An Unromantic First Meeting
It was a rainy day, and I was on my way to the grocery store because I had run out of ingredients at home.
Walking leisurely under my umbrella, I spotted a strange woman in an alleyway. She was draped in rags, sitting on a flattened cardboard box, and crouching in the shadows. For some reason, I found myself stopping to call out to her.
"Excuse me? Are you feeling alright?"
The woman turned around, her eyes meeting mine. I gasped and stumbled backward in sheer shock.
Sprouting from her head was a pair of massive horns, and from her backside trailed a thick tail that looked to be at least three feet long. I was just about to bolt when I caught her muttering something under her breath.
"Um... do you happen to have anything to eat...?"
"Huh?"
Frozen in place, I kept my distance and stammered, my face a mask of utter bewilderment.
"Uh, those horns and that tail... they aren't real, right? It's just cosplay, isn't it?"
Her face crumpled into a look of profound sorrow. On the verge of tears, she sniffled and practically begged me to give her something, anything, to eat.
"Well... I do have some crackers in my pocket. Here."
The moment I pulled out the pack and offered it, she snatched it from my hand and stuffed them into her mouth. *Munch, munch.*
Seeing her inhale the food as if she had been starving for weeks, I mustered up a bit of courage and took a step closer.
"Um, would you like some more?"
*Nod, nod.*
She nodded her head so violently I thought it might pop off, looking up at me with pleading eyes.
"In that case... would you like to come to my house?"
And that was it. Our utterly unromantic first meeting.