Encounter With a Griffin

In the orchard under the stars, I have the kind of company I never had before. The creature I came here with appeared to be human, but my hands feel a scaly back, and stiff fur pricks my chest. A hooked beak tears at my mouth destroying its sweetness. Lifeless, I am encircled by claws. I submit believing I am doomed. Originally published as "“Sweet seventeen and never been kissed”, Clarke, R. (Ed) The Mentor 84, October 1994, fanzine published by Ron Clarke, Sydney, Australia, [Archival copy available online at http://efanzines.com/Mentor/TM84COMP.pdf].