The
Masquerade Ball and Other Events
By: Yvette Jessen
Written for Rose Monday, 2008
It was Monday, the day of the
Dyeland Masquerade Ball, and Willy Wonka
was happy. He had spent the days leading up to in consistent
contact with his apprentice, Charlie Bucket. The younger of the
two had assured him that the party would go off without a hitch.
Of course, while he was confident, he also carried an element of
realism in the depths of his mind. He knew that he could make the
party happen, but in the wake of recent events, the confectioner was
skeptical.
He, and many of the inhabitants
in Dyeland were becoming increasingly
worried about Yva. She had confided a great deal in him during
their trip to Alaska the previous week, but his worries for her
remained right up there with his business. He had found a good
and solid friendship with the young woman, but now, he knew that amidst
his unending search for new candy flavors, he was worried for her
psychological well being.
Despite all of these
difficulties, he smiled as he remembered the
specifics of the trip. Yva’s unending enthusiasm had clearly been
tainted by the events with Andi, a young lovesick girl in London, who
had her sights set on Yva’s guardian angel, Nigel.
Swallowing all of these
concerns, the chocolatier reached for a pen and
began to drum it on the desk. He always did this when he was
feeling especially uneasy. This string of events could have made
even the strongest of men, feel rather powerless. As he sank into
his contemplations, a light tapping sound suddenly brought him out of
his reverie. Thinking that it was Yva, he raised his head and
slowly turned around.
“It’s open,” he called out, but
was surprised when a blonde mass of
wavy hair could be seen through the half opened door soon to be
followed by the head of his apprentice as the young man peered into the
room from around it.
“Charlie, what are you doing
here?” He spoke when he saw that it was
his protégé standing in the doorway and not Yva. He
had half expected the young woman to be there, but it became almost
instantly clear that his wishes and reality was not the same thing.
Charlie began to rub his hands
brusquely together, his mouth slightly
turned down. It was clear to the chocolatier that as he
approached his friend, that something was monumentally wrong.
Without so much as saying a word, the confectioner waited for the young
man to say something.
“Mr. Wonka,” he said as he
clearing his throat.
Willy took a deep breath all
the while knowing full well that whenever
Charlie said ‘Mr. Wonka’ to him, that something was amiss. The
young man generally called him ‘Willy’, and somehow that always set his
mind at ease. When the youth was formal, then something was
wrong, and Willy could tell that this was a sign that Charlie was
worried about how he was going to react. “What is it, Charlie?”
Swallowing, the persistent lump
that lodged its way in the back of his
throat, Charlie looked at his mentor still nervous. “I know that
we checked and made certain that everything at the factory would be
alright, but something happened last night that I fear I must make you
aware of,” Charlie began.
“What happened?”
“Last night, Omaya-Kal found
Andi Henderson in front of the factory,”
Charlie began. “He had been out testing some of the more secure
locks in and around the premises when he found her unconscious and
leaning up against the gate.”
“Andi? You mean the girl
who has been responsible for all the
insanity that has been going on around here?”
“The very same. After he
found her, he sent for me and we checked
in her pockets and found her identification card.” Charlie said, but
after several minutes, he paused before continuing. “Mr. Wonka…”
“…Look, no matter how difficult
this may seem, I want you to call me
Willy, and whatever it is, Charlie, we’re going to work through it,”
the chocolatier said firmly.
“Alright, I guess I’ll just out
and say it, Andi is now inside the
factory,” Charlie confessed.
“She’s inside the factory?”
Willy was aghast. “Our factory?”
“What other factory is there?”
Charlie asked, but despite himself, he
backed up several centimeters, his blue eyes matching with those of
Willy. Neither of them could see that Yva had approached the door
and was waiting not too far away from them, but was listening to their
hushed dialogue. When she heard Andi’s name mentioned, she
self-consciously came closer.
“I know this seems strange,”
Charlie was saying. “But Omaya-Kal
and I were under the impression that she was attacked. She’s
unconscious, and…well…how can I put this without making anyone in
Dyeland get upset?”
“Just say it,” Willy said.
“Omaya-Kal seems to be of the
impression that Andi may have been
attacked by a vampire, he found two small incisions along the skin of
her neck,” Charlie said.
“Could it be a trick?” Willy
asked.
“I don’t know, but given the
fact that many of the Oompa Loompas are
monumentally superstitious, I would guess that they are well aware of
what this may mean. I can well imagine that something strange has
happened to her simply based on the things you have conveyed about
Andi. One thing is clear, when Omaya-Kal found her, she had blood
smeared across her face, her eyes were literally rolled to the back of
her head, and her skin was colder than ice. It was not pretty,
Willy, and no matter what your feelings may be about her, she’s a real
mess.” Charlie ran his hand over his face and bit down on his
lip. “What are we going to do?”
“I have to go to LA,” Willy
said abruptly, but before Charlie could
even offer a response, a feminine voice filled both of their ears.
“I’m going with you.”
At that instant, both Charlie
and Willy turned to see that Yva was now
standing in the doorway. On either side of her, the flat palms of
her hands were pressed up against the doorframe. Willy began to
take in her appearance, his worries mounting when he saw how pale her
face was.
Before Willy could speak,
Charlie did. “How much did you hear?”
“I heard enough, and I heard
you say that Andi was attacked by a
vampire,” Yva said, but looked at Willy. “You have to let me go
with you.”
The chocolatier looked at
Charlie and nodded. “Alright, if that
is what you want, then far be it for me to say no. But, this is
what we’re going to do. Charlie, you go back to the factory, make
sure Andi is left in quarantine, I will see if I can contact
Andrew. Maybe he can help us shed some light on this. I am
not going to sit here idly and wait around for an angel or two to come
by and help us though. This is the reason we have to go to
California.”
Charlie nodded. “Let me
get this straight, Andrew’s the guy with
the blonde hair, right? Or is he the one with the long dark brown
hair?”
“No, that’s Nigel,” Yva
said. “God forbid he be sent to London
right now with all of this, that could make an even more serious mess
of everything then it already is.” She closed her eyes.
“Andrew, if you or one of the angels of death can hear me, please come
to ‘Pure Imagination’ on the double.”
Charlie reached over and put a
gentle hand on her shoulder. “It’s
going to be alright, we’ll keep an eye on her. If you guys are
going to LA, then you’d better get going. I’ll keep you posted on
how things are going at the factory.”
Willy nodded. “We’d
better go, I will have to find Mick’s address
when we get there.”
Yva took a deep breath.
“No you won’t, Lady JenniAnn gave it to
me in case I needed to write him about the situation with Andi.
