You sit down on the bed and raise a hand to gently pet the bunny. G-e-n-t-l-y you pat the bunny. Pat again. Pretty soon your giving this fluff monster all the love, and despite a small poof of dust with each pat, the little critter seems to be enjoying it.\n\n[[Well this isn't so scary.|6A]]\n\n[[Charmed by the creature's enjoyment, you pick it up to snuggle in your lap.|6B]]

You creak down the rickety stairs from your room. You successfully find both the cat food and Mr. Twinkles in a kitchen cupboard, along with a bag of catnip and a jar of Nutella. CRACK - CRACKLE - BOOM! The storm hits the house with ferocity and Mr. Twinkles lets out a skin-crawling screech and dashes out of the kitchen.\n[[You decide to venture into the library to crack open a favorite book.|2A]]\n[[You grab the catnip, and patiently call out "Mr. Twinkles" while laying a trail of the trippy treat for the feline. |2B]]\n

Still a little unsure of how you got talked into house-sitting for your great-aunt Ermintrude while she spends a week in Boca Raton, you survey the guest bedroom (1 of 3). You do your best to ignore the echoes of ghost stories flooding your imagination which surround the property, instead turning your attention to Mr. Twinkles, her ancient calico. The great Victorian mansion groans with a new gust of wind and you jump at the slam of a shutter! First things first:\n[[Feed the cat per the note left by Aunt Trudy.|1A]]\n[[Unpack and call your best friend to get their hiney on over here.|1B]]\n

You reach for your cellphone in your left pants pocket - nothing. You grab your backpack and rifle through every pocket (twice) - nothing. Tear apart the bed - nothing. Retrace your steps throughout the main floor - nothing. Well... This is weird...\n\n[[You head toward the kitchen - you can at least feed the cat.|2C]]\n\n[[You move to the study in hopes of finding a landline to call your friend. Or an electrician.|2D]]

Hub-a-dah-WHA?! A tiny string orchestra! You strain your ears attempting to identify the dulcimer sounds of this tiny tinny tune. Your toes starting tapping out the rhythm. Then your legs find the downbeat. Soon, you find yourself sweeping in and out of the main floors rooms, led by some phantom partner.\n\n[[You don't dance. STOP.|4C]]\n\n[[Lean into the dulcimer tunes and try not to fight it.|4D]]

As you wait for your eyeball to adjust to the light you start to feel.. funny. Like your bones are slowly thawing from a deep freeze. Like atoms are evaporating with the thaw. By the time your realize what's happening, it's too late. The keyhole has evaporated most of your form, and you cease to exist as a corporeal being...

You tiptoe ever so close to the creature and it breaks out into a grin. Through the haze, you make out the form of... Mr. Twinkles? You yank your head back, but the creature as already started to swallow you. The cat runs into your arms as you are swallowed into the creature. Well, at least you'll have company...

It works and you pop out of the dance but the music is still playing. Changing over dance to dance, over and over and OVER AND OVER - and you black out. When you awake, you're comfortably tucked in at home. You escaped. How did you get home? WAIT - there's that tune. STILL. Running from your room, you try to call out for you mother, only to hear the notes of the waltz in your head sing sweetly off your tongue...

Your eyes adjust slowly - hours pass, or so it feels - and when you finally have some semblance of night vision, you scan the area.\n\n[[Find a clear enough path to make your way up the staircase to your room.|4F]]\n\n[[There's something moving at the foot of the stairs...|4E]]

CREAKY FLOORBOARD! You freeze, eyes wide and breath bated. You pause for a good minute before your let your body relax and begin breathing again. Resuming your tiptoe, wary of floorboards, you make it to the library and:\n[[Slowly open the door.|4A]]\n[[Peer through the crack to see where the light is coming from.|4B]]\n[[Decide you have a book in your room you'd much rather read and turn around to leave. |2C]]

You kick your shoes off rather than attempt to untie the tight knots, and dash off to find the cat. Wildly running about the house, you check every nook and corner for Mr. Twinkles. Having torn apart the main floor, you leap up the stairs to check the second story. After checking every bedroom, you can't seem to find the cat anywhere.\n\n[[Tough cookies for the cat, you're out of here!|4F]]\n[[Dash back down the stairs, skittering to a stop when you notice someTHING at the base of the steps.|4E]]

As your fingers meet with the cracked leather cover of Shelley's "Frankenstein," a scream pierces the beautiful dance. The books drop out of the air like marionettes whose strings have been snipped, clunking and scattering across the library floor. It takes you a minute, but eventually you realize that scream, that unearthly, unending howl, is erupting from YOU...

As you turn, the door slams shut on you and you feel a cool wind breathe through your clothing. The air starts to swirl around you, and as your feet leave the ground, you know nothing good can come of involuntary levitation...

