It was as I had not expected. We were in a...what was it? A shake-park? No, that wasn't it. A skate park. Yeah, that was it. But it wasn't teenage boys daring one another to summon me, and it wasn't greedy adults seeking immortality and riches.

It was a girl. A small, wailing girl, hiding under the nearby swings, dressed in a yellow raincoat, with long red rain boots. A summoning circle had been crudely drawn in front of her, but it was intact.

"Why did you call me?" I asked, confused by the situation.

It was dark, I could hardly make out her face, but the sound of her voice told me she'd been crying. How old was she? Five? Maybe seven?

"I didn't...I didn't know what else to do..." She whimpered, her face concealed by darkness. "I was lonely. I was scared."

I frowned. "No one has ever summoned me because they were scared."

"I'm sorry." She wiped her face.

"I-" My mouth closed. "Why are you outside? It's the winter. Return to your home where there will be a family to comfort your."

The girl shook her head. "Can't."

"Why not?" My words came out sharper than I had intended, and the girl shuffled nervously. "What prevents you from returning?"

"Don't have one. A family or a house." The girl sniffed again. "I'm sorry. You can go if you like."

To anyone else, I would have opened back a portal to Hell, leaving them to their misery. But not this one. Something compelled me to stay. "What happened, child?"

A sudden piercing sound was heard - a warning - and suddenly the girl whimpered again, jumping to her feet. I got a better look at her face: long nosed, black hair, with bright blue eyes. "They're here. The bad people and their bombs are here."

We sat just outside the city, and my shoulders dropped. Powerful beams of light searched the sky, and I knew what was going on. Being a demon meant existing outside of time and space, and that in turn meant they could arrive in any time or place possible.

Soon the sky would be ablaze, thanks to humanity's inability to get along. I looked down at the little girl, and held out my hand. "Stay here, little one," I said. "Sit with me. I will protect you, I vow it." I came and sat down with legs crossed. "Then tomorrow we shall see to it you are removed from the city."

The girl sat down next to me. "I don't think anyone knows I exist." She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I don't think anyone cares anymore."

Awkwardly, I put my arm around her shoulders. "I know that you exist," I said warmly. "And that will be enough."