"Look," Theo began for the seventh time. "I just want my sandwich. [i]Please![/i]"

"But I've already given you one," the ethereal entity responded from across the table. "You asked for one, and I—"

"Sandwich!" Theo repeated. A small vein pulsed on the side of his temple. "Bread, ham, and cheese! Possibly mustard or onions. Not sand witch!" He waved his hands in the air. "You know, food? The kind [i]normal[/i] people eat!" The ethereal entity mouth budged, only to be cut off an instant later. "Don't you start again!"

"I don't see what the big deal is." The ethereal entity shrugged. "Seems perfectly fine to me."

Theo groaned. Being a teenager was difficult enough—college applications, crappy internet connection, grumbling parents—without him having to be exposed to Everest doses of weirdness. The entity across him, more light silhouette than entity, took another swig from his beer then left the bottle floating in mid-air.

"Here you go, sweetie." A gold-skinned girl placed a large dish in front of Theo—four sandwiches, perfectly arranged, each cut in half. "Enjoy." She smiled, looking at him expectantly.

Theo froze. Just being close to her sent chills down his spine. What would his parents say when they saw her! What would his friends say? Sure they would be jealous for a minute or two, but then the questions would start—questions to which he had no sane answer. Her clothes, her hair, her very skin were straight from a low budget sci-fi movie.

"Something wrong?" She leaned closer, causing Theo pull away, chair and all.

"See? She even brought you a sandwich!" The ethereal entity clapped. For a moment, Theo almost thought he saw it grin. "What's more perfect than that?"

"She's a Sand Witch!" Theo raised his voice, yet not too much now that the "witch" was standing next to him. "Her clothes are made of sand!" [i]Mom is going to have a fit![/i] "Just look!" He pointed at the floor. Several trails of sand were clearly visible going from the table to the fridge. "Who'll clean up after her?!"

"I could—" the girl began, only to have Theo continue.

"And a witch!" He looked around nervously. He didn't want some nosy neighbour to come storming in and go on a tirade about political correctness. "Do you know what happens in stories with witches? People around them end up dead or transformed to pigs!"

"Hansel and Gretel." The girl crossed her arms.

"Huh?" Theo blinked.

"In that story the witch dies." The witch grabbed one of the sandwiches from Theo's plate and very demonstratively took a bite. "And you don't need help turning into a pig!" She leaned over him, her nose almost touching his. "I can read your mind."

[i]Crap![/i] Theo looked to the side flustered.

"Wonderful!" The ethereal entity stolid up, then finished his beer. "Everything looks fine here, so I'll be on my way."

"Wait!" Theo shouted, but it was already too late. The entity had disappeared in a flash of light leaving him and "his" sand witch in the kitchen. There was a long moment of silence. "But I just wanted a sandwich." He looked at her, pleading.

"And I just wanted a Boye," she replied, sitting down in the nearest chair.

"A boy?" Theo's cheeks fluster once more.

"A magical poodle belonging to a prince of Rhine." The girl took another bite of her sandwich. "I'm not exactly thrilled either."

"Ah." He nodded as if the explanation made any sense. Quite stupid really, since she could easily tell it didn't. "So what happens now? We start going to flea markets and fortune tellers? We try to get the glowing guy back and fix—"

"Oh, shut up and finish your sandwich," she laughed, licking the tips of her fingers. "You got what you wanted. Tomorrow we go shopping for poodles."