From the floor, you hear something. Sounds a bit like a music box. A very very close music box. You look up and discover a phantom string orchestra, bobbing about the ceiling, delighting the ears of anyone present.\n\n[[You do like string orchestras.|3C]]\n\n[[Untie your shoes and beat a path back up to your room!|4F]]\n

The moment your foot crosses the door frame, you find yourself spinning and folding a expanding and shrinking, falling down down down. You eventually land with a thud. You're at a table, spread with the most delectable array of jams and jellies and scones and teas... And you're different. Sketches and lines form your composition rather than flesh and hair. You're an illustration. Looking up from the table, you notice you are the third guest at this tea party. At a very famous tea party...

On a Dark and Stormy Night

It's all in your head, it's all in your head, it's all... It won't stop. and it's getting louder! The song is singing, your head is twitching, and you can't seem to get yourself back on your feet again! What is this!? It won't stop, and now... It will NEVER. STOP.\n\nYour aunt will find you a week later, still on the floor in the foyer, singing and giggling quietly to yourself.

CRAAAACK - BOOOOOOM. With a final crash, the thunder and lightening take out the electricity and your are at a loss. You spin around in the hallway - light, any source, just light! \n[[You notice a glimmer from the library and lumber to the light.|4A]]\n\n[[Time to cower in the fear, frozen to the spot.|3G]]\n

Turning the corner down the hall to the library, you notice the door cracked open and a faint glow emanating from within.\n\n[[You tiptoe tentatively toward the library, with caution and calm.|3A]]\n\n[[You rush to the door, press an eyeball to the keyhole, and peer in.|3B]]

While laying a trail of crumbs, you catch wind of an odd sound. More of a song really. Twinkling notes start to fill your head and soon you are completely entranced. You must find the origin of this enchantment!\n[[You look up and discover...|3C]]\n\n[[The sounds seem to be coming from... the library?|2A]]\n\n[[It's probably just your imagination.|3D]]\n

You turn and immediately trip - your shoelaces were tied together. Something is officially WEIRD and you're not going to stand it another minute. \n\n[[Mr. Twinkles will be just as happy at your house - time to find the cat and RUN!|3E]]\n\n[[Stay on the floor to evaluate the safest way to remove yourself from the house.|3F]]

You head to the guest bedroom to gather your things, and upon entering the room you freeze at the sight of a furry little creature perched on the edge of the bed. Fluffy, crumbling, dusty ears and huge, hopping legs and glowing red eyes - it's a demon dust bunny.\n\n[[There don't appear to be any fangs - and glowing eyes aside, it's kinda cute! - so you approach with caution.|5E]]\n

Twirling and gliding, you sweep throughout the house. The music lifts you - literally - and though you're only a few inches off the floor, you feel as though it could be a few miles. You are weightless. You are effortless. You are dissolving. With every new note, you notice infinitesimal pieces of yourself evaporating into the ether. Well, your 3rd grade piano teacher always encouraged you to "feel" the music. Though this may not be what she had in mind.

You freeze in your place. It doesn't look like any discernible creature to you - for one, it's fairly transparent. And it's floating. This should be fun.\n\n[[You're done. It's been fun. Time to get your things and go home.|4F]]\n\n[[Approach this otherworldly creature, it's so entrancing.|5G]]\n

Pressing your face to the doorframe, but careful not to touch the door, you marvel at hundreds of candles spread throughout the library. Great, old pillars of wax cast a warm glow around the room. Beautiful. But - you didn't light the candles. So who did?\n\n[[You slowly push the door open and walk into the warm light.|5C]]\n\n[[Back away cautiously and head back towards your bedroom - it's time to go.|4F]]

You stiffen your limbs, resolved not to be forced to dance a jig. The music changes - you won't dance a waltz either. Again, it changes - tango? No. Allemande? Macarena? Salsa? Volta-Zumba-Bhangra? The music whirls 'round and 'round your head, seemingly searching for a tune to please you.\n\n[[You finally give in - fine, you'll dance!|4D]]\n\n[[Fight the music, harder and harder|5F]]

The old oak swings forward to reveal the most magnificent sight. Rows upon rows of books, spines dancing in the candlelight. Really... dancing? THE BOOKS ARE MOVING! Not exactly what you expected.\n\n[[You spin on your heels to beat a path back up to your room in the tower.|5A]]\n\n[[You reach a hand out to touch one of the dancing tomes.|5B]]

In the vigor of your love for this little thing, you build up quite a cloud of dust. You start coughing from the dust clouding your lungs, but you can't cough fast enough to keep up with the rapidly expanding cloud of dust. The dust fills your lungs as the room clouds out of existence, and you are dragged down down down into a dusty abyss...

As soon as the creature is in your lap comfortably, it starts to knead a spot in your lap, turning in circles like a puppy. But soon the circles start getting smaller and smaller and faster and faster, and before you can stop it, there is a cyclone of dust and creature and you are in the middle of it, the world whipping around you. The eye of a cyclone isn't too bad, but how can you escape...

Megan Dowd