Dreamer
All people want is a friend; all they wish for is someone to keep them company. Someone to comfort them in their time of crisis. This is why people come to me for help; they come to me for a friend...
"Welcome to Count D's Pet shop, where you will find whatever it is you desire. Count D is not available right now but as his grandson, I can take care of anything you need. What is it you have in mind?" Count D was addressing a woman who walked into the shop. The woman seemed a well off woman, assuming by the way she was dressed. The woman seemed to have been crying, her face and eyes were red, puffy, and moist from her tears.
"I want a friend, one who can't tell me my flaws as a person, one who can see my good talents only." The count smiled a little.
"Ma'am, I think I have exactly what you are looking for." Count D Started to turn and walk to the back of the shop, he called back over his shoulder. "Please follow me..." Count D and the woman began walking the long halls into the back of the shop. The woman noticed that the farther back they went, the stronger the smell of incense grew.
"Count why is the smell so strong?"
"It calms the wild animals. We wouldn't want them to be... aggressive. Would we?" The woman slowed.
"I'm not getting something dangerous am I?" The count laughed.
"No, no, I will give you something small, harmless, and cute." The count grinned. "That is what you want something cute, right?" The woman smiled absently, and she peered of into empty space, almost as if she was trying to lose herself.
The count suddenly stopped in front of large red wood door. Through the heavy wood of the door the chattering of birds could be heard. The woman's eyes got wide and bright at the sound and thought of owning a bird.
"A bird! I always wanted a bird! They are cute!" D unlocked the heavy red door, but before he opened it, he whispered his warning.
"Now miss, these are very rare birds, they have almost human like speech. And they will say exactly what you want to hear..." They heavy door swung open effortlessly and inside was hazy and dark. "Ma'am, what is your name?" The woman closed her eyes and smiled.
"Please keep calling me 'Miss' or 'Ma'am' it is the only respect I ever get." D smiled brightly.
"Of course Madam, I live to serve you." D walked inside the room which was clouded with the smoke and smell of burning incense. The woman followed suite and entered the room. Inside the woman was shocked to what she found.
"Count! All these, these 'pets' are people!" The count smiled.
"No my lady, these are birds, the incense dulls our minds to make us think we see them as people." The count waved his hand. "You may have any one you wish." The woman started going down the rows, inspecting each "person" carefully.
"No, no, no, mmm... nah" finally she stopped at one that looked like a little girl of about twelve. "I want this one count!" The count walked over.
"Nice choice, ma'am, she is a phoenix, was just reborn thirteen years ago." The woman looked shocked.
"A phoenix! I thought they were legends." The count smiled again.
"No, not legends, just rare." The woman smiled widely.
"Yes, I always wanted a bird. Will she give me what she wants?" The count looked at the small child.
"I think she will give you exactly what you want." The woman looked down to the small child who was dressed in a red silk halter top dress.
"Do you think I would make a good master, I'm sorry, friend?" the child beamed and replied.
"I think you will make an excellent master my lady." The woman laughed.
"Ring her up, I like her!" The count brought the two women back to the front of the pet shop, where the child transformed into her natural state because of the lack of incense smoke. At the register the Count gave her a contract stating the rules of owning a phoenix:
OWNING A PHEONIX
Do not feed it anything but cinnamon
Do not show it to anyone else
Keep the incense burning at all time until it reaches 170 years of age
Before you die, in your will leave the care of the bird back to the original owners, the pet shop where you bought it
Sign here if you agree to all terms listed above:
The woman looked at the rules and frowned. "What..." but D interrupted her.
"Don't worry about rule number three too much; you won't be alive long enough anyway." The woman started to look unsure of her choice in pet. "But see you will have a pet that will live as long as you do, well longer, and she will give you the respect you wish for so much..." The woman smiled again.
"So how much does this fine animal cost?" The count smiled again.
"Actually if you don't mind just have a chocolate cake delivered here once a week for a month I will be very happy." The woman was shocked at the count's statement, and stuttered as she spoke.
"Why yes, of course! Thank you very much Count D!" she turned and started walking out the door, and as she left detective Leon Orcot came strolling in.
"Hello ma'am." As he spoke his eyes wondered down the length of the woman's body. The woman smiled and left. "Hey D! Who's the babe with the bird!" The count frowned at the detective's choice of words describing his customer.
"She was a customer, Leon. You should learn to be less lewd, you know?" Leon smiled.
"Nah, being perverse is the only thing that keeps me going. I have to at least have a girlfriend before I die." Leon laughed "Well count you seem to be having luck with the ladies, what's your secret?" The count seemed spaced out, but he answered none the less.
"You give them what they want..."
Back at Natalia's house, Natalia lit up some of the incense that the count had given her, and almost instantly the bird transformed into the small girl of 13 again. "Child, I wish for some praise, I feel lonely so praise me." The child smiled.
"It would be all too easy to praise you, my lady. I would not know where to start, you are beautiful, you are smart, pretty, wise, the list goes on and on." The woman sat in her chair and had the girl sit next to her, on the floor.
"Well then I want you to go down that list, and tell me ever good thing about me." The small girl looked up at the woman sitting in the chair and continued with the list. And this is how things went on for weeks.
"Tell me I'm horrible!" Natalia wailed. The bird/child looked confused.
"Why would I do that?" The woman wailed some more.
"Because I have been treating you horribly, and I am a self absorbed person who only wishes to hear praise!" the child smiled.
"That is why I am here; I am here to praise you, to please you." The woman wailed.
"No! Stop! I can't take any more! LEAVE ME ALONE! I AM A HORRIBLE PERSON!" The woman ran to her room, grabbed the magnum from her drawer and lifted it to her head. "Bye child" she pulled the trigger, and was killed instantly. As the sound of the gun shot faded so did the last of the incense burn away, causing the child mirage to transform back into a bird.
Leon entered the pet shop, "D what the hell did you give that girl?" Count D looked confused.
"What girl?" Leon was growing impatient.
"THE ONE WITH THE BIRD DAMNIT!" the count smiled.
"Oh that girl, all I gave her was a bird; in fact her last payment just came in not long ago, want some cake?" Leon fumed and walked towards the door.
"Can't stay, I am on a case." With that he left. The count laughed.
"Just as long as I thought. She couldn't stand all the good words given to her, we all need a little negative feed back once in a while, it does us good. That woman wanted nothing but good words to her; she was just a dreamer..."