I’ve been keeping it with me just in case.” She took a deep
breath, but looked at him. “Let’s just get going. As scared
as I am at the prospect of dealing with this, I would really like to
know if this is another one of her ploys for sympathy.”
“I don’t think it is,” Charlie
said, his face filled with earnestness
as Andrew appeared in the office.
“I was told to come here, Nigel
actually said that you’re not doing
well,” Andrew said as a greeting. He approached where she was
standing and rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. “What is it,
Yva?”
“There’s news about Andi,” she
began. “I’m just glad you’re
here.” She cast a sideways glace towards Charlie, who was about
to introduce himself to the angel. Before he could do that, Yva
continued. “Andrew, this is Charlie, and he came to inform us
that Andi is now inside the factory in London.”
Charlie nodded. “I’ve
heard a great many things about you,” he
said, but looked at Willy before speaking. “Apparently, Andi was
attacked last night while roaming about the front gate of the
factory. She’s unconscious at present, but at the time I left,
she was still alive. I’m sorry to say, but I have no idea about
how she is doing now.”
“Well, if it was death, then
one of us would be there with her,” Andrew
began. “The only one of us who went away on an assignment last
night was Adam, but he did not say specifically where he was
going. He did say that it was an emergency, though. I saw
him earlier this morning, and he didn’t give me any information about
last night. We get a lot of emergency situations in this job, so
I didn’t anticipate anything out of the ordinary from him.” He
paused, thinking that this was not a pressing issue, but deciding to
inquire nonetheless. “Is there any word about the portal
there? Is it still secure?”
“It should be,” Willy said
earnestly. “The portal is on the other
side of the factory from where she’s presently located. As far as
we know, it is still secured, but it is going to be hard for us to
figure out specifically what has happened. Based on what Charlie
has indicated, it would seem that Andi was attacked by a vampire last
night.”
“A vampire?” Andrew asked.
“We’re not sure if that’s what
exactly happened,” Willy said
earnestly. “Omaya-Kal, is the leader of the Oompa Loompas, and he
seems to think that that is what happened. Yva and I are leaving
for LA to see if we can find Mick St. John and ask him to assist us in
deciphering if she was, in fact, attacked by one of his, for lack of a
better term, people.”
“You know that he may not be
able to come,” Andrew said. “He’s
got his own set of worries and issues to contend with at the
moment. Of course, if you tell him what has been happening, then
I’m sure he’ll try and come.”
“I hope he does come, because
we need his help to shed some light on
this situation,” Yva said before turning to face Willy. “We
should really get going now and stop stalling.”
Willy nodded as Charlie and
Andrew left the office.
Once they were gone, she
followed the chocolatier over to the door of
the Wonkavator. Once he pressed the button and the door slid
open, she raised her head and looked at Willy.
“Do you think that it was a
vampire?” She asked, her voice shaky.
She was not about to admit that going and cavorting with Mick St. John
was a rather scary proposition, in and of itself. Instead of
waiting for him to respond, she sank down onto one of the seats, her
head coming to rest in her hands. “Willy, I’m scared.”
“I know you are, and I know
that you would prefer to come with me as
opposed to waiting here for me to go and get back. Believe me,
Yva; I am more worried about what has been happening with Andi, than I
am about us talking with Mick. He has offered us his assistance
in this matter, through his communication with Nigel. I know that
he will render whatever assistance he will be able to. You just
need to remember what it was he told Nigel. If his people were to
be exposed by Andi, he could end up being forced to go into hiding like
Vincent has had to do.” He reached over and touched her face, the
gentle fatherly eyes of the candy maker looking into hers. “We
will find him, and when he knows what has happened, he will come back
with us and help us figure out what it is we will have to do.”
“Maybe we should have seen Andi
first then at least we will know if
this is all a hoax,” Yva whispered. “I know the folklore about
vampires, Willy, and maybe we could tell if she’s been turned or not.”
“Turned?” Willy looked confused.
“If she was attacked by a
vampire, then she could have survived and
will heal, but in the worst case scenario, she could either be…” her
voice trailed off and she swallowed. “…Dead, or she would have
been turned into a vampire herself.” Yva shook her head as the
Wonkavator landed about twenty meters from a large block of apartments
in suburban LA. It was strange how quickly the trip had gone,
while the trip to Alaska seemed as though it had taken an eternity.
She watched as Willy expertly
landed the flying machine and they
disembarked.
Just after they had climbed out
of the confines of his invention, Willy
pulled a strange device from the pocket of his frock coat and pressed a
square shaped button. Instantly the Wonkavator disappeared right
before their eyes.
“W-what did you do?” Yva asked
weakly, the surprise of his action
overtly present.
“It’s a protection for our
transportation is all,” Willy
explained. “No one can see or feel it, and once we return to
retrieve it, we can deactivate the force field that surrounds it.
Come on, we have to find Mick now.”
Yva nodded and they started to
make their way through the park.
“I have the address here,” she said as she handed the slip of paper to
him.
Willy nodded. “Perhaps I
should have changed before we left,” he
whispered to her, “People are staring at us.”
Yva smiled slightly as she
looked at the purple coat and caramel
colored hat that the chocolatier was wearing. “Maybe they think
you’re cute,” she smiled weakly, the first joke emerging since days.
In response to this, the candy
maker said nothing, but wrapped a
comforting arm around her and led her towards a large group of
buildings.
~~~~~
At that moment, Mick had just
closed the door to his apartment and was
taking a deep and cleansing breath. The latest case he was
working on was taking a massive amount of energy out of him and he was
tired. Of course, that was generally what happened during the
daylight hours. Although the sun’s rays made him somewhat groggy,
the myths of vampires being destroyed by light seemed a folk legend
that he was not really all that keen on worrying with at that precise
moment in time.
He went over to the
refrigerator where his supplies were kept and then
reached for a glass. After having poured himself something to
drink, he went over to the sofa and seated himself on it, his body
weary.
Taking a sip of his drink, he
placed the glass on the table and wound
his arms around the back of his neck as he stared down at the
appointment book and file that was still lying on the table.
Between his issues with Beth and the whole Dyeland situation, he was
clearly on his last leg. That night he would be going to Willy’s
factory for the Masquerade ball and his 1950’s jacket hung on the back
of his bedroom door, awaiting his attention. That was going to be
fun, dressing in a time period he was accustomed to.
His thoughts drifted, Andrew
had told him that Yva would be dressing
like Willy, but he wondered if she would be able to find a top hat to
complete the outfit she had painstakingly put together for the
party. Nigel was going to dress in his typical Victorian style,
and Lady JenniAnn had confessed to wanting to dress in the style
reminiscent of the sixties. Typical, he thought with a slight
smile. Lady JenniAnn, although born a good twenty years later,
seemed to have quite a grand a fascination with that particular time
period. At any rate, the only other costumes he knew of came from
hearsay as well as Andrew’s telling him about it while they were in
London.
