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A purple mangor.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Not only was it a giant bird, but it was a mangor- a purple mangor.

“Holy shit.”

I looked at Gage. His eyes were enormous. “I told you.”

He glanced at me, but didn’t speak.

The bird stopped just in front of me and tilted its head down. I cautiously reached out and placed my tiny hand on its enormous beak. It looked so small in comparison.

“What are you doing?” Gage choked out.

“It won’t hurt me.”

“Until it bites your hand off!” He whispered.

The bird cocked its head like it was studying us.

“Hello.” I said, and its round little eyes centered on me. “I’m seeking Persephone, the white witch.”

“A witch?” Gage shuffled. “Are you mad?”

The bird began to peck the ground at my feet aggressively.

“It’s trying to eat you.” Gage said, standing hurriedly.

I quickly scooted back to stand up, so I was now the same height as the bird. It stepped forward and continued to peck aggressively.

Gage grabbed my arm. “We need to get out of here. This was a bad idea.”

I jerked my arm from his grasp. “It’s not going to hurt me.”

“The fuck it won’t. It’s pecking at you now, like it wants to eat you.”

“Eat!” How could I have forgotten! I ran to my bag and grabbed a handful of bosom berries and tossed them on the ground in front of the bird. It looked up at me and then gently picked the berry off the ground with the tip of its beak and tossed its head back, swallowing it whole. “I have to feed it bosom berries.”

“What?”

I tossed a few more on the ground and slowly walked over to it. “I’m sorry I forgot the berries.” I laughed.

The bird looked at me and then bent back down to retrieve the remaining berries from the ground.

I thought it was time to ask my question again. “I’m looking for Persephone, the white witch… I need to know about.” I looked over my shoulder at Gage. “I need to know about me and I was told she would have the answers.”

The bird took a step forward and rubbed its beak around me, up my legs, around my arms, almost like it was trying to nuzzle, but I got the feeling it was doing something else. Then it turned and walked away.

“What was that?” Gage asked.

“I don’t know.” I shrugged, watching it disappear back into the tree.

“Is that it?”

“I don’t know Gage.” My tone came off a little more irritated than I intended. “I’ve never done this before. I know as much as you do.”

“Incorrect. You knew how to find it and that they existed.”

“I was told that in a dream and was hoping it was right.”