Unfortunately, part of this plan involved me having to deal with Monsieur D'Arque. D'Arque lived on the edge of town, near the west side of the woods and next to a building I had never entered and never had any desire to enter. It was known as the Maison des Lunes – in short, the house for crazies, the cracker barrel, the nuthouse… Whatever you wish to refer to it as.

Walking up to the Maison des Lunes, I could hear faint screams and laughter coming from the inside. A chill went through me. What if D'Arque thought I'd make a fine addition to his… enterprise? Gaston could save me from mortal danger, of course, but could he save me from something like this? What had I gotten myself INTO?

I walked up and knocked on the door to D'Arque's house.

I had seen D'Arque in town before – besides his job running an asylum, he also had a business as a hatseller in town. It was how he had gotten the money to build and upkeep the Maison in the first place… not like it looked like it had been upkept very well. The shingles were falling off, and paint was chipping. As for the section D'Arque lived in, that was only slightly more hospitable looking than the rest of it. I shook for a moment and sucked in my breath. I wished more than anything that Gaston were here beside me. Gaston, after all, was NEVER afraid.

I knocked on the door, and a few moments later it creaked open slightly. A tall, lean, dark-skinned man wearing an eye-patch took a step outside and glared down at me. I cowered.

"M…m…m'sieur Dee-ar-cay…"

"It's DARque! And what do you want!"

"I'm sorry, M…m… Monsieur D'Arque!"

"What do you want? Who are you? Do you need to be locked up?"

"My name is LeFou, and I come from Gaston. You know," I gave him a bit of a knowing wink, "Gaston."

"Your point?" he said in a bored way.

"Gaston would like to sp-sp-speak with you, about a possible… uh…" What was the word Gaston had used? "New member of your, uh, community. If you kn-know what I mean."

"It's the middle of the night, you fool. Can't he wait until morning?"

"Gaston said it must be done under, uh, cover of darkness. He'll make it very worth your while. You won't have to sell so many hats anymore."

"Well," said D'Arque with a sneer, "That would most certainly be enjoyable. I will come with you. Where does he want to meet at?"

"The t-tavern."

"Then we shall go to the tavern. But I must hear whatever you wish to tell me in the shortest period of time possible. Time is money, and I don't have nearly enough of either. Let us go. This had better be worth my time." He leaned in close to me and breathed on the side of my face. "Or a certain person may have to pay."

I leapt up and started back for the tavern. One more minute with D'Arque would have been far more than I could bear.