He had been associated with
Dyeland for such a short period of time,
and he pondered almost incessantly how the likes of him could have
gotten involved with that particular group of people. They were
definitely different, of course he, himself was different, so perhaps
that was to be expected.
Sighing, he took another sip of
his drink as his thoughts shifted to
Andrew having told him that Willy’s parties were something rather
special. He hated the idea of being in a room devised solely of
candy, none of which he could even enjoy, as everyone else would be
able to. It truly was one of the most unfair things in the world.
At any rate, shifting his
thoughts, he found himself inhaling somewhat
annoyed when the doorbell abruptly chimed, this bringing him crashing
out of his reverie. “Josef, if that’s you, I’m going to string
you up by your toes,” he muttered under his breath.
It was not that he particularly
minded his friend to come and speak to
him about the issues of the day, but he had quickly grown tired of the
other vampire’s incessant nagging about the rules and regulations that
were centered on his people. He needed a break like anyone else.
He drained his glass before
returning it to the kitchen and filling it
with water several times before allowing it to drain in the sink
(something he never did) as the doorbell chimed a second time. If
it wasn’t Josef, he thought, it was probably best that his
eccentricities be left in the kitchen. He quickly wiped his mouth
with the back of his hand, before making his way over to the front door.
After casting a brief glance
into the television monitor that was over
the door, his expression went from curiosity to skepticism when he saw
two strangely dressed people who looked vaguely familiar to him.
Instead of trying to figure out who they were, he opted to simply open
the door.
“Yes?” He asked as he took in
the two individuals standing at the door
to his abode. One was a woman, dressed in what looked to be a
long dress that was covered by a maroon colored coat that went down to
her knees. On her feet, she wore what looked to be black winter
boots, her hair auburn in color and tousled as though she had left home
in a hurry.
Feeling as though in color
shock, his gaze shifted and he stared at the
man standing beside her. He distinctly reminded Mick of a
peacock. A caramel colored top hat was perched on top of his
head. He wore what looked to be a purple colored frock coat,
which seemed to be draped over a vest as well as beige colored
pants. A green bowtie was bunched at the neck of his shirt and
his blue eyes met his as the corners of his mouth turned up in a half
smile.
“Mick?” The woman spoke, her
voice wavering, but his gaze was still
situated on the strangely dressed man who was accompanying her.
It was not every day that he saw someone dressed as strangely as this
even though he did live in LA and had spent time in Lady JenniAnn’s as
well as Vincent’s company.
“Yes?” He repeated his
question for a second time; all the while
wondering what was happening and how these people had come to make his
acquaintance. Soon his curiosity got the best of him and he
backed away so that the two of them could enter the apartment.
“May I help you?” He asked.
“We’re from Dyeland,” the man
responded.
Of course, thought Mick, how
could it be otherwise? Instead of
responding, thus indicative that he had figured this out on his own, he
waited for the man to continue speaking. “We met briefly at the
party that Lady JenniAnn held as a means to welcome you. Perhaps
you don’t recognize us because you met so many people that day.
My name is Willy Wonka, and this is Yva Michaels.”
Mick nodded and as though shot
out of a cannon, he waved them into the
apartment. “Of course, now I remember, please do come in.”
Once the two of had entered the
pristine apartment, the private
investigator glanced around the door before pushing it closed. As
soon as he had finished this, he turned around and faced them.
“Please, make yourselves at home, I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you
initially. I do tend to meet so many people in this business that
it somehow becomes difficult trying to decipher who was who. At
any rate, please excuse my not having anything to offer, but I wasn’t
expecting your visit. Of what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?”
“You have to come back with us
to Dyeland, we need your help,” Yva
began, her voice cracking despite her painstaking attempt to keep it
steady. “Something terrible has happened, and I-I don’t know
where to begin.”
“I’m not sure I understand why
my presence is required,” Mick
said. “Perhaps we should start at the beginning.” He looked
at Willy, who seemed to be more in control of his emotions. Yva
was completely beside herself, but given the messages that he had
exchanged with Nigel throughout the previous week, it seemed perfectly
normal for her to feel this way.
Willy nodded, his arm instantly
wrapped around Yva’s shoulder, her head
coming to rest against him. The paternal love that the
confectioner had towards the younger woman was obvious, and this made
Mick smile slightly.
“The reason we’re here is
because of Andi,” Willy began, his expression
earnest. “She was attacked in London last night, and brought to
my factory there. My workers have reason to believe that a
vampire could have been the attacker. We need you to verify if
that was what had happened.”
“She could have been turned,”
Mick said. “If that is the case,
then she could pose a danger to you or your workers. Generally
new vampires go a bit crazy if their sire is not present.”
Yva swallowed, her face taking
on a strange shade of green.
“Charlie said that she was
covered in blood,” he began.
“Under this particular
circumstance, that might be a good sign, thus
indicative that she’s not turned. She is still alive, then,” he
said. “But, why would a vampire attack her?”
Yva said nothing; instead her
eyes were filled with absolute
fright. If Andi had been turned, then she could be out for her
blood, thus posing a very real danger to her life.
The hate and hostility that
were contained in Andi’s letters seemed to
be a good enough indication that she was in danger, but if the other
girl has attained semi-immortal status, then something could very well
happen to her. Yva raised her head and looked at Mick. “If
she got turned, how can we stop her?” She whispered, but then
looked at Willy and felt the candy maker’s hand taking it and offering
a reassuring squeeze.
“We don’t know that yet,” Willy
said. “Don’t let your imagination
get carried away, Yva.”
“He’s right,” Mick said
rationally. “This could very easily be a
very sick joke and nothing more. Although I would have to see
Andi to know for certain if it is.”
Yva looked down at her
lap. “What if it’s not? What if she
really has it out for me? You saw the letters, Willy, she’s angry
with me because of the bond I have with Nigel. She sees me as
some sort of threat to her.”
Mick got to his feet. “We
should go now and see about verifying
what has happened. The last thing Yva needs is for this to
continue playing havoc on her mind and emotions. How do we get
back to Dyeland?”
“The Wonkavator is in the park
not far from here,” Willy said. “I
figure we can use the concealed method to get us back to ‘Pure
Imagination’. From there, we can use the portal to the factory in
London.” He turned to Yva. “When we get back there, I want
you to stay in Dyeland. I will not be taking you there and
running the risk of putting you in harm’s way.”
