On the little roof in front of Andy's window, Zurg rolled around and heard Matt.

"It has been a rough day for all of us. But somehow I have this idea that it was the hardest for you, Zurg…or should I call you Zora?"

"What ever you want… It doesn't matter anymore."

Nobody knew how hard it had been for Zurg to leave Miss Dashwood this time; only one look at her direction had made him out of his mind. Matt inspected him with his deep eyes and saw that he was battling inside.

"Monsieur Zora…may I ask what was it between you and Miss Dashwood down there in the cellar? It surely didn't look like just a desperate attempt to save her life! There was something else, too, and you know it also."

Zurg was gathering his thoughts.

"No, you are mistaken… unfortunately."

They both were silent for a long time. Then Matt couldn't help asking more about the subject that Zurg so obviously wanted to avoid.

"So… you do admit that she means more to you than is generally acknowledged?"

"Well… I believe that the general opinion would support that assumption."

"Don't try to escape this conversation!"

"Don't try to make me say something that you will later on misinterpret – on purpose!"

Matt yawned with a blink in the corner of his eye:

"You do remember that Annabelle is coming tomorrow…? She will most likely take Miss Dashwood away with her when she leaves."

This worked. Zurg turned to him looking suddenly desperate.

"No, she can't do that!"

"Unfortunately she can. She owns her."

Zurg closed his eyes for vexation. Matt couldn't stop teasing him a little more:

"And it means that…you must remember to give her farewells before 10am. You have exactly… according to Mickey… 11 hours and 56 minutes time left."

Zurg went grave.

"I don't want to do that."

"Oh as if! But I think you just don't have the courage to meet her…?" Matt laughed.

"Hrmhs…"

"Tell me… is it about your looks again? Did she say something not so… plaisant à toi when you revealed your secret?"

"She did not say anything. She did not recognize that it was me."

"And now you're afraid that she does. That is the reason why you don't want to see her."

"Well… yes."

Zurg looked at the sky. The darkness was coming closer from the east. After a while he said:

"It is so exciting to see all the colors."

Matt was happy to know that the atmosphere was still tranquil.

"I wouldn't know it otherwise…I've never worn your mask."

When Andy came to the room at almost eleven o'clock, everything was silent. He didn't see the sock and the sleeping Miss Dashwood between the table and the wall. To the toys' luck, Andy was very tired and fell deep asleep almost immediately. Right after this Jessie, Katie and Bo sneaked to see Marianne. She was seemingly better already – and little by little was able to chat with her friends.

"Aw… my head is killing me! How can I stop myself seeing these flash-backs from the cellar?" she whined.

"What flash-backs do you mean?" Bo was concerned.

"I see a man… very vividly emblazoned in my mind. He is so good-looking, so charming…! And he makes my feet go jelly every time he comes to my mind…! It is hard to accept that he is only a hallucination! But what else can he be? There is no such a man existing! –to my disappointment. What, I can see from your eyes that you girls consider me insane already! Great!"

The girls changed an amused glance. They all knew that Marianne had seen Zurg without his disguise –but somehow couldn't connect the face to the person. And because for some time now everybody had wondered how Marianne would react to the revelation, it was natural of the girls to ask. Bo started, smiling slyly:

"Tell us more how do you like him! How handsome he actually is in your opinion?"

"Oh! The handsomest man in the whole world! He is like straight from my fantasies. He has black hair and thick eyebrows of the same color…and you should see his eyes! And his voice…how caring, how manly…he really is a sight for my sore eyes!"

Katie, being not so superficial, wanted to know what she liked of his personality. Miss Dashwood couldn't but praise it:

"That tenderness and caring! Oh, I think nobody has ever taken care of me the way he does in my dreams! And his polite manners; indecency is far from his character! And what's more, he listens to me –and seems to pay attention to my thoughts. Gee, wish that he could be real!"

Jessie, Bo and Katie were perfectly satisfied. Now their only problem was how to tell her the truth: that she had not been dreaming, not even – but her prince was actually her dear swashbuckler-buddy Zurg. Jessie tried first:

"Listen…Can you recall anything familiar with him?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like…what kinda clothes did he wear?"

"I…I don't remember…perhaps…something violet?"

"And would that bring some associations into your mind?"

"Well…maybe…"

"You know…we have this little surprise for you, but we aren't sure weather we should give it to you or not."

"A surprise! I love surprises – but only the good ones, of course."

"Believe me…this is the surprise of your life. Katie?"

"Yea…It's betta to let'er know."

Bo agreed with her. Now Katie went away for a couple of minutes and returned with the mask she had not yet given back to Zurg.

"Missus D…D'ya kno'wha thisiz?"

Miss Dashwood's expression went so extremely puzzled that the others started to howl of laughter. Jessie was the first one who could produce a somewhat clear word from her mouth:

"Hehe-he can get if off!" and she laughed again so hard that it hurt. "Yeeee-hhaaaaa!!!"

Katie coughed in order to stop her on-going giggling but in vain. Marianne just looked so funny when she carefully handled the mask in order to understand.

"Ya…y'aint sure of it bein' a dream anymore, hein?"

Bo couldn't even look at her anymore and rolled about the floor tears of hilarity in her eyes.

Miss Dashwood did not know how to take this.

"Girls, say it to me. What is this all?"

With a huge effort, Bo succeeded to get serious.

"Th…the man…who you just said to be the world's handsomest…is actually your…well – he is Zurg."

Miss Dashwood was struck all of a heap. She fell in her own reality. Zora was Zurg! How odd! How shocking! It could not be true. She wanted to see him but Jessie denied:

"No, Marianne… not today. You are so tired. And it is not the best possible time and place anyway. You know…you should do it when you are stronger and when you have slept well."

After a few arguments Miss Dashwood agreed to go to sleep and the girls left her. She looked after them and sighed deeply. They all had someone who to love and who to cherish. Only she was alone. Then her thoughts turned again to Zurg. What was this? A bad joke? She took the mask once again and let her fingers wonder about its features. So this was not his true looks. And he was not an alien monster, either. He was a good-looking man. She had not seen hallucinations after all. "Zora" really existed. But where was he now? For a second she thought of going to search for him but the exhaustion took over her. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.