A solitary leaf flittered back and forth in the wind as it grasped onto its branch.  Despite its resistance and reluctance to let go, the wind proved to be convincing.  Releasing its grip upon the limb, the orange-red leaf soared through the air as it plummeted to the ground to join its fellow brethren who had fallen before it.  

Another sign of autumn.

If one were to witness this particular leaf, however, they would notice with their eyes something peculiarly different about it.  As it drew closer to the ground, a witness would squint and see that there was something attached to the leaf.  Perhaps it was a benign growth or a fungus?  No, it did not look like it was vegetation.  An insect?  It did not resemble any small creature, either.

Falling closer to that person’s eye level, they would see that the enigma was far stranger than they could ever imagined: it was a very small man!  The young man was no more than two inches high, with a mop of brown curls atop his head.  The wind tousled his wavy locks as it blew through his hair, framing the excited smile upon his face.  He held onto both sides of the leaf as it flipped through the air, zigging and zagging back and forth with ever increasing speed.  

Just as it was about to crash into the pile of leaves at the base of the tree, the little man did something even more astonishing.  Seeing the ground approaching, he did not exhibit any fear.  Instead, he let go of the edges of the leaf and quickly balanced his footing upon it.  “Surfing” through the air for a few moments, at the very last second he leapt from his mount, assumed the position of a reverse swan dive, then plunged into the leafy stack below.

Had anyone been there to watch this event unfold, they would have perhaps heard a small voice from within the pile of leaves.  He was laughing.

~+~+~

Vincent had spent the last few months exploring the land.  His spirits remained high during that time, despite his separation from Susanna.  He had been alone most of his life, but had never really understood the idea of loneliness before, as he had never experienced companionship.  His ignorance had been bliss.  Fortunately, there had been several times when they had been reunited since that fateful, life-changing weekend last spring.  As difficult and dreaded as her departure had been, it was necessary.  Susanna had to return to her city and to her family and to her responsibilities--all things that she wished that she could have abandoned back then, but in her heart, she simply couldn’t.  

Both she and Vincent very much wished that she could spend every weekend at Cairnbridge, and at first, she did.  However, as the summer progressed, her visits became fewer and farther between.  This was not because of a lack of desire and Vincent knew this.  Susanna’s heart belonged there in those woods.  Her problems were more financial in nature.  She lived a few hours’ journey from Cairnbridge and the trips back and forth were not inexpensive.  Her own salary was meager, and while she could herself afford the occasional trip, she found herself asking her father for monetary assistance.  

Susanna’s father was a moderately successful man who was very much committed to his family and to his heritage.  Cairnbridge was as important to him as any of the members of his family.  He was very proud that Susanna had grown to love the place as much as he did.  As such, whenever she had first asked for help affording the travel expense to visit the property, he eagerly obliged.  Though the manor legally belonged to his late brother’s children, the land was claimed by all of the extended family.  If Susanna wanted to visit, then it was her right to do so.

It was difficult for him to make the decision to limit her travel budget.  The train fare was racking up, though, and he simply could not continue providing for her weekly expenses.  It truly did affect him to see his beloved daughter near the edge of tears when he broke this news to her.  She would understand in time, but her face was utterly crestfallen.  Had he the power, he would have given the manor to her, and she would stay there at all times.  She would certainly treat it better than his nieces and nephews!  Her cousins did not share the same passion for Cairnbridge as his side of the family had demonstrated.  And yet, it was his older brother that was the heir.  Not much could be done.

By the time the heat of the summer was fading away, Susanna was visiting Vincent about twice a month.  On those weekends, they took full advantage of their time together.  Vincent always had a new cave, or a previously undiscovered waterfall, or some hidden orchard that he had found and eagerly wanted to show Susanna.  He had been quite the intrepid explorer and just as he had promised, he wanted to report everything to her.

Then she would leave again.  

Vincent thought that after a few times, it would get easier.  It didn’t.  It got harder.  Every day he spent with Susanna, their love for each other grew more and more.  What started off as attraction and affection had become something much deeper than that.  It was something that neither of them had known before.  In truth, it was even more an uncharted territory than the great forest.  Susanna was a part of his life now and when she departed, he was left with a tender void.

It had been four weeks since Susanna had last come to Cairnbridge.  Vincent could not believe his ears when she broke the news to him that her absence would be that long.  He did not understand it and she could not explain it very well.  Her own finances were spent.  By now, she was relying on her father more than she would really care to do.  He was a generous man, but she did not want to appear to be taking advantage of his benevolence.  Moreover, this last time she asked him for travel money, he willingly granted it; however, he let her know that it would be the only time this month he could do so.  He himself was going to be doing a lot of traveling that month and could not afford to offer much more.

“I still don’t understand why you just can’t stay here with me...” pouted Vincent when Susanna told him.

“Vincent!  Yes you do understand.  We’ve discussed this many times before.”

“I know!  I know you don’t like it any more than I do,” he responded, then sighed.  “I just wish it were different.”

“So do I, my dear Vincent,” Susanna said, scooping him up in her hand and tenderly bringing him to her face for a kiss on the head.  “So do I.”

~+~+~

When he emerged from the pile of leaves, Vincent looked up into the sky and spotted the sun.  Judging by its position in the sky, it was already a few hours passed noon.  He needed to hurry.  Susanna was coming soon!

Leaping from the ground, he flew through the air and up above the treetops.  He spied across the land and could see Cairnbridge Manor off in the distance.  It was perhaps ten miles away from where he was now.  Even at his fastest speed, it would take him several minutes to get there.  He did not want to appear disheveled and exhausted, though, so he would take his time.  If he were expedient, he could be still there around the time she arrived.

After flying through the air at a moderate pace for quite some time, Vincent ducked down below the canopy of trees and set himself down upon a rock overlooking the creek that ran by Cairnbridge Manor.  He always wanted to look at least a little presentable whenever Susanna came back, so he quickly doused himself with water.  Flowing from the mountains to the north, the water was no longer as warm as it had been during the summer.

“I cannot believe another winter will be upon us soon,” Vincent muttered under his breath as he washed the dirt off his body.  He did not look forward to winters.  The forest was not as hospitable of a place during that time of year.  

With a smile, Vincent closed his eyes.  He flicked his wrist and when he looked, a ball of flame danced between his fingertips.  He had been practicing his newly acquired skill and had grown quite adept at it.  Having the power to kindle fire at will would be very handy during the coming months...

As Vincent finished up his quick rinse, he heard a soft noise in the distance.  It was barely perceptible, but to sensitive ears that had been trained to listen for predators and other dangers, it was very audible. He was not concerned, however, for he knew what the sound was.  It was the sound of footsteps and crunching leaves.

“Susanna!” he exclaimed.

Her train must have arrived early.  Judging by the distance of the sound, she was just now entering the forest a few hundred feet beyond the trees.  He could not see her yet, but raced towards her direction.  Leaping from the creek, he ran through the air (as he was apt to do), leaping from tree limb to tree limb with acrobatic skill.  As he ran, he fixed his hair, but tried not to appear too eager and anticipating.

Before long, he could see Susanna’s form beyond the trees.  Many of the leaves had already fallen, so there was not much to conceal her from his sight.  It had been far too long since he had laid eyes on his beautiful lady.  He could never forget what the woman from his dreams looked like, though he was now questioning the power of his memory.  Susanna looked very much the same as always...but not completely.  Vincent could not pinpoint what it was that was different about her.  Was it her hair?  Had she done something different with her hair?  He could not tell.  

As Vincent grew closer, he grew more and more excited.  Though he tried to mask his anticipation, it was no longer possible.  His smile was beaming and his heart was racing.  He hoped that Susanna was just as excited.  As it were, it was difficult to tell.  She was walking slowly and carefully into the woods.  It was a little peculiar, but not unusual.  She might have been tired from her journey, or perhaps she just wanted to admire the many colors of the autumn leaves.

“Susanna!  Susanna, you’re here!” Vincent cried out with joy as he rested upon a tree branch near where she was.

She looked up to see where the voice was coming from.  Scanning her surroundings, her eyes fell at last upon the very small man leaping through the branches.  Her face turned from wonder to confusion.  Her eyes shot wide open and she placed her hand over her mouth as she gasped.

This confusion was passed on to Vincent as he stood in mid-air in front of her nose.  

Vincent realized very quickly that he had made a very big mistake:

“You’re not Susanna!”

Now that he was up close, it was clear to Vincent that this woman was not Susanna.  And yet even now as he stood right in front of her face, Vincent was struck with how eerily similar her facial features were to his friend’s.  She possessed the same dainty nose, the same hazel eyes, the same smile.  Truly the only difference was that instead of Susanna’s auburn hair, this young woman wore a mane of bright red that cascaded down to her shoulders like a fiery waterfall.  Also, her visage was dotted with light freckles, which Susanna did not possessed.  She appeared to be a few years younger, as well, probably just old enough to no longer be considered a girl.  If Vincent had to guess, she was eighteen years of age, compared to Susanna’s twenty-one.
“Wh-who are you?” she whispered softly in amazement to the man levitating in front of her eyes.

“Me?  Um, my name is Vincent.”

“Hi.  I’m Rebecca.” 

“Hello, Rebecca,” said Vincent, quite unsure of how to continue this increasingly awkward conversation.

To Vincent’s surprise, Rebecca plucked him out of the air with her thumb and forefinger, then proceeded to examine him from all sides.  She was not as delicate as he would have wished, though she did lighten her grip upon his torso when he started squirming.

“Are you real?” she asked inquisitively.  

“What do you mean?  Of course, I’m real!” he replied, somewhat indignantly.

 
“But you are not like any real thing I have ever seen before.  You look just like a young man...but you are so little!  You’re barely the length of my pinkie finger!  And you can fly?  How can I be sure that I am not just imagining all of these?”  

Her voice trailed off near the end as she continued to study Vincent’s miniscule features.  She was mesmerized by the shimmering gleam of his shirt, just as Susanna had been.  Rebecca was greatly amused when she slipped off one of his very tiny leather boots.  She had to hold it very close to her eye to make out its details, as it just barely took up any space on her fingertip.

“Hey!” Vincent protested.  “Give that back!”  Though he was reluctantly complying with this examination, he was growing weary of this experience.

“Oh, sorry!” she replied, returning it back to him.  “I think my fingers are too large to put it back on your foot.  Here you go.”

Vincent grumbled to himself as he retrieved his shoe from her finger.  Where was Susanna?

“Well, it was truly nice to meet you, but I have to meet a friend.  Good day, miss.”

“No, don’t go!” Rebecca pleaded.  “I simply must show you to my sister.  She won’t believe my story if I told her!”

“Your sister?”

“Yes!  She’s probably still at the manor.  She’s moving into it and I’m helping her.  Well, I’m supposed to be helping her.  As soon as we got here, she rushed into her room with her suitcases.  She told me she had something she wanted to show me.  I grew tired of waiting for her and wandered off into the forest.  It’s been years since I wandered among these trees...”

Vincent pondered this news.  This young woman and her sister must be related to Susanna in some way if they were at Cairnbridge.  It was likely, he thought, that they were Susanna’s cousins.  This would explain the family resemblance, as well.  Susanna had not spoken of her family much, but he had noticed a sense of disfavor when the subject of her cousins was brought up.

Vincent really did not want to linger or spend much time Rebecca or meet her sister, preferring much more to be with their cousin, Susanna.  Susanna had not mentioned her cousins visiting the last time they spoke--perhaps even she did not know it at the time.  He was considering asking Rebecca of Susanna’s location, but decide against revealing their prior relationship, allowing Susanna to do so if she so chose.

“I really don’t know if I should do that,” Vincent repeated.  “Encountering you was not intentional and I apologize for the disturbance.  I do have a friend I am meeting up with, so...”

“A friend!” Rebecca interrupted.  “Do you mean that there are others like you?  Oh, please show me!”

“No, it’s not like that!  She--”

“A she?” Rebecca’s eye lit up.  “Is she your girlfriend?  A wee little missus?”
“No!  She’s not my girlfriend!  Well, at least I don’t think she is...and besides, she’s not--”

“You don’t know?  Oh, how adorable!  I’d love to meet her if you would please.  Is she around here?”

“I, uh, well...” Vincent stammered, thinking of ways to get out of this situation.  He pondered simply taking off into the skies, when another voice called out:
“Rebecca?  Rebecca, are you out here?  Young woman, I swear, I cannot take my eyes off of you for a minute.”

The voice was feminine and sounded as if it was approaching from the direction of the manor.

“Oh great...” Vincent thought.

“I’m over here!  Sister, hurry!  Meet my new friend!”

“A new friend?” the voice replied, sounding curious, yet concerned.

Vincent was seriously considering making his escape.  Rebecca no longer had a hold of him and he could have easily taken off.  Before he could do so, however, Rebecca noticed his eyes darting around.  She quickly cupped her hands around him, entrapping him in the prison of her hands.  On all sides, Vincent was surrounded by flesh.  Though there was room for him to stand, it was very dark and warm and he was not comfortable there.

“Yes!  But I’ll tell you: you won’t believe your eyes!  Come, meet Vincent!”

“Did you say Vincent?!” the sister replied.  She was very near now, on the edge of estate’s lawn by the treeline.  The sister’s voice sounded very familiar to Vincent, but it was difficult to discern, as Rebecca’s hands were muffling all the incoming sounds.

“Rebecca, be very careful with him!” he could hear.

Vincent squirmed around, trying to pry apart Rebecca’s fingers, but to no avail.  There was small hole near her thumbs that she had left open to let in the air (fortunately) but it was too small for even his little body to fit through.  He could feel the movements and vibrations as Rebecca carried him away towards her sister, each racing footfall sending a reverberation through her body that he could feel.

“Come and see, sister!”

“Rebecca, come away this instant!  I don’t want any harm to befall upon--”
The sentence remained unfinished.  Rebecca was no longer running, but standing still.  Vincent was suddenly overwhelmed with the flooding in of sunlight as Rebecca spread open her palms, exposing Vincent to the day...and to her sister.

Rebecca’s sister stood speechless.

Meanwhile, Vincent’s eyes were growing accustomed to the light and his blindness was wearing off.  He could see before him the form of another woman, towering above him just as his captor was.  He craned his neck to see the sister’s face.  

“...him,” Susanna said, slowly finishing her sentence.

Vincent was overwhelmed with confusion.  All three stood awkwardly, making no sounds, until Rebecca enthusiastically made introductions.

“Vincent, meet my sister Susanna!  Susanna, meet my new friend Vincent!”

 

“Vincent!  Rebecca!” exclaimed Susanna.

“Susanna!” the two responded in unison.

“Wait, you two know each other already?” Rebecca asked, perplexed.

“Um, well...”  Susanna and Vincent stared at each other, their facial expressions seeking an answer from each other.

Vincent spoke up, “Rebecca, this is the friend I was planning on meeting up with.”

“Susanna is your friend?  But you said she was your girlfriend!”

“Vincent, you said that?” Susanna said with shock, though blushing at the same time.

“I said no such thing!  I mean, that’s not to say...well, what I said was...” Vincent retorted and stammered, jumping to the defensive.  Sweat was forming on his brow.

Rebecca continued to look confused.  “Susanna, is Vincent the man you’ve been talking about all these months?  The one you’ve been going on all those ‘fantastic’ adventures with?”

“Um...yes.  Yes, he is.”

“You haven’t stopped talking about him for months!  I’ve heard so much about him from you I could have imagined him myself.  Though, I will admit, I thought he would be...taller.”

Both of Susanna and Vincent were beet-red in the face by now.

Susanna tried to shift the conversation.  “But you!  Rebecca, what were you doing out here?  I’ve been looking all over the house for you!”

“I got bored!  You were in your room ‘freshening up’ for so long!  It was like you were getting ready for a fancy dinner or ball, with all that makeup and perfume you brought with you!”

“I was only in there for twenty minutes!  That’s all it took for you to get distracted?  I say, young sister...”

“Say what you want,” Rebecca dismissed.  “I was only out here for a stroll when Vincent burst through the trees.”

“I thought Rebecca was you,” Vincent explained.  “You’ll have to admit, from a distance, your resemblance is uncanny.”

“Well, we are sisters!”  Susanna reached her arm around Rebecca and hugged her from the side.  “I guess now that introductions have been made, we can continue on with today’s plans.”

“Plans?” asked Vincent.

Susanna beamed a very wide smile.  She picked Vincent up in her palm then carried him in front of her face.  “Yes.  I have some very exciting news to share with you!  But I want to share it with you over dinner...in the manor!”

“I’m going into Cairnbridge Manor?” Vincent asked excitedly.  He had seen the exterior of the country house for many years, but only the outside and always from a distance.  Though he was curious of what lay inside, Susanna was rarely allowed in and could not show him around.

Susanna nodded and affirmed with a bright grin.

Rebecca gleefully clapped her hands.  “Ohh, I can’t wait!  This will be quite the celebration!”

