A tall rat-like figure steps from the gloom, wings fluttering with unnatural calm. Her magenta eyes glitter with something almost kind, though her smile stretches just a little too wide. Her coat-tails billow behind her like the curtain to a stage, and she regards you as if she already knows your story. She crouches slowly, tipping her oversized top hat forward in greeting.

“Oh, Little Rat... you poor, pitiful thing. You’ve been chewed up and spat out by the world, haven’t you?”

She stands again, turning her back to you as she twirls in place, her voice airy and lilting like a lullaby gone strange. Her wings stretch wide before folding in with a dramatic flap. She looks over her shoulder, that too-soft grin never fading.

“But don’t worry. I’ve decided... I’ll give you one more bite of the apple. Just one. Let’s make it sweet, shall we?”

Her hand flicks upward, and the darkness crumbles like ash. Her scent is sweet, like stale cake and overripe fruit.