It had been a long and rather busy day at the doctor’s office. Nothing worth mentioning had happened; a boy with a dislocated shoulder, a woman with an ear infection, a man with gallstones, and so on. There were days however, although rare, that a patient came in with less ordinary complaints. Strange markings, ultra-realistic dreams, or not being able to sleep at all were examples of such complaints.

Before the accident, Nora Darby, one of the general practitioners working at the doctor’s office, would have taken these cases lightly: probably just flea- or tick-bites, a wild, drunk night, and stress or too much caffeine.
But now that she knew of such extraordinary cases such as herself, now that she really started to believe all of the rumours about magical creatures wandering the streets and alleys of London, she couldn’t help but wonder if those complaints did not have a supernatural cause.
Could the markings perhaps be due to a werewolf or vampire? (But then, do not most people usually not survive a werewolf attack, or become one of them, if they have been infected by the scratch or bite of one of these beings?) Maybe the ultra-realistic dream had been a vision from a spirit, trying to get in contact with them, or maybe it had not been a dream at all, but rather something real but which had seemed so unrealistic, so dream-like, that the person had taken it for a dream? And could the lack of sleep possibly be the cause of a demon, lurking in the shadows, pressing a weight on their mind, making them unable to sleep?

All these thoughts had crosses Nora’s mind innumerable times during the first few months after the accident, after the evening she encountered a deer which had led her to her destination, the same deer which she had later crashed into with her car on that same evening, only to find herself have gained the ability to transform into the same animal the morning she woke up.
She had wondered if she wasn’t starting to lose her sanity. Surely it was natural that the event had left a big impact on her, but was she not taking things a bit too far?

Almost a year later Nora had stumbled across a bar, unlike any of those she had entered before. The place confirmed the idea she had had over the past few months, that it was impossible for her to be the only person in all of London with such an unusual gift. It had given her mind some peace, now that she knew, and from then on she starte to frequently visit the bar, often on days when work was stressful, on days like today.

As Nora exited the small office, she let out a sigh of relief, glad that her shift was over. She stretched a bit, before saying her co-workers goodbye and heading to her car. She opened the doors, placing her coat and bag on the seat next to the driver’s seat, settled down in the beige, leather seat, and put the key in its place, ready to leave, when a thought struck her mind.
“I definitely could use a strong one...” she thought as she retreated her keys. The bar was only a few blocks away, so there was no need driving there. Besides, there often was no space near to park the car, and after sitting all day, Nora could use some exercise.

She got out again, taking her belongings with her, locked the car and started walking. The sound of her footsteps echoed over the fairly empty parking lot. A gentle breeze played with her ginger hairs, lifting them up like autumn leaves.
While she traversed the streets, she looked up at the old buildings. They formed quite the contrast to the doctor’s office which had recently been renovated. The bar looked like it had been around for a while as well, she thought, as she was now standing at the entrance.

A familiar scent greeted Nora when she went in. She looked around for a nice spot, meeting the faces of guests she had seen before, some more often than others, during the past two years she had come here.
After she ordered a drink, she took a seat at a table a slight distance away from most of the people, but still within audible reach.
She took a sip from the cold, small glass and closed her eyes, the sounds of the room slipping in her ears and filling her head.