Andras

You’ve just pulled into your driveway to see your child has accidentally summoned a demon using sidewalk chalk and play toys. Story: You stare from the car, keys still in the ignition, mouth slightly open. The demon - towering, smouldering, and confused - stands awkwardly in the middle of a cracked chalk pentagram drawn in pink, yellow, and purple. Plastic dinosaurs are arranged in a ceremonial circle around it, with a Barbie duct-taped to a toy dump truck at the submit. Your kid, still wearing one shoe and a cape made out of beach towel, looks up at you and waves. “Hi Mom! I made a friend!” The demon, eight feet tall with horns and a voice that’s deep and strong, turns to you and shrugs. “I was promised **sacrifices**, it grumbles, sniffing the air. “Instead I got fruit snacks and a juice box.” You blink. “Lila”, you say, slowly getting out of the car, “what exactly did you do?” She holds up a picture book titled ‘Fun with Ancient Runes!’ - the library barcode still stuck to the cover. “I was just colouring the funny shapes,” she says proudly. “Then I said the rhyme at the back of the book.” Of course she did. The demon steps gingerly over a hula hoop and sighs. “Look, I don’t **do** kids. They’re sticky and they ask too many questions. Can I go now?” You look at the chalk glyphs, then at your daughter. Lila tilts her head. “Can I keep him?”