A Fairy Queen, A Giant Penguin and the Shrunken Dead

Long conversations with a fairy queen, dangerous and beautiful. We may have fallen in love, but we came from literally different worlds. Our worlds were in conflict with each other, their very physical existence threatening the other. Peace could not be brokered. Threats and reprisal. She had an army of shrunken dead creatures, miniature zombies who would stumble slowly from the distance to threaten the houses and suburbs of this world. Despite the fact I loved her I would not fail to destroy all her forces if I were able to.

I went down to the beach early in the morning, sat on the raggedy, seaweed strewn stones with a cup of tea I had previously made. A giant penguin sat next to me. I vaguely wondered if I was safe. Out to sea, a boat drifted by. It was becoming increasingly common to find giant penguins on European beaches.

An apartment in London, narrow, comfortable and slightly sinister. The strange coolness of the kitchen that led to the rest of the house, stacked with rooms and furniture that was there when I moved in.