Her grasp was wet & leathery. I then saw that a slick membrane webbed her fingers. Her nails were black, slender & sharp. She turned her head slightly to look at me through one of her peculiar eyes. She blinked—so quickly that surely I am mistaken—but it seemed her eyelid flickered from bottom to top in an uncanny way. She lowered her head & hissed at me, a frightful sound like a cornered snake.