The ringmaster leads Joseph to a room at the back of the cottage. Purple light streams from beneath the door and on either side. She points her black cane at the door and it swings open. The purple light becomes nearly blinding, and Joseph puts a hand up to his face. The ringmaster simply grins. She points to the open space within the door.

  "Beyond this door, you will find three more doors. It is behind one of those doors that you will find your darling Mia. If you truly hope to bring about reconciliation...You may want to hurry. The love of your life has already been in her world for more than a day. Your time runs short. I will warn you...Behind one of those doors...The monster is very hungry. It has not been fed in quite some time."

  "Hasn't been fed? Lady...I think this has gone far enough. Are you crazy? I was willing to go along with your little circus joke but this is starting to--."

  The ringmaster does not let Joseph finish. She taps the tip of her cane on the floor and the moves it in a circular motion. Strong wind currents begin to blow. Joseph's eyes widen as he is blown toward the gaping doorway. He manages to grip either side of the door frame, staring at the ringmaster with shock and surprise.

  The ringmaster smirks and then kicks Joseph with a high-heeled foot. Joseph sprawls backward. The blowing wind changes direction and slams the door shut as soon as his body is clear.

  The ringmaster stands staring at the door for another long moment. She shakes her head and chuckles. In her mind, she is already ticking off the minutes before Mia joins her multitude of familiars.

  ===================================

  Joseph picks himself up and glances around. The purple light is no longer so intense. He finds himself in what looks like a dungeon made of large purple and green cobblestones. Stepping further into the expansive space, Joseph is able to make out three metal doors in the far wall.

  Joseph looks from one to the next, trying to decide which one to enter first. He decides to go with the third door. The first door would be too obvious. It will most likely contain the ravenous monster the ringmaster hinted at. The middle door will definitely contain a monster. It is more obviously a trap than the first door. Maybe. The third door, it is.

  Joseph inhales sharply and prepares himself to open the third metal door. His hand brushes the knob and he quickly pulls it back. The knob is freezing.

  Indecision creeps into Joseph yet again. He shuts his eyes and counts slowly to ten. When he reaches the number ten, he mentally rehearses a rhyme his mother used to sing to him as a child.

  "My momma didn't raise a quitter," Joseph says for the second time that evening. "I can do this. I can find Mia. Brian is depending on me to be a good father. That means...Returning his mother safely. I can do this. Okay. Let's go."

  Joseph rotates his shoulders and then reaches for the doorknob again. He doesn't give himself a chance to backpedal. He quickly pushes the door open. A loud roar shatters the still air. Joseph gulps as the sound reaches his ears.

  "Oh boy! He sounds hungry," Joseph sighs.

  A large tentacle slithers along the floor until it reaches Joseph's ankle. He is yanked into the room, a short scream escaping his lips. The metal door slams shut as Joseph is drawn completely inside.

  =====================================

  Mia climbs out of bed and strolls drowsily to the bathroom. Her head still hurts terribly, and she worries that she might be coming down with something. As Mia passes the chair where she laid her clothes the previous night, she finds them missing. Panic sets in.

  "Oh no," Mia exclaims out loud. "Where are my clothes? Did the rabbits take them? Why wouldn't they leave something for me to change into?"

  Mia crosses the room and pulls the string for the tiny bell which will summon the rabbit madams. Within moments, there is a soft knock on the door.

  "May I come in, Miss?"

  "Yes," Mia says. "Although, I'm not quite dressed at the moment. My clothes are missing."

  The tiny rabbit enters the room as Mia opens the door, shielding her near nakedness with the door's bulk. The rabbit holds a beautiful purple and red dress folded in her arms. Mia's breath catches in her throat.

  "I apologize, Miss. My sisters and I planned to wash your clothes...They were quite dirty after your travels through the flower fields..And bring you this before you awoke. Accept my sincerest apologies. The dress is courtesy of Mr. Percy. He noticed how much you adored his hat. He wanted you to have something equally beautiful."

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  "Oh...It is beautiful," Mia coos, taking the dress and unfolding it.

  She examines the dress at arm's length, and then presses it against her body. She does a pretend whirl, watching the folds of the elegant dress billow. A suppressed giggle escapes Mia's lips and she gazes at Madam Rabbit with a wide grin.

  "Thank you. And tell Mr. Percy thank you as well."

  "You may tell him yourself, Miss. He will be joining us for breakfast in the dining room. You will be there as well?"

  "Yes. Yes," Mia hears herself say, excitement causing her heart to race. "I'll be down as soon as I am dressed."

  "I can help you to dress, Miss," Madam Rabbit exclaims. "That is why I am here. It will greatly reduce the time it takes you to get ready. You can enjoy the food while it is fresh and hot. No one likes cold toast. Besides, four hands are better than two when putting on such a beautiful garment."

