dinner conversations

She took another sip from the glass and set it down gently on the table, as he just stared at her.

"I've been training you with the books." She replied.

"You're training me to fight off these demons with dream books?" He asked now more bewildered than before.

"In a way, yes."

"Can you elaborate please? This is all new to me." He asked as he gulped some of his drink down.

The waitress then dropped off their meal and refilled the drinks before she could answer.

"We need to get you mentally prepared before you meet any of the demons. They like to manipulate mortals. They will use anything they can to their advantage."

He listened to her, his brain trying to process the severity of her words. It made sense, to him. He was sure that she had been right about the whole situation.

"What should I do?" He asked taking a bite of the large burger he had ordered.

"Keep a close watch on dark forces." She replied taking a sip of her beer.

She took a bite of her fries and tried to think on how to help him without scaring him away from his true calling.

"Any suggestions?" He asked, unsure as to where this conversation was heading.

"Do you ever pass by someone on the street and for no logical reason feel panic stricken, like you need to get away from that person because you just have a creepy feeling about them?" She asked with the most severe look he'd ever seen.

He took a sip pf his beer and when she finished that phrase his eyes widened in astonishment. Setting the glass back down he stared at her for a short moment.

"Yes, I know exactly what you mean, why?"

"Those people are not human. They're not demons, but have ties to them and don't even know it." She explained as they finished eating. The waitress removed their dishes and brought them another drink.

"Please tell me you're kidding." He replied, wondering if he needed something stronger than beer for this conversation.

"To be honest I wish I was kidding, but no I'm not."

"How do I know when the demons are around?" He asked, barely able to believe his own words.

"That is where I come in. I'm going to help you and with any luck, we'll both make it out of this alive." She told him.

He nodded and then flagged the waitress down and ordered a double shot of whiskey. He was not a heavy drinker but for this situation he thought he needed it.

"I know we talked about dreams, but what's your take on nightmares?" He asked.

"It depends on the nightmare, why do you ask?"

"I had a very strange one, and I didn't know if I should mention it to you." He replied as the waitress brought the small glass to him.

"Tell me what you can recall, It's okay." She coaxed him.

"Promise you'll not think I'm nuts?' He asked raising and eyebrow.

"I swear, it'll be fine."

"Okay, here we go. I was on that beach again. The blue skies went dark like a bad storm." He paused to clear his throat.

"Go on, then what happened?"

"I saw dark beings, like a sinister looking troll with black horns and creepy wings."

"Anything else? Did it talk to you?" She asked him.

"Yes, well it had a side kick that looked similar to the first one. They were laughing at me, suggesting I couldn't fight a mouse, something like that." He told her.

"It will be fine. Those were spies." She told him flatly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean one of the higher level demons sent a spy to see what they are up against." She explained, finishing her beer.

He paid the check in cash, then offered to take her home. She wanted to push the conversation further, but thought better against it.

They walked back to the book store, but she made excuses that she wanted to check on the new employee. He hugged her before heading to the parking lot to get his vehicle. He wasn't sure what to think. He just knew he wanted to go home and crawl in bed before anything else happened to him.

books�Br��we