The first time he saw her she was at the mulled wine stand, sipping from a glass, steam rising from the ruby red liquid. It was hard to miss her, dressed as she was completely in white - from the boots on her feet to the fur hat on her head. A well developed sense of cynicism - along with an attitude towards women that, according to his many ex-girlfriends, bordered on misogyny - meant that he would never believe in anything quite so crass as love at first sight and yet something happened that first time he set eyes on Perchta. Not so much a skipped heartbeat, more a rush of adrenalin, butterflies in the stomach. A whole new experience for him, one that he enjoyed...

He hadn't approached her then, rather he had wandered amongst the crowd gathered in the Wurstelprater for the post-Christmas corporate party he had - after eight years in the company - finally been invited to. For ten minutes he wandered amongst the revellers, paying them no heed at all until he saw her again, still alone, stood beneath the ferris wheel - awakened from its winter slumber especially for tonight's celebration.

Snow began to fall from the sky in large flakes as he made his way towards her. "Hi" he said, extending his hand to shake hers, "I'm Gary."

She smiled as they shook hands, light seemed to dance in the greenest of green eyes. "Pleased to meet you," she replied in slightly accented English, "my name is Perchta".

"Perchta... what a beautiful name!" (Oh God, he thought to himself with newly found self-awareness, how cheesy did that sound..?) "What does it mean?"

Another smile, a slight arching of the eyebrow. "I'm told it means The Bright One but it's just a name you know? Not too beautiful either - in your country I'd be Bertha - an old lady's name, no?" Her green eyes sparkled. "So tell me, what does Gary mean?"

"Er... it's... well, to tell you the truth I don't know - it's..."

"Just a name!" This time when she smiled he truly believed he had fallen in love.                                     

"Let's get out of the snow" she suggested, "come, let's take a ride"

"What? In one of those things?" He stared incredulously at the wooden ferris wheel cars.

"Don't tell me you're scared" she said - again that twinkle in her eyes.

"Scared? No - of course not! It's just that - I mean it's not exactly the London Eye is it? They're more like portacabins!"

"Don't worry" she said, "this has been here a lot longer, it's perfectly safe. Trust me, you'll enjoy it!" She reached for his hand and together they stepped into one of the slowly revolving cars.

Minutes later they stood at one of the windows, gazing out at the lights of Vienna. "You're enjoying the party?" she asked.

"I am now!" he replied - "I mean, don't get me wrong, I've been having a great time but this, right now, this is special." She giggled, nudged him with her shoulder. "Oh, I'm nothing special" she said, "not like you - employee of the year!"

God - she knows who I am! "Well, modesty forbids... actually I'm not modest at all, I'm bloody good at my job - it was only a matter of time before I got the recognition I deserve. First time the UK division have won and I was the one to do it!"

"Hero of the chemicals industry!" - her playfulness was lost on him, full as he now was with his usual self-importance. "King of the world!" he replied, believing every word, "pissed off a few - no, a lot - of environmentalists but hey, you can't make on omelette without breaking eggs. Largest profits in a decade, all down to me!"

The light in the car suddenly blinked out, throwing them both into silhouette, backlit by the lights of Vienna. Momentarily - and surely this must have been a trick of the change of light - the shape he saw against the window where Perchta stood was crooked and stooped. A loud hissing filled his ears and, as he turned to look for the firework that must have flown past the car, the light flickered back into life.  

He felt her hand on his shoulder. "Congratulations..." little more than a whisper.

He turned to face her, adrenalin coursing through his body. His momentary confusion now gone, replaced by a far more familiar feeling, he moved towards her but then halted. Something in those beautiful green eyes said no, not yet...

"So," he said, struggling to regain some composure, "tell me about you, what do you do?"

"Oh, nothing too exciting - and nothing to do with big business - I'm an artist."

"An artist eh? Not my strong point I must admit but I did go out to the Belvedere the other day, saw that painting- The Kiss?"

"Ah, Klimt. What did you think of it?"

"It was really big, much bigger than I expected."

She nodded and smiled but it appeared Gary's critique was over.

"So what do you paint?" He asked.

"I don't actually paint, I'm more of a sculptor."

"Good with your hands eh?  I'd like to see some of your stuff."

"I'd like that too." She glanced out the window of the car. "Oh look, the ride's nearly over and I really have to go. Here, this is my address and phone number. Please, come see me tomorrow - I'd love to see you again and show you my... stuff."

He took the card from her, "do you really have to go..?"

"Yes, I must. Sorry, but I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Absolutely!"

"Good!" She leaned forward to peck him on the cheek. And then she was gone. He followed her but by the time he left the car she was nowhere in sight, like she'd never been there. He clutched the card in his hand, proof that she had.  Along with the address and phone number just the single name Perchta. Bit pretentious he thought, still he wouldn't hold it against her. Plenty other things he'd like to hold against her though...

*

Much to his relief, the hire car had sat-nav. As he drove, the robotic voice directed him through the foothills of the Wienerwald, transformed into a winter wonderland by an overnight snowfall. The car also had a four wheel drive option and he turned it on as the roads became steadily narrower, unpaved and covered with snow.

