The young woman chanted. Before her swirled a mass of inky black magic.

"Good," said Mistress Agathie. "Now, focus! Imagine the magic taking the form of your familiar - whatever you imagine that to be."

The magic cloud coalesced into the form of a raven. The bird blinked in surprise. "I live!" the bird exclaimed. "But - what am I?"

"You are my raven familiar," said the young girl.

"Ah, cool, I see," said the bird. "Just one question. What is a raven familiar?"

#microfiction

"We wish to honor the first earthling into space," said the aliens, "by inviting them to join us on our journey across the cosmos."

The earth representative frowned. "You must mean Yuri Gagarin? Unfortunately, he is long dead."

"A minor detail, given our technology," the aliens replied, "and no, we do not refer to the human."

The air grew bright and hot. Colors swirled. A dog appeared.

Said the aliens, "Come with us, Laika. Join us on our journey."

The dog barked happily.

#microfiction