~+~+~

As the trio made their way into the manor, Vincent’s eyes were wide as it grew increasingly larger and larger the closer they came.  To a regular human, Cairnbridge was quite impressive.  A classic example of the Georgian architecture of the late 1790s, it took on the simple rectangular shape of a box, standing two storeys high and stretch wide across the estate, with chimneys bookending both sides.  The facade was red brick and was dotted with large elaborate paneled windows that could be opened in the summer in years past to let the cool breeze enter.  On each side of the original structure, two wings had been added by later generations and added to its already considerable length.

Vincent stood on Susanna’s shoulder as she walked, holding onto her hair as he gazed in amazement.  Turning her head, she could see Vincent’s wide eyes and open jaw, taking in the magnificence of the manor.

“Never could I have imagined this...” he said.  “Even after seeing it from afar for all these years, I am simply at a loss.”

“Wait until you see the inside!” Rebecca chimed in eagerly.

Susanna nodded in agreement.  “Just wait until you see where we are dining tonight.”

They entered through a sizeable door at the front of the house and stepped foot into the foyer.  It was tiled with marble.  They were met with a wide stairway that led to the upper floor.  Each step would have been twice Vincent’s height: an impossible mountain for him to scale, were he limited to the ground.  

“Shall we take him on the tour?” Susanna asked her sister.

“Let’s!”

The tour lasted at least half an hour and involved peeking into numerous room upon room, down corridors, up and down staircases.  It was unlike anything Vincent had ever seen before.  No scene in the forest could compare to this place.  Though from the hallway, each door appear the same, every room was decorated differently and served a different purpose.  Some were bedrooms for children, others for visiting dignitaries.  Through one area of the house, Vincent saw the servant’s quarters, which were quite spartan, but still comfortable -- much cozier than his tree hollow could ever be.

Finally, they came to one last room.  Coming back near the foyer, the three stood before a beautiful set of French doors.  They were closed.

“What’s here?” asked a curious Vincent.

The two smiled and remained silent as Susanna opened the doors.

Vincent nearly fell over in Susanna’s palm.  The sheer grandeur of the room was overpowering and humbling to the tiny man, as it would have been for a man of normal stature.  The ceiling was far above his head, accommodating both storeys of the manor.  Three elaborate chandeliers hung down from its beams, each identically decorated with glass crystals.  They were needed not at the moment, as the large windows above them let in enough of the waning daylight to illuminate the room.  Artwork decorated the walls, portraits of previous inhabitants of the manor dressed in all varieties of clothing and fashions that had evolved over the generations.  A grand piano rested in the corner of the room near the elaborate mantle surrounding the fireplace.  Rather than the marble tiles, the area nearby was a cushioned wooden platform upon which partygoers would dance.

The most prominent feature of the room, however, was the table.  A long, wooden dining table took up nearly half the length of the hall.  It was made out of solid oak, likely from the forests of Cairnbridge.  Two rows of tall-backed chairs lined each side.  There was enough seating for twenty people to have a place at the table.  At both the foot and the head of the table were two particularly prominent chairs, which looked more like thrones, with armrests and velvet padded seats.  Three place settings had been laid on the side of the table closest to them.  

However, what caught Vincent attention the most was that which was upon the table.  His eyes beheld a great banquet!  A great variety of different food was spread upon the table’s surface, all resting upon fine china and shiny, metal platters.  There were cheeses, breads and crackers, fruits of all kinds, an assortment of sliced meats, as well as a couple of choice samplings of cake and pudding!  Though each dish and plate was actually rather simple and inexpensive, great care had been taken in preparing it.  Regardless, it was far more food than Vincent had ever seen and it excited him greatly.  Though he had proven to Susanna that nuts and berries could be very delectable, they certainly had grown boring over time.

“What do you think?” Susanna asked Vincent anxiously.

“I think that I am unsure whether or not I am in one of my dreaming states or not!”

“Ha!  How about we sit down and you can eat some cheese and find out if it’s real or not.”

Vincent did not know what cheese was, but it very much intrigued him.  His adventurous spirit also extended to his appetite and palate.  Leaping on the table, he ran towards the great heap of cheese cubes that stood twice his own height.  Each cube went up to his knees; one would have satisfied him plenty.  Some were a dark yellow, others were nearly white, and yet others were combination of both.  He bent over and picked up one of the yellow ones with both arms (he would later find out this type was called “cheddar.”)

“Not so fast, young man!” said Susanna.

“Your friend does not know table manners very well, does he?” Rebecca inquired in jest.  “You can’t just eat off the platter, Vincent!”

Vincent looked up confused at them.  He just wanted to eat, like instructed.  Why did everything, especially a joy like eating, have to have such rules?

The two sisters sat down on either side of the table, leaving the place setting at the head for Vincent.  There, Susanna picked up him and set him down upon the middle of his plate.  To his eyes, it was nearly 25 feet wide!  

“Sorry we don’t have any Vincent-sized tableware for you,” Susanna said with a giggle.  “You’re going to have to use your hands, I suppose, considering that your fork is four times your size.  I trust that your hands are at least somewhat clean...”

Susanna and Rebecca proceeded to serve out their dinners.  Rebecca eagerly licked her lips in anticipation as she chose out her choice of smoked ham and turkey, placing a sizeable helping on her plate.  Susanna shook her head at her sister, not being surprised at all.  Susanna herself had reached first for the red grapes, plucking off a cluster of seven or eight of them.  They were very plump and filled with succulent juice.  Both sisters laughed as they watched Vincent attempt to carry a piece of rye bread on his back and carry it to his plate.  He lost his balance and tumbled forward, the bread landing on top of him, covering him.

“Do you need some help?” Susanna asked.

A muffled voice called out from beneath the rye: “I can manage!”

Rebecca reached over and lifted the slice, carrying it over to Vincent’s plate for him.  From then on, Vincent would just point at what he wanted and one of the two women would retrieve it for him.  Before long, his plate was filled with more food that he could possibly eat himself.  Furthermore, he was greatly astounded at the plates of the two women!  He tried not to stare, but he was in awe of how much food had been piled upon their ceramic china dishes like hills.  Despite how much food he thought he had for himself, each woman had nearly ten times that amount!

“Shall we begin?” Susanna asked.

“Yes, yes, yes!” responded Rebecca.  “Lunch on the train was far too light.  My stomach has been growling this whole time!”  

Vincent could attest to that fact. Even from a seat away, he could hear the rumbling of Rebecca’s belly as it anticipated its incoming offerings.  He himself had been growing hungry and he looked forward to commencing the meal.

“Wait!  How could I forget?” Susanna said.  She reached to the middle of the table, beyond the cheese tray and fruit bowl, to a bucket of ice.  Submerged into the ice cube was a long green bottle filled with a dark beverage.  It tapered at the end and was plugged with a light brown cork.

“The wine!  How can we have a celebration without wine?” said Rebecca with eagerness.

Vincent was unsure what to think of the red liquid that was pouring into the massive glass chalice in front of him.  He had never had alcohol before, but Susanna explained that it was a drink that would make him “feel relaxed.”  He watched as the wine cascade from the bottle.  It pooled in the bottom of his cup to an amount that would have only been a single sip for one of the women, but was more than enough for himself.  The glass itself was a deep, transparent pit for him, but it was all that was available.  He was going to have to levitate himself down into it whenever he wanted to drink its contents.

“I propose a toast!” Rebecca said, raising her glass.  Susanna followed suit.

“To what?” Vincent asked.

“To the whole reason for this celebration, silly!  Did Susanna not tell you?”

“I was waiting until now to tell him,” Susanna answered.  Her face was very happy and excited to share the news.

“What is it??”

“I’m moving in to Cairnbridge!!”

“Are you serious?!”

“Yes!”

Rebecca cheered and offered the toast: “To Susanna’s new job as the manager of Cairnbridge Manor!”

~+~+~

Over the last several months, Susanna’s father, Roger, had noted keenly his daughter love and passion for his family’s estate.  It bothered him greatly that ownership of the property had fallen into the hands of the ungrateful cousins, knowing how well Cairnbridge would prosper if Susanna were there.  The cousins treated it as merely a summer home, one of many that they possessed.  The last year, they had spent barely a week on the premises before moving on to the coast.

He decided to do something about it.  He contacted his late brother’s wife, who was serving as the manager for the estate.  His brother had been a good and honorable man in his life.  While his progeny were not “bad” people, they were rather vain and aloof.  His sister-in-law found managing the estate to be a hassle.  It worked out perfectly, then, when Roger suggested that Susanna take over care of the estate.  It would still belong to her and her children, but all of the oversight and upkeep would now be Susanna’s responsibility.  She would take care of the finances and hiring of staff, while being given free room and board, as well as a small stipend.

As imagined, Susanna was ecstatic when she found out.  She needed to celebrate and she could think of no better people to do so than with those around her at the table.

“How have I never experience such a wonder before?”  Vincent said dreamily.  “It’s a taste of heaven!”

Susanna smiled.  “It’s called butter.  And yes, it is quite wonderful...”

Vincent took another bite into the chunk of bread in his hands, which had been spread with a generous helping of creamy delicious butter.  It was even better than the cheese that he had consumed for the first time earlier.  All in all, he was becoming a big fan of dairy.

“Don’t hog it all, Vincent!” Rebecca said sarcastically, taking the butter platter away from him.  With a knife, she sliced off a segment as wide as his forearm, then spread it all around a gigantic hunk of French bread.  Vincent watched it enter into her mouth like a ship sailing into a harbor, only for her incisors to descend upon it, ripping into its flesh and causing a shower of crumbs to fall from its crust and onto her plate and the table.

“Well, I can see that table elegance is no longer a concern!.” Susanna responded to her sister’s unrefined approach to eating.  Rebecca had always been less mindful of etiquette and sophistication than Susanna (much to their mother’s chagrin.)  Susanna decided that despite the many years of instruction that was ingrained in her, she was going to let it slide and relax as well.  She put her elbows up on the table and sipped her wine.

Reminded of his own wine, Vincent decided that he was going to give it a try.  He hovered above his chalice and carefully lowered himself down into the cup.  The smell of the alcohol was strong and he could feel it enter through his nostrils.  The sides of the glass were very slippery and he could not set foot on it, so he resorted to levitating upside down and placing his lips directly into the pool of crimson Merlot.  It was very surprising to him.  Never before had he taken in such a beverage!  This was nothing like the water from the creek.  When he swallowed, he could feel the wine going down in a warming sensation that made his body tingle all over.

“Don’t have too much at once, now!” advised Susanna.

Rebecca giggled as she watched Vincent lapping up the wine like a dog.  “I think he likes it.”

Before long, Vincent had his fill...and was feeling the effects already.  He had chugged the equivalent of half bottle of wine!  The alcohol coursed through his tiny body quickly.  His head was already full of blood from being upside down for so long.  When he tried to right himself, the combination of the rush of blood from his head and the alcohol put him in a dizzy spell.  He lost his vision for a second, disorienting him.

Splash!  

The two girls broke out into laughter as they watched Vincent plop into the remnants of his wine.  Not much was left of it, so he was by no means in danger of drowning.  Still, he was sopping head to toe in red wine, which was certain to stain his clothing.  

“What’s so funny?” he snapped, slurring his syllables.  He didn’t think it was so hilarious.  He was wet and he had left his other sets of clothing at his tree hollow.  He tried to wring out his shirt, but he lost his balance and slipped again.

“Poor Vincent,” Rebecca said.  “Do you need help getting out?”

“I can...I can manage!” he retorted defiantly.  Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath.

The source of Vincent’s powers came from his ability to merge the domain of the dream with the realm of the real.  What others were only able to do while dreaming, Vincent was able to do while awake.  It was not always easy and it involved him entering into a “daydream” state.  While it appeared that he was focusing, he was actually doing quite the opposite.  He was entering a trance and letting his mind ease.

However, little did Vincent know that the alcohol had affected not just his balance, but also just how easy it was to enter into that trance state.  Susanna gasped as she watched Vincent take off into the air at full speed, lifting off like a rocket into the sky.

“AAeeeeeiiiiiiii!!!  Vincent exclaimed as he sped towards the ceiling at all deliberate speed.

“Vincent, watch out!  Be careful!”  Susanna shouted in fear.

Coming very close to colliding with the ceiling, Vincent quickly became aware of the danger and snapped out of his stupor.  He immediately came to a full stop.  Standing in the air just to the right of the central chandelier, he saw the sisters far below staring up at him wearing worried faces.  Slowly and steadily, he returned himself to the table.

“What in the blazes just happened?” a panicked Rebecca cried out.

“My apologies,” Vincent said, slightly embarrassed and still a little tipsy.  “Apparently I misjudged just how fast I was going.”

A worried Susanna lifted Vincent up gently but quickly and took him into an embrace.  She pressed him up to her chest.  Pressed against her warm skin, he could both hear and feel her heartbeat on the other side of her flesh.  It was racing.  His was probably beating swiftly, too, but being up against Susanna’s body was calming him down.  He had missed her and had missed being this close to her.

“Are you okay?” she asked, bringing him to her eyes, which examined him all around.

As he stood on her palm, Vincent paused for a moment and made a strange expression.  His face contorted until he let out a small, barely audible burp.  

“Just great, thanks!”

“Uh huh...” Susanna said with a tsk, though she was visibly relieved.  “Do you know what I think?  I think you’re drunk!”

“I am not drunk!” he said, pointing a finger that he had difficulty keeping straight.  “I have never been drunk!  And I don’t even know what it means to be drunk.  So...I am not drunk....yes.  I think...”

Rebecca giggled from across the table as Susanna dropped Vincent back on his plate.  He stumbled with his step after he landed, but stood upright.

“After dinner, we’ll get you cleaned up, okay?” Susanna said.  “Until then, why don’t you just sit down there and relax?”  Her tone was motherly and sympathetic.  As an older sister, she had often had to use it with Rebecca, but it voiced her loving care and comfort.

Vincent nodded in agreement.  By now, his head was starting to throb and sitting down sounded like a good idea.  

~+~+~

Susanna and Rebecca continued their conversation and wine.  It had been far too long since they had time to spend together as sisters.  Indeed, it was one of the reasons Rebecca was there that weekend.  Susanna needed help transitioning into Cairnbridge Manor, so their father had suggested that she go along, too.  

Roger also had ulterior motives for Rebecca: he had hoped that spending more time with Susanna would help her to be more level-headed and mature like Susanna.  Rebecca had always been something of a free spirit, known at times to be brash and impulsive.  She spoke and acted before thinking things through.  Roger did not blame her, as she clearly took after himself, while Susanna had taken after their mother.  

But a second reason for the recommendation was for Rebecca to experience more of Cairnbridge.  He wanted her to love it as much as he loved it, and as Susanna had come to love it.  It was a cherished place for their family for generations.  It was a place of great history.  It was an anchor to the past; a bridge that brought the past and present into unison.  Walking those halls was a step into the lives of their forefathers.  Though not a superstitious man, he did believe that there was a mystical quality to that special place.  Perhaps there was a reason why Sir Vincent of Cairnbridge had settled that land so many centuries ago...

At the dinner table, the sisters discussed Rebecca’s schooling, as well as family news.  Soon, though, the conversation turned to more “interesting” business, namely Susanna’s adventures with Vincent throughout the surrounding countryside.  She had heard all about the hidden glade and Vincent’s island in the lake.  Of course, in sharing the stories, Susanna had omitted certain “personal” details concerning Vincent: most obviously, his size and his abilities, but also of their budding relationship and increasing intimacy.  On those parts, she had been intentionally vague.  

“I cannot wait to see everything!  You will take me there, right?  To Vincent’s island?” inquired Rebecca.  Her imagination was running wild as she continued her meal, reaching for a particularly plump cherry tomato.

“I’m sure we can work that out,” she said, sipping the last of her wine.  Susanna was now very relaxed and at ease.  “There are plenty of hours in the weekend to fulfill our plans.  But you do have to help me arrange my new room tomorrow...don’t forget!”

Rebecca quickly nodded in agreement, though she was more focused on the potential adventures rather than furniture arrangement and interior design.  

Susanna had just about finished her plate and was very satisfied.  She had splurged a little, but she had just received her first stipend check from her aunt and wanted to celebrate accordingly.  Though her stomach was reaching capacity, she had saved room for dessert.  There was a particular indulgence that she had been eyeing in anticipation for the entire dinner...

“Mmmm, this one look amazing,” she said as she chose out a decadent profiterole from the dessert tray.  

Cream puffs were among Susanna’s favorite treats, but especially the ones from the nearby village.  She and Rebecca had visited the town’s baker on their way to Cairnbridge.  The baker knew them by name, for they had stopped by her shop many times when they were girls.  Young Susanna and Rebecca would always stand in front of the display case with wide eyes as they contemplated the difficult decision of whether to get a cookie, cake, or another of the delicacies the baker had poured her skill into earlier that day.

