"Anna! Anna, wake up!"

I yawned, "What's it? What's going on?"

I blinked my eyes a few times as they got used to the darkness.

"Jonathan?"

His eyes shimmered, "Yeah, it's me," he smiled at me and gestured that I should get up, "Come on, I want to show you something."

I rolled out of bed, "Where are we going?"

He handed me a pair of clean pants and a faded shirt, "It's a surprise," he winked at me.

I hesitated for a second; Jonathan had always been mean to me, why would he want to show me something? It must be a trick, I thought to myself. Jonathan, who had been standing silently through my inner debate, finally spoke.

"Look, Anna, I'm really sorry about everything. I shouldn't have been mean to you; I know that now. I want to make it up to you; that's why I'm here. Now I'll be outside while you change, okay?"

I nodded, slowly. Jonathan smiled at me one last time and left the room. I yawned again and pulled on my pants and shirt. I glanced around the room and couldn't shake off the feeling that I wouldn't be seeing it for a long time.

I opened my door as quietly as I could and flinched when it squeaked. A figure materialized from out of the darkness.

"You ready?"

I gulped, "Ready."

I saw him reach out and in an instant he was dragging me down the hall by my hand. He led me down the stairs and out the door.

"Is it far?" I asked, it was quite cold outside and I was without a coat.

"No, we're almost there. It's in the garden."

We walked in silence for a few minutes, the wind blowing our hair every which way and the cold making us shiver every minute or so. Finally, we made it to the garden. Jonathan dragged me over to a crack in the large stonewall that surrounded the garden.

"It's through here." He said, gesturing to it.

It looked hardly big enough for me to squeeze through and it was dark and damp inside.

"You want me to go in there? "

He nodded.

"But it's dark and small and…"

He interrupted me, "Oh fine! I'll go first, okay?"

I hesitated, and then nodded. He slid into the crack and disappeared into the darkness. I took a deep breath, and followed.

"Isn't it wonderful!" Jonathan shouted at me as he spun in circles.

I looked around. At first all I'd been able to see was darkness and spiders, but once I'd gotten out of the hole in the wall, I saw trees and grass and flowers.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"It's our new home,"

Suddenly, I heard a voice speak from behind me, "What is her name?"

I spun around and saw something sitting on a rock behind me. He had pale, white skin and black clumps of hair on his half moon shaped face and his chin curved upward so sharply that the tip of it nearly touched the man's crooked nose. He was wearing a crooked black top hat and his back was crooked as well. On his side there was a long gold dagger that curled like the body of a snake.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice cracking with fear.

"I have many names, my child, but you may call me Crooked Man. Now what is her name?"

Jonathan stepped forward, bowing slightly, "Her name is Anna."

"Anna," the Crooked Man said, rolling it around on his tongue.

He turned back to me, "Welcome, Anna," and then, in a flash, he was off the rock and had me wrapped in his arms.

He spun round and round and he spun so hard and fast that he dug a hole in the earth and I began to scream and scream until I had to stop because dirt was getting in my mouth. He still dragged me down farther and I saw spiders and other creepy crawlers and still he dragged me further down. I cried and cried and he took me miles and miles away from my home until finally we came into a small crowded room. He released me and I tried to run away but he grabbed me again. I screamed and tried to pull away but he was much too strong. He stuck out a long, bony hand and his long, sharp nails grazed my shirt and then… he plunged his hand into my chest. He clawed and clawed through my skin and my blood began to pour. He grabbed a hold of my heart and pulled it out. I screamed some more and fell to the ground, withering in pain and dyeing. The Crooked Man lifted my heart to his nose and sniffed. He smiled his awful smile and took a bite out of my heart. He ate my heart as I clutched at my chest and the pain was so unbearable that I left my body.

I saw myself, bleeding on the floor and then glass closed in on me and I was trapped inside a jar. The Crooked Man, finished with my heart, placed me on a shelf, my blood dripping from his mouth. Only then did I realize that the pain was gone. The Crooked Man left and I sunk down the side of the jar and cried, only, there were no tears, for the dead shed no tears and bleed no blood.

I waited and waited; hoping some day some one would get me out. No one did. Jonathan came though. He called himself king, but he didn't look happy. He told me he was sorry and I forgave him. He visited me every so often and every time he looked weaker and weaker. Mostly though, the Crooked Man came. I let myself sink into an endless pool of despair and I stayed there, never to leave until the very end.