Yva shook her head. “No,”
she said firmly. “This involves
me, I have to come.”
“Yes, it does involve you, but
Willy’s right, if she did turn, your
life is in danger, Yva, and I would not wish for you to play Russian
roulette with that,” Mick said firmly. “You have to trust
us. When we get back to ‘Pure Imagination’, we can contact Nigel
and have him come and stay with you. Perhaps it would be best if
you go back to the Heavenly Playground or take sanctuary in the Tunnels
while we’re doing this. If the portal to Dyeland gets breached,
then this could turn into a terrible mess for all parties
involved. We have to think logically about this.”
Defeated, Yva nodded. She
had clearly been outnumbered.
“Willy…” she whispered the candy maker’s name, but instead of
responding, he wrapped a gentle arm around her as they got to their
feet and started to walk towards the door leading out of Mick’s
apartment.
Coming down the hallway, none
of them said a word.
Outside, they walked back the
way they had come until they reached the
vacant area where the Wonkavator was parked. Willy gently
released his hold on her and pulled the strangely shaped device from
his pocket before pressing a button on it. As the large diamond
shaped object reappeared, they climbed in and Willy expertly pressed a
button thus allowing them to take off. Within what seemed like
mere seconds, they were flying over Dyeland and Willy navigated the
Wonkavator until it landed back inside the factory and they once again
found themselves in Willy’s office.
~~~~~
As they disembarked, Nigel was
standing in the office and
waiting. It was as though he knew what was going to happen, and
his eyes met those of Mick as the Private Investigator stepped out and
took in Willy’s strangely decorated office.
The Victorian angel
approached. “Hello Sir Mick,” he greeted the
man formally.
“It’s just Mick,” the man said
smiling. “I’ve not been
knighted. You must be Nigel. I’m sorry I haven’t responded
to your latest letter.”
“Well, you’re here, so that
perhaps makes up for it,” the angel said.
As he was speaking, Yva slowly
emerged from the Wonkavator and cast one
last pleading glance towards Willy. It was clear to each one of
them that the woman was not keen on the idea of staying in Dyeland
during this adventure, but they seemed to be just as, if not more,
insistent about her remaining in a safe place.”
As her tearful gaze met his,
the chocolatier remained firm in his
decision but looked at her. “You have to stay here, Yva,” he
said, but looked at Nigel. “Take her with you.”
The angel nodded, his eyes
filled with sadness at seeing Yva’s
disheveled state. It remained abundantly clear that this
situation was taking an unusually heavy toll on her.
Instead of speaking, he simply
nodded and with an arm wrapped firmly
around Yva, they disappeared.
Mick took a deep breath, but
looked at Willy. “I don’t think I
will ever get used to that mode of transportation,” he mused.
“I’ll stick to the Wonkavator,”
Willy said as he patted one side of his
invention. “We need to get to the portal, Andrew is already
there.”
Mick nodded and started to
follow Willy from the office.
The portal that acted as a link
between Willy’s two chocolate factories
was nothing more than a small room with a sliding glass door.
This place seemed to extend into what looked to be a psychedelic room,
vintage 1960’s.
“JenniAnn would love this,”
Mick mused as they reached the far end of
the portal and found themselves transported from Dyeland to the
interior of the London factory. The air that met them immediately
reminded Willy of the smells that encase one just after a fresh rain
shower. He knew that they were back.
As the door between the worlds
was closed, Willy found himself looking
down at the leader of the Oompa-Loompas, Omaya-Kal. He was
standing at the end of a corridor and waiting, his orange face
regarding Mick with curiosity. “You are the vampire?” He
asked. His voice was laced with respect, but also with traces of
awe. He bowed slightly and Willy watched as Mick returned the
gesture.
Willy nodded, but looked at the
dark headed man standing beside him for
traces of aggravation. Instead, what he saw was simple acceptance.
“Yes, I suppose you could say
that,” Mick eventually spoke. “My
name is Mick St. John.”
“Omaya-Kal,” came the answer
with another bow. “I have been
awaiting your arrival since Charlie returned here with Andrew.
The Angel of Death is with the intruder now, but we are not sure as to
what exactly happening with her. The medicine man said that it
was a vampire, but we do not know to what extent the damage is.
It is for that reason; we require your assistance. Andrew has
advised us to keep the girl in quarantine in case something diverse has
happened to her.”
Mick looked at Willy. “If
she is to see me, then she will
recognize me from the confrontation she had with Andrew early last
week. She asked me if I was an angel, to which I did not
respond. If she does discover what I am, then it could post a
danger to me, as well as to others.”
Willy looked at Omaya-Kal, his
thoughts seeming to race. “Do we
still have the supply of the forget-me-dust?” He asked.
“Forget-me-dust?” Mick regarded
both the candy maker and the Oompa
Loompa with confusion. “What is forget-me-dust?”
“It is the Candy Marvel’s
invention,” Omaya-Kal responded. “It is
designed to make those who see the factory, forget what they have seen
so as to prevent breaches of security from taking place. We have
revised it so that if the young lady is exposed to it, that she will
not remember the place or those whom she met while here.”
“Sounds like you have all the
bases covered, then,” Mick said.
“Alright, where is she?”
“In the medical area separated
from anyone else,” the Oompa Loompa
responded, and with a wave of his gloved hand, he motioned down a long
hallway. “This way please.”
Mick nodded as they made their
way, the Oompa Loompa leading, him
walking in the middle, and Willy bringing up the end. The
chocolatier’s eyes were fixed before him, but no further words emerged.
None of them were certain as to
what would happen once they reached the
room where Andi was being kept, but they were each consumed with their
own thoughts as they rounded a corner and reached a large metal door,
that extended directly in front of them. Omaya-Kal pulled a set
of keys from his pocket and opened the door, thus motioning for Mick
and Willy to enter the room.
As they entered the room, the
Oompa Loompa opted to staying outside and
guarding the door. As their eyes were adjusting to the light, or
lack thereof, Mick could plainly see that Andrew was standing at the
head of the bed, his hand lightly stroking the girl’s hair, and his
eyes now closed. Upon hearing the sounds at the other end of the
room, the angel opened his eyes and regarded them.
“Where’s Charlie?” The
candy maker asked. His voice was now
laced in the same sort of concern, which he had carried while speaking
with Yva earlier that day.
“I told him that he should not
be in here, and for the record, neither
should you,” Andrew said, his voice soft, the words somehow
forced. “If she was turned, then you could be in grave danger.”
Willy nodded. “I
understand. I’ll wait in the observation
room.” He backed towards the door and exited the room.