The pastry Susanna had chosen had a tan, flaky exterior but on the inside was light and fluffy.  The dough had been formed into a ball, the center hollowed out, then fried.  When it had cooled, the baker had piped in a generous amount of whipped cream.  Though profiteroles come in all shapes and sizes, this baker’s trademark was to create the semblance of a mountain with the cream emerging out of the pastry, forming the mountain’s “snowy peak.”

Though Susanna did not indulge in them too often, she had a certain method as to eating them.  Whereas Rebecca tended to shove the entire dessert in her mouth at once, Susanna would bring hers to her lips and first suck out all of the cream.  When she had thoroughly enjoyed its contents, then she would eagerly pop the rest of the puff in her mouth.  If she was going to indulge, she was going to take her time in doing so!

“Of course you would eat that your way,” Rebecca said.  “I much prefer to enjoy the entire treat together and at once!  But I know there’s no point in convincing you, is there?”

Susanna smiled and lightly shook her head.  Sticking her tongue out, she daintily tasted a small portion of the cream, licking the very tip of the peak.  It was luscious.  The sample informed her tongue that that which it was awaiting was going to rival everything it had tasted thus far.  Without further ado, Susanna placed her lips around the pastry and drew in its creamy contents with a slurp.  At once, she could feel the chilled whipped cream warming to the temperature of her mouth and melting away on her tongue.  Susanna sat motionless and enjoyed every second of it.

“How is it?” Rebecca asked intently.

“Mmmmm...” was the only response Susanna needed to give.

Watching her sister sitting there with her eyes closed and euphorically enjoying the cream was enough to convince Rebecca to try Susanna’s way.  However, she was still very hasty and did not possess her sister’s self-control.  Reaching for the closest profiterole, she quickly inhaled the cream, but was too quick.  She accidentally breathed in some of the cream and it went down the wrong pipe, causing her to choke and cough.

Knowing her sister well, Susanna could predict that this was exactly what was going to happen.  She could not help but laugh as she watched her sister’s plight, having very little sympathy as she watched Rebecca reach for the rest of her wine to chase down the cream.

Rebecca, of course, was not amused.  She started chugged her glass of wine and it did indeed clear the blockage.  Unfortunately, though, she was still fairly new to alcohol.  The sudden intake of wine was too much for her and before she could finish it, she was forced to spew out her mouthful, sending out a shower of tiny wine droplets across the table.  This just caused Susanna to burst into a full fit of laughter.  Rebecca had to admit that it was pretty humorous and started giggling as well.  There was wine everywhere!  

In the midst of the uproar, Susanna realized that Vincent had been on the table.  It must have appeared as a rainshower of wine to his eyes!  She looked for him on his plate, but he was not there.

“Oh no, poor Vincent!  He must have ducked for cover!” said Rebecca.  She tried to regain her composure a little as she searched behind bowls and plates for the missing dinner guest.  

Susanna’s mouth was wide open now, her face turning red from laughing so hard.  She wanted to assist her sister, but she couldn’t help herself right now.  (Having consumed two glasses of wine had apparently made everything much more hilarious to her than usual.)

However, she quickly paused her laughter when she saw Rebecca’s face.  It had become very serious.  She assumed that it was because Rebecca had not found Vincent yet, though Susanna thought it was likely he had taken off into the air, a possibility Rebecca probably wasn't used to considering yet.

“Susanna, stop!” Rebecca said very adamantly.

Susanna was confused by this and just sat there with her mouth agape.  A little trickle of creamy saliva streamed down out of the corner of her mouth.  She wanted to laugh some more as she considered just how undainty she must have appeared and how horrified their mother would be at her daughters’ boorishness, but Susanna could tell something was wrong.

It was then that Susanna realized a strange sensation in her mouth.  Her tipsy state must have prevented her from noticing it until now, but it was very evident that there was something else on her tongue alongside the melted whipped cream.

Rebecca emphasized and enunciated each word slowly:  “Do...not...swallow.”

Susanna’s adrenaline rushed, knowing now that there must have been something in her profiterole.  At first, she was terrified at the thought of it being an insect--or worse, a small rodent--but it became increasingly clear of what it truly was.  Or rather, who.  She immediately reached into her mouth and pulled the young man out, placing him on her napkin.

“Vincent!” she cried out.  “Vincent, are you okay?”

A little disoriented, he sat up, looked at Susanna, and smiled.  “I am doing quite well this evening.  How are you doing, my dear?”  It was clear that he was still drunk and delirious and not in his right state of mind.  He probably didn’t even realize the danger he was in.

“How did you get in my mouth?  Were you in my cream puff?” a very concerned Susanna asked.

“Your cream puff?  It was my cream puff, thank you very much!  You two were busy chatting away, so I thought I would move on to the next course.  And I thought, why not start with the cream first?  And so I did.  And I enjoyed it!  And then...and then...before I knew it, you decided that you wanted to enjoy it, too!”

“Oh dear heavens, I could have eaten you, Vincent!  You had better thank the stars above that it was me and not Rebecca that picked you up.  She would have popped you in and you would have been in her belly by now!”

Rebecca nodded unashamedly.  “Yep, I can’t deny it, that’s probably true.  Straight down my gullet with you.  Or, if it had been like what actually happened, you might have been sent flying down my windpipe...”

Vincent was starting to sober up.  He recounted the experience in his head.  He had made his way to the plate of profiteroles, then without question, he dove in head first into one.  Before long, though, he could feel his dessert being lifted.  At the moment, it was kind of fun..but not as exhilarating as it was being sucked up into Susanna’s mouth with the whipped cream!  As the cream melted around him, he found it to be something of a pleasant experience.  It was dark, warm, and there was a sweet smell in the air.  Lying down on Susanna’s tongue, he fell asleep and passed out cold.

“By the trees, you’re right...” Vincent said, all the blood draining from his face as he realized just how close he was to being consumed by the woman of his dreams.  His thoughts went back to his previous encounter in Susanna’s mouth, back in the glade.  Though she was pulling a prank on him then, she had been intentional about it.  Just now, she hadn’t even been aware of his presence and could have eaten him without even knowing it.

“Um, is he okay?” Rebecca asked, seeing the little man's head bob back and forth.

Vincent fainted.

 

When Vincent awoke, it was evening.  He had been passed out for about a few hours, or so he assumed.  Though he still had a headache, his forehead was no longer throbbing.  All in all, he was feeling much better, considering that he was having his first hangover.  He was fortunate that though alcohol affected his small body very quickly, it also left his body just as soon.

Looking around, Vincent saw that he was in a bedroom.  He was resting on a stack of several folded handkerchiefs on top of a nightstand by the bed.  It was actually quite comfortable; he supposed that it was the closest that could be found for a mattress his size.  It was much cozier than his usual spread of leaves and grass.  The room was dark, aside from the light from a lamp in the corner, but he could see that it was sparsely decorated.  A large window on the eastern wall let in the silvery light of the moon.  A few pieces of furniture were here and there, but very few personal touches were present.  It must have been Susanna’s new room.  It was spacious, even for human standards.  

Sitting up, he could see the outline of a woman silhouetted against the moonlight, her feminine curves highlighted against the wafting lace curtains.  It was Susanna.  It did not appear that she was aware that he had regained consciousness.  She was in the midst of getting ready for bed...and at the moment, she was nearly naked.  She was clad only in her underwear, leaving her back exposed to Vincent’s eyes.  She faced away from, standing at the window, lost in her thoughts, slowly and methodically brushing her long, auburn hair.

After a while, Susanna turned to her dresser and retrieved a long, white nightgown which she slipped over her head.  Examining her body briefly in the full-length mirror, she made her way over the bed and to the nightstand where Vincent was resting.

“Vincent, are you still asleep?”

He had laid back down, not wanting to give Susanna the wrong impression.  Though he had already been very intimate with her body and had seen what no other man had, he respected her privacy.  After all, he was a man of honor and integrity...despite the temptations.

Upon hearing her voice, he stirred and responded with a prolonged stretch.  “Ugh, how long have I been out?”

“About three hours,” she responded.  She was now right next to the nightstand and towering above him.

“Wow...I rarely sleep longer than two hours on a normal night.  That wine...it is a powerful drink.  I don’t think I dreamed at all.”  (This was a good thing.  The reason Vincent restricted his sleep was due to his fear of unintentionally invoking his powers.  Some people struggle with sleepwalking.  Vincent sleep-flew.)

“Don’t worry, you’re in good hands,” she said smiling from above, then reached out her palm.  

Vincent hopped on and was carried up to Susanna’s face.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Much,” he said.  “My head hurts a little, but I’m otherwise fine.”

“Oh, good!” Susanna said, then paused for a moment.  

“You know...now that you're awake, I was thinking earlier that we have not had much time alone together since I arrived,” she said suggestively.

“It’s a shame, isn’t it?” he said wryly.

“It truly is.  Well, I am glad that Rebecca is here.  I’m looking forward to spending time with her and for you two to get to know each other, as well.  But....she’s across the hall.  She isn’t used to the train ride; I think it exhausted her.  I’m quite certain that she’s already asleep...”

By the next moment, Susanna had flopped herself upon the bed, an alluring grin gracing her face.  The residual bouncing from the springs rocked Vincent, who was still sitting in her palm.  Exaggerating his unsteadiness, he rolled into a pratfall, tumbling over her fingertips.  He fell over the edge--all still intentionally silly--shooting Susanna a glance of fake terror as he hung onto ledge formed by her fingertips.

Susanna giggled, sending another tremor through her body.  The shaking was enough to dislodge Vincent’s grip on her hand.  He had not been expecting this and though he tried to grapple on again, he could not.  He plummeted from her hand, falling to a soft landing onto the belly below.

Susanna’s nightgown was made from smooth satin that Vincent easily slid around upon.  He found this amusing.  Starting just below her navel, he sprinted across her stomach and went into a running slide.  He zoomed across her abdomen at great speed, gliding into the valley between her breasts.  Susanna was acutely aware of his location and decided upon mischief.  Vincent was about to make his way back the other direction when suddenly, he was ensnared!  Susanna had clutched her breasts together very quickly (yet gently) upon him, entrapping the little man within the depths of her cleavage.  Despite his squirming, he could not move in that dark, warm prison of her flesh.

When Vincent finally submitted and relented on his wriggling, Susanna retrieved him from her bosom and placed him upon her chin.

“Hi,” she said coyly.

“Well, good evening, miss!  It is a pleasure seeing you here tonight,” he said with a over exaggerated bow.

Susanna smiled at him then pursed her lips, beckoning for a kiss.  He hopped over and placed his head between her soft, voluptuous puckered lips.  She smooched his face, nearly enveloping it, then proceeded to kiss him all over his body.  In return, he gingerly ran his hands across her bottom lip, doing so just enough to stimulate the sensitive flesh without being too ticklish to bear.  Susanna loved it when he did that.  Her lips flushed red in response.  

Vincent was very aware of the effect he was having on her; he followed up by slowly and sensually kissing her from one side to the other, taking his time with each one.  When he reached the corner of Susanna’s mouth, Vincent knew that he had succeeded in his goal.  Her eyes were shut.  Her breathing was heightened.  Her lips parted just a little.  From within, a flow of warm air slowly rushed out, ruffling his hair.  He could smell the sweet scent of her breath as it ran its wispy fingers across his face.  As she exhaled, he could hear the slight quiver in her voice as she let out a quiet moan.  

She wanted more.

Susanna bit her lower lip and reached for Vincent, whisking him away from her face.  In one fluid motion, she raised her gown and set him down on top of on her now revealed breasts.  Vincent was dazed by the very sudden movement, but his natural instinct kicked in when his eyes focused on the hardened nipple before him.  He grasped its wrinkled flesh with both hands and kissed it vigorously, lightly biting with his teeth on occasion, then squeezing it with his body in a full embrace.

After doing so for a couple minutes, he quickly slid down the side of her breast and made haste towards its twin.  Susanna’s skin was moist with perspiration.  As he crossed her chest, he could feel the resonating beat of her heart, pounding through his every footstep.  She was breathing heavily and the very ground he walked rose and fell like waves upon the sea.  He reached her other breast, rising like a desert dune from her chest, and his feet sunk into the supple flesh as he dashed upwards.  Before long, he reached the other nipple and proceeded to inundate Susanna with erotic sensation.

Susanna had to be intentional in stifling her moaning, lest she disturb her sister across the hall, but it was difficult.  It had been too long since she and Vincent had been intimate.  She had longed for this.  The two of them had grown very close these last few months.  She had been very cautious in moving along with this relationship.  Vincent was extraordinarily special to her.  Both of them desired to go slow.  Neither of them were experienced with other relationships.  There was no need to rush and potentially make mistakes and regrets.

Knowing this, Susanna knew the thoughts of her own heart.  She was ready to make them known to Vincent.

"Oh sweet Vincent!" she called out breathlessly.

"Are you okay, Susanna?"

"Come here.  Draw near to my eyes.  I have something to tell you."

Vincent quickly responded, making his way to her face where he hovered within her vision.  Her eyes gazed at him longingly and with passion.  They were wet, as if to cry from the emotion welling up inside of her.

"Vincent..." she said, then pausing.  "I love you."

It was the first time she had ventured to say those words to any man, but no other was more worthy than the tiny gentleman no taller than her thumb who had enraptured her heart.  He was the only man she had ever loved so deeply and who she felt the same level of love from in return.  She prayed that she was not to expedient in this declaration, but her lips had to speak these words and his ears needed to hear them, lest her heart burst from trying to contain these words of truth.

Upon hearing the words, Vincent's heart raced and his mind rushed with many feelings, but the far most predominant and loudest emotion was that of the love he had for Susanna, the woman who had inhabited his dreams long before he had met her.  She was the reason for his existence.  He was a gift to her from the ancient magicks of the forest, and he was honored to be called hers.

"I love you, too, Susanna.  I always have.  I always will,” he vowed solemnly.  

The tears in her eyes were finally released and poured down in a trickle upon her cheeks.  Vincent did his best to wipe them away.  It was a noble effort, but the sleeve of his shirt was soon drenched.  

Susanna giggled, then kissed his face.  "There is...one more thing."

"Anything,” he said assuringly.  “What is it?"

"I...I’m ready."

Vincent's heart skipped a beat.  He need no further explanation.  He somehow retained his composure, enough to respond.  "A-are you sure?"

Susanna bit her lip, nodded her head and smiled.  "Assuming that you are willing?"

"Oh by the trees, am I!!"

She laughed at his visible eagerness.  "Then I am yours."

He kissed her between her brow, looked once more into her eyes, then set off.

Susanna turned out the light.

 

Susanna’s sleeping face rested peacefully upon her pillow, her auburn hair cascading around her, forming an angelic halo around her head.  Angelic, indeed, was a fair description of her.  There are some women whose inherent goodness and gentleness pervades their very presence.  It is a light within their hearts that shines forth into their visage and form.  Their outer beauty is magnified and enhanced by their beauty from within.  

Such was Susanna.

Vincent sat next to her upon the pillow, simply admiring her.  He was thinking about their relationship.  They were now much closer than ever before.  What started as a friendship had become a courtship.  Despite their obvious obstacles, they had fallen in love and were together now.  He vowed to be dedicated to her and to be the man that she needed and deserved.  

However, he still had certain insecurities.  It was perhaps a natural feeling for a man dating a woman over thirty times larger than him.  Though he had just proven that he could satisfy her desires and needs, he would always be limited by his size.  Oh, how he longed in this moment to rest his hand upon her cheek; to send his fingers through her hair; to embrace her body fully and to hold her in his arms!  He wanted Susanna to rest her head upon his chest and for them to sleep side by side.

Still more, he continued to be concerned about his ability to defend her, should something happen again.  He had protected her in the past against the threat of the glade--a bitter memory that he did not often desire to revisit in his mind.  His powers were growing in strength, this was true.  His pyrokinesis remained in his convictions to be first and foremost a tool, but it could not be denied that it could be an effective weapon, if need be.  Still, after the events of the glade, he was a little terrified of that power.  Just how strong was he?  And what else could he do?

He had been contemplating this last question.  Theoretically, he could do anything that he could dream of doing.  But was there more to it than that?  Were his abilities limitless?  It frightened him, somewhat, to think of the possibilities.  He did not want to be this way.  It was simply the way that he was.  He would much rather be stripped of all his power than to be tempted to use them for unwise purposes.  It was a heavy responsibility to bear.  In the end, he would try to further his talents, if anything to be a better protector of his beloved Susanna.

Vincent’s body was exhausted, and yet his mind continued going.  Already, his “nap” had relieved any sleepiness that he would normally be feeling; he had slept longer than he did on most nights.  He was just going to have to walk this off.

Leaping from the bed, Vincent landed on the floor and made his way to the slightly open doorway.  The carpeted floors of the room were a very different texture than the ground of the forest.  It added a spring in his step that he had to grow accustomed to.  Of course, he could always fly, but he decided that walking would be better for him in the moment.

