There she stood, dressed in a wool gown of a deep green, her hair was like ebony spun into silk and it flowed like a waterfall down her back, while her

unaturally fair complexion only made her look exotic. She stood in a meadow of gold lilies that were beautiful but strangely unnatural almost as if they were too

perfect. She walked through the fiery meadow until suddenly it dropped off into dark nothingness as her eyes drifted downward, she saw a handsome man

sitting under a red-leaved oak tree in the virgin snow. The darkness of his suit contrasted with snow that better matched his fair complexion, while the

coat he wore matched his burnt black hair. She felt as though she had met him somewhere before although she couldn't remember where or when, for that

matter she at this very moment couldn't tell you who she was or her name. The man stood and stared with his deep blue-green eyes into hers and beckoned

with hand, speaking only one word, "Bonnie."

The melodious sound of his voice so achingly familiar and otherworldly drove her to do the impossible-without a second thought she took a running start

and leapt off of the precipice into the unending darkness. As she fell her mind raced thinking not of death but of her identity," Bonnie, Bonnie...that must

be my name, but how did I come here-the man, the midnight horse...What have I done, jumping like a fool..."

As if an answer to her question she felt a strong, but icy cold hand grip hers as she sank into darkness. She was suddenly jolted from her free fall by the

hard pound of her feet on terra firma; she opened her eyes only to see that she stood in a vast desolate field. Everything in the field was gray in color and

made a strange kind of music as the wind whipped over it. Suddenly the hand that held hers jerked her into a run as she struggled to keep up with the

mysterious stranger. He gave lilting laugh as she tripped and stumbled with effort not to fall. Their pace quickened with each stride as Bonnie thought, "

We must be deer, there's no way we could run like this, how unlady-like...just like what Mama would say..."

Memories of a prudish but loving elderly woman came flooding back to her: Mama and her at tea with the Viscountess...Mama cleverly trying to

maneuver a match between her and the Countess' son...what's his name... Her sketchy retrospective was interrupted by a deafening noise of explosion like

thousands of kegs exploding at once. As she ran forward the air grew thick with smoke and it became harder and harder for her to breathe, suddenly the

man dropped her hand and she was left all alone in the din and the smoke. She desperately searched for the one who had led this far but to no avail

instead she only saw trenches filled with the bodies of dead or half-alive men calling out to her in pain, they cried, " Nursey, damn it hurts like help, don't

leave me to die miss."

Bonnie could only run from the screams of terror as the haunted and burned faces seared themselves into her memory. From the air there was a screech

and a large metal object fell a few hundred feet behind her and exploded on impact. She braced herself for a fiery death that never came, instead after a

wave of heat, she remained unscathed only her dress was harmed, a pitiful burnt rag. This ordeal with the bomb only pushed her desperation as she

continued her search she saw the silhouette of a man...in fact the very man she was trying to find, when through the air came hundreds of angry bullets

firing in her direction. She threw herself on the ground that was cold and damp, shaking in fear, she cried out scarcely considering what she was saying, "

Sir, save me, please help me, anyone, save me from this nightmare and I will be your slave."

The man called out to her in the eerie voice, " Bonnie, I take you on your offer, stand and come to me, if you trust me."

confused by his response, Bonnie yelled," Do you wish me dead? Stop them and then I can come to your side."

The man called back in an irritated tone," Bonnie, you must trust, I can't be your legs, and you must come to me of your own free will."

With those words, she shockingly rose to her feet, finding the unknown courage to stand, then she leapt forward straight into the lines of fire. She noticed

that bullets did not hit her but instead bounced off her body or avoided her path altogether suspended like tiny silver minnows in the air; she breathlessly

drove towards the man in his still impeccable attire. When at last she had reached his side, heaving from the intensity of her sprint, he grasped her hand

again and pulled her into another run. She resisted his tugging this time and whining said, "Please sir, I must have some rest I'm near dead from my trials."

He never stopped but only slowed to turn and give her a cruel and mocking smile, hissing, " Madame, you know nothing of trials or pain, you best keep

quiet for there is nothing worst than an uppity slave."

They picked their way across the seemingly endless ocean of dead grass and hard patches of soil, until a large house loomed on the horizon. It was a

strange Gothic configuration complete with soaring gables and grotesque gargoyles; the stone was a darkish hue - a brown so dark it could have been

called black. As the man pressed onward with anticipation growing in each step; Bonnie had a strange ominous and foreboding feeling consume her, the

acid in her stomach churned and rose in the back of her throat and she became aware of her surroundings. The unknown lay before and she did not know

whether to run or to stay with the stranger with an edge like a knife; she tried to let go of his hand but to her growing dismay found that she could not will

her hand to let go of his. The stranger turned so she could not see his face reveling in the fact that she had become bonded to him so quickly, he allowed

himself a peek at her panicked expression she desperately tried to conceal, he thought to himself, " My angel, this is just the beginning, you will soon

appreciate, all I have done for you..."