Mick watched as the door was
closed behind him and he made his way over
to the bed where Andi lay. Even in the dim light, the girl’s face
looked unusually pale, her eyes closed and a ghostly whiteness seemed
to descend around the room.
“Is she dead?” Mick asked; his
voice clipped in matter-of-factness.
“No, in fact, I don’t know what
to make of it. Mick, based on
what Lady JenniAnn told me, if she was attacked by a vampire and was
turned into one, she would have woken up by now, wouldn’t she?” Andrew
asked.
Mick leaned down and took the
girl’s unmoving face in his hands, his
eyes taking in every aspect of her face in search of a clue that might
explain what has happened. He tilted her head to one side and
leaned closer. “It wasn’t a vampire,” he said shaking his head
after several seconds. “I don’t know what it was, but she was not
attacked by a vampire. The markings on her neck are not a
distinguishing characteristic that I’m familiar with. Whatever
attacked her, managed to knock her out. If she had been turned,
then all of her blood would be gone, and the sire’s blood would be in
her. She would have eventually woken up and I am wont to say,
torn this place apart in search of blood.”
“I guess you’d know better,”
Andrew said as he released a heavy
sigh. “What could have happened to her? I mean; this seems
a bit too easy a solution, doesn’t it?”
“Maybe it is, and maybe it
isn’t. For as crazy as she’s been
behaving, I would suspect that she has made a few enemies along the
way. Either that, or she just happened to be in the wrong place
at the wrong time.” Taking a deep breath, he looked at the
angel. “Andrew, we know that most of Dyeland has very little
regard for her, but I honestly don’t think any of them would do such a
thing. They may not like her, but they would never wish for
something like this to happen to her.”
“I agree, but who could be
responsible for it?” Andrew asked.
“The only person who would have
a motive is Yva, and I don’t think she
would ever be able to bring harm to another living thing,” Mick
said. “Her wanting to come with Willy and me is fact enough that
she wouldn’t do it, and the fact that she seems to have someone with
her at all times, would easily give her an alibi.”
“That leads us back at square
one,” Andrew said as he looked down at
the girl’s unconscious form. A soft moan emerged and he raised
his head. “You better go; she’s starting to come around.”
“Not until we talk about what
happened,” Mick said, the PI in him
taking over. “I want to know what specifically happened, and
perhaps Andi is the only person who can tell us.”
Andrew nodded, “agreed.”
Mick backed his way into the
shadows, while Andrew waited for Andi to
come around.
When she finally did, he took a
deep breath. “Andi, can you hear
me?”
“W-where am I?” She
moaned. “Nigel?”
“No, it’s Andrew,” he said.
“Where’s Nigel?” She whispered.
“He’s not here,” the angel
said, his voice carrying traces of
vagueness. “I want you to tell me what happened to you last
night?”
“I-I don’t know,” she managed
to speak. “All I remember was
trying to find the portal.”
“The portal back to Dyeland?”
Andrew asked, but could see that the girl
was nodding. “You know you’re not exactly welcome there,
Andi. You’ve hurt a lot of people since you were introduced to
the place, many of these people have tried to help you but you turned
your back on them.”
“I didn’t,” she argued.
“What about the letters?” He
asked. “The letters you wrote to
Yva.”
“I didn’t write her any
letters,” she whispered. “I don’t know
what you’re talking about.” She started to sit up, but soon felt
Mick’s hand on her shoulder. When she tried to get a look at him,
his face seemed to slip back into the shadows.
“You need to lie still,” he
said. “But, I want you to tell us
what happened to you last night?”
“Why?” She asked.
“For your safety, it is
important that you tell us something and I
don’t just mean why you were hanging around the chocolate
factory. I want to know who did this to you,” he said.
“I didn’t see them, but it was
probably Vincent,” she whispered.
“No, it was not Vincent, he was
in the Tunnels all night taking care of
his child,” Andrew said. “I know that for a fact, because I
stopped in to see him and he said that Lady JenniAnn could attest to
that because she was with him. We have, since your letter writing
campaign started, have had to close a number of portals into Dyeland,
most of which are here in London. The only way that Vincent or
any other Dyeland inhabitant would be able to reach you would be to
come through the place where you are now at.”
“You’re all against me,” Andi
whispered.
“No one is against you, we all
against what you have been doing,” Mick
said. “Yva is a nervous wreck because of your actions…”
“…She deserves it,” Andi’s
words were indignant.
“No, she most certainly does
not,” a voice emerged and Andrew raised
his head to see that Willy had once more entered the room and was
standing in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest and a scowl
lining his handsome face. “Do you know what I think? I
think you did this all to yourself. Perhaps it was to make Nigel
feel guilty about your situation or to punish Yva for whatever it was
you feel she may have done to bring harm to you. I am starting to
believe that perhaps all of these things were part of some game.”
Mick shook his head.
“It’s not a game, she was attacked, and it
is a miracle that she’s alive. Of course, there remains no
question in my mind that perhaps she is behaving this way because she
believes it is a means in which to further her cause,” he paused, his
attention once more diverting back to the girl. “I think you know
who did this, and perhaps you’re using that knowledge to bring harm to
even more people.”
Andi looked at Willy, her eyes
wide. “Why are you saying such
terrible things? I thought you were my friend.”
“I do not acknowledge a pact of
friendship with those who intentionally
hurt the people whom I care deeply for,” the candy maker said
firmly. “I think you best answer his questions, right here, right
now. Who did this to you?”
“M-my ex-boyfriend, Markus,”
Andi whispered more to herself than to any
of them. “H-he has been trying to win me back since last year.”
“Win you back?” Andrew asked.
Andi nodded numbly. “I
told him that I was in love with Nigel and
he pretty much went and freaked out. When Nigel discovered that I
had gotten over Markus’ actions and betrayal, he had to leave.
The problem is, he thought I was alright, but Markus was still stalking
me.”
“Did you ‘fall in love’ with
Nigel because you felt that he could
protect you from your ex-boyfriend?” Mick asked.
The girl cast a wary glace
towards Willy who was still standing there
with his arms crossed over his chest. “I-I don’t know,” she
whispered brokenly. “I don’t love Markus, but it doesn’t mean
that I wasn’t scared to death of him.”
“Why didn’t you go to the
police about his harassing you?” Andrew asked.
“What would I have told
them?” Andi whispered. “That I was
in love with an angel? Or that my ex-boyfriend was writing people
letters addressed to places that were considered fantasy?” Andi
said, her voice cracking “You may not believe it, Andrew, but
when you confronted me that day, I was trying to find my way back to
Dyeland because I was scared of what Markus was going to do
next.” She looked away, her face consumed with shame. “All
I could possibly have said was that I suspected that Markus was going
to react violently, but I had no proof and I didn’t know what to
do. I kept hoping that Nigel or Vincent could have protected me
from him, but they couldn’t. Then those letters started showing
up signed with my name, each one worse than the last. I was
slowly being pushed out of Dyeland and was on my own.”
