The lamia looks at you with such beautiful eyes, colors flowing forth in a dazzling display . . . No, the attracting force it pulls on you feels wrong. You break the connection by yanking your sight from her, stumbling back as you turn around. Wobbly, hard to keep your head up, you rub your face; the jungle is hazy, and your thoughts are difficult to grasp as if lost in a fog. This fog seems to muffle sounds as well, the jungle noises deafened as if far away.
The lamia’s voice comes in perfectly clear, though: “You don’t want me to look at you?” You feel her scales around the back of your head and you shiver at her touch snaking through your hair; the dizzying haze makes it hard to stand still and she helps right you, but the haze begins to lift. Her eyes were doing something strange before . . .
“Then you look at me.”
She pulls your head back; you turn to follow, half-unaware, half-curious, and half-desirous to see her eyes again—somehow more than your entire mind wants to turn, as if something else is leading your thoughts.
You look back into her eyes, into her swirling colors. The haze deepens, everything dark and foggy but the lamia, whose eyes emanate beautiful light. Something seems wrong, though; why is everything else hazy? Should you let her light your way, or is she causing this haze? Maybe you should look away. But would that be rude?
-21a Just keep looking . . .
-26a You don’t want to be rude, but you really should stop looking. (unfinished)
-26b No! There’s something wrong, you shouldn’t look! Pull away, you don’t care if it’s rude!
Duth Olec's Cuckoo Cosmos 