Princess I'm home"
Simon Petrikov announced his presence in his always nonchalant tone. He walked into the sitting room of the apartment to find his fiancée, Betty, reading the Enchiridion, while lying on the sofa. She looked up at him in surprise and smiled as her oval glasses slid off of her pink face. She pushed the glasses up her nose and walked over to him and landing a peck on his cheek.
"How was the trip? I see you've brought more antiquities home."
He smiled. "Yes, it was very fascinating. The Scandinavians have all type of cultural stuff." He walks her by the sofa, where they sit on the floor. He took his sack from his shoulder and emptied it out.
"Well, here's all of it." They searched through the many objects sprawled on the floor.
"I doubt there is going to be anything better than the Enchiridion." Betty said, waiting for his answer in anticipation.
"Betty, I am an antiquarian. You shouldn't doubt my mad antiquarian skills."
She giggled. "It's just that since you've been gone I've been looking through the Enchiridion. It is extremely fascinating." Simon agreed.
"Have you heard anything else about the bombs?"
"Oh yes. There's been a story going around at the hospital that they are building nuclear weapons to rid a creature"
"What creature?"
"There calling it a Lich"
"Lich?"
"I mean The Lich. They say it is looking for something."
"Hmm," Simon turns his head to look at the Enchiridion, lying on the sofa. Could it be looking for…?
"What's this?" Betty snapped him out of his thought. She picked up a golden crown with crimson jewels in it.
"I'm not sure. I purchased it from a dock worker."
"Did he say anything about it?"
"No, just some jibber-jabber about the cold"
She smiled. "Hmm, well, let's see if this can get your face on the newspaper again."
"Ha" He got up and held out his hand. "But this time a king will be on the cover." She laughed and took his hand and he helped her stand
"Yes, I Simon Petrikov, the greatest antiquarian in all of ancient history." Simon danced around and Betty watched, laughing the whole while. He stopped and turned to her.
"And now, my dear Betty, to become my princess you must sit the crown atop my head." She smiled, picked it up and placed it on his head.
They laughed and joked and pranced around until Simon froze. She looked up at his face to see him wide eyed and baring his teeth.
"Simon, what's wrong?"
He trembled and fell to the floor, his teeth turning razor sharp, screaming.
"Simon," Betty yelped trying to calm him down so she could use her medical practice on him. Simon twitched and mumbled words Betty couldn't understand, chocking and arching his back and hands as claws. He did not have an idea of what was going on, it was pitch black to him. Betty, still beside him, saw her olived-toned fiancée turn into a man with a long nose, draped in a blue gown with a white long beard atop of it, and light blue skin.
Frightened, Betty ran for the door until she heard Simon scream "Princess". She turned to see him shudder on the ground, she started back at him, but he screamed and she jumped. She knelt down over him and kissed on the head. She took the purple oval pin she'd once given him, out of his pocket and left the room.