She took a deep breath and
continued, her voice ragged. “No one
wanted anything to do with me, except Adam, so I made him swear that he
would not tell anyone there about what had been happening to me.
In all honesty, I was scared of what would have happened if he
did. People had already figured me for crazy. Last night, I
came to the factory hoping that someone here would believe that I was
in trouble, but the gates stayed locked. It was at that moment
that I came to realize that any chance I could have had for finding my
way back was lost. After that happened, Markus attacked
me.” As her words faded, her soft sobs had replaced her terrified
words.
“Is this the truth, Andi?”
Andrew asked.
Before she could answer, Adam
suddenly appeared in the room, his gray
eyes filled with sadness. “It’s all true, Andrew. I had
been looking in on Andi for the last three or so months, and I have
been with her when she was frightened about what Markus was going to do
next. Last night when we were practicing, I got the emergency
call and that was why I had to leave abruptly.”
“I was wondering where you were
going, but soon after that you left,
Henry and I decided to call it a night,” Andrew responded.
“This was the emergency had to
go to. I witnessed what Markus
Callahan did to Andi right near the gates of this factory.
Several months ago, Andi pleaded with me not to speak of what she was
going through with the people of Dyeland. The Father knew of this
request, and informed me that I should not mention this to anyone, not
even Cliff. I was simply let everything play out as though I was
unaware of the specifics.”
“Why didn’t you tell us when we
saw you in front of the store?” Andrew
asked.
Andi shook her head and buried
her face against the pillow.
Instead of letting this
continue, Adam took up the story. “There
were times when I wanted to tell someone what was happening. I
wanted to spare Yva from the agony that she was enduring, but Andi
didn’t want anyone to know and I was tied to honoring my word.
She figured that it was best that they hate her as opposed to knowing
what was really happening. It was that reason that I was gone
much of the time during the last months. I had asked the Father
to give me one assignment after another to keep me from coming back and
betraying Andi’s confidence. She’s is telling the truth, and
while that may make us feel a bit better, the truth remains that there
is someone who knows about Dyeland.”
“What about Vincent, did you
tell Markus about him?” Willy asked.
Andi shook her head. “I
never mentioned him because I was scared
to. I knew that if Vincent knew about what Markus had been doing,
he would have torn him apart…”
“…So you took the blame for all
this chaos onto yourself,” Mick
finished.
“It was all I could do,” she
whispered. “I didn’t want anyone to
think that Markus was doing it because I know that Vincent would have
done what he could to protect me. He’s honorable and kind.
Such friends as that are people I don’t deserve.”
Adam came over and rested his
hand on Andi’s shoulder, the gentle
pressure causing her to raise her head. “Guys, the fact remains
that this Markus person is really bad news. He knows about
Dyeland and that makes him a bit more dangerous than the threat that
Andi could have posed.” He looked at Willy. “Except, now we
can stop him, but it will be up to to Andi as well as the other person
who witnessed what happened last night.”
“Who?”
“Charlie Bucket,” Adam
said. “He is the reason that Andi is
alive. He had actually seen everything that happened and took it
upon himself to bring her inside. In truth, Charlie is a hero.”
“Charlie did this?” Andi
whispered, but looked at Willy. “I
thought maybe it was you.”
The chocolatier shook his
head. “I had no idea about what had
happened until this morning when Charlie came to my office and told me
about what had happened.”
Andi looked at the group that
was crowded around her bed. “I
don’t know what to do, Andrew, if I so much as leave London, Markus
said that he would hunt me down.”
“He may have his own set
of problems by the time smoke clears,”
Willy said calmly as Mick looked at the group, his own question
emerging.
“I still would like to know
where specifically Nigel fits into all of
this.”
Andi took a deep breath.
“I was trying to make Markus think that
Nigel and I were serious about one another. I figured that if he
thought I was already taken, that he would leave me alone. It all
seemed to have worked until Markus overheard Nigel telling me that he
couldn’t love me in the way that I had wished and that my love for him
was one-sided. After that happened, I was too humiliated and
scared to tell him what was really going on. The truth is; I do
still love Nigel because he has always been so nice to me, but now I
wish that he could love me the way I do him.”
“You really did not write those
letters to Yva, did you?” Willy asked.
Andi shook her head. “No,
it was Markus forging my name and
sending them. I didn’t want him to find out about Dyeland, but
somehow he had been stalking me so long that he did find out about it
and decided that he would destroy any chances I could have of finding
friends there…” her voice trailed off. She closed her eyes as a
stray tear streamed down her face.
Willy looked at the girl.
“You said earlier that Yva deserves the
letters, would you care to explain what motivated you to say such a
thing?”
Andi nodded, defeat lined in
her eyes. “I didn’t like Yva because
she seemed to have everything I wanted. She had Sir Sven, Nigel’s
attention, a brother in Vincent, and now your attention. It
seemed like no one wanted me around. Then whenever I tried to get
to Dyeland, everyone closed the door in my face. It hurt so much
that I figured that all the nice things Nigel had said about it were
untrue.”
Instead of speaking further,
she sank back against the pillow and
closed her eyes. Adam leaned over her and began to stroke her
hair gently, his gray eyes looking at Andrew. “Sam and Marina
both instructed me that since these were Andi’s wishes, that I was not
permitted to say anything about it until this whole situation gets
resolved. I was, as I said, frequently absent from Dyeland
because of the word I had given. I was, if you will, on special
assignment here and this had become something which I was aware of the
first time I was sent to see Andi back before Monica started working
with her. I had put that request in so that I could be informed
if something was to come up.”
Willy took a deep breath.
“It seems as though a great many of us
were unfair to you, Andi,” he said softly. “Perhaps we should try
and resolve this situation by telling everyone the truth tonight.”
“What about Markus?” She asked
weakly.
“Well, if you and Charlie go to
the police and file assault charges
against him, then they can probably put a warrant out for his arrest
and he will be taken off the street,” Mick said logically. “It
would seem that he dug his own grave, so to speak.”
“You’re that other angel?” Andi
whispered as she turned her head and
looked at Mick for the first time since she had woken up. “I
remember you when I talked to Andrew last week.”
“The truth is, I’m not really
an angel, I’m just a Private
Investigator,” he said smiling slightly, all the while keeping the rest
of his identity to himself. It seemed better that way anyway.