He drove carefully, unused as he was to quite such extreme conditions. Still, at least he appeared to have the roads to himself - he hadn't passed another vehicle in over half an hour. A glance at the map displayed on the sat-nav showed that he was almost there, just over a mile to go. Only six days into the new year and already he imagined it was going to be better than the previous twelve months - awards notwithstanding. A beautiful woman asking him to her remote mountainside home..? Images of black silk sheets in front of a roaring log fire sprang into his head. Perhaps they'd go for a hike in the snow, skiing even? Perhaps they wouldn't even have time for outdoor activities..?

Perchta's house came into view and turned out to be the wooden chalet he had pictured in his dreams. As the car crunched up to the front of the house the front door open and she stepped out and waved. Moments later they were hugging - and kissing - on the wooden steps.

"I'm so glad you came!" she said, "come on inside."

A pine freshness filled the interior of the house. The rooms were sparsely furnished and minimally decorated. No Christmas decorations either - still, he remembered, it was Twelfth Night - they'd been taking the decorations down in town when he'd left. He could see no TV or audio equipment and surmised that this was a holiday home, a place for her to retreat to and recharge her artistic batteries. "Nice place" he said, wondering where the bedroom was.

"Thank you. Listen, I know you're probably tired but how would you like to go for a walk? I need to collect some materials for a piece I'm working on and what with the weather not being too bad at the moment..?"

"Of course. Love to. Not tired at all!"

"Great - I'll get my coat and we can head off down to the lake."

The lake of course had been frozen and was covered in a dusting of snow. In the bitter cold, their breath turning to clouds of vapour, they had collected pebbles and stones. "I'm intrigued" he had said, "to see what you make with these." She had looked at him then in a way that had made him forget the cold. A warmth filled him and he had actually glanced down to check if the snow around his feet was melting.  "This piece I'm working on - it was inspired by you. It's so good that you're here to help collect the stones it'll make the sculpture all the more special!"

Just then thunder had rumbled across the sky. Gary flinched at the unexpected noise - thunder? In Winter?

Perchta looked to the sky, smiling.  "I love a storm!" she exclaimed, "they make me feel so alive!"  She pecked him on the cheek and turned away, skipping over the shingle shore of the frozen lake.  "Come on, let's get back to the house before they come!"

Gary looked non-plussed.  "They..?"

Perchta stopped and giggled.  "Oh my English lets me down I think!  Before the rain comes is what I mean to say!"

Gary nodded and smiled.  "Hey!  Still better than my Austrian!"

He clutched his bag of pebbles close to his chest and ran after her.

*

He awoke to darkness and immediately winced as pain shot through his head. Christ! It was like a red hot poker being pushed through his brain. His natural instinct to curl up was thwarted as he felt resistance in both his arms and legs.

"What the..?"

He was spread-eagled on the bed and felt a pulling sensation at his wrists and ankles (and another bolt of pain through his head). Slowly realisation sank in - he'd been tied to the bed. Bindings made of what looked like straw looped around his wrists and ankles securing them to the metal frame. He became aware of his nakedness and with that awareness came a mood shift. He'd never have guessed Perchta was into the kinky stuff but hey - this wasn't the first time he'd found himself in this position and every other time had resulted in very satisfactory conclusions. Could do without the headache though - where had that come from? He could recall nothing of last night beyond returning from their pebble-hunting excursion. There had been thunder and lightning (but no rain..?) and then mulled wine in front of the fire. One hell of a hangover though he thought, and winced again. Still, he normally held his drink better than this. The thought crossed his mind that maybe the wine had been drugged..?

"Perchta! Perchta - where are you?" (A hint of panic in his voice...)

A figure stepped out of the gloom at the side of the bed. 

"Shit! You scared the life out..." Gary's words caught in his throat as he saw who - or what - had emerged from the darkness. A man - or woman - dressed in robes but with the head of a goat, long horns curving down from forehead to cheek. 

"What the..."

Another, then another figure took their places around the bed. Three more followed, all silent, all with variations on animal heads (masks surely..?) all horned, some with elongated snouts, some with red tongues lolling...

Gary screamed, thrashed on the bed, his restraints held tight.  "Perchta! Perchta!"

Perchta steps forward, holding the knife. Her Perchten - her Wild Hunters - make way to allow her passage around the bed. Her prey sees her now, stops screaming. At first he does not recognise her - how would he, she has assumed her true form, her ancient, haggard features are alien to him - but then something, he has seen something he recognises. Her eyes perhaps, that same piercing green, age undimmed. He mouths her name and tears well in his eyes but the moment is fleeting as those eyes then widen in terror when he sees the blade - razor sharp, honed from antler.

The world is a different place to when she first held sway and was worshipped as a Goddess. New gods hold sway now, industry, commerce, technology - evil gods that are destroying the very world that created them.

Her sacrifice screams as she plunges the blade into his belly. She rips downwards through flesh which gapes raggedly behind the knife, steam rising from the ruby red within. By the time she withdraws the bloody knife, the man has stopped thrashing. She reaches in between the bloody lips and with hand and knife pulls the viscera from the body, slopping them out onto the floor of the bedroom.

The Wild Hunters watch in silence until Perchta has finished the evisceration. As she steps back from the bed they move forward and begin placing pebbles in the newly excavated cavity. Soon their work is done.

In silence they leave the bedroom.

Thanks to Ross and Ben for help with this one.