The hallway was long and dark in the wee hours of the evening.  Moonlight shone in from a window at the end of the hall, but it’s illumination extended only so far.  Peering into the darkness, he could see the doors on either side; some were open, others were shut.  Directly across from him was Rebecca’s room.  Even from his location, he could hear the constant buzzing of her snoring.  (He was thankful that this was not a habit that Susanna possessed...much.)

Vincent flicked his wrist and a flame appeared within his palm.  He did not have to do it this way, but he found that associating the two actions helped him to conjure the fire without really thinking about it.  It had become second nature to him, much like his flying was simply a lot like regular walking; it required very little thought.

The light from the flame brightened the area surrounding him.  He kept it small, like the lit wick of a candle, lest he accidentally cause some...unwanted damages to the estate.  It was more than enough to guide his way as he explored the vast mansion.  The tour the sisters had given him was all-encompassing, but it was brief.  He had taken mental notes of places that had piqued his curiosity.  Whether or not he could find these places again was up in the air.  The layout of the manor was rather straightforward, but for a man of Vincent’s size and one unaccustomed to human architecture, everything looked very much the same.

The first room that he came upon was the bathroom.  It was a modest enclosure, much smaller than Susanna’s bedroom, though still spacious.  A tall dais rose from the ground, culminating with a wide basin at its top.  It was a sink for washing one’s face and brushing their teeth, among other uses, Vincent had learned.  The ability to have running water and at varying temperatures was a marvelous idea in his opinion.  On the far side of the room, next to the toilet (which Vincent knew instinctively to avoid), was a large claw-foot tub.  Had it been filled, it could have served as a large lake for Vincent, able to bathe over a hundred people his size.  Overall, the room was interesting, but there was no much more to see.  Vincent moved on.

Continuing down the hallway, he passed a few closed doors that likely led to other bedrooms that were not currently being used.  Many people could sleep in this house if need be.  Vincent imagined how overwhelming it could potentially be to have so many people surrounding him.  While he did not prefer loneliness at all, it certainly was what he was accustomed to.

He pushed open a door that brought him into the library.  Vincent could not read, but found the concept absolutely fascinating.  One could communicate with others, regardless of time or space.  In reading a book, it was entirely possible to access the thoughts and knowledge of a person living centuries earlier in a land far away!  Vincent leapt into the air and perused the bookshelves, being careful to keep his flame away from the books.  They came in different sizes and colors; some were faded, others looked new.  They exuded the unique smell of mustiness.

In the corner of the library was a large sphere resting on a wooden base that supported it at two ends.  It was painted with different shapes and forms.  Vincent examined it closely, but as he stood upon the orb, it started to spin around its tilted axis, revealing even more of the sphere.  He was a clever young man and it didn’t take him long to realize that it was a map of the world.  He did not know where on the globe Cairnbridge resided.  Perhaps Susanna would show him some day.  He could not see the forest or the mountains or his island in the lake on this map.  It all must have been too small...

Vincent was coming to realize just how large the world is...and just how small he was in comparison.  Were he to be represented on this sphere, a speck of dust would have been a mountain to him.  This humbling feeling was overwhelming him.  He needed to sit down and shake it off.  

“I wonder if there’s any of that wine left...”

~+~+~

Vincent had made his way to the kitchen, where he found the bottle of wine from earlier.  There was still some left and he was determined to have a little more.  He, of course, had learned a lesson from earlier.  He was not going to drink nearly as much or as fast.  He just wanted a little to help him get his mind off his troubles.

The kitchen was dark.  With his flame, he could see that Rebecca had not put in much effort to cleaning up after dinner.  A few dishes were upon the countertops, waiting to be washed.  The leftover food was just sitting on a table.  In the middle was the bottle of wine.  The cork was in place, but loosely, and he was able to pop it off without much effort.  Again, it seemed like Rebecca had been more eager to get up to bed than to clean.

Lowering himself head first, Vincent entered into the depths of the dark green bottle.  The smell of the alcohol and fermentation filled the chamber and wafted from the pool below.  Very carefully, he placed his lips to the surface and drew in a mouthful of the dry red wine.  It was cool as it entered, but warm on the way down.  It was just what he needed.  Already, he could feel the calming sensation relaxing his mind.

“Now that’s the stuff!” he said as he sat cross-legged in the air halfway up the bottle.  He was pacing himself to avoid another incident.  

The view of the kitchen was very strange from within, distorting the room and giving it a greenish hue.  Vincent giggled as he spun himself around in a circle, staring out as he went around and around.

“Just a few sips more...” he said, being adamant that he was stopping after that.  Significantly buzzed, he was thinking about having another sample of that marvelous cheese after this.

As he was about to levitate up and out, however, something in the room caught Vincent’s attention.  It entered into his field of vision--actually, it took up his entire field of vision.  A massive figure stood just outside the bottle, looming over it very still.  It was a woman, judging by the size and shapely form.  And she was wearing a nightgown...

“By the oak!  Susanna!” he said in a panicked whisper.

Ashamed of where he was, he immediately considered his options.  He was afraid that she would be very disappointed--or worse--angry at him for returning to the wine.  Fortunately, it did not appear that she had seen him.  What was she doing down here?  Had she followed him?  The first thought was that he could quickly fly out and hope to remain unseen.  In this tipsy state, though, he would likely attract more attention, especially if he had to fly right by her face.

Looking around, there was only one alternative: taking a deep breath, he plunged himself beneath the surface of the crimson pool.  Down into the remained of the wine he went, and just in time, too.  Under the surface, it was difficult for Vincent to see, but he could make out Susanna peering down into the bottle.  Luckily, she was still unaware of his presence.

However, Vincent did not anticipate what happened next.  

Without warning, a great jolt shook the entire bottle.  The resulting waves propelled Vincent through the wine, sloshing him back and forth.  He could feel the momentum of everything moving upwards and knew that he was being lifted.  He surfaced, gasping for air, trying to figure out what was happening.  He stared upwards at the mouth of the bottle, looking through the small hole above.  He could not see much, but what he did see was very shocking: several locks of curly red hair!

The woman was Rebecca!  

Suddenly, the bottle started to tip over onto its side.  As it did, he was able to see more and more of Rebecca’s face.  Her eyes were just barely fluttering open.  She appeared to be more asleep than awake.  At first, Vincent was concerned that Rebecca was emptying the bottle into the sink.  Perhaps she had seen him and was trying to find him.  Or, maybe she was cleaning up, finishing her chores from before.  However, these all seemed unlikely.  It was then that Vincent realized what was actually happening.

“Oh...oh sweet forest, no!” He started shouting frantically, desperately trying to get Rebecca’s attention.  “Rebecca!  Look down here!  I’m in the bottle!”

It was no use.  She was about to drink the rest of the wine straight from the bottle...and Vincent with it!

The bottle tilted more and more until it was horizontal.  Through the hole, he could see a pair of lips forming an “o,” ready to take in the delicious wine and its endangered occupant.  Vincent immediately started swimming towards the opposite end of the bottle, seeking to escape the current of wine that was about to make its way through the bottle’s neck.  As it tilted to an even greater angle, gallons of wine began to flow out of the container like a mighty river flowing into Rebecca’s waiting mouth below.  Vincent could hear the sound of the wine rushing out and pooling in her mouth, followed by the ominous, loud gulping sound that accompanied her swallowing.  He greatly hoped that she would stop with one swig, but it became clear that she was planning on chugging all of the wine in one go.

There was only so much Vincent could do to fight the current.  In a matter of seconds, half of the wine was gone, having been emptied into Rebecca’s maw.  The bottle tilted more and more, to the point where it was at nearly 45 degrees and Vincent could no longer swim against gravity.  Bracing himself, he rode the last of the wine down towards the neck of the bottle, which his body was rushing towards at great speed.  The smooth glass did not slow him down at all and he quickly slipped over the edge of the bottle, over the lips, and into the mouth of Rebecca.

Once again, his body was submerged in a pool of wine, this one much shallower than the inside of the wine bottle.  Rebecca’s head was tilted upwards, and so Vincent took advantage of this opportunity for air.  He was treated to a unique vista of the bottle from whence he came, framed by Rebecca’s teeth and lips.  The last few drops of wine trickled down from above and join him in her mouth.  He took one last breath.  Then her lips closed shut, enclosing him into watery darkness.  

Rebecca’s head tilted back down and Vincent found himself sinking to the bottom of the mouthful of wine and resting on her tongue, which was twice as long as his body.  There he rested for about a second, knowing that he would not stay in her mouth for long...

Many thoughts entered into Vincent’s head during that enduring second, which thanks to the adrenaline and alcohol coursing through his body appeared to drag on for much longer  Could she actually swallow him?  Surely, it had been a fear of his in the past.  Still, as he considered it, he was not so small as to be easily swallowed, was he?  Surely she would have difficulty doing so.  But then, Vincent also recalled how voraciously Rebecca had consumed her food at the dinner table.  She had down morsels much bigger than him easily.  With the aid of the wine, she could probably manage swallowing him whole like a pill.

Then again, he hopefully considered the possibility that she would feel him in her mouth.  She had to have felt the weight of his body against her tongue and would have noticed him, spewing him out of her mouth.  And yet...Susanna had not felt him earlier that evening when he had been caught in the cream puff.  He weighed almost nothing in her hands.  On one of their scales, he would have weighed in at a fraction of an ounce.  It was doubtful especially that a sleepy Rebecca would have noticed him, even if he were to kick and flail.  Though she was as beautiful as her sister and very friendly and good natured, she was not the most perceptive or observant of people.

Was this it, then?  Was he actually about to be swallowed down with a bottle of wine, forced down into the depths of his beloved Susanna’s sister, a young woman completely oblivious to the peril her midnight snack was causing?  What a fate!  Here he had hoped this venture to the kitchen would have helped him with his existential crisis, but it only served to further demonstrate just how insignificant he was.  

The truth was that Vincent would not have to wonder such questions and thoughts for long.  The one second in Rebecca’s mouth was elapsing.  By this time, Vincent had come to terms with what was about to happen.  After all, he was quite intoxicated from his earlier consumption, as well as from having been swimming in wine for the past few minutes.  He would have most definitely been in a panicked frenzy had be been sober.  As it was, he was remarkably unaffected.

“Welp, here we go...” Vincent said, taking a deep breath as he felt the movement of Rebecca’s mouth preparing to send him and the last of the wine down into her throat.  

Rebecca’s tongue lifted and pushed backwards and her throat opened up, greeting the contents of her mouth.  For Vincent, it was as if a trap door had opened up underneath him.  The wine surrounding him suddenly started flowing again as it was forced through into the awaiting abyss.  He watched helplessly as Rebecca’s uvula slid right across his body.  He considered grabbing onto it, or perhaps onto her tonsils or back molars, but it would have been futile.  He was going down whether he liked it or not.

The wine had already plunged down Rebecca’s esophagus by the time Vincent was making his way through the narrow tube of muscles.  The muscles slowed and controlled his descent rather than allowing him plummet into the stomach in a freefall.  It was something to be thankful for, at least, as well as for not being underwater anymore.  

Strangely, Vincent was rather comfortable as he descended.  Having already accepted his situation, he tried to enjoy the eight second ride.  There was a small amount of air in Rebecca’s gullet.  The flesh was smooth and slippery and warm and it surrounded him snugly, pressing him further downward.  The inside of her body was dark and he was lulled by the rhythmic beat of her heart that resonated all around him.  Thump-thump.  Thump-thump.  Thump-thump.  The heartbeat was nearly deafening as he traveled through the part of the tunnel that was adjacent to the organ and he could physically feel it pulsing.  It was a wonder to behold, actually.

At that point, though, he was coming near to the end of the slide.  The chute curved slightly to the right and Vincent was pushed through one last ring of muscles.  He was squeezed through the valve, which closed right behind him.  In that moment, he was no longer surrounded in the comfort of the esophagus, but it had less-than-gracefully kicked him out into the air.

“Well, thanks for that!” he shouted a little indignantly with slurred speech as he found himself falling more quickly.

He was aware that he had entered into Rebecca’s stomach now.  From where her gullet had deposited him near the top of the chamber, he plunged for about a second until he landed with a degrading plop.  It was not a very pleasant experience.  Vincent himself up to his chest in a warm stew composed of Merlot wine and mushed up cheese, meat, bread, and the other contents of their evening dinner.  The acid of her stomach had been at work for a few hours now and it was all very soupy.  It also smelled rather rank and putrid.

“Eck!” Vincent exclaimed as he made his way through the muck.  It was pitch black and he could not see where he was going.  When he walked, at first he found the pool was getting deeper, so he turned back around until he found the edge of her stomach.  He placed his hand against the wrinkled flesh.  The acid lining it was not immediately painful, but it was certainly not pleasant, so he quickly removed it.  

Vincent’s life was not immediately in danger; all in all, he could probably survive for about a half hour or longer thanks to the good amount of wine that was watering down the acid and slowing down the digestive process.  However, this was not something that was known to him, nor was it something that he wanted to discover firsthand.  He wanted out of this hellhole!

The first thing that he did was to levitate himself out of the digesting food.  The alcohol in his system was still hazing his mind, but he was determined and able to focus enough to do at least that.  Sitting in the air, he flicked his hand very subtly, creating the smallest of sparks.  He did not want to risk endangering Rebecca and he imagined she would not appreciate him starting a fire in her belly, but he needed just a little light.

The spark illuminated the chamber enough for him to finally see what he had gotten himself into.  The stomach was like a large gourd-like sack shaped that was slumped over on its side, forming a “j.”  The room was small, but not tight.  In fact, Vincent could have fit in five or six times over, especially considering that her stomach was full and expanded right now.  He was a few feet from the walls, which were bright pink and wrinkly and glistened with a film of saliva and digestive fluids.  Above him, the chamber curved upwards.  Near the top, on the side of on the upper walls, he could see the sphincter through which he had entered, leading back up into the esophagus: his only “desirable” exit to this place.

As he was about to try forcing himself through the hole, though, something shot out of it and came hurtling towards him!  He dodged the projectile, but it landed with a splash in the stomach contents below.  Taking a closer look, he saw what appeared to be cheese...

“Good heavens, Rebecca, there’s plenty of food in here already!  Are you honestly still eating?”

She was.  More and more of her midnight snack joined Vincent in her belly.  He was simply astonished at just how much this young woman could eat.

“How is she still so thin?” he marveled.

Finally, it appeared that she was satiated, but by then, the “water” level had risen a good several inches, forcing Vincent to fly further upwards.  He was closer to the sphincter now.  He watched it open slightly as some of the air was pushed up through it.  A moment later, Vincent could hear the resulting sound from above: a burp.  Rebecca had burped!  Deep within her, a tiny man sighed.  The situation had long ceased to be amusing to Vincent and he was more than determined to get himself out of it as soon as possible.

However, his escape attempts were once more delayed when the entire environment began to shake and shift.  Rebecca was moving!  Her body rose and fell with each footstep.  Every footfall sent ripples through the stomach-swamp.  The act of her climbing the stairs doubled this effect.  It was very jarring for Vincent and he was relieved when it appeared that she had finally returned to her bedroom.  After a brief pause, though, the entire chamber flipped on its side, sending Vincent head over heels.  The contents of Rebecca’s stomach sloshed back and forth in waves until it finally came at rest in the now horizontal room.  

Now that things had at last settled down, Vincent could make his escape.  With Rebecca lying down, it would be easier, he thought.  He wanted to do this as subtly as possible, without Rebecca knowing what had transpired.  First off, he knew that she would have absolutely freaked if she felt him climbing up out of her throat...and she would have been overwhelmed with guilt and would have broken down sobbing...which would have woken up Susanna...and basically, it was a whole series of events that he would rather not go through tonight.  Though he was certainly not happy that Rebecca had drank him, he knew that it was an accident, one that he was foolish enough to cause.  

But more than that, he would have been very content is no one knew that this had happened to him.  The whole experience had greatly affected his self-esteem, which had already sunken low from the events of that night.  He was a handsome young man, capable of great power and able to do great things that no human could ever do!  And yet, in the world he lived in, he was an ant.

This was no time to commiserate or feel sorry for himself.  Taking one last breath of the foul air, Vincent pushed himself through the valve until he was back in Rebecca’s gullet.  Though the esophagus much preferred to be one directional, Vincent found that it was not impossible to make his way back up the tube.  Every once in awhile, the peristalsis would kick in and the wave of muscles would force him back down a few feet, but he was able to make progress.  The tunnel was dark, as he had extinguished his flame before leaving Rebecca’s stomach.  He pressed on.

