...there are squirrels in my head...

This snippet of fiction is for artfulruin and her story cards frog, son, gift.
(I *think* it's over 100 words..)


Fealty


My finger traces idle patterns on the surface of the pond. Greenish-brown tendrils of slimy somethings cling to my nail, break away behind me, leaving glimpses of water that is far from wholesome.

I am waiting for him.

His eyes break through the algae, demanding I meet his gaze. Panicked insects stop their chorus, needlessly. They are not his prey.

Webbed feet grab the ground beside me. He pulls himself from the pond, settling next to me in a puddle of slime and incandescence. His head nearly comes to my shoulder; he reeks of decay and stagnant water.

"Princess."

Father tells me I should never allow myself to be common. And so I do not run screaming, nor does my face reveal my thoughts. "The Pact."

The monster blinks, stretches. The claws of his foot hook onto the fabric protecting my stomach from his touch.

I do not wait for his question.

"Seven and a half months. He will be yours."

"And we will be yours."

He licks his lips.