She nodded and closed her eyes,
the events of the day clearly wearing
her out. Seconds later, the exhausted girl was out like a light.
~~~~~
As soon as Andi was asleep,
Mick, Andrew, Adam, and Willy exchanged
concerned glances. “We really misjudged her, didn’t we?” Andrew
eventually asked. “I suppose in defense of ourselves, we were so
worried about Nigel and Yva.”
“I was as well,” Willy said and
looked at Mick.
“It was for good reason.
I saw the letters that were sent to Yva,
and I can imagine that they instilled a great deal of trauma and fear
inside of her,” Mick said, but looked at Willy. “Perhaps we
should discuss what will happen to Andi now.”
“I’m going to let her stay here
at the factory until she
recovers. Charlie and she can then go to the police and file
charges against this Markus character.” He looked at Adam.
“We’d have never found out the truth if it hadn’t been for you.
It would seem that we all have so many reasons to be grateful.”
The Angel of Death smiled
slightly as he shrugged his shoulders.
“I’ll stay with Andi for the time being, but I think that it is of the
utmost importance that you all let the others know what has happened
and that Andi really is a friend to Dyeland. It would seem as
thought all of this had turned out unlike anything that any of us could
have anticipated.”
Willy, Mick, and Andrew nodded
before making their way down the
corridor in the direction of Willy’s office. When they reached
it, Willy saw Charlie was waiting inside. As they entered, the
younger man turned around.
“Is everything alright?” He
asked, his voice etched in nervousness.
“It’s better than alright,”
Willy said as he clapped his
protégé on the shoulder. “You’re a hero, my
boy. You went and saved a young lady’s life.”
Charlie shrugged his shoulders
but no words emerged from him.
Instead Andrew spoke.
“Why didn’t you tell someone that you
helped Andi last night?”
“I didn’t think about it, I
just did what felt right. Omaya-Kal
and his friends did the rest,” the young man smiled sheepishly.
“The important thing is that she is going to be alright.” He
paused. “Isn’t she?”
“Yes, and with your help, she
will get away from her assailant once and
for all,” Mick said confidently.
Charlie looked at the Private
Investigator. “She knew him, didn’t
she?”
“He was her ex-boyfriend,
Charlie,” Willy began, “and he’s the root to
all the troubles that have been happening in Dyeland. Perhaps in
a few days when she is better, you and she can go to Scotland Yard and
leave a statement with them about what happened last night.”
“What are you going to do,
Willy?” Charlie asked.
“I’ve got a Masquerade Party to
put on,” the chocolatier said, relief
shadowed across his face. “You just take care of Andi, and make
sure that she doesn’t leave the factory until she’s ready. I
think that given this particular situation, she would be safer here
than anywhere else.”
“I agree, well enjoy
yourselves,” Charlie said with a nod, relief
etched across his face. “Thanks for not getting upset with me for
trying to help her.”
Andrew smiled, but watched as
the young man left the office. “I
think the party is going to have more meaning for us than just a day in
Germany where people celebrate by dressing up and drinking excessively.”
Willy nodded. “I never
really anticipated this happening when I
came up with the idea to host the party. I just thought it would
be fun, now it feels very much like a cornerstone of some kind.”
The three men left the office
and went back to the portal that would
lead them back to Dyeland. “I take it you’re relieved that this
was a more human cause, huh Mick?”
He nodded. “Vampires get
enough bad press, this would have been a
bit hard for me to face in Dyeland. That negative PR is just a
bit much at times and I would hate it if the people there were to judge
all of us because of the actions of one or two.”
Andrew put an arm around his
shoulder. “I think we Angels of
Death can relate to that more than you know.”
Seconds later, they reached the
portal and once they had passed through
it, the found themselves back in the Dyeland factory. “Mick, I’ll
take you back home if you would like,” Willy said, “then I really need
to find Yva and put her fears to rest.”
“Perhaps we should find Yva
first,” Mick suggested. “I think she
will not be able to wait a second longer to find out this bit of
information.”
“Something tells me you’re
right,” Andrew said as they reached the
Wonkavator and Willy pressed the button to open it. “She’s back
at the Heavenly Playground with Nigel,” he added.
Willy nodded and once they were
all inside, he reached up and
pressed the ‘up and out’ button. Once they were outside of the
factory, they found themselves flying over Dyeland in the direction of
the ‘Heavenly Playground’.
Five minutes later, they
arrived to see that Yva and Nigel were sitting
in the gazebo; neither of them really speaking, but instead, two cups
of tea was placed on the small table, their gazes staring down at them.
As soon as they had emerged
from the flying machine, Willy approached
them. There was a bright smile crossing the chocolatier’s face as
he spoke, his words filling their world with relief. “Yva, Nigel,
we’re back and we have some news for the two of you that may very well
give us a true reason to celebrate…”
Five Hours
Later
Willy stood at the front of his
factory waiting for the guests to
arrive for the Masquerade Ball. Yva was standing beside him, her
hair curled and styled in a similar fashion as he normally was.
Her outfit an exact replica of his favorite purple waistcoat, white
shirt, floral vest and green bowtie. She even had borrowed a cane
from Nigel’s time, which she now held in her hand.
Willy had smiled upon seeing
the outfit that she had chosen, his blue
eyes taking a shine as he regarded her. “Did you know that
‘Imitation is the highest form of flattery’, Yva?” He had asked
her upon seeing her dressed as him.
“Did you flatter Nigel by
selecting his Halloween costume?” She asked
with a coy smile as she reached over and touched the lapel of the
jacket to his hobo’s costume.
The chocolatier chuckled.
It was true that after having seen
Nigel on Halloween, Willy discovered that he was quite taken by the
outfit and decided that he would dress as the hobo this time. It
seemed to go well with his curly hair and the patchwork designs brought
out the color of his eyes.
Yva had smiled as she regarded
the candy maker. “It looks
wonderful, but how do I look?” She ran her hand down the purple
frock coat that she wore and tugged on the tie that was bunched at her
neck. “I’m not used to bowties,” she confessed.
“How are you with hats?” He
asked smiling. When she responded
with a shrug of her shoulders, he continued. “The deal is, while
you do look somewhat like me, you have no hat. The hat is always
the finishing touch.”
“I couldn’t find one,” she
admitted softly. “I looked all over
the place trying to find one that matched, but I couldn’t find one no
matter where I looked. I even checked in Nigel’s time, and
nothing.”
“Well,” he said smiling as he
reached over towards the hat rack that
was placed near the front door. “Perhaps you just need the right
hat, Yva.” He grabbed the rim of his favorite caramel colored hat
and with ceremony, he pulled it off the rack and placed it on her head.
