Narrator's P.O.V

Tom settled himself onto the carriage with Phillipe at the harness. "Goodbye, Papa! Good Luck." Marinette waved as the carriage lurked into motion heading into the forest.

"Goodbye, Marinette. Take care while I'm gone!" Tom continued on his way and as time when on both Phillipe and Tom were lost. Phillipe started to get scared. "We should be there by now. Maybe we missed a turn. I guess I should have taken a...wait a minute." Tom lifted a Lantern and looks at a sign. Phillipe looked both directions and decided to take the nicer looking route. But then Tom holds him back.

"Come on, Phillipe! It's a shortcut. We'll be there in no time!" Phillipe complies and they continue on the darker path. Tom looks confused and around.

"This can't be right. Where have you taken us, Phillipe? We'd better turn around...and...whoa...whoa boy, whoa Phillipe. Oh, oh! Look out!"A swarm of bats swarms out of a nearby tree and startles Phillipe. Then Phillipe starts to run and almost runs off a cliff.

"Back up! Back up! Back up! Good boy, good boy. That's good, that's--back up! Steady. Steady! Hey now. Steady." Tom saddles on Phillipe's back, but is thrown off. Then Tom is left alone and the howling of the wolves is not too far. "Phillipe? Oh no!" Now the wolves are stalking him and from a not so safe distance. Then he sees a gate and grabs the gate.

"Help! Is someone there?" The gate opens with enough force and Tom rushes inside while closing the gate behind him. Tom sees a huge castle behind him and walks up to the entrance. He knocks, but then the door is opened and walks in. "Hello? Hello?" Tom was kind of scared that no one was there.

"Old fellow must have lost his way in the woods." The whispering could be heard from a nearby table.

"Keep quiet! Maybe he'll go away." Tom heard the whispering and turned to face the table with only a candle and a clock.

"Not a word, Nino. Not one word!" Tom couldn't hear the voices, but Nino rolled his eyes.

"I don't mean to intrude, but I've lost my horse and I need a place to stay for the night." Tom looks around seeing if he could find anyone. Nino looks at his friend with puppy dog eyes.

"Oh Nathanael, have a heart." Nathanael puts a hand over Nino's mouth and hushes him. Nino rolls his eyes and puts one of his lit candles underneath Nathanael's hand. Nathanael cried out in pain taking his hand away from Nino's mouth.

"Of course, Monsieur, you are welcome here." Tom looked around in confusion trying to spot the speaker.

"Who said that?" He picks up Nino and waves it around trying to see the speaker.

"Over here." Nino taps Tom on the shoulder, but Tom turns around and doesn't see him.

"Where?" Tom looks around more, waving Nino around. Nino taps him on the side of the head.

"Hello!" Tom drops Nino on the floor and steps back. Tom then seems amazed.

"Incredible!" Nathanael jumps off the table and onto the floor.

"Well, you've done it, Nino. Splendid, just peachy-" He struggles to get out of Tom's hands as Tom lifts him up and fiddles with Nathanael.

"How is this accomplished?" Tom flips him side to side and then upside down.

"Put me down at once!" Tom starts to tickle the bottom of Nathanael's feet and Nathanael bursts out laughing. Tom rotates his clock and Nathanael makes a face. Then Tom opens his chest and messes with the pendulum. "Sir, close that at once, do you mind?" Tom laughs and puts Nathanael down.

"I beg your pardon, it's just that I've never seen a clock that...aah...I mean-" Tom sneezed in front of Nathanael. Nathanael used his clock hands to wipes off the dust on his face. "Sorry." Nino looks at the man worriedly

"Oh, you are soaked to the bone, monsieur. Come, warm yourself by the fire." Tom follows Nino to the den and sees the warm fire.

"No, no, no, do you know what the master would do if he finds you here." Tom sits in the biggest chair. A huge shadow runs across the room. "I demand that you stop right there!" Nathanael stumbles and Tom warms himself by the fire. "Oh no, not the masters' chair!" A footstool rushes into the room meowing. "I'm not seeing this! I'm not seeing this!" The footstool gracefully makes its way towards Tom and snuggles itself near the fire.

"Well hello there." The footstool props itself underneath Tom's feet. Then a coat rack enters and covers Tom in a blanket. "What service!" Tom smiled at the objects around this. He could still not believe his eyes.

"All right! This has gone far enough! I'm the one in charge here and-" Then an Indycar rushes in and runs over Nathanael. The Indycar pulls us next to Tom and a teapot.

"How would you like a nice pot of tea, sir? It'll warm you up in no time." She pours the tea into a cracked cup which hops into Tom's hand.

"No! No tea! No tea!!" Tom sips from the cup.

"Ha ha! His mustache tickles, Alya!" Tom laughs and looks at the cup.

"Oh, hello!" Then the doors open and all the fires go out and Nino's candles. Everyone begins to shake. Scared out of their minds.

"Uh oh." A shadow is cast and is on all fours. The shadow looks around the room.

"There's a stranger here." Nino relights his flames and looks shakingly at the shadow.

"Master, allow me to explain. The gentleman was lost in the woods and he was cold and wet..." A loud roar was heard and Nino's candles were blown out again. Nathanael walks up to the shadow.

"Master, I'd like to take this moment to say....I was against this from the start. I tried to stop them, but would they listen to me? No, no, no!" The shadow roars again and Tom looks around the chair looking scared. Then he sees a tall man.

"Who are you?! What are you doing here?!" Tom sinks into the chair, his eyes wild with fear.

"I-I was lost in the words and..." His words trail off.

"You are not welcome here!" The shadow man stares at Tom. Tom is on his feet cowering in fear.

"Noth-noth-nothing!" Tom turns to leave, but the Shadowman blocks the entrance.

"So you've come to stare at the monstrosity, have you?" Tom shakes his head, slightly quivering.

"Please, I meant no harm! I just needed a place to stay." The Shadowman picks up Tom and raises him up to his face.

"I'll give you a place to stay!" Tom screams for help, but Nino, Alya, Nathanael, and the chipped teacup can do nothing to stop their master.