The sun beat down on the cobbled courtyard of the Andean villa.
Ekkekko, the dwarf god of prosperity and abundance, crept between the flower pots. He was weighed down by a thousand miniature items—sacks of grain, tiny cars, little houses—tied to his poncho. Miniature Manifestation. He was looking for a comfortable place to smoke his pipe and bless the household.
He didn't notice the creature sunning itself on the warm stones.
The Basilisk, the King of Serpents, raised its crested head. It smelled something... bountiful.
The Warning Smoke
Ekkekko paused. The hairs on his arms stood up. He took a puff of his pipe, blowing a ring of smoke that didn't dissipate. Pipe-Smoke Prognosis.
The smoke swirled into a shape: a grey, lifeless statue of himself.
Ekkekko gasped, clutching his tiny bags of rice. "Bad omen."
He turned to flee, his little bells jingling softly.
The Gaze
The jingle betrayed him. The Basilisk turned.
Ekkekko knew the legends. Do not look. Do not look.
But fear is a reflex. Ekkekko glanced over his shoulder to see if he was being chased.
He saw yellow eyes that held the weight of a mountain.
Petrifying Gaze.
The magic hit him instantly. His colorful poncho turned to slate. His jolly expression froze into hard granite. The smoke from his pipe stopped in mid-air, solidifying into a delicate quartz sculpture.
The Basilisk lowered its head back to the stone, uninterested in the new lawn ornament. Ekkekko remained there, a statue of abundance, forever waiting for a wish that would never come.