Tommy and the Monster

Chapter Seventeen

 Roy came downstairs to find Tommy sitting silently at the table, staring absently ahead of him, and immediately knew something was wrong.

 "What's happened?" he asked.

 "I have to go back tonight," Tommy replied. "I...had a dream last night. I think something's wrong with Lady Floor. She could be ill, and there's no one to take care of her if she is."

 Roy sat down in chair opposite Tommy's. "Do you remember what your father told us years ago? There are a lot of people who make promises and don't keep them, but they should. Promises are supposed to be kept. Whether you like them or not, you should at least try to fulfill them, because that's what's right. I don't want to go, and there's a part of you that wants to stay, but you made this promise, and I think you should keep it."

 Tommy was surprised by that speech. He hadn't remembered his father saying anything like that, so Roy could have been making up, but it was much more likely that Tommy just didn't remember. And he was surprised at how Roy seemed to have changed. When they were children, the older brother had never been too sociable, and almost always preferred to be alone with his book, though he always liked Tommy's company. And now he seemed to have come to terms with the fact that Tommy would have to leave and possibly never come back. He was making friends, people he could talk to and who cared about him.

 By the time he went to bed that night, Tommy had already said his goodbyes and knew that everything would be all right. He turned the ring on his finger and said, "I wish to return to Lady Floor."

~~~~~~

 Tommy awoke in his bedroom in the castle. It was exactly the way it was when he had left.

 He quickly got up and ran through the hallway, uncertain where Lady Floor was, but he had to find her.

 Something seemed to have changed, though. Everything felt exactly the way it had when he first arrived months before; dark, dreary, lonely, lifeless.

 "Lady Floor?" he called. "It's me! I've returned!"

 He hurried up flights of stairs to where he hoped her room was. It had to be in the west wing somewhere, probably near the room with the portrait and the mirror. He walked through rooms and doors and halls until he finally he came to a grand bedroom, with a pale figure lying in the bed.

 Tommy quietly approached, in case she was sleeping. He lit the candle on the bedside table and looked down at her. And that's when he saw and understood why she felt the need to wear a mask.

 After a few minutes, he saw her eyes open, and she looked up at him.

 "Tommy," she said in a weak voice. "Now, is it really you, or am I dreaming again?"

 "Yes, it's me," he answered. "I came back. I had a dream, that you were ill, and I knew I had to come back." He knelt down next to the bed. "What happened to you?"

 "I don't know. The entire month you were gone, I was anticipating your return. On the morning you were supposed to arrive, I went to the dining room for breakfast early so I could greet you and ask you how your time away was. But you never came. The next day I began to feel ill, and it only grew worse. I know it was that woman messing with me. It had to have been a test, to see if you would actually return."

 "And you really think she would let you die?" Tommy asked.

 "I would certainly not put it past her. As you can see, she's a crafty one. She did do this to me, didn't she?" Lady Floor lifted her hand to gesture to her face. "I think you can see why I choose to wear a mask."

 He nodded. "I do. But I don't think it's as bad you made it seem. There's scars and some deformity, but I don't think it's as bad as you think it is."

 She raised her eyebrows. "You think so? Well, no wonder the mirror told me you were the one.  Now, tell me, what took you so long to get back? Was it the ring?"

 "No, it wasn't the ring. It was me. I was torn between returning here and staying where I was. But in the end, I knew I had to keep my promise to you. It was the right thing to do, and I wanted to come back to you. I'm sorry I didn't come back when I was supposed to. I think it's because of me that you grew ill."

 "Well, you did come back," Lady Floor struggled to sit upright, "So I suppose I can't be angry with you forever. It's so good to see your face again, Tommy. Come, sit with me. Tell me about your time out in the world. I certainly hope it went well for you."