I’ve a new Guoh drawing – but it just begged for a story SO much, so I held off till now on posting it so I could get the story done. Don’t worry, it’s short and you don’t have to read it. You can just scroll to the bottom.

It is far and away my favorite coloring job I’ve done so far. I thank Guoh for this one – his drawings practically scream for a story sometimes.

“But I love her, Dad!”

“I know you do, son. I know you do… and I’m sure she loves you too. Son, sit down here and let me tell you the story of a good friend of mine. He too fell in love with a reptillian Demoness…”

“Dad, is this going to be another one of your…”

“Just sit down and shut up, boy. Now I’d known this friend – let’s call him Bob – since boyhood. We were very close but we’d grown apart over the years. We used to write letters to each other to keep in touch. Well, we were both unmarried at the time, so of course we would tell each other about our romantic adventures as well as our more mundane ones. Oh, don’t look at me like that. In my youth I was, well, let’s just say I’d some interesting experiences of my own and leave it at that. But Bob was like a butterfly, flitting from flower to flower, sticking his tongue into places it didn’t belong. How he managed to keep one step ahead of his lovers’ fathers and boyfriends I really don’t know. So whenever I received one of his letters, it was like reading one of those steamy romance novels.”

“Then one day I received a letter from him I’d never expected to see. He said he’d fallen in love! Now mind you, Bob was not the type to toss around the ‘L’ word. The object of his affection wasn’t some tavern wench, nor was she some farmer’s daughter. No, he’d met her while adventuring deep into the bowels of the earth with some of his own friends into the borders of the Netherworld. Details of the adventure were sketchy, but he had come across this Demon girl while he was down there. To say they fell in love at first sight was putting it mildly. As best I understand it, his friends had to douse them both with water to keep them separated!”

“No, you don’t have to tell me, son. I understand all too well the attractiveness of the exotic. Whether dark-skinned, lightly furred or scaled like your girl, we deny ourselves the truth if we deny their appeal. Bob was not one to deny himself much of anything, but he protested that it was more than just physical with this one. Indeed, against all expectations he had not even truly taken the Demoness’ virginity, though she had offered it willingly enough! But Bob was a man of conviction, and he insisted on doing the right thing by her and marrying her properly since he was in Love. He included a photo of them together, and to say she was adorable would be simply the truth. Yes, even I can appreciate the smooth scales and serpentine form, and even the snakelike head seemed to exude a charm through the photo that I couldn’t even describe to you now. She was simply stunning. And even in the simple dress she wore, the curves underneath were unmistakable. In the photo, Bob looks as smitten as a puppydog, his eyes locked onto her.”

“A few months later I received the invitation. Of course, I was far too remote to attend, but I did thank him for the kindness. Included was a second picture, but the change in her was startling. She was still attractive, by all means. But the horns that sprouted from her head and shoulders were new. Bob admitted that, though he had maintained his stoic stance of keeping her TECHNICALLY pure till the wedding night – against her own quite obvious desire he pointed out – they had engaged in… well… intimate cuddling shall we say? And apparently her body reacted to such activities. But it wasn’t just the horns, she had also simply grown. In just a few short months she was now as tall as Bob. Yet he protested that all these things endeared her to him even more.”

“I received two more letters from him after that. In the first he told me of their plans for their honeymoon at a beach resort you would know, famous not only for their premier service, but also for their clothing-optional private beaches. Bob was sparing absolutely no expense on his bride, and she apparently loved him all the more for it. Had you known the man like I did, you would be left with no doubt that this man was hopelessly in love. Yet I detected subtleties… undercurrents in his words maybe, and maybe it was just my imagination. I felt he had concerns of inadequacy frankly. He was no longer the cocksure braggadocio he once was. But his bride-to-be assured him that he was all the man she needed or wanted, and with her assurance he was proceeding with his plans.”

“And then, finally, I received his last letter. It was from the resort on his honeymoon and he included a picture of the two of them naked in a hot tub. She was both radiant and frightening at the same time. Blood-red icor surrounded her smoking eyes while her wet, snakelike tongue – now forked – slithered slickly from out of her wet mouth. The horns, once subtle and delicate, were now grown massive and sharp and her shoulders looked more like armored pauldrons. And yet, in her eyes there was something more. I couldn’t quite describe it even now. Even with all the outward signals of evil, something in her eyes seemed innocent still. Oh, maybe it was just those awesomely shaped breasts that still rose proudly on her chest under her shoulders. I don’t know. We males are such suckers for those curves we overlook, or read into women attributes, things that maybe aren’t there. Yet in her eyes, I really think she loved him even then, days into their honeymoon and presumably full consummation of their marriage.”

“Son, the letter was very well written you must understand. It wasn’t just written… it was CRAFTED. It wasn’t his normal style. Yet, at the bottom, under his normal signature he had scrawled two words. ‘Send Help’.”

“Neither he nor his bride were ever seen again. The bed in their room was found broken – literally shattered to pieces. The authorities were called in to investigate. Their reports show no evidence of foul play – no blood stains, though I gather that other stains consistent with vigorous sexual activity were rampant. I spoke with one of the investigators. He wouldn’t tell me much of course, only that Bob must have had one HELL of a honeymoon.”

“Oh my god, Dad! What do you think happened?”

“I really don’t know son. I hope for the best, but it’s been years and years since then. I don’t think I’ll ever know. But I think she did love him. I have no way of knowing for sure, but I like to think she took him back to her home in the end and they’re living there still with lots of little scaly feet running around. I prefer to think that.”

-END

Original by Guoh: