protuberance?"

Farrand smiled at the persistent angel. Finally he answered, "Look for the girl who wears the devil's garland." Then he took Pierre's face with both hands and planted a kiss on his nose. Suddenly, the familiar was gone.

Pierre was smiling from ear to ear as he went back into the Broken Convent and the Old Corner. He picked out bits of mugwort from his glass and started chewing. He saw the priestess stroking the back of the neck of another man, and just behind them was an obscure fairlec overlooking* the priestess. Pierre immediately gave the fairlec the horned hand. She saw him and frowned.

Pierre smiled, withdrew his hand and suddenly saw on her head a crown made of rope inserted with crow feathers. When he drew near her the crown vanished.

Nevertheless, he asked her gently, "May I explore your body for a protuberance?" For which he was instantly rewarded a blow on the face.


* Overlooking: to look with the evil eye.


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From some illustrated stories I made a long time ago, I was probably 18 at that time., interested in witchcraft and generally angry at the world, so I created these characters that didn't belong to "the world." I am not so keen on doing this anymore.

And with this prose, it is time to retreat into my solitary writing, and will be back when I have found the question to this long-standing answer ... ;)