Robert's Mirror, Chapter 16, by J.M. Stevenson www.jeannesbottle.com

Drip, drip, drip.... The wine cellar was leaking, the infinite track of drain pipe trickled from rusting seams. A line of rain water flowed to a massive cavity beneath the Sizzle House Nightclub where an underground lake was formed over centuries of time. In contrast to the dimension of light where genie's enjoyed the free reign of sunny beaches, this dimension was dank and the massive body of water shadowed and depressing.

Dwane leaned against a boulder gazing from the doorway of the tunnel that housed the impressive bottle collection of spent genies.

"Jeanne." He whispered, "Jeanne Wishgiven, where are you?" Dwane gazed outwards scanning the enormous lake.

In an instant, Jeanne sauntered through a long maze of rock and into the candle lit cellar. Jeanne had taken a swim in the uncertainty of darkness.

With the capture of the first demon, her image had grown somehow, stealing a bit of strength from the trapped spirit. She was no longer in a miniature form and Dwane had also benefited by acquiring additional height and energy from the trapped demon. It seemed to be a balance of power, the more genies that had succumbed to the wine cellar, the more powerful the demons became, but there was new hope that the shift would swing in favor for the team of the light, the pair hiding out to even the score from within the dungeon.

Jeanne and Dwane were mutations, transforming within a new dimension, reinventing their roles as warrior genies. They had conquered two demons thus far, vacuuming unsuspecting creatures and placing them within the wine rack among the souls of the forgotten genies. Wishgivers and wish-takers resting for eternity, side by side, inert.

As Jeanne explained to Dwane, all was fair in this war. If they were trapped, why not better the odds for those fighting on the outside. They were a team now, a team of two, ready for an impossible fight.

In an instant, footsteps from above ricocheted and bounced. The wine cellar door creaked open and Wendy arrived with an old fashioned lantern dangling within her clutches.

"I heard a noise." She muttered gazing about.

Dwane and Jeanne hunkered behind a tall rack of bottles. The bottles were empties, placed in wait for the entrapment of genies, but now put to better use in the fight against the soul pilfering demons.

The water began to drip from a massive wall behind. Wendy swung the light gazing at the drainage streaming towards the great lake.

"It's just water." She said, placing her free hand to her heart as if calming her uneasiness.

"It must be raining from the skies above." She declared in a loud tone directed to Lucas in his chamber above. She turned on her heels and headed for the ornate spiral staircase.

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"Elizabeth Fenmore?" I questioned in a slow, deliberate voice. "Elizabeth Fenmore." Just the mention of her name brought forth incredible warmth and comfort. Images flooded my mind, a type of silent movie projecting...quick flashes-flickers of Elizabeth wearing a variety of clothing with the surrounding landscape altering from image to image. The visions arrived in some sort of mind boggling sequence. "Lizzy." I whispered sensing that she could somehow hear me beckon, that she could somehow feel my overwhelming emotion.

"Surf, sand and beach!" I commanded from within the transport tunnel. I was beginning to remember and what I needed above everything was to find help to lift the fine mist of clutter confusing my heart.

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In that instant, Jeanne felt a surprising jolt of energy. She inhaled in a loud "ahh" type of sound, unable to control the element of surprise. Dwane hurried to her, gripping her child-sized hand.

He placed his finger to his lips in an attempt to shush her, but instead, he too felt the surge of power channeled from her hand, channeled from an energy source from the outside dimension.

The energy had a face, the surge was a force unknown to the shadow world of despair, the surge was the purest form of love. It was Robert! The connection although weaker in force then what it had once been, never the less existed.

"I've seen that genie before!" Dwane announced in a soft whisper.

Wendy rushed back into the cellar, her expression lined with concern.

"Come on out and show yourself!" She demanded gazing in the direction of Jeanne and Dwane.

Jeanne instructed Dwane to remain hidden as she stepped forward to face the demon alone.

"Jeanne!" Wendy exclaimed with apparent happiness. "I thought you had dissolved."

"No. I escaped and I have no intention of returning to that horrible wine rack."

"Oh?" Wendy asked eyeing her with surprise. Wendy gazed about the towering rows of bottles and her eyes fixed upon a captured demon, his face distorted, red eyes illuminating angry from within.

"It was you!" Wendy announced with shock.

"Yes." Jeanne declared without fear.

"I have no choice but to tell Lucas!" Wendy said pointing her finger as if she were a parent ready to scold.

With that, Jeanne pulled a hollow bristle from behind, she extended it before Wendy and inhaled with amazing velocity. Wendy's eyes reflected surprise as her body began to implode. Wendy was suctioned forward within the tip of the bristle. A slight scream reverberated throughout the cellar as she became a condensed vapor. The poor demon had no alternative but to collapse within the tunnel of air.

The demon had shrunk, passed through the bristle and was trapped within Jeanne. Jeanne's body had acted as a holding chamber, expanding as if it were an over inflated balloon. Dwane appeared from his hiding place and slid the sharp broom bristle through the cork. With a simple exhale, Wendy was propelled forward and into the inescapable bottle.

"I'm sorry to have to capture you like this Wendy. It's nothing personal you know? The fact is, we're on opposing teams and good must prevail."

Wendy's voice was muffled, but Jeanne could sense she wasn't at all angry about her predicament.

"I hope you don't mind taking up the space 2232. It does have a nice view... and I am speaking from experience!" Jeanne managed in a feeble attempt at being pleasant.

As Jeanne gazed towards the base of the diamond-lava bottle, Wendy was chuckling. Was her laughter a simple release of stress or was it gratitude? Perhaps she was relieved to have a vacation away from her responsibilities of the dark realm.. a break from the many years of having to deal with the angriest of all demons, the evil tyrant of the Midwestern territory whom everyone feared, whose viciousness everyone recognized as Lucas.