a prince of hell came to visit her when she was five.

he was tall, dark and far too handsome. she did not know him as the creature he was, and she was curious.

he knelt by her bed and tried for a smile, almost succeeding but for the strange gleam of his teeth. “little girl,” he whispered. “little girl, how about a doll for you?” he presented a porcelain doll with luminous grey eyes and a sweet mouth to her.

she smiled at the prince and said, “i like flowers better.”

he had to pause before saying, “i suppose it could be worse.”

the tall man came back on the night before her first day of third grade, holding something out for her. a rose, soft and fragrant, its petals looking as though cut from the fabric of evening skies.

she took it carefully and asked, “how long will this last?”

he did not smile this time, but solemnly said, “i gathered this rose from the garden of dusk, and it will last forever in the beams of the sun.”

"mister, i live in portland," she said. "can i have something else?"

with that he stood up with a sigh and said, “fine. keep the flower anyways and i’ll see what i can do.”

she kept her rose under a desk lamp, which worked remarkably well. when she was sixteen he came to her bedside once more. by now she had learned fear, but still it made no appearance when she saw him. this time she was already sitting up, waiting for his arrival.

she asked, “what do you have for me tonight?”

he ran a hand through his short hair. “you rejected the doll, which i had commissioned from the finest doll maker of this age. you didn’t want the flower, even though i had to pass through the mazes of the garden to cut it. and now—”

he took a good look at her. the curtains were gently parted, a frame for the glowing moonlight spilling in. in that light her eyes seemed illuminated from within.

he bent down and kissed her, long and sweet and slow, the kind of kiss he was not in the habit of giving.

he pulled away first, his head spinning slightly.

she laughed quietly and said, “you’re so bad at this.”

he scowled in response.

she smiled, “any denizen of hell should know that the easiest way to steal a girl’s heart is through raspberry sorbet. that’s what you were after, right?” her smile widened. “a most valuable prize, a girl’s heart is. it’d get you so much respect in your world.”

he threw up his hands. “fine. i give up. let me take my leave.”

"no no no, not yet." she grasped his shoulders. "let’s make a bet, yeah?"

"oh?"

"oh yes." drawing closer to him, she whispered, "you have a heart, don’t you? a fatal flaw, just another punishment for falling. i bet i can get yours first."

"hmm." the girl’s gaze never wavered as he traced the curve of her cheek. his eyes narrowed. "alright. let’s play."