Vincent knew that he was getting closer to Rebecca’s throat because the sound of her snoring was growing louder and louder, to the point where it had overpowered the sound of her heartbeat.  Though it was not pleasing to his ears, it did mean one thing: Rebecca was sleeping with her mouth open.  It would make his exit that much easier.  Sure enough, he could see a small amount of light pouring into her throat at the upper end of her gullet.  He had to slip himself passed her epiglottis, but before long, he was back at the back of her mouth!

It was strange seeing her uvula vibrating, even more so knowing that such a small piece of flesh was causing such a deafening noise.  At this juncture, Vincent had to be very careful not to block Rebecca’s airway (though it would have stopped that horrendous snoring!)  He did not want her to wake up because she was choking on him, and he would rather not be choked on.  It was challenging, though, as gale force winds were constantly blowing in from her nasal passage, then out through her mouth.  He had to time his movements right.  If he did this correctly, he could possible use her exhaling breath to help propel him out of her mouth.

Maneuvering into the best position, Vincent caught the next gust of air exiting Rebecca’s lungs.  It was not quite powerful enough to launch him out, but it helped guide and power his flying.  He avoided contact with her tongue.  It would have slowed him down, or worse, it might have accidentally trigger her swallowing reflex and he did not want to repeat this process over again.  Her lips were just barely parted, but they were open enough.  When the next breath of air passed by, Vincent shot out of Rebecca’s mouth.  At long last, he was no longer a prisoner of her body!  He was free!

Completely exhausted, he just followed the trajectory and fell where he lay.  As it were, ironically he landed on Rebecca’s belly.  He didn’t care, as long as he was on the outside of it now.  He lay down and stretched out, catching his breath and letting his body calm down.  Below him, her stomach rumbled and growled, continuing its digestion, but Vincent was not going to be a part of it!  He considered doing a tap dance on her abdomen, but chose against it.  Rebecca was still sleeping, still completely oblivious to all that had happened.  He wanted to keep it that way.

Not wanting to linger too long (and so he could get away from that dreadful snoring), Vincent leapt to the floor and made his way back to Susanna’s room.  The dawn was only a few hours away, but he did not mind the thought of just resting until then.  Flying up to the nightstand, he plopped down to his bed of handkerchiefs and let out a big, deep sigh of relief.

“Vincent?” Susanna called out sleepily.  She must have heard him coming in.

“Um, yes Susanna?”

“Are you okay?  Did you go off on a walk?”

“Yes.  Yes, I did.  I went off on a little adventure,” he said.  “But I’m back now.  No more exploring for me tonight.”

“Oh, okay.  I’m glad you got to see a little more of the manor.  Have a good night.”

“You too, my love.”

Before laying back down, though, Susanna got a whiff of something pungent in the air.

“Ugh.  Vincent, is that you?”  Her nose wrinkled up in disgust.

“Is what me?”

“That smell!  It smells like...vomit!”

Vincent realized that his misadventure had left a rather rank odor upon her person.  Of course, he wasn’t about to tell Susanna that he got it from swimming around in her sister’s gut.

“Oh yes.  That’s me.  I...got a little sick from the wine, I think,” he said, feigning apology.  “I just came back from the bathroom, but I think I might have gotten a little of it on my clothes.”

“Just a little?  Your clothes are covered with it!”

“My goodness, you’re right!” Vincent said, again pretending to be shocked.  “I guess I really must have missed the sink.”

Susanna shook her head.  “Come on, my little love.  Let’s go get you cleaned up.”

 

The next morning, Susanna and Rebecca sat at the dining table, discussing their plans for the day over breakfast.

“Ugh,” said Rebecca, her hands pressed against her temples, “my head is killing me.”

“Is it really?” Susanna said in a pseudo-sympathetic voice.  “I wonder why that is.  Do you think it perhaps involved all the wine you drank last night?  Hmm?”

“Oh, shut it, sister.  You had just as much as I did!”

“Did I?  Because I couldn’t help but notice that the bottle was empty this morning...”

“Huh?  Oh.  Oh yeah, that...” Rebecca responded sheepishly.  “I was barely awake for that!  You know how I get, Susanna!”

“I know, I know.  Just be careful in the future.  I don’t want your sleepwalking to get you hurt.  Who knows what you could do in your sleep without even realizing it!”

Rebecca rolled her eyes and nodded, then continued scooping out spoonfuls of grapefruit.

Vincent was noticeably absent from the table, having decided to skip breakfast for an unstated reason.  He told the girls that he would be in the library when they were finished eating.

“I suppose Vincent isn’t all that hungry after last night’s feast,” said Rebecca.  “A man that little probably doesn’t need that much to sustain him.”

“More for us, right?” Susanna said with a wink.  

“Also, he’s also not used to all of this human food,” she continued.  “The man has lived off the fruit of the forest for his entire life: nuts and berries, mostly.  And unfortunately for him, there aren’t any blueberry scones in the forest...”  

Susanna took a bite of the delightful little scone in her hands, following it up with a sip of her coffee.  The two flavors paired well with each other.

“So, your room...” Rebecca said, changing the topic.  “I imagine you’ve already got a plan for it?  I have some ideas, too.  First off, the furniture in this house is so outdated.  I know that it’s supposed to match the period and everything, but can your at least room have a small touch of modern?”

Susanna laughed.  “Of course.  I love this place dearly, but I didn’t sign up to live in a museum.  Aunt Margaret said that I could do whatever I wanted with my bedroom.  She didn’t care.  Not too surprising, right?”

“I just don’t get them,” Rebecca said.  “Her and the cousins, that is.  They have this whole beautiful place to call home -- this palace! -- and yet, they are hardly ever here.  What gives?”

“They would rather live in the city,” Susanna said, shrugging.

“But it’s Cairnbridge!  This place is far more interesting than any apartment the city has to offer.  It’s the family land!  Doesn’t that mean anything to them?”

“Other people have different priorities and standards.  Our cousins are far more interested in the present than in the past.  That’s why they’re always chasing after the latest fashions.  Honestly, I try not to judge them, but it just seems so empty and vapid of a pursuit.  I mean, just look at cousin Veronica...”

“Ha!  Veronica.  Let’s not talk about her please.  How is she Uncle George’s daughter?  I have only good memories of Uncle George.  He was such a good man, like Father.”

“Remember, she’s also Aunt Margaret’s daughter...”

“Right.  Like mother, like daughter.”

~+~+~

Rebecca had been correct in her presumption that Vincent was not hungry.  Chiefly, though, was that he desired to avoid the dinner table for the time being...for natural reasons.  It would be a while before he could watch Rebecca (or even Susanna) eat again, having had a first person perspective of that experience.  He used this time instead to continue his adventuring through the halls and rooms of Cairnbridge.

In the library, Vincent meandered through the bookshelves, examining each book with curiosity and intrigue.  Almost all of them were four or five times taller than him, towering over him like a line of trees.  There was so much knowledge contained within this room, which was perhaps what attracted him to return, especially now that the daylight had returned.  On one of the shelves sat an antique ship-in-a-bottle, an artifact that completely dumbfounded Vincent.  He wandered around it inquisitively, marveling at its minute details.  It would have been a challenge for he himself to make this, and yet, a human with large hands and bulky fingers had constructed it.  It was quite an achievement.

Still, his attention was continually drawn to the globe in the corner of the room.  Flying over to it, he walked around its circumference again, imagining in his mind what these far off lands and distant countries could be like.  Who lived there?  What was the environment like?  Vincent had never seen deserts or oceans before, nor did he even know of their existence.  He had seen mountains in the distance, but had never stepped foot upon one.  There were many places in this wide world that were yet for him to explore, and in his heart he longed to see them.

As he walked upon the globe, it amused him as it started spinning around.  Round and round and round the world went!  The faster he ran, the faster it span.  Vincent laughed out loud in entertainment.  Before long, the globe was rotating so fast, it was becoming difficult for him to keep up with it.  He tried to slow it down, but he was unable.

Vincent accepted the challenge, keeping his footwork lively as he raced across the continents.  He needed a morning constitutional, after all, and this was good exercise.  The globe certainly had never been used as a treadmill before, but Vincent had discovered its secondary use!  After several minutes, his body was starting to break a sweat.

“Damn, Vincent, you’ve been getting out of shape...” he muttered to himself.  He reminded himself to cut down on the flying and use his legs more.

As he was about to hop off, however, Vincent’s left foot caught a hold of something on the surface of the globe.  It was as if his foot had fallen into a hole or a crack, causing him to stumble his step.  Disastrously, he lost his balance.  Vincent tripped and fell right onto his face!  Smack!  His face-planted and slid all the way across an ocean.  He gripped onto the globe, being spun around over and over.  He watched perilously as the entire library surrounding him blurred together in his sight.  Soon, he could no longer fight against the centrifugal force and he flew straight at the ground!  He was launched through the air and though he was unable to enter into flight, he was at least able to slow his descent before crashing onto the hardwood floors.  He impacted on his bottom, bounced a few times, then skidded to a stop underneath one of the wingback reading chairs.  

After laying on the ground for a moment, he stood up and dusted himself off.  “What the oak just happened?!”

In a few minutes, the globe had slowed to a stop and Vincent warily went over to inspect it.  He wanted to know what it was that had caught his foot.  All in all, the surface of the globe was very smooth and featureless.  He inspected it closely and could find nothing out of the ordinary...at first.  Then, he noticed something peculiar about a certain archipelago in the middle of a sea.  Amid the group of islands, one stood out in particular. It wasn’t an island at all.  It was a small indentation in the globe about the size of his foot.  His foot must have fallen into it while he was running and that’s what had made him trip.

Inspecting it further, Vincent discovered that it was a button!  He carefully place his hand upon it...and pushed.  He did so slowly and carefully.  At first, it did not want to budge.  With further pressure, though, it started to succumb to his force and sank further into the world.  Vincent could hear a mechanism within the orb clicking and moving as the button was pressed further in.  What was this going to do? he wondered.  Just a little bit more and he would find out...

“Vincent?” a voice called out.

Startled, Vincent released the button and it sprung back in place.  He turned around and saw that no one was there.

“Vincent?  Are you still in the library?  Rebecca’s out in the gardens and I need help!”  

The voice called again.  It was Susanna.  It sounded like she was down the hall.  “Come quickly, Vincent.  I need you right now!”

Vincent was still very much intrigued by the mysterious button...but he supposed it could wait.  The globe would be there when he returned.  It was more important now to see what Susanna needed.

~+~+~

Following the sound of Susanna’s voice, Vincent exited the library and turned left down the hall.

“Vincent!” Susanna called again.

“I don’t suppose you’re asking me for help moving furniture, are you?” he called out facetiously, knowing that she was not quite in earshot yet.  “Wouldn’t Rebecca be more of a help?”

Vincent arrived in Susanna’s bedroom.  She was not there.

“Susanna?” he said in as loud of a voice he could.  This was all very strange, to the point of being disconcerting.

“I’m over here.  Come quickly!  I need your help, I--”

He wandered down the hallway, now quite perplexed and a little concerned when she was suddenly interrupted.  Finally, he figured out where her voice was calling from: the bathroom.

Still having no idea what was going on, Vincent squeezed himself underneath the closed door.  There was only a half-inch gap, but it was more than enough for him to shimmy underneath with ease.  He looked around the room.  Susanna was nowhere to be found...

“Hello?” he called out.  “Susanna, I’m here.  Are you okay?”

Suddenly, he heard the distinct sound of moving water.  It wasn’t a loud splashing, but the subtle sound of water being displaced, like that of a fish leaping in and out of a pond.  Flying upwards to get a better vantage point, Vincent saw that the claw-footed bathtub was filled nearly to the brim with millions of gallons of water.  A thick layer of bubbles covered the surface, obscuring the water.  Beneath the bubbles, he could make out the darkened form in the shape of a body...

“Susanna!”

Hastily making his way over to the far side of the bathroom, Vincent saw that Susanna’s naked body was completely submerged beneath the surface of the lake-sized tub, floating along the bottom of the basin.  Her long, auburn hair floated like coppery seaweed around her head.  Most alarming to him was that her eyes were shut.

“Oh great river, no!” he exclaimed as his heart beat ever faster.  “What am I going to do?”

Kicking off his boots and tossing his shirt to the ground, Vincent rose high into the air then dove straight into the water as fast as he could.  He plunged through the bubbles and into the depths, until he was floating in front of Susanna’s face.  She sat their eerily motionless.  Vincent prayed that he was not too late.  His mind raced as he tried to figure out what he could possibly do.  He could not lift her up.  If she had stopped breathing, he could not give her any nearly enough air.

Then, he remembered the drain.  He could see it far off in the distance by Susanna’s feet.  A stopper was plugging the drain, but if he could somehow remove it, he could empty the water and save his loved one.  It would be difficult and he did not know if he would be successful, but he would try...

As he was about to make for the plug, Vincent heard something.  Turning around, his heart raced as he saw a stream of bubbles escaping from Susanna’s mouth and making their way to the surface.  She was still alive...for now.  He would need to hurry.  However, as his focus was drawn to her mouth, he noticed something very peculiar about her lips.  They were shaped... in a smile.

Vincent could not believe it.  As he floated there dumbfounded, her heard that familiar giggling.  That mischievous, impish giggling! It was a sound that was all too recognizable to Vincent, for it always accompanied one of the many pranks that Susanna absolutely loved to pull on him.  It was aggravating!  If she weren’t so beautiful and charming, he would have been done with it completely by now.

Still, his mind was a lot more at ease when he saw Susanna’s eyes open.  Vincent gave a resigned wave to her smiling face.  In response, she blew a stream of bubbles in his general direction before rising up out of the water.

Back above the surface, the two of them gasped as their regained their breath, followed by the echoing sound of Susanna’s triumphant laughter.

Treading water, Vincent said, “That wasn’t funny, you know!  But of course you do know that.  You knew that it was going to terrify him.  You knew it and you still did it, because you’re Susanna and this is hilarious to you.”

Susanna grinned and nodded.

“And you knew that I was going to be angry at you, but that my anger would only last a few seconds, because I’m so used to it now and because you know that no matter how hard I try I can never stay mad at you for longer (which is infuriating in itself, you know...)”

“Yep, that sounds about right,” she said, nodding again.

Vincent sighed.  “Such is my life.”

“Oh, you know you love it!”

“I don’t!  I don’t love it all!  I thought you had drowned!” he exclaimed, going off into a passive tirade.  “You know, I was going to try to save you?  I don’t know how, but I was about to pull the plug--literally.”

“You are my hero, Vincent.  Thank you for valiant effort.”

From far beneath him, two hands emerged from the surface and scooped him up out of the water and brought him to Susanna’s face.  Her lips were just above the surface, but enough so to enveloped in a kiss.  Torrents of water were racing each other down the wet locks of her hair and back into the tub.  The occasional droplets converged on the tip of her nose and dripped down upon him.  It was the wettest kiss Vincent had ever received.

“See, now I can’t tell if you’re being condescending or not.”

“I mean it!  I knew you would rescue me.  I have the utmost confidence in you.  You are very mighty and powerful, and we both know that.  I’m being very serious.”  Her face matched her tone, backing her conviction.  “And to prove it, I have a reward.”

Vincent’s eyes rose at this, his interest piqued.  “Oh?”

A smiling Susanna gently lowered Vincent back into the water.  She decided against dropping him, lest she push her luck with his patience.

“Well?  What’s my reward?” he said as he floated in front of her.

Suddenly, the previously calm surface of the water began to churn and swirl.  Great waves formed as the entire body of water sloshed back and forth, nearly flowing over the edge of the tub!  Susanna was moving!  Her head drew farther away from Vincent, leaving him swimming alone in the midst of the sea.  Trying to escape from the turbulent waters, he tried to swim towards the side of the tub.  Before he could reach it, however, he discovered that he was no longer swimming...but standing.  Something was lifting him up out of the water, but Susanna’s hands were behind her head.

Vincent’s confusion cleared as he looked down to see two massive islands arising from below!  The twin mounds of Susanna’s breasts emerged from the warm, soapy bathwater -- one directly beneath him!  Before long, he was no longer in the bath, but was resting upon the top of her left breast, which rose several feet above the surface.

Susanna was very amused by all of this, especially by the surprised look on Vincent’s face.  As soon as he realized what was happening, she could see that he approved.  She giggled once more, then tilted her head back and closed her eyes, allowing him to have some “free time.”

While Vincent did indeed approve, he found her breast to be extremely slippery.  The water combined with the soap made it very hard for him to remain on top.  He tried to stand, but he slipped and fell to his belly.  When he started to slide, he flailed his arms around, trying to find something to which he could hold on.  He reached out and grabbed the only thing he could: her nipple.  As he fumbled around it, the nipple grew hard and erect, actually making it easier for him to hold on.

This, of course, caught Susanna’s attention and when she saw the ridiculous sight of the little man desperately hanging onto her breast, she broke onto into hearty laughter and tilted her head back again.  The resulting quaking was enough to dislodge Vincent’s grasp.  He slipped down her slope of her breast backwards, quickly splashing into the waters by her neck.

