"Sure, they've got to be. There's no other logical explanation for the disappearances."
"Well... Do you really think that Sam told the truth?"
"How far more is the house?"
"Not far. We're here."
In front of them stood an old wooden house, covered with moss and fungi; green, black and orange.
"So this is the mythical house. Seems abandoned."
"Quite so. The witch who lived here died quite a long, long time ago."
"Should we go inside?"
"Well, no harm in that, I hope."
"Or should one of us go in first? I volunteer."
"Alright, you go in first."
So stepped he, into the old wooden house, with creaky floorboards. As it turned out, they didn't need flashlights, for the sunlight passed through the window frames, lighting up the room.
"It's safe, Tim!"
"Alright, I'm coming inside too!"
In the centre of the living room, they saw her. The centrepiece of the floor.
"Ah, so she is real."
"Yes, the rumors are true."
"Only, how do we be sure about the story?"
"And the disappeared people. Hey, why not start by finding a key?"
"Oh, there's one, sticking out from the box."
"Turn it," said Jim with interest.
"Alright."
Music played, and thus the song began. "What do you see? You people gazing at me? You see a doll on a music box, that's wound by a key."
"She works! She spins around, she sings, she dances!"
"Indeed she does, and marvelously too. What craftsmanship has the maker, for the doll can still spin to this very day."
"She's not a doll, she's a girl, remember? And, that's no craftsmanship, that's magic!"
"Well, gotta hand it to you, you're right. But she is rather beautiful though. I wonder why the prince ditched her."
"You want the girl? You gotta find a way to reverse the spell."
"That seems impossible."
Upon hearing that, Eberwein's heart sank. It had been quite some time since someone had came to the house, and she was always waiting for someone to save her. It seemed like this was not her lucky day.
The song ended, and the both of them looked around the first floor, for the stairs had shattered in age, rendering them unable to go upstairs.
In the corner of the room, they saw a rectangular wooden table, with dolls, toys, playthings scattered across the table.
"These are toys," Jim remarked.
"And so well made they are."
"Hold up. This one looks like one of the missing people."
"Yeah, you're right. Wait. Are all of these the missing people?"
"But how?"
"Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Never mind."
"Hmm... What's your name, beautiful lady?"
"Everwind. Or Eberwein. Surely you do remember the story."
"Sure. I was just testing if she knew her name or not. Dance for me, lady!"
"What do you see? You people gazing at me?" By this time, Eberwein was getting annoyed, as she always did with the tourists that couldn't save her.
"Tim, why did you do that?"
"I'd just love to see her dance. Hey, you think that we could possibly turn her back into a girl?"
"How can you tell? I am under a spell, waiting for love's first kiss. You cannot see, how much I long to be free..."
"I've got an idea!" said Tim. "Let's hug her. Her arms are open wide, after all."
"No, Tim!" cried Jim. "No!" thought Eberwein.
Suddenly, white gloves appeared on Tim's hands. "When have I been wearing these?"
Then, his whole outfit turned into the outfit of a Royal Guard, red suit with a tall black hat. "Oh no... It's happening again," thought Eberwein.
"Wait. I can do this. The song said, 'I am under a spell, waiting for love's first kiss,' A kiss! That must be it!"
"Hurry up!" cried Tim, who was slowly stiffening and shrinking, turning into one of the playthings.
He kissed her on the lips, him being quite surprised and disturbed that he would have to kiss a doll. Yet, as crazy as it was, it actually worked.
"What do you see? You people gazing at me? You see a girl, on a music box, that's free as can be. How could you tell? I was under a spell, waiting for love's first kiss?"
The melody played again, but this time Eberwein sung by her ownself, danced by her ownself. She was finally free of the curse.
"You couldn't see, how much I longed to be free, turning around on that music box that's wound by a key. Yearning, yearning, now, I'm, no longer turning around."
"Thank you for freeing me."
And as the music ended, all the playthings returned to their original forms as humans. They exited the shed, leaving only Eberwein, Tim and Jim.
"So, you're the girl in the story, Everwind."
"Hmph! Don't call me that! I dislike being called that. Plus, I'm not a music box doll anymore."
"No, I was referring to the story."
"Alright, sorry about that. It just annoys me, being called that for such a long time. By the way, how'd you know that that would save me?"
"It was in the song lyrics."
"Hmm, I should have noticed that."
"Alright. So Jim, what do you want to do, huh? Lovebirds."
"What year is this? What has the world become?"
So Jim and Tim told Eberwein about the world. "Wow, that's sounds interesting!" exclaimed Eberwein.
"Let's go out of this place, why don't we?"
"But... I don't have any money. I just arrived in this new world, how am I to survive?"
"We'll teach you to survive in this world. I can let you stay with me."
"Yeah!"
And so they left Melas' old shed, now empty, with Eberwein's curse lifted. Now the story just remains as a fairytale, ending, "happily ever after".
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