Free The Book of Dreams by O.R. Melling

inexorably drawn to the car. Her hand reached out to open the door. She knew it was wrong— what am I doing? —but she couldn’t resist. Crowley’s voice was mesmeric. His eyes transfixed her.
    “Yes. Get in,” he insisted. “Come with me now.”
    Dana was almost in the car when she heard a shout. Slowly, with huge effort, she turned to see her aunts. They were running toward her.
    “ Get in! ” Crowley urged.
    His will seemed relentless; but the shouts of her aunts jarred against it. The two forces pushed and pulled at her. As the aunts drew nearer, Dana saw the panic on their faces. Dee was ahead, boots pounding the pavement, with Yvonne close behind despite her high heels.
    Crowley cursed and leaned over to grab Dana.
    Just as Deirdre arrived in time to grab at her also.
    The car door slammed and the sedan screeched away.
    Dee clasped her niece.
    “What’s the license number?” Yvonne shouted, catching up to them.
    Deirdre squinted at the speeding vehicle as it disappeared down the road.
    “I don’t have my lenses in,” she said, nervous and jittery.
    Yvonne was the same.
    “For chrissakes, how can you go around half-blind like that!”
    “New perspectives. Fuzzy edges.”
    “Great. A myopic filmmaker.”
    “We’re babbling,” Dee warned. “Shock.”
    “You’re right,” her sister agreed. “We should call the police.”
    They both pulled out their cell phones as if they were pistols.
    “Did you get a good look at him?” they asked Dana. “What did he say?”
    Dana was bewildered. She was glad that Deirdre was holding on to her. Her head hurt and she felt loose and disconnected, as if she were unraveling. She had a vague sense that something terrible had just happened, but she couldn’t remember what. At the same time she was confused by the memory of a harmless conversation.
    “I … it was … someone asking for directions.”
    “Oh yeah?” Dee demanded. “Then how come he took off like a bat out of hell?”
    “And what were you doing getting into the car?” Yvonne asked, more gently. “You know better than that, kiddo.”
    Dana shook her head as she looked from one to the other. Tears trickled down her face. She had no idea what was going on. Could her life get any worse?
    The aunts were calming down. Their terror at seeing their niece being abducted began to ebb away as they found themselves questioning what they had seen. The more they thought about it, the vaguer were their impressions. The only thing they were really sure of was Dana’s distress.
    “Tea room,” Yvonne announced, throwing her sister a look. “Hot chocolate and chocolate buns with heaps of chocolate sauce and chocolate doughnuts.”
    “When in doubt, administer chocolate,” Deirdre agreed.
    • • •
     
    The Mad Hatter Tea House was a favorite of the aunts. Everything about it was “darling.” The wood-framed building was painted eggshell blue with yellow trim. A line of pink flamingos marched past the front window. Inside, the big room was chock-a-block from floor to ceiling with shelves of teapots. Big ones, small ones, plain and patterned, delicate china or glazed ceramics, they came in every shape and color; a black-and-white cow, a hen on her nest, ladies in long skirts, a honey hive with bees, a piano, a chair. Each was a work of art and no two were alike.
    The three settled into an alcove by the lace-curtained window. Though the menu offered sandwiches and other savories, they went immediately to the desserts. By the time they had tucked into the chocolate-mousse cheese-cake and chocolate-chip cookies, they had forgotten why they were there.
    “Gran will kill us,” Dana said, her mouth full. “She made a rhubarb tart.”
    “Hah! We’ll eat that too,” said Dee.
    Yvonne dialed her cell phone.
    “Maisy, we’ve gone for a walk,” she said, winking at the others. “Put the pie in the oven. We’ll be back soon.”
    The aunts had huge appetites and ate like horses without any visible effect