When he surfaced, Susanna was still laughing and Vincent could see the column of her throat bobbing in front of him.  He considered scaling it, but her skin was too slick.  He had another idea.  Swimming over to the side, he made his way to her hair, which appeared as a cascading waterfall.  When wet, her hair was a much darker shade of reddish-brown.  Grabbing a hold of some damp strands, he ascended.  

Being close to her ear, Susanna could hear Vincent’s grunting and groaning as he climbed passed it.  She was amused, but was curious as to what he was doing.  She could feel him reach higher and higher until he was standing on top of her forehead.

“Vincent, what are you planning?”

“You’ll see,” he said, catching his breath.  “Tilt your head just a little bit backward, please.”

She complied, still unsure of what his schemes were.  The next second, she watched as his little body sprinted across her face and up the slope of her nose.  From there, he did a handspring, somersaulting over her lips and landing on her chin, followed by one last forward leap off of her face.  Soaring through the air, he assumed a swan dive position and plunged gracefully into the bath.

“Ta da!” he said proudly when he resurfaced.

“Wow!  Very impressive!”

“Yeah, I know.  I thought you would like that.”

After this, Vincent paddled around some more, cavorting around the “islands,” and enjoying the waterslide effect each one of them had.  By now, though, the water was no longer lukewarm, but nearly cold.  Susanna was getting a little chilly.

“Well, Vincent, I hate to ruin your fun, but I think bath time is over.  My hands are getting pruny and I’m getting cold.”

“Oh, alright...”

“Besides,” she continued, “Rebecca is probably going to be back from her walk, soon.  It would probably be best if we were both decent when she returned.  Why don’t you get out first and stand over by the sink?  I don’t want you to accidentally get sucked down the drain!”

Such a thought made Vincent shudder and he swiftly complied.  From the pedestal, he watched as her naked form rose from the tub, gallons of water plummeting off of her shimmering body, flowing towards the far end of the basin where it was swept through the now-open drain.  She reached for her towel, ending his peepshow.  

“You know what?” Vincent said.  “I like baths!”

“I thought you would.  But do you want to know something?  The reason I tricked you in here in the first place was because you needed one!”

 

Rebecca sat on the bed going through color samples while Susanna arranged her wardrobe.  The sisters had spent much of the morning and early afternoon in Susanna’s bedroom, arranging and re-arranging furniture and debating interior design.  Occasionally, one of the girls would ask Vincent his input or opinion on something, trying to keep him engaged, but it was clear that this was not his area of interest by any means.  He sat on the dresser quietly.

“Vincent, I can tell that you’re finding this dreadfully boring,” Susanna said.

Vincent had been pondering.  It took a second for him to snap back to attention and to acknowledge that Susanna was talking to him.  He looked up at her.

“I know you skipped breakfast,” Susanna continued.  “If you’re hungry, why don’t you visit the kitchen?  That is, unless Rebecca’s devoured all the food already…”

“Hey!” the sister retorted.

“Don’t worry.  I ate a raisin earlier.”

“Oh wow.  A raisin!” Susanna said in faux amazement.  “Did you eat all of it, or are you saving half for later?”

“Ha-ha,” said Vincent.  “I ate it all and it was quite delicious, thank you very much.”  He stood up and stretched, rubbing his full little belly.  

“Very well,” Susanna said with a muffled voice as she rummaged through the closet.  A few moments later, she emerged with an idea: “Hey, why don’t you show Rebecca more of your abilities?”

Rebecca’s eyes widened with excitement at the suggestion.  “Oh, would you please?!  I’ve been dying with fascination!  Show me your magic!”

“She’s already seen most of what I can do.  But I suppose I can run through the trick book...”

Vincent was willing to oblige with the request.  If anything, it would get his mind on other things; for since its discovery, his thoughts were on the library globe.  What did that mysterious button do?  His imagination could not resist nipping and nibbling at the possibilities like a dog with a steak.  He couldn’t leave it alone.  He wanted to depart and investigate it further, but he did not want to arouse the sister’s suspicions just yet.

“Well, let’s see here.  You already know that I can fly.  That’s perhaps what I do the most.”  He demonstrated as he spoke, walking directly off the edge of the dresser and continuing on nonchalantly in Rebecca’s direction.

She smiled.  “You make it look so easy.  You treat the air just like ground beneath your feet!”

“Walking is a little easier than flying, but neither is that difficult.  It’s just second nature to me.  You never think much about putting one foot in front of the other, do you?  Flying requires being more deliberate, but it’s not that difficult to do something like this…”  

He continued his demonstration by soaring upwards and diving downwards, flying in circles and loop-the-loops.  The sisters responded to his aerobatic maneuvers with light applause.

Moving on, Vincent exhibited pyrokinesis.  Standing not too far in front of Rebecca’s face, he could see her green eyes widen when he flicked his wrist and a small flame appeared in his palm.  He repeated the movement a couple of times and proceeded to juggle three little burning orbs like a circus performer.  After a few rounds, he combined the three together into one much larger flame, then slowly guided it closer to Rebecca.

“Make a wish!”

The mesmerized Rebecca took a moment to understand the instruction.  She paused in thought, smiled, then blew the flame out like a candle.  Vincent was not prepared for the force of the gust which was sent forth from her puckered lips.  He lost his balance and fell a few inches before he recovered.  

“Wow!  That must have been some wish!” he said when he flew back up to level of where he had been.

“Sorry!  I guess I don’t know the strength of my own lungs.”

“What did you wish for?” Susanna asked semi-curiously.

“I can’t tell you or it won’t come true!  I’m not like Vincent over here who can make create anything he wants.”

“Well, that’s not entirely true...” Vincent explained.  “I can’t make anything.  It has to be simple.  If you were to ask me to conjure that clock, for instance, I would have no idea where to start.  The more familiar I am with something, like the flowers of the forest, the easier it is for me to reproduce it.  Furthermore, more complicated items require a great amount of mental exertion and are only temporary.”

“Vincent made me a dress once!” Susanna cheerfully bragged.  “It was beautiful and looked just like the periwinkle dress that Mother gave me, except it shimmered in the light like his own clothing.”

“Oh, now I’m absolutely jealous!  Can you make me a dress, too, Vincent?  Pretty pleaseeee?” Rebecca begged with pleading eyes.

“That dress was a challenge.  If I recall, it took me a few tries to get the proportions right. I was doing it from memory.  And afterwards, I was exhausted.  So no, I don’t think I can make you a dress right now, Rebecca.  I’m sorry.  But maybe for your birthday?”

“Okay…” Rebecca responded with a little frown and a pout.  “But my birthday’s not until June!”

Vincent thought for a second.  “Maybe I can get you an early birthday present, then.  Open your hands, close your eyes, then count to five,” he instructed her.  

Rebecca eagerly complied.  When her eyes opened and saw what Vincent had made, they opened even further in amazement.  Resting between her two palms was a single, yellow rose. Its petals were perfectly shaped and its was without blemish.

“Oh my heavens.  This is wonderful!  Vincent, you made this?”

“That’s nothing,” said Susanna.  “You should see the gardens he has made: whole fields of the most beautiful flowers you have ever seen!”

Vincent was pleased to make the sisters happy.  It was not long ago that he had not been able to share his gifts with anyone.  To experience the appreciation of others was something that he had come to--well, appreciate.

“Is there anything else that you can do?” Rebecca inquired.

The answer to that question was quite nebulous.  In practical terms, there was no limit to Vincent’s powers.  Anything that he could imagine in his mind, he could make a reality.  However, the prospect of this absolutely terrified him.  As such, he deliberately restrained and controlled his powers.  He feared what would happen were he a lesser-willed man.  Havok would certainly ensue.  Vincent certainly wasn’t going to reveal the true answer to Rebecca, of course.

“I’ve got one more thing for right now.  This is something new that I’ve been working on.  It was Susanna’s idea actually.  What was it that you called it?  Telekinesis?”

The yellow rose was soon lifted right out of Rebecca’s hands by an unseen force.  It moved up and down, to the left and to the right, before coming back and resting in her lap.

“Impressive!”

“It’s been very handy, especially when I’m feeling exceptionally lazy.”

“Last I saw,” said Susanna, “you could only move small pebbles.  Pretty soon you’ll be able to lift me!”

“Well, I don’t know about that.  You are much heav--” Vincent wisely stopped himself, his sentence trailing off into mumbles.

“Uh huh,” Susanna said, crossing her arms.  “Nice save, mister.”

 

~+~+~

 

After his presentation, Vincent excused himself while the sisters continued setting up Susanna’s room.  He said he was going to continue exploring the manor, but there was only one destination for him.  He made a beeline to the library.  

It did not take him long to find the button again, hidden among the painted-on islands in the northern hemisphere.  It wasn’t hard to understand how it could go unnoticed.  Only someone who knew it was there, or someone as small as Vincent, could have detected it.  Pressing it in as hard as he could, the mechanism within the globe clicked a few times, followed by a loud snap!

Vincent waited in eager anticipation.  He could hear the sounds of something mechanical in nature and of gears and ropes and pulleys.  It was followed by the sound of something heavy grinding and sliding and moving.  It was greatly exciting and Vincent's heart started racing!  

Then the noises ceased.  Several seconds passed.  Vincent continued waiting.

Nothing.

Vincent looked around the room.  Everything looked exactly the same.  Nothing had changed.  Nothing was different.  He was quite disappointed and perplexed.  He was certain that he had heard something happening.  What was going on?

Vincent was about to return to Susanna’s room when he felt a cool, light breeze overtake him.  Pages in a nearby open book went flipping passed.  It was strange and unseemly.  The windows were still closed, but the autumn chill was creeping in from some place in the room.  Leaping to the ground, he sought out the breeze’s mysterious source.  It was slightly stronger near the southern side of the library and persisted even when he stood next to the wall.

The wind appeared strongest near the grandfather clock.  Vincent stood on the ground before the majestic monolith, his eyes going back and forth as he watch its pendulum sway back and forth with each second of time.  His hair was swept back as the air rushed over him.  Vincent was tempted to conjure a fire for warmth, but he knew that the wind would have blown it out immediately.

Further investigation proved to be fruitful...and results were more peculiar.  The clock stood pressed up against the far wall almost as far as it could go.  Even Vincent could not squeeze behind it and there was certainly no way he would be able to move it.  However, he found that he might be able to fit underneath.  The body of the clock rested on four short feet, not much taller than Vincent.  If he stooped his head, he would able to walk underneath the clock fairly easily.  

Making his way past a veritable army of dust-bunnies, Vincent reached the south wall...but it wasn’t there. The wall was gone!  Had the clock not stood where it was, a passage would have been revealed in its place.  It was evident that whatever Vincent had activated by pressing that button had opened up a panel in the wall.  That was the noise he had heard.  

It was from within that darkness before him that the breeze made its way into the room.

And it was into that darkness that Vincent bravely ventured forth...    

 

 

The void beckoned him to enter.  A step forward into the darkness was like a plunge into deeper waters.  It was cold and unwelcoming at first...but as his body grew acclimated, it became strangely comforting.  Here, the breeze was not so strong and Vincent was left in an eerie silence.  The abyss seductively dared him to keep walking; he obeyed.

The ground beneath Vincent’s feet was no longer hardwood, but stone.  It was smooth, but covered in a thin layer of dust.  It gritted beneath his shoes as he walked.  He moved slowly and cautiously, as he could not even see the hands in front of his face.  As it were, his caution was well merited: before long, the floor ended and dropped down an unknown distance.  At this point, the light from the library was completely gone.  If he hadn’t been more careful, he would have easily fallen.

Despite the unspoken disdain of the darkness, Vincent brought forth illumination.  Conjuring a flame, light was allowed to shine where it had not in many, many ages.  It took a moment for his eyes to adjust.  He was in a narrow passage.  He had walked well beyond where he had entered behind the grandfather clock.  He could make out its back blocking the majority of the entryway.  Compared to the halls of Cairnbridge Manor, the passage was quite cramped--though for a man of his small stature, it was still colossal.  Susanna and Rebecca, however, would not have had much room to maneuver.

Vincent looked down from the edge to see more ground below.  It went on for a short distance before dropping down again.  He could not see more than that, but it was clear to him that this was a stairway.  Where it led was still an enigma, but he was determined to find out.  Rather than flying to the bottom, he decided upon a more cautious approach.  Taking a leap from the top stair, Vincent guided and slowed his fall, landing on the next step with a soft thud.  He continued on with the next one, and the next, and the next.  

Each stair turned to the right, descending in a tight downward spiral.  Vincent did not know how much time had passed in his journey down the stone staircase.  A few minutes?  An hour?  He also did not know how far below the library he had descended.  Perhaps he had journeyed down to the very depths of Hades itself.  Or maybe he was just in the cellar.  It was difficult to discern.  

When he had reached the final step, the passage had opened up into a much greater room.  It was not nearly the size of the dining hall or even the library, but was slightly bigger than one of the manor’s bedrooms.  

In order to further his investigation, Vincent allowed himself to risk a little more light.  He was a little uneasy at the sight of several cobwebs around the room.  Cobwebs were generally signs of their arachnid occupants.  Vincent did not like spiders...at all.  Upon inspection, it appeared that these had been abandoned for quite some time.  That, of course, did not deter him from casually lobbing a ball of flame in the direction of each and every web he saw.  The fires quickly consumed them.  Better safe than sorry, he thought.

There were a few pieces of furniture in the room, though they were markedly different than that which filled the rest of the manor.  The furnishings were much older and from a different era.  Compared to the more ornate, elegant decor elsewhere in the estate, these were simpler and more basic.  They obviously served a more utilitarian nature than an aesthetic one.  A wooden desk stood against one of the stone walls.  Next to it stood a tall shelf not too different from the ones upstairs, though it held no books (to Vincent’s disappointment.)  Instead, it held several glass containers and odd trinkets and other unknown equipment unlike any other Vincent had seen.  Perhaps one of the sisters could determine their uses, but Vincent was clueless.  

Apart from a small corner table, a bench, and a simple chair, the room was otherwise spartan and bare.

Vincent lept into the air and flew to the desk, as it was the most prominent feature in the room, but also because he found that a candlestick was resting upon it.  He lit the three half-melted candles and extinguished his own flame.  This allowed him more illumination as well as more freedom to go around without risking accidentally torching the whole place.

The extra light revealed the only decoration in the entire room: a portrait of a woman.  It hung above the desk and did not take up much space on the wall.  The painting itself was not elaborate.  It barely would have qualified as a work of art, not much more than a rudimentary sketch.  Still, the woman in the painting appeared to be young and beautiful.  Her visage was irenic and her eyes looked out with a calm gaze.  Her clothes appeared plain, but she was nonetheless alluring.  Vincent studied the portrait for several seconds before continuing on.  It evoked feelings of wonder.  Who was this woman?  Did she live here once?  Why was her painting hanging in a hidden room underneath the library?!  

There were still many questions without any real hope of finding any answers...except, perhaps, the book that was resting on the desk right next to him.

“Well, well…” Vincent whispered aloud.  He walked around the aged book, examining it with curiosity.  

The cover was old and worn.  The bound leather showed signs of use, appearing to have been read and handled many times before.  On the desk beside the book was the long feather of a bird resting in a small bottle.  A dark liquid has once filled the container, but it had long since dried up.  Vincent was unsure as to its purpose and assumed it was just another decoration.

Opening the book was going to prove a little difficult for Vincent, as the cover was surprisingly heavy and he was just too short to move it anywhere even if he could lift it.  Now was an opportunity to use one of his new abilities!  Extending his arm with his palm upwards, Vincent slowly raised his hand.  The book’s cover moved with it.  Very slowly, it opened and its pages were revealed.  

A smug smile of satisfaction was upon Vincent’s face.  “Easy peasy.”

Walking upon the pages of the book, Vincent took note of the markings on its yellowed parchment.  Every page was filled with scrawlings.  These were different from the typed letters of the library’s books.  They appeared to be done by hand.  (Vincent was clever enough to make the connection that the feather was used as a writing instrument.  The poor bird, though!)  

“You know, I really wish Susanna would teach me how to read,” he sighed.

The letters were unintelligible to Vincent.  They might as well have been random scratchings and doodles for all he knew.  It was frustrating.  He felt like had uncovered a treasure chest but didn’t have the key.

“Maybe Susanna or Rebecca can decipher these words…” he thought, scratching his head.  

Vincent was about continue his reconnaissance when he was interrupted by the unexpected call of his name.  

“Vincent!”  

A voice called out in the distance and darkness, barely audible to Vincent’s ears.  It came from above:  “Vincent, are you in here?”

“Susanna!” he exclaimed.  “Great forest, how long have I been down here?  She must be looking for me!”

