The upturned dust was reflecting blue in the moonlight. Mercutio had told them to meet him and his friends in town by the Fountain of Fairies after sunset. When they arrived Benvolio saw three familiar men dressed in black, just as he was. He pushed Romeo towards the fountain where Mercutio was, to collect their masks. Mercutio was lying on the edge of the fountain staring at the dark sky. He was playing with a sharp knife in his hand. The red and blue jewels sparked as it twisted in his hand. His boots flopped carelessly around his ankles unlaced. And his shirt, though it was tucked in, sat opened on his chest. His sweaty chest glistened in the light of the torches. He propped himself up on one elbow and looked at Benvolio and Romeo. His blond hair was long and the curls fell around his eyes. He smiled his mischievous smile at his friends.

"I do not feel right about this," Romeo whispered to Benvolio, he put on his mask. "What do we say when we get there? How do we explain why we came to their party? Or do we just enter with no apology for it? Like we have no care in the world?"

"Romeo we don't need to explain ourselves," Benvolio said. "It is a Masquerade, they won't know who we are. And anyway, why give anyone reason for our dancing when we could just dance?" He was given a chance to see Rosaline once more and he was going to take advantage of it. "We will enter this party and let them think of us what they will, and we will do the same in return, scout out their beautiful women, have a dance or two, drink their wine and leave."

"Well then at least let me carry the torch. I am not in the mood for a party or dancing. My soul is heavy, so I may as well be burdened with the weight of the light."

"No Romeo," Mercutio said, leaping off the fountain and dancing towards him. "Don't be so sad, you have to dance."

"No," Romeo said. "Don't you see, you have dancing shoes with nimble soles. My soul is heavy in my pain and like led, holds me to the ground. I will not dance."

"I thought you were a lover, Romeo."

"Is that what I am?"

"Yes you are, so borrow cupid's wings to dance tonight."

"I can't, you see it's cupid who has stabbed me in the heart. His light feathers couldn't lift me from the heavy weight of lost love."

"You're making love sound like a terrible thing Romeo."

"Do you think love is a tender thing, Mercutio? Oh no it is rough, it is mean and full of trickery and will prick you like a thorn. As if getting stung with cupids poisonous arrow would not hurt."

"Now I am interested, a love that pricks? Prick it back, I say. Believe me that will ease all this pain you feel."

"It is not that kind of love I speak of, Mercutio."

"Perhaps it should be. Every woman tonight will be wearing a mask, but how is that different then how they are every moment of every day? It isn't, so I say you don't take the time to care who you find tonight. Find a woman of any kind and prick out this pain you feel."

"Great, let's go then," Benvolio said. "Let's go to this Masquerade and dance and be merry, come on."

"I will go," Romeo said. "But please let me just carry that torch, I simply don't feel light enough to dance."

"Still with the torch then, Romeo?" Mercutio said. "Fine, let's go, we waste the daylight trying to make you dance."

"It is night, Mercutio," Romeo said.

"I know what time of day it is, Romeo. I mean we are wasting life as we sit here fighting to bring you up your spirits."

"Should we even go then? I mean, are we even going for a good reason? I really do not think it is a good idea."

"And why do you think we shouldn't go?"

"Well, I had a dream tonight."

"Well so did I, Romeo."

"Oh you did Mercutio, and what was your dream about?"

"That dreamers often lie."

"I was lying down while I had my dream about truth."

"Oh, so Queen Mab has been with you as you sleep?"

"Who?"