The idea of what was in store for her caused another smirk to twist itself across his face distorting its handsome appearance. The blood in Bonnie's ears

began to pound like the drums of sacrifice as she neared the great house, deafening her to any outside noise there might be. At last they came upon the

house with large, ancient carved oak doors extending twelve feet in to the air. The man unruffled by the recent flight let go of her hand (calming her fears

a bit) bowed to her as would any gentlemen and said, "My lady, my humble abode."

This courtesy lured Bonnie into a false sense of security and subdued what her intuition had screamed at her instead she rationalized," Well, he does have

manners, just like, just like what's his name...Phillipe that's it!"

This startling realization flooded her mind with images of a tall, princely man with red-gold curly hair and a winning smile. "He was as much a lion as

this man a leopard although both must be noble beasts in their own right."

This though was not landmark for Bonnie, she had been dead wrong before, but little did she know what she was plunging into when she took the man's

hand for the second time. With a mere wave of his free hand the doors creaked slowly open to reveal a lavish interior. Their feet fell into a clattering

rhythm on the black marble floor shined to reflect like a dark mirror; the floor gave way to dark walls with indiscernible color by the candelabras

scattered throughout the room. The pair headed for a large, gold staircase, ornately decorated with figures that told the story of Cupid and Psyche, the

nude statues seemed oddly familiar to Bonnie but she couldn't tell if what she remembered had only been a dream. She continued to follow the man even

up the stairs whose enormity and grandeur made her feel very out of place in the rags, she still wore.

As they ascended the gold and white marble stairs lined with a red oriental carpet, she failed to notice the man's feet hovering above the stairs instead of

firmly planted on the ground. Instead, Bonnie stared at the many steps below her, and for the first time grasped the sheer height of her climb. Because the

floor seemed far away, she clung more closely to the man's arm and pressed against his back; the man shuddered with delight at her touch although he

passed it off as if he were merely chilled by the air that felt like that in mausoleum. When they arrived at the top of the stairs after several minutes of

climbing, Bonnie saw a long dark corridor riddled with doors on both sides. The man picked up a candle from a dark but elegantly carved table and then

began again to their unknown destination. The lack of dialogue or any noise besides the patter of feet on more onyx-like marble disturbed her and once

again filled her with unease about her surroundings. On the left and right they passed doors carved of hundreds of different woods until at last they

stopped in front of a rather, unusually bright one carved of cherry wood; the man pulled a tarnished silver key from his waistcoat pocket and placed it in

the doorknob, slowly unlocking the door. The man held open the door and beckoned for her to enter, following in behind.

She entered a room done like a bedchamber out of The Sun King's Versailles, the furniture consisted of an elegant canopy bed with matching pastel blue

pillows and sheets, a large chair with a gold pillow, and a wardrobe that took up an entire wall once again carved with it's own complete story of Beauty

and the Beast. Bonnie turned to the man shyly asking, " Is this where I am to stay...I thought I was to be your slave...I cannot thank you enough, sir...I

mean Master. May I inquire your name?"

The man looked pleased at the mention of Master but only scowled when she asked of his name, he muttered out of her earshot," My lady, there is more

than one kind of slavery and some prisons are a gilded cage."

He turned his attention to the wardrobe and flung the doors open revealing a full length mirror and a collection of dresses so beautifully designed that the

angels in heaven would desire them. Bonnie could scarcely breathe at what she saw: A dazzling rainbow of fabrics and patterns that made her head reel.

The stranger turned to her and barked," Put one on and be dressed before I return or else I shall reconsider my kindness."

With that he vanished out the door, locking it behind him; she was so overwhelmed by the events that had occurred and the beauty that now filled the room

that she fainted clean away into the comfort of darkness. When she groggily awoke the recent events flooded her mind; however, the sound of footsteps

down the corridor roused her into action fearing what might happen should she not be dressed. Plunging her hand into the closet she pulled out the first

dress she could grasp. It was an emerald ball gown that's silk texture felt like something out of a dream. Bonnie struggled with the undergarments as the

footsteps grew nearer, all the while saying under her breath, " Oh God, Oh God, he's going to catch me and I'm going to killed or worse..."

To her surprise, the dress slipped on and fit her body like magic even without a corset beneath it. Just as she looked into the mirror, the doorknob rattled

and then the handle turned and the man stepped in again. He had also changed from the morning suit into a comfortable beige wool shirt, green plaid

pants, and a long green jacket. He studied her before remarking, "Well don't you look ravishing, I believe that dress suits you a bit better than what you

had on before...Don't you think?"

She only could blush and gaze at her feet in respond to his compliment; greedily the stranger took her hand and began to lead her further down the hall,

passing many more masterpiece doors. The doors became far and few between until at last they came to the end of the seeming less everlasting

passageway and stopped at a tall and very plain white door. Bonnie could only wonder what might lie in store as the man fished a brass key from his left

coat pocket grinning mischievously as he did so. Inserting the key, he turned it in the lock and pushed open the door...