  "Okay," Mia agrees, liking this new treatment very well.

  Madam Rabbit sets about the task of helping Mia into the gifted dress.

  ======================================

  "You look...Splendid," Mr. Percy says.

  He rises from his seat at the table, tipping his hat and offering Mia a genuine smile. Mia grips the folds of her dress and does a small curtsy.

  "As do you, Mr. Percy," she replies. "I don't know what to say. The dress is beautiful."

  Percy climbs to his feet and moves to Mia's side. He gazes down at her face, heart pounding in his chest. Mia looks up into his, wondering exactly when she will awaken out of this wonderful dream, and back into her sad pathetic life. Hopefully, not soon. If only Brian were here. Everything would be perfect.

  Percy leads Mia to her seat, helps her to get comfortable, and then sits down. His smile does not diminish as he appraises her from across the table. What does the master really have planned for her? Will she permit him to keep Mia? Experience tells him she will not. The master seeks loyalty above all else. To have his attentions split would mean he could not be a truly loyal servant and lover. So whatever time he has with Mia, he will make it worthwhile.

  Percy's smile widens impossibly further as one of the energetic rabbits places a platter of fruit on the table. On the center of the platter is the biggest strawberry ever. Mia eyes the enormous fruit with extreme curiosity. Percy's pulse quickens just that much more.

  "Would you like that one, Mia?" Percy says.

  "Oh no. I mean, if you want it..."

  "I am not particularly fond of strawberries," Percy lies. "But I can see that it has caught your eye. Here, I will put it on your plate."

  Percy uses the provided tongs to snag the gigantic strawberry. He places it on Mia's plate, between her sausages and her buttered toast. They share a warm smile. Boldly moving his plate next to Mia's, Percy takes a seat directly beside her. Mia's smile grows wider. A voice echoes in the back of Percy's mind. The ringmaster's voice.

  "One bite from this strawberry...And she will be yours. Better make it two, just to be sure. We are talking about you, Percy!"

  Aside from the cruel barb, the master's words give Percy hope. He daringly reaches for the strawberry on Mia's plate. Holding the stem, he brings the fruit nearly to Mia's lips. She giggles and partially opens her mouth.

  Just then, one of the rabbits clumsily drops a tray of silverware. The clatter spooks Mia and she draws away just as Percy releases the strawberry. The fruit falls to the floor, taking Percy's hope with it. Percy restrains himself from yelling at the rabbit madam responsible. He has the common sense to realize Mia might take offense to such an action. There are two more strawberries. He will have to try again.

  ===================================

  Mia lies on her back at the edge of the purple sunflower field. This strange place has no sun, but warmth radiates down from somewhere. She daydreams of better times, times with Joseph and Brian. Days spent at the zoo or the park. Romantic moments at a fancy restaurant, or sitting on their porch under the stars. She misses the old Joseph. She misses her old family. But Joseph has changed. He isn't the kind, goofy man she married anymore. He belongs to Carrie now.

  And what of Mr. Percy? He seems almost too good to be true. As men in dreams often are. This is such a realistic dream; with its warmth, fragrant smells, and gigantic strawberries. Her favorite fruit. Only in a dream could there be strawberries that size.

  Mia releases a tiny giggle and turns over on her stomach. She rests her head on her forearms and prepares to nap. Mr. Percy's deep, melodic voice filters down to her ears.

  "Is this spot taken?"

  Mia opens her eyes and grins upward at Percy. He grins back. Mia takes notice of the folded blanket over Mr. Percy's left forearm. He came prepared. How did he know she would be here? Does she really care?

  Mia pats the ground, inviting Mr. Percy to join her. Percy's eyes soften.

  "Of course not," Mia says.

  "Would you like to share my blanket? You should not be lying on the bare ground in such a pretty dress."

  "Oh, yes. How foolish of me," Mia exclaims ashamedly.

  She allows Mr. Percy to help her stand. Once she is standing, he also helps her to brush off and adjust her clothes. Percy's left hand slides around Mia's waist and he looks down into her gorgeous face. She stares back, eyes barely blinking. After a moment, she politely removes Percy's hand from her waist and reaches for the folded blanket.

  Percy helps Mia to lay the blanket on the ground and they both sit upon it. They stare at each other for another uncomfortable moment.

  "I'd like to show you a magic trick," Percy says. "One I've just recently mastered. Do you want to see it?"

  "Sure," Mia says.

  Percy offers Mia another wide grin and leans forward. He kisses her cheek for the second time. When he withdraws, he pretends to pull a large strawberry from behind her left ear. Mia releases a loud gasp and watches his hand. Holding the strawberry by the stem, Percy repeats his actions from that morning, placing the fruit close to Mia's bright red lips.

  "You lost your fruit. I found you another equally as good."

  To be continued......