Taking a Break

                                    

                                          
We soared over a desert looking area. There was a very large, modern-style house near the side of a cliff that was surrounded by dirt and dried brush. The trees that landscaped the house were turning brown and looked ready to move on to plant heaven. We landed near the house and Ashe promptly shrank before leaping into Rick's arms. 
Rick snuggled her gently. "All done, Ashe."
She disappeared the same as before.
"Is she okay?" I asked. "She looked tired."
Rick's voice came out slow and raspy. "She's not strong enough to be out for so long let alone big and flying." He paused coughing out a half-hearted laugh. "Or should I say I'm not strong enough." We slowly made our way down the walkway toward the house.
"You? How does that work anyway? Your summon creature, I mean. Could I get one? Ashe is awfully cute."
"Summon creatures aren't meant to be cute." The smile spread across his face. "But she certainly is. A summon creature has to find you not the other way around. It senses your power level and what you need and then presents itself to you, usually in a dream. Then it's up to you to communicate with it."
"Communicate? How?"
"In whatever form you want. You can speak to it or sign to it or just send telepathic messages to it."
"Well, what do you say to it?"
"Whatever you want. Shoot the breeze about the weather or ask it a million stupid questions, it doesn't matter." We reached the door and he started to wobble. He used the side of the house to keep himself from falling over and took a few deep breaths.
"It shares your magic, doesn't it?" I put my hands on him hoping to somehow make him feel better. "That's why you're also weak." He looked so pale.
"See," he was breathing as if he had just run a marathon. "You know more than you let on, Princess."

             "Stop calling me that." Maybe it was because he was so weak or maybe I was just getting used to it, but I wasn't as mad when he called me princess that time.
He smiled and I pushed the doorbell. We heard footsteps approach and he pushed away from the house, standing tall before positioning himself between me and the door just before it opened. An older slightly plump woman answered the door. She was maybe an inch shorter than me. Her bright blue eyes sparkled and she smiled.
"Young people! Oh, I rarely get young people around here. Come to think of it, I rarely get people. Oh, you must come in, you must." She dragged both of us in. Rick was far too tired to resist. "I've just made the most scrumptious lemon bars before I remembered I have no one to share them with." 
She shoved both of us down on to her sofa. "Here we are, nice and comfy. Do you like tea, dears?"
I opened my mouth to speak but she just kept on talking. 
"I'll go put on the kettle. A nice oolong is just perfect for my bars. Or do you prefer a black tea?" 
I opened my mouth again and was met with the same continuance of yammering. 
"I have a delightful Earl Grey. The bergamot enhances the sweet lemons quite nicely. I suppose it only matters if you prefer complimentary flavors or contrasting flavors." She flitted away to what I can only assume to be the direction of her kitchen still talking about how the bars were made from fresh lemons she grew in the conservatory in the back of her house and then started listing the other plants.
"She sure is chatty," I said quietly. "And lemons go with just about everything. I don't know why she's so worried about the type of tea to serve."
"Be careful around her and don't eat anything."