 

~+~+~

 

Vincent hurriedly extinguished the candlestick’s flames with a wave of his hand, then made a flying leap into the air.  Zooming through the room, he found his way to the stony, spiral staircase.  He was not going to bother climbing them the slow way, but would take full advantage of the ability of flight.  It took him a fraction of the time to ascend the stairs than it took him to descend.  Before long, he was back in the passage behind the grandfather clock.

“Vincent!  Vincent, where are you?” he heard Susanna call.

“Didn’t he say he was going to be in here?” This voice was Rebecca’s.  “I mean, where else would he be?  He loves this old library...but, does he even know how to read?”

“No, but he loves to look at the books.  He thinks they’re are magical.”

“Really?”

“He’s actually quite clever,” Susanna smiled as she recalled an earlier conversation.  “I told him that books contained stories and knowledge and anything else from the writer’s mind.  Some books are fantasies and adventures, others are biographies, some are collections of poetry, and so on.  Do you know what he said?  He said that they were ‘like him’...they take dreams and make them real.”

“Wow,” Rebecca remarked.  “I didn’t know Vincent could wax philosophical like that.”

“Don’t underestimate the little guy!  There’s more power and potential in him than you realize.  Now if only he weren’t so hard to find…,” Susanna said.  “Oh, I really hope he isn’t hurt!  What if a book fell on him?!”

“Oh, don’t worry, sister,” Rebecca assured.  “Vincent’s tougher than a book.  ‘Power and potential,’ right?”

Their conversation continued while Vincent remained hidden.  From beneath the clock, his view of the library was oddly framed.  He could see only Susanna and Rebecca’s lower legs as they walked around in search of him.  Four slipper-clad feet made their way around the room, stopping occasionally, before coming to the grandfather clock.  Each one of their house slippers was the size of a small boat compared to him.  He needed to be careful.  Vincent was never too afraid of being caught underfoot, but the girls were still unaware of his location and that made being on the floor more precarious.  

“Is it a little chilly in here to you?”

“A little.  My feet are freezing!”  

“Oh, I really hope the heat isn’t going out...” said Susanna.  “First day as manager of the estate and already I’m having problems!”

“We did hear that loud grinding noise.  Do you think that was the furnace?”

“I don’t think so, but who knows?  This house is ancient.  I’m not even sure where the furnace is.  There are probably more rooms in Cairnbridge Manor than we know.  If Vincent’s out exploring, it might be a while before we see him again.  There is a lot of territory to discover.”

Vincent decided that now was likely the best time to come out from his hideout.  He didn’t want Susanna to worry.  However, he didn’t want to startle her...much.  

 A mischievous grin overtook Vincen’ts face.

“Susanna’s not the only one who can pull pranks,” Vincent whispered deviously.  “The opportunity is ripe...but what should I do?”

The sight of the quill was still in his memory.  Something like that would be perfect for his plans!  Vincent closed his eyes and within an instant, a small feather appeared in his hands.  He ran its fibers through his fingers, twirling it about, then smiled.  

Vincent’s intentions would be too dangerous if he were to leave the safety of the grandfather clock.  He would need to remain at a distance.  Levitating the feather in the air, he sent it out from his hiding spot...and directly next to Susanna’s left foot.  Her slipper left much of her skin exposed.  The sensitive flesh was vulnerable.  It would quickly take notice of something soft and delicate brushing itself along the arch of her foot…

“Ah!!  Ah-hahaha!  What in the world--?!”

Susanna went into a panic as soon as she felt something tickling her feet.  Her first fear was that it was a mouse or some other small rodent.  She took several quick steps back, scanning the ground for the offending creature.  Rebecca was naturally quite confused, but could sense from her sister’s reaction that something small was making its way around the floor.

“There it is!” Rebecca exclaimed.

Vincent guided the feather around the room, chasing Susanna and Rebecca around, tickling their feet wherever they went.  They leapt and danced about in a frenzy.  The sounds of their frightened giggles and yelps and shrieks echoed throughout the library.  They could not escape it, nor could they catch it before it eluded their grasp.

“Is that a feather?”

“It won’t stop tickling me.  It’s torture!”  

“Stop it!  Stop it!”

“Is it a ghost?  Is Cairnbridge haunted?”

In the very next moment, both sisters understood exactly what was happening.

“VINCENT!!”

The feather fell to the floor.  The sound of a very small man rolling on the floor with laughter quickly gave away Vincent’s location.  Susanna dropped down on her knees and peered underneath the clock.  Vincent did not stop laughing even as a great hand reached towards him, grabbing him and bringing him out into the light.

“Why, you little devil!”

The sisters were catching their breath.  Their faces did not portray amusement and looked down at Vincent with furrowed brows.  Vincent, of course, did not care.  He had found the whole escapade delightfully funny.

“I should have known from the beginning,” tsked Susanna.  “Are you satisfied with yourself, young man?”

The look of glee was the answer to her question.

Susanna shook her head and rolled her eyes.  By now, she and Vincent had exchanged their fair share of pranks--probably unevenly so from her.  If he could be tolerant of her antics, she could be forgiving when it came to his.  

Rebecca, on the other hand, never enjoyed being on the receiving end of a joke or shenanigan.  While Susanna had calmed down quickly, her baby sister was still visibly upset.  Her face was as red and her blood as fiery as the curls of her hair.  

“Hand me over to me!  We’ll see if the little jester is ticklish himself!  Where did that feather go?”

Rebecca scanned the floor for a couple seconds, but couldn’t find it.  Annoyed, she lunged for Susanna and attempted to grab Vincent out of her hands.  Susanna, of course, resisted.  She quickly cupped her other hand around him and raised him away from Rebecca’s reach.

“Give him here!”

“No!” Susanna said firmly.  

The sisters wrestled for a moment, neither choosing to relent.  Susanna was only two inches taller than Rebecca, but in times like this, it worked to her advantage.  

“Rebecca, what’s gotten into you?  It was just a harmless little joke.  Leave him be.”

Rebecca huffed and crossed her arms.  “I hate being tickled!  You know that!”

“Yes...but Vincent didn’t, did he?  Calm down.”

Rebecca resented her sister’s logic and reason.  Of course, she knew Susanna was right, though she would never admit it.  Vincent hadn’t known any better and he wasn’t being malicious.  Still, Rebecca was always more driven by her emotions than her older sister and in this moment, she just wanted to be upset. 

“Bec, if I recall, the last time Father tried tickling you, you kicked him square in the jaw!  Were you planning on doing the same to Vincent?”

“No…,” she said sheepishly.  “I just wanted to give him a dose of his own medicine!  Just a little tickling back.  That’s all!”

“But Rebecca, you could have hurt him!  He’s much smaller than you, remember?”

To this, Vincent had to interject.  From within Susanna’s cupped palms, a voice cried out: “Now, listen here!”

“Oh Vincent, you know what I mean,” Susanna said, taking her hand away.

“I don’t need you to protect me!  I can protect myself.  Especially from Rebecca!  I’m not afraid of her, she’s just a little girl!”

“A little girl?!” exclaimed an offended Rebecca.  “I am eighteen years old!  I am a woman!  And who are you to call ‘little?’”

Riled up again, Rebecca lunged for Vincent once more.  This time, however, Susanna did not have time to close her hands.  Instead, Vincent leapt from her palm and into the air, dodging Rebecca’s grabbing fingers.  She went after him, grasping at him in the air over and over to no avail, which only heightened her frustration.

“Pbbbttt!”  Vincent blew a raspberry in Rebecca’s face, infuriating her even further.

“Vincent, you are not helping the situation!” Susanna cried out.

The quarreling duo went around the room in their struggle, from bookcase to bookcase, over the sofa and reading chairs, while Susanna helplessly looked on.  At one point, Rebecca finally managed to grab Vincent.  As she was considering what she was going to do now that she had caught him, she let out a shriek.  He had bit her!  Vincent’s teeth could never have broken the skin, but the prick had caught her unexpectedly.  

Seizing the escape opportunity, Vincent dove out Rebecca’s hands and flew down close to the floor.  She bent over trying to catch him again, but he flew between her legs.  Before she could stand up and turn around, Vincent had positioned himself right behind her ample, vulnerable derriere.  He reeled back, then let out a swift kick to her buttocks as hard as he could!  His foot landed in her flesh, but the impact barely registered.  He was about to go in for another hit, but was interrupted by a stern voice.

“The two of you stop it...NOW!”

Susanna was exasperated.  She had had enough.  Marching over to the two miscreants, she pinched Vincent out of the air while he was busy laughing at Rebecca, then placed a firm hand on her sister, keeping her an arm’s distance away.  The tone of her voice made it clear that Susanna was quite serious.  Neither Rebecca nor Vincent dared to challenge her.  All it took was that one sentence to instill in both of them a feeling of utter shame.

After several moments of silence, Susanna finally spoke up: “Are you finished?”

They nodded repentantly.

“Good.  Now, apologize to each other.”

Upon Susanna’s prodding, both confessed all that they had done wrong and exchanged apologies.

“Great!  Well, I’m ready to continue on with our day, so why don’t you two hug and we’ll call this matter settled?”

The two looked at Susanna with puzzled expressions, checking to see if she was serious.  Her eyes affirmed that she was.  With hesitance, Vincent flew towards Rebecca and she gingerly placed her hands on his back.  Despite the awkwardness, Rebecca slowly drew him closer to her chest, which he embraced with his outstretched arms.  As soon as the minimum amount of time had elapsed, they parted to a good distance.

Susanna smiled with approval.  

“Very good.  Now...Vincent, why don’t you explain to Rebecca and I exactly what you were doing in the library?”

Once when she was a child out adventuring through the forests of Cairnbridge, Susanna had stumbled upon a cave.  The entrance was not easily seen, as it was only a narrow opening in the wall of a rocky ravine.  She had ran by it many times before noticing it on that day.  It immediately stoked the fire of curious adventure within her and she was compelled to explore what lay within.

While her mother would certainly not approve of Susanna’s spelunking, it was her mother, after all, that had filled her imagination with stories of adventure and fantasy.  Many evenings were spent reading to her daughters before bed.  They would always protest when she came to the end of a chapter, longing to hear what would happen next.  It was sometimes difficult to ignore their pleadings, especially when she knew that she was leaving them on a cliffhanger, but the girls would undoubtedly continue the story in the imaginings of their dreams.

The air of the cave was cool, as were its craggy walls.  Young Susanna entered cautiously.  Her hands touched both sides of the passage, her fingertips guiding her along the way.  She had to bend her knees as she walked in order to avoid rubbing her head against the roof and dirtying her auburn pigtails.  Though the darkness invited fear, her sense of wonder prevailed.  Her inquisitive mind simply had to know where this led and what secrets it held.  Was there treasure?  Was there an underground kingdom?  Would she finds bears or trolls?  Or would she perhaps have the greatest of fortunes...and find fairies?

That would have delighted the young girl to no end!  But sadly, she did not find a fairy that day.  There were no castles in the cavern.  She didn’t even find a ferocious beast guarding the way forward.  Instead, the cave simply stopped.  Though she had managed to squeeze her little body quite far into the rock, it was for nothing.  She had to turn around, disappointed.

Later, Susanna’s mother would chastise her for soiling her clothes.  They were covered in dirt!  (This was a common recurrence whenever their family visited Cairnbridge.)  Little Rebecca, who was too young to leave the house, was sorely jealous.  She pouted when their mother made Susanna change into one of Rebecca’s dresses.  Despite being a tad small on her, the extended family was having dinner that night.  Susanna remembered the embarrassment of having to constantly pull the dress down over her knees, much to their cousin Veronica’s snide amusement.  

Susanna would revisit that little grotto many times over the course of her childhood.  She would revisit it in many more times in her dreams, where all of the wonders of her imagination would come true...especially the fairies. 

~+~+~

 

Many years had passed since Susanna had last thought of the forest cave, but it was immediately brought to her mind as she squeezed into the narrow passageway behind the grandfather clock.  The air, the cold walls, and the darkness of the corridor all evoked those childhood memories.  This time, though, there were no dead ends.  And this time, she had a fairy!  (Well, close enough…)

“It’s not much further,” said Vincent, who led the way with a large flame.

“Good!” said Rebecca, who was reluctantly bringing up the rear.  “This isn’t as easy for us as it is for you!” 

“You want to see the secret room, don’t you?  Then you’re going to have to keep going.  The stairs are right over there.” 

Vincent had revealed to the sisters everything he had discovered, despite his desire to keep quiet for it for a bit longer.  Apparently, he had aroused suspicion.  Even though he was so little, Susanna was astute enough to read Vincent’s body language.  She knew him well enough to know when he was trying to keep a secret.  It didn’t take much questioning for him to tell them about the globe and the button and the grandfather clock.  With a combined effort, they were able to slide the clock to the side and see for themselves.

“This had better be worth it!  I’m feeling claustrophobic!”

“Hush, Rebecca!  Just keep walking,” Susanna said.

The trio made their way down the tight spiral staircase.  The sisters were quite relieved when it opened up into the much greater room, which offered them much more space to move around.  Though the basement room was not huge, they could at least stand up straight.  

“This is incredible!” Rebecca said with fascination.  

Susanna echoed that sentiment.  “This is quite the discovery, Vincent!  Who knows how long this has been hiding below Cairnbridge’s floors?”

“What is this place, anyway?”

“I was hoping you could tell me,” Vincent replied as he lit the candelabra.

“Well, obviously I doubt that this was a bedroom.  Maybe it was a private study?  It’s below the library, after all.  But whose?”

Susanna browsed the shelves, examining the odds and ends resting upon them.  Vincent sat upon her shoulder and observed curiously from there.  There were many empty glass flasks and bottles of differing sizes, a few wooden bowls, as well as a mortar and pestle.  Susanna opened up a little leather pouch and found an assortment of interesting rocks and stones; they looked familiar and she judged that they were gathered from the surrounding hills.  Apart from that, there were a couple of pieces of old equipment whose intended uses were unknown to her, but were fairly uninteresting.  

Meanwhile, Rebecca found herself drawn to the portrait of the young woman hanging on the back wall.  “She’s lovely,” she said when Susanna and Rebecca joined her.

“That she is.  She looks young, too...not much older than you and I.”

“Do you know her?” Vincent inquired.

“I don’t think so.  I mean, we’re probably related to her in some way, knowing Cairnbridge, but we could either be direct descendants or fifth cousins four times removed.”

“I can see the resemblance.  You both have lips...and a nose...and long hair.”

“...right.  Good eye there, Vincent.  She might as well be our mother!”

“Okay fine!  I haven’t seen very many young women.  You all look the same to me,” huffed Vincent.  “But anyway, maybe that book on the desk has some answers.  I tried reading it earlier, but I found myself inhibited by, you know, my inability to read...”

“I’m going to teach you!  I will!  We haven’t exactly had time for lessons, but if you’re so eager, we can get you started on the A-B-C’s tonight.”

Susanna flipped open to the first page of the book.  It exuded the musty, aged smell that many old books do.  Some found it to be an unpleasant odor, but Susanna didn’t mind it at all.  To her, it was the scent of memories.  The pages of the book were worn and she flipped through them with delicate care.  The handwritten language was of an older dialect, but the language was still comprehensible to her modern eyes. 

“What does it say?” asked Vincent after eagerly watching Susanna read silently for a few minutes.

“It’s someone’s notes.  I’m guessing it belonged to the person who used this room.  The ink is a little faded, but I can read most of it.  It’s written like a diary, but I can’t tell if this is supposed to be fictional or truth.”

“What do you mean?”

Susannna read from one of the pages: “There was a great celebration on top of the mountain.  Many guests were there.  But I did not see her.  Everyone watched as I fell…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Rebecca.

“I think this is a dream journal.  Yes, that would make more sense.  Every entry is different.  None are very long.  Most are short sentences describing what the author dreamed about the previous night.”

“Anything else?” Vincent asked.  

Susanna kept reading.  “More scribbles.  He keeps talking referring to ‘her.’  I’m assuming she’s the woman in the painting?  Whoever she is, she was apparently elusive.  She doesn’t show up in any of these dreams and it sounds like he’s getting increasingly frustrated.”  

Susanna kept glancing through the pages.  It was more of the same.  More dreams.  More vague notes.  Finally, when she came near the end of the book, she found an entry that was much more substantial, taking up several pages.  She read it aloud:

“I saw her last night!  She was there!  I am weeping even as I write this.  I feared I would never see her again, even in my dreams.  My beautiful Caterina!  She was just as fair and beautiful as I remembered.

I found her in the forest.  I wandered through the trees.  It was dark, but I saw a light in the distance.  I kept walking towards it.  It was her.  She was standing in a clearing among the trees.  She was dancing and laughing.  The sound of her laughter enraptured my heart.  I ran to join her.  When she saw me, she stopped dancing and smiled.  I feared that she would vanish like a mist, that this was just a cruel trick.  But she didn’t.  We embraced.  I felt her arms around me and they were warm.