As she felt the weight of the
hat, she raised her head and looked up at
him. “You’re entrusting me with yours?” She asked.
He smiled. “Yes, I
suppose I am.”
Without warning, her eyes
filled with tears. “I’ll take extra
good care of it,” she whispered.
“I know you will,” he smiled
down at her. “You’ve taken care of
so many people since I’ve been here, and I can well imagine that you
were looking out for even more before I came here. You even, in
your own way, somehow looked out for Andi in the wake of tragedy.”
“I did?” She whispered.
Willy nodded. “You were
hurt, but somehow, you never stopped
caring.”
She reached up and touched the
rim of the hat. “I guess I learned
to care from everyone in Dyeland,” she whispered. “This place is
really gives off the feeling of family. Very soon everyone will
all know that Andi has truly been more a part of that. Maybe it’s
a lesson to all of us about trust and understanding.”
The chocolatier smiled and
nodded. “Perhaps it is,” he paused,
but offered his hand to her. “Now, then, shall we go and greet
our guests, my dear?”
Accepting his offered hand, the
two of them walked over to the door and
opened it.
~~~~~
As the wide doors of the
factory were opened, they noticed that
everyone was more than ready for the celebration to begin. Lady
JenniAnn came over dressed in a paisley dress and countless love beads
dangled from around her neck. In her hair, she had several braids
that fell down over her shoulders. A bandana was somehow woven
through her hair and even a daisy was painted carefully on her cheek.
On her arm was Eliot, the young
man dressed in a John Travolta suit and
black shirt. A pair of dark-colored shades concealed his
eyes. These, he removed upon entering the factory.
Behind them, the Wells family
came, first Vincent, dressed as the Mad
Hatter with Catherine dressed as Alice and little Jacob was dressed a
caterpillar. Next to the baby, a small bubble pipe was placed in
his bassinette. This really made Willy smile as they came in
through the high arched doorway.
Behind them came Father,
dressed once again in his Mark Twain costume
that he had worn at Halloween. “I rather liked myself as Mr.
Twain,” the Tunnel patriarch said as he passed by the host and hostess,
his eyes meeting each of them, a smile curving up his lips.
Several steps behind him and
walking next to Adam, was Jessie.
The little girl was now dressed as a butterfly and was giggling at the
angel who had his wavy graying hair slicked back and was dressed in a
similar 1950’s style that Andrew was dressed in.
Henry too had chosen to dress
in that style, giving the band a really
uniform, and comfortable look.
Next came Countess Jennifer who
was carrying a large cake, but was
dressed in a black suit, looking very much the part of the host from
the musical ‘Cabaret’. She smiled as she bypassed Willy.
“This is better than the tiger, at least I don’t trip over my tail,”
she giggled to Yva as she flounced into the factory.
Lady Beth reached the hosts and
smiled. “I thought I would never
figure out what to go as,” she said. “But, the idea sort of hit
me when Catherine mentioned the Alice in Wonderland books. I
thought I would go as Winnie the Pooh, and asked Rose if she wanted to
go as Piglet. It seemed perfect, and her aunt Josephine is also
here, dressed as Eeyore. Seems fitting since she said that she
felt like a moody donkey at times.”
Yva giggled, but watched as
Lady Beth waddled in, and Willy nudged
her. “Who else is left?”
“Mick should be here soon,” Yva
said. “He’s going to dress like
Andrew, so we got a whole crew of biker dudes hanging around here
tonight. Maybe I should have brought some of my Billy Joel
music.” She giggled despite herself as Nigel approached.
“You look quite interesting
Love,” the Victorian angel said smiling as
he looked at her. “I never thought I would see a lady dressed in
this way.”
Yva laughed. “It’s like
seeing how the other half lives.
But, I personally like it.” She reached out and touched the
sleeve of his waistcoat. “This is beautiful, Nigel.”
“Yes, well, this was what I
wore when Queen Victoria had her
coronation,” he said somewhat shyly. “Do you like it?”
“It’s wonderful,” Yva smiled
and nodded, but the next thing that
happened took her completely by surprise. Standing behind her
guardian was Sir Sven, dressed as a knight.
He gallantly walked up tot her
and smiled as he greeted her with a
kiss. “You call me Sir Sven, so I might as well dress the part,”
he said, but turned and nodded towards Willy. “It’s nice to see
you again.”
Willy nodded as he watched the
younger couple embrace.
“Now, I think everyone is
finally here, so we can return inside,” he
said as he, Yva, and Sir Sven left the cold Dyeland evening behind and
entered the warmth of the factory and the doors closed behind them.
~~~~~
Twenty minutes later, Andrew,
with Adam, Mick, and Willy’s help,
finished relating the day's events to the whole of Dyeland. There
were many shocked gasps, but mostly there was deep regret that lined
everyone’s face. Prayers and good wishes for Andi’s recovery were
related, while others conveyed that they would have a very difficult
time finding trust after all these things had come about.
Of course, everyone was
relieved that after the events had taken such a
violent turn, but they were grateful that all of their friends were now
safely together.
For her part, Yva sang a couple
of songs with the band, and everyone
seemed to be in the highest of spirits.
After her performance, the band
broke into some happy sounding music
and as it filtered throughout the Chocolate Room, Willy and Yva stood
watching the couples and friends joining one another in dances.
As the music filtered throughout the room, she looked at Willy.
“What’s going to happen with Andi now?” She asked him.
“She’s going to have to re-earn
all of our trust, but I think there is
an element of understanding that we may have with her because of the
horrible situation she was in,” he said. “It doesn’t surprise me
that contrary to all the things that have happened, she did what she
did because she was jealous of you.”
“Jealous of me?” Yva whispered.
“Well, when you stop and think
about it, look at all that you have
under your, or should I say, my hat,” Willy smirked.
“I have my friends, and that’s
the greatest gift in the world,” she
said as she looked at him. “Maybe it is during the times when
things are really going poorly that we come to realize how important
that is. All these years, ever since I was a child, you’ve always
seemed like a father to me.”
“Well, perhaps it is because
since the day we have met, you have been
rather like a daughter to me,” he ruffled her hair before taking her in
his arms and giving her a warm embrace. “Look at how much alike
we are…” His voice trailed into a pause. “…And don’t even tell me
it’s the clothes, because I happened to have been looking much deeper
than that.” When she raised her head and looked at him, he winked.
As she linked her arm with his,
the two friends stood and listened as
the band began to play, ‘Pure Imagination’.
“May I have this dance?” Willy
asked as he turned to her and bowed.
Yva returned the gesture
somewhat awkwardly, but smiled as they
wordlessly began to dance.