"She is a small fairy," Mercutio said as he leaped back onto the fountain. "She is no bigger than a small jewel set upon your finger. Her carriage is drawn by creatures as small as atoms. As men sleep she flies over their noses in her chariot." He began to dance along the edge of the fountain. "Oh her chariot, it is something wild. The spokes are made of spider legs. The cover is made of grasshopper wings. She is strapped in by the smallest of spider webs, and beams of the moons light. Her whip is made of crickets bones and fine thread. The driver of her chariot is a small gray gnat. The body of her chariot is a hallowed out hazel nut. Made for her by a cabinet making squirrel. Or perhaps simply just a grub worm who ate it out," he laughed and knelt down to meet Romeo's face. "You see, moments into your sleep after your mind has drifted, she visits you, she does this night after night. She visits lovers' brains and lets them dream of their love," he messed Romeo's hair and pushed him out of his way as he leapt down to meet face to face with a stranger passing by. "She visits the knees of the lords and ladies of the king's court and immediately they dream of kneeling low, bowing and curtsying before their king." The passerby walked away quickly, Mercutio turned to one of his friends, and grabbed his hand. "She visits the fingers of Lawyers who immediately dream of money and fees," he turned back to Romeo. "She passes over the lips of ladies who immediately dream of kisses, but this sometimes angers Queen Mab. So she plagues these women with blisters on their lips, but what is it about this that angers her?" He moved close to Romeo's face. "It is their breath as she flies over their lips." He turned and jumped back onto the fountain. "It is artificially sweetened with candy, and this fills her with rage. And sometimes she will fly over the noses of a Lord of the King's court and he will dream of the opportunity to present a case to the king on someones behalf. And sometimes she will tickle the nose of a man with the tail of a pig he gave to the church as his tithe and he will dream of giving more. Sometimes she will drive her chariot over the neck of a soldier, and he will dream of killing his enemy by slicing their throats. Their dreams will flood with forts they have built to hide within them," he stepped into the water of the fountain and walked to the fairies in the center. "They will dream of ambushes, their enemies attacking them from behind and again and again from every side as they sit unprepared, stunned, bloody," he ran his hands along the sculptures. "Spanish blades made of Toledo steel slicing through the air about them, slicing through them, slicing. And then immediately she will have drums play in their ears, forcing them to wake with a startle," he slowly sunk, his cheeks agains the cool marble, he wrapped his hands around his knees. "Frightened in his bed the soldier will pray of peace and sleep again." He was silent, as was everyone. He stared into the water as it fell around him. His eyes followed the drops up towards the sky and a smile broke across his face. "Oh yes, this is the same Queen Mab that braids horses manes at night and tangles the hair of women who spend their night in bed on their backs. And with this she angers even the elves who must untangle this unfortunate body. But in this fight with the elves, Queen Mab will always win. Keeping women on their backs so they may learn to bear the act that will make them women."

"Oh calm down, Mercutio," Romeo said. "Get out of the fountain. What the hell are you even talking about?"

"Yes Romeo, it is nonsense I speak because I speak of dreams," Mercutio said as he stood and walked out of the fountain casually. "Dreams are the creation of a sleeping mind. They mean nothing and are only your fantasies, and fantasies are worthless. They are nothing, you can't grab them as you can't grab the air. They are inconsistent, coming and going like the wind. The wind that is now coming from the cold north but by morning will be so angered, it will pout away from us and as it turns its back it will be pushed by the breeze of the south who will greet us with due droppings."

Benvolio stepped in, "This wind you're talk about sounds like a lot of hot air. Supper is over, come on already, it's time for us to crash this masquerade."

"It isn't I you need to convince to party tonight Benvolio," Mercutio said as he turned to walk to the party, leaving wet footsteps behind.

"Are you sure we won't be too early?" Romeo asked.

Without answering, Benvolio turned to follow Mercutio.

"I just don't feel right about this," Romeo yelled as he ran to catch up. "We are going into the house of our enemy. Even if we don't get caught I feel that the consequences of our actions tonight will play out in time as a wicked tragedy."

"What a dreadful thought," Benvolio said, putting his arm around Romeo. "We are on our way to a party, Romeo."

"You are right. Fine, forget this feeling. You want to guide me to whatever may happen tonight, I will let you. Direct me Benvolio, come on man."

"Yes come on, let us have music," Benvolio said as he pushed Romeo towards the Capulet gates.