The darkness blinded me for a moment. Irene blinked hard several times to "turn on" her vision and squinted her eyes. About five paces away, a blurry shadow towered over her. Not even the twinkling eyes were visible.

"Good disguise," Irene praised and reached into her skirt pocket, intending to summon her trusty arachnid for help.

"I wouldn't do that," the shadow said evenly, as if guessing the witch's intentions. Irene even managed to chuckle and obediently pulled her hands out of her pockets, showing that she was giving up.

- Can we get to the point? I still need to have time to wash, - the witch said politely,...