We danced together.  We danced for an eternity and never grew tired.  Time did not flow quickly in that place.  We were not subject to its will.  This moment belonged to us.  It was ours, to replace the far too many moments that were stolen from us.  We deserved this.  I longed for this.  It was for this moment that I have traveled so many miles and learned so much and waited for patiently, often in vain and heartbreak.

We were alone, with the trees surrounding us the only witnesses to our sacred union.  After, we lay together in the soft grass.  I did not want to let her go, for fear of losing her again, and so I hugged her close.  We spoke very few words that night.  We didn’t need to.  She was my Caterina.  With her, I was no longer an old man.  I was young again, just as I was when we were together many years ago.  

I wanted to stay.  I wanted her to stay with me.  No greater desire have I ever yearned!  We could have lived there for the rest of time.  We were not in want of anything.  I felt no hunger or thirst.  But such was not our fate.  We both understood this.  The sun was rising.  The dream was ending.  

The last that I remember was the touch of her lips as they kissed my cheek.  Our tears mingled as they trickled down to where our faces met.  As our surroundings faded into an unwelcome light, she whispered gently into my ear:

‘I will love you always, my sweet Vincenzo...’

I awoke alone.  Though my heart still aches, it is finally content.  

This will be the last entry in this book.  I will no longer seek mastery over my dreams.  I will put away my potions and powders.  I will seal this place away.  Too great would be the temptation to try returning to that place.  I know that I cannot.  I must continue on this terrestrial plane for just a while longer, for the sake of my sons.  I will see my Caterina again in the age that is to come.  

Until then, I will dream no more.”

~+~+~

There was a silence in the room following the soft thud of the book being closed.  Susanna, Vincent, and Rebecca quietly took in the words that had just been read.

“Wow.”

“Great forest…”

“Is there nothing more?”

Susanna shook her head.  “But I think Sir Vincent said enough.”

Vincent eyebrows raised.  “He said his name was Vincenzo?”

“Yes.  Our ancestor: Sir Vincent of Cairnbridge.  He was born Vincenzo.  He’s the one I named you after.  He brought our family to his land many centuries ago and settled it,” Susanna answered.  “I can’t believe we actually found his journal!  This is incredible!”

“Fascinating!  And Caterina?”

“His wife,” answered Susanna.  “If I remember right, Caterina died in childbirth after their third son was born.  There’s a book upstairs in the library on our family’s history, but not much more is said about her.”

“You know so much about this place, sister,” Rebecca said thoughtfully.  “I must admit that I’ve taken it a little for granted.  But I’m starting to understand why you love Cairnbridge so much: it’s part of our family.”

Susanna was truly delighted to hear Rebecca say that.  She smiled at her sister, then gave her a quick poke in the ribs.  “Aww, my baby sister is growing up!”

“Ouch!” went Rebecca, who then stuck out her tongue.  “I was being serious!”  

“Rebecca being serious?  Well then!  Maybe that’s worth putting in the journal?” said Vincent.

“Ha!  I would watch your tongue.  You’re still not fully in the clear, sir.”  

To prove her point, Rebecca snatched Vincent up in one hand and unceremoniously inserted him into the empty ink bottle on the table.  

“Hey!” the tiny voice echoed out from within the darkened glass.  After a little bit of struggling, Vincent was able to squeeze himself out, but he was covered in a fine dusting of dry ink residue.

“Look what you did, Rebecca,” Susanna tsked.  “You’re going to have to clean him up, not me.”

“Oh, fine!  Come here, Vincent.”

Rebecca reached down and picked the ink-smudged little man up again.  He was caught between her thumb and forefinger, exposed but unable to move.  Vincent wriggled around, but to no avail.  His resisting escalated when he watched Rebecca stick her other index finger in her mouth.  It emerged covered in saliva and was brought closer and closer to him.

“No!  No, I refuse!  This is undignified!”

Rebecca simply smiled and rubbed her wet finger all over Vincent’s body until the ink was mostly clear.  He was a little cleaner, but looked disheveled and very annoyed.  As soon as her grip loosened, he hastily flew away.  He landed on top of the bookshelf, far from Rebecca’s grasp.

Susanna giggled.  “Just be glad she just used her finger!  She could have just plopped you in her mouth to clean you off!”

“Yuck!” said Rebecca at the thought of it.  “No thanks.”

Vincent said nothing in response.  He was quite tired of saliva in general.  Turning around, he walked to the other side of the shelf to dry himself off and to regain his composure.  He took a few steps, then stopped.  A while passed without any word from him.  

“Vincent, are you okay?  Come on down so we can head back upstairs.  Rebecca apologizes.”

“It’s true.  I’m sorry.  I’m also a little cold, so if you could hurry up, that’d be great…”

There was no response.

“Vincent?”

The sisters looked at each other, both with a slight look of worry.  The bookshelf was too tall for them to see if Vincent was okay.  Even on their tiptoes, he was still out of sight.

Finally, after several concerned seconds, they heard a response: “I...I’m alright.  I found something!  It’s heavy.  I’m trying to move it.  Don’t worry!”

Rebecca placed her foot on the bottom shelf and attempted to climb the front of the bookcase like a ladder.  She was more agile than her sister, who helped by steadying her from below and pushing on the bookcase to keep it from toppling over.  Rebecca managed to grab onto the top ledge and pull herself up.  It was dark and dusty, but she was able to make out Vincent’s little form.  

Vincent was standing next to a large ceramic vessel that stood taller than him.  His body was bent at an angle as he pushed it along.  The trail in the dust showed that he had made it several inches already.  He grunted as he put his shoulder into it, but it was exhausting him and he was getting nowhere.

“Need some help?”

“I’ve got it!” said Vincent, a little surprised.  In his exertion and determination, he hadn’t noticed Rebecca’s head appear from below.  

Rebecca ignored him.  She carefully removed one hand from the ledge and reached for the clay bottle.  This left her balance a little off.  Down below, Susanna had to do her best to keep her sister from falling.  Vincent reluctantly moved to the side as Rebecca’s fingers clutched around the container.  She was able to get a good grip and pick it up, a task that was far easier for her than it was for Vincent.  

“Got it!”

“Rebecca, be careful!” Vincent shouted.

It was too late.  Rebecca lost her balance.  She swayed backwards away from the bookshelf, but with the jar in her hand, she was unable to grab a hold of the shelf.  Susanna looked up in terror, helpless now to keep her sister from falling.  Try as she might, Susanna couldn’t fully support the shifting weight.  Her knees buckled and both women went down.

“Rebecca!”

Though she hadn’t fallen more than five feet, Rebecca made full impact with the stone floor.  She landed on her back with a thud, then tumbled and rolled to the side.  Vincent dove from the ledge and joined Susanna, who was racing to check on her sister.  When they got to Rebecca, she was slowly writhing on the ground, unable to get up.

In Rebecca’s hand was the broken vessel.  It had shattered on impact and its contents were revealed.  A colorful, sand-like powder had spilled out all over the ground...and all over Rebecca.  Hundreds and hundreds of the tiny, dark blue grains covered her from her hair to her dress to her sandals.  

“Rebecca!  Are you okay?!”

“Uggghhh...I-I’m fine.  Damn, that hurt!”

“Can you stand?”

Rebecca nodded and reached out to grab Susanna’s hand.  She wobbled around for a bit, but was able to get back on her feet with help.

“I think I’m okay.  But I think I broke that bottle,” she said, looking around at the mess around her.  “Oh, and my dress!  I’m covered in sand!  And--and...oh, actually...I don’t feel well at all.  My head is pounding.  I feel faint…”

Rebecca dipped and swayed to the ground, but Susanna caught her.  She placed her little sister’s arm around her shoulders and started dragging her to the stairs.

“Quickly!” Susanna shouted to Vincent.  “We need to get her upstairs right away!”

+~+~+

 

By the time they got upstairs, Rebecca was barely conscious.  Susanna had done all that she could to carry her up the stairs and was physically exhausted from the effort.  They made it to Rebecca’s bedroom.  The younger sister collapsed on the bed upon arrival.  Her eyelids fluttered.  Her arms and legs were too weak to move.

“I feel...I feel so tired…”  Rebecca said in a near whisper.  “I’ll be okay.  Just let me rest…”

Susanna and Vincent worriedly looked on as Rebecca fell asleep. 

 

Rebecca did not wake up.  

Susanna sat next to her on the bed, stroking a hand through her sister’s hair, her fingers coursing through the soft, crimson curls.  She had not left her side in several hours.  The sun was setting and she herself was growing tired, but she was determined to be there when Rebecca awoke.  Susanna had cleaned her up and dressed her in more comfortable pajamas.  She had hoped that brushing all the remaining sand off of her would help.  It did not.

“How is she?” Vincent asked as entered the room and took a seat on Susanna’s shoulder.

Susanna quietly shook her head.

“Oh.”  Vincent placed a small, comforting hand on Susanna’s neck.  “At least she’s sleeping soundly.”

“At least she’s not snoring, if that’s what you mean,” Susanna said with a little smile.

“Hey, that has to account for something!” he replied cheerfully.  “...it’s good to see you smile.  How are you doing?”

“I’m concerned, Vincent.  You and I both know that it wasn’t the fall that did this.”

“Now, we don’t know that for sure…”  

The platitude fell on deaf ears.  Susanna continued: “I don’t know what was in that bottle.  I don’t know what that sand did to my sister.  I don’t even care!  I just want her back.”

“She’ll wake up, my love.  It’s only been a few hours.  Maybe she’ll wake up in the morning!”

“But what if she doesn’t?  How long will this sleep go on?”

Vincent didn’t respond.  He wish he could give Susanna some answers.  As much as he was trying to remain optimistic and encouraging, inwardly he was concerned as well.  This was no regular slumber.  Something powerful had affected Rebecca.  He had silent fears in his mind--fears which he would not reveal to Susanna.

“It’s getting late,” Vincent said, hopping up.  “You must be getting hungry.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?  You’ve exerted a lot of energy today, both physically and emotionally.  Why don’t you take a break?  I’ll watch Rebecca.”

“Thank you, love.  But I’m alright.”

“I don’t believe you,” Vincent said.  He leapt from Susanna’s shoulder and onto her lap.  Approaching her abdomen, he knocked his knuckles on the soft wall of her belly.  He cupped a hand to his ear and listened.  “See?  Empty.  Nothing but echoes.”  

“Wait!  Actually, I hear something!”  A moment later, a sound resembling thunder resounded through the air.  Vincent didn’t even have to place his ear to Susanna’s stomach to hear the rumblings and grumblings coming from within.  He peered up at her face smugly.

Susanna sighed.  “Fine!  So maybe I’m a tad hungry.”

“I thought you would say that!  So I brought you something…”

Vincent whistled and made a motion with his hands, gesturing for something behind him to make an appearance.  A parade of levitating blueberries entered the room in single file and upon Vincent’s orders, they formed a floating bundle in front of Susanna’s face.

“Oh, blueberries!  Aww, you’re sweet.”

“Sorry I didn’t bring them on a plate.  That’s still a little too challenging for me.  Here, hold out your hands.”

Susanna smiled, but gently declined.  “I appreciate the gesture.  You know blueberries are my favorite.  But...I can’t right now.”

“Sure you can!  Blueberries are good at any time!  Especially these ones.  So ripe and juicy!”

“I couldn’t enjoy blueberries with the way...Rebecca is now.  It would seem a little selfish.”

Vincent shook his head.  “You’re a stubborn one, you know?  I’m sure Rebecca would want you to keep up your strength.”

“Oh, I’m stubborn?,” Susanna said, cocking an eyebrow.  “But again, thank you, but I just think I shouldn’t.  If you want them, you--”

Susanna’s sentence was interrupted by something flying directly into her mouth.  It caught her off guard, but she understood soon enough.  It was apparent that Vincent wasn’t going to let up, so she might as well eat the damn blueberry.  Full of sweet, delicious juice, it burst under light pressure.  

“Mmm...you’re right.  These are really good.”

“And there’s plenty more.  Open up!”

Susanna acquiesced, opening her mouth as wide as it could go.  “Ahhhhh!”

One by one, Vincent tossed each blueberry into the moist, red cavern.  He aimed low, not wanting to accidentally choke her by shooting one down Susanna’s throat.  Aim for the tongue, not the uvula! he said to himself.  The berry would bounce and roll around in her mouth before it would disappear from sight as the jaws closed around it.  When the lips parted again, it would have vanished.  

Soon, the interior of Susanna’s mouth was becoming more purple than pink.  

“More?”

 

Susanna nodded in affirmation and anticipation.

“Then allow me to make this more challenging.”  Vincent grabbed a blueberry and ran back until he was a few feet from Susanna’s face.  It took both hands for him to carry it.  “Catch!”

A blueberry was lobbed in Susanna’s general direction, but not too far off from her mouth.  She moved her head a couple of inches to the left and successfully caught the incoming morsel.  “Mmm.  Easy.  Next?”

“Well, I only have a one more.  How far away do you think you can catch it from?”

“Try me.”

Vincent thought for a second, then flew to the dresser on the other side of the room.  Susanna was now a good dozen feet away.  At this distance, he was starting to doubt his athletic ability.  Perhaps he would have to “cheat” a little...

“What’s wrong, Vincent?  Do you need me to stand up and come closer?” Susanna teased.

Vincent ignored her and concentrated.  Susanna stretched her mouth as far open as she could.  From afar, he could see her uvula dangling back and forth like a taunting goalkeeper, daring him to try sinking a berry past her.  Determined, he took a deep breath.  He bent his knees, then quickly took a couple steps forward.  Seizing that momentum, he hurled the blueberry away from his chest with all of his might!  The “ball” soared through the air, hurtling towards the awaiting mouth, which eagerly glistened with salivation.

Susanna’s mouth, however, would be disappointed.  Before the blueberry made it even half the distance, its arc reached its apex.  Soon after, it began descending and losing speed.  Before long, it would crash to the floor of the room with a squishy, anticlimactic splat.  That is to say, this is what Susanna fully expected.  But before she could close her mouth and smile haughtily at Vincent, the blueberry reappeared, flying up from below!  Instead of continuing on a corrected trajectory, it spiraled through the air.  Her eyes watched it zigging and zagging, looping and swooping, before the aerial berry came in for a landing on the runway of her tongue.

Susanna consumed the final blueberry with glee.  “Very impressive!  Unconventional...but impressive!”

Vincent struck a heroic pose, flexing his muscles and strutting around.

Susanna smiled and laughed as she watched the diminutive man continued his pseudo-masculine charade.  She let out a flurry of giggles, which led into laughter...which led into crying.

Vincent was more than a little surprised when he looked over to see tears streaming down Susanna’s face.  Immediately, he flew over to comfort her.  He placed soft small hand on her cheek and ran it across to wipe away a tear.  The kind gesture ended up soaking one sleeve of his shirt, but he repeated the act with her other cheek.  

“Look at me: I’m an emotional wreck!” Susanna said amidst sniffles.

“It’s okay.  You have every right to be.  You must be exhausted!”

“Yeah…I really am.” Susanna tittered through the tears.  

“Why don’t you rest here for the night?  There’s plenty of room next to Rebecca in the bed.  I’m sure she wouldn’t mind sharing!”

“I...I would like that.”

~+~+~

As Susanna got ready for sleep, Vincent sat quietly on the nightstand pondering the situation.  While he had been working on distracting Susanna and cheering her up, his mind continued to process what had happened in that hidden room.  He had strong fears that whatever spell or malady that Rebecca was suffering from would not let up anytime soon.  He would never let Susanna know this, but Rebecca urgently need help.  But from where?

A pair of lips bent down and enveloped Vincent in an evening kiss.  “Good night, my love,” Susanna spoke softly.  “And thank you for taking care of me and my sister.  I’ll sleep soundly knowing that you are here.”

“You can count on me.  I’ll be right here now, throughout the evening, and when the morning sun wakes you.”

Vincent was a man of his word and did not make promises lightly, but even as he spoke these reassuring words to Susanna, he knew that he would not keep them.  He would not sit idly through the night while a crisis was encroaching upon them.  He needed to act.  Within minutes, Susanna was fast asleep next to her hard-slumbering sister.  When he was certain that she would not wake up, Vincent quietly stood up and departed from his place.

Flying to the nearby window, Vincent was relieved to find it slightly open.  Susanna had left it cracked to let it the cool autumn night air, hoping it would do Rebecca some good.  Vincent could feel the breeze rushing through the small space and across the fabric of his pants.  It took a little bit of an effort, but he was able to shimmy himself under the window.  He did so carefully, lest the whole windowpane should come crashing down upon him.  

Vincent emerged and stood on the small brick ledge, which was barely wide enough for his feet.  The night was dark.  A blanket of clouds concealed the stars from the world.  Even the brightness of the full moon was dulled and blurred, offering very little light to guide his eyes.  Fortunately, he did not need its guidance.  He knew exactly where he was going.

Thrusting himself off the ledge, Vincent took off into the darkness with incredible speed.