End

The hall outside his room was dark and empty. Peter stepped back into his room and took the candle that had been left beside his bed. With the hall now slightly illuminated, he could see a door across the hall. Peter carried the candle across the corridor and opened the door.

The room was small. In the center was a table with three chairs set around it. A small stove stood in the corner, and the walls were lined with cabinets.

"The kitchen," he said aloud. There were three candles on the table, and he lit them using the one he carried, illuminating the dim interior a bit more. In the light, he could see that there was a sink across the room and that the wallpaper had little flowers on it.

Peter realized that he was slightly hungry, and so began to rummage through the cabinets for some food. He came across some cans of soup and decided to have that. A bit more searching produced some pots, a bowl, and a spoon, and he decided that soup would be his next meal.

He set a pot of water down on the stove, but while he waited impatiently for it to boil, something on the other side of the door caught his interest.

Thomas found himself inexplicably awakened at two thirty in the morning. He glanced around the room.

'Why am I awake?' he wondered to himself, still half asleep.

Before he could say, do, or think and more, the air in front of him shimmered and a woman appeared, beautiful, mysterious, and semi-transparent.

Mike found himself a bit uneasy. He should have been relaxed. After all, it was almost three in the morning, he was rested, and the woman he loved was behind him. But while Fiona slept soundly, he found it impossible to even doze off. Silently, Mike slipped out of bed, being careful not to disturb her, and made his way towards the living room.

"Peter?" he asked, surprised to see him standing in the living room. "What are you doing up?"

Peter just pointed weakly to the glowing stone on the coffee table.

Before Mike could respond, a light shot from the stone, straight into the air towards the ceiling. It widened sudenly, and an image of a woman appeared in front of them.

Peter gasped. "It - she -she looks almost like - like," he stammered.

"Fiona," Mike finished.

The petite woman said nothing for a few moments, allowing Thomas to get a good look at her. Her image was supposedly life size, but she was only about an inch or so taller than he was. She had long, brown hair that was mostly loose except for two thin strands that were braided and dangled in front of her face. She wore a blue, shimmering cloak over her thin body that hung to her knees. Under that was a pale purple skirt that extended to her toes.

She spoke then, and said only four words: "The boy is ready."

Her voice was light and melodious. She waved her left arm past her body and then raised it above her head. Thomas felt a sharp jolt run through his body, and he sat upright. Before he could do anything more, she vanished.

Mike and Peter looked at each other in stunned silence for a moment.

"Thomas," they both said in unison.

"We've got to get home," Peter decided, but couldn't say anything more because he began to cough.

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