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Description
Dinah walked down the path to the Sunken Mausoleum alone, calmly observing her surroundings, and yet looking past them into so many memories of the same path before, with someone else...
Upon reaching the familiar riddled tombstones, Edaniel and Edrear came into sight. She smiled and skipped the last few paces to meet them.
“Good evening, Miss Dinah,” Edrear greeted in the customary gentleman-like fashion, “You are well still, I hope?”
“Hola Dino, how’s life?” chipped in Edaniel with his usual spiky grin.
Dinah sighed, “I do think I’m getting there…” still smiling, though a tad thinly.  She glanced past them to see the angel, then did a double-take. “Why is the Angel… gothic?” she asked, puzzled.
“Oh that. Well, the Mausoleum has found a new sponsor in Hot Topic,” Edrear replied, looking back at the new decked-out angel.
“Ah…” said Dinah, still in a sort of shock. “Well… I guess it does add a new flavor to the place…” she looked around for more interesting clues along the same lines.
“Enough chit-chat!” Edaniel bounced, “Come my fluffykins! Those cheeseburgers don’t cook themselves you know!” he gave a tilted toothy grin and padded off in the direction of the tombstones, leaving Edrear and Dinah to catch up, less confused about such cheeseburgers than they should be, having known him too long to find it strange in comparison. They wove and twisted though similarly odd tombstones until they reached one that Dinah chose as the next assignment.
“Alright, soup of the day, my munchies!” Edaniel hopped up to the stone. It was a simple small column in the shape of a zip-up corset. Dinah read the riddle thus:
Ribbons are pointless,
Laces a pain,
Lock them out of site,
Throw them in the rain.
Beauty is simple,
Beauty is fun.
Beauty can kill you,
Unless you know where to run.
“Hmm…” Dinah mused uselessly, as they descended into the deep dream-world. There was a clank, and doors opened before them, leading in a shiny darkened room. They stepped out, and Dinah realized it looked quite a bit like the shopping mall in Watertown. But none of the shops had any lights on. Only one at the very end looked like it stole all the illumination, which was brilliantly pink and sickeningly sparkling even from this distance. Dinah figured that was where their target lay.
“Who’s up for a poke around the place before we enter the world pink shiny doom?” Edaniel put in. Edrear glanced at Dinah, who shrugged and followed Edaniel again, who headed straight for the candy shop. He hopped happily onto the counter and snooped around, shaking bottles and jars full of brightly colored skittles, looking for whatever.
Dinah and Edrear sat down. Edaniel zipped from one side of the shop to the other, in no organized manner. He popped up beside Dinah and presented her with a coke like it was the Holy Grail with a shout of “Caffeine!” Dinah opened it and sipped as Edaniel continued his spasms across the room.
Edrear looked at the can. “I don’t see how anyone would willingly drink something that is black and fizzing…” he muttered.
Before Dinah could reply, there was a loud gasp, and Edrear was on his feet ready to fight any sudden evil. But Edaniel pranced around the corner and dashed their fears, as he held the biggest chunk of sugar Dinah had ever laid eyes on. It turned out to be butterscotch.
“Slam-dunk! ‘Tis the tastiest cake of all!” cried Edaniel joyfully.
“That must be worth a lot of money,” Dinah found no other comment spring to mind.
“Or three kitties, if you’re a commie,” was Edaniel’s random reply.
“I doubt you’d be able to eat all of that, brother,” noted Edrear.
“Bet you! I bet you this turtle!” Edaniel whipped the poor creature from out of thin air. Dinah figured it might have crawled its way from the pet shop, but somehow she wouldn’t put it past him to have one in his pocket. Wherever that pocket may be on his furry frame…
“Right…” Edrear replied, as Edaniel began to gorge himself on his precious sweet. In the meantime, he and Dinah discussed the spirit they were after.
“She seems to be rather princessy,” Dinah judged by what she could see of the far shop. It was full of sequined dresses, tiaras, perfume and tiny little sassy dogs.
“She may still be dangerous, despite the frilly décor,” Edrear said.
“Whoooaa…” Edaniel toppled to the floor, “I don’t feel so good…”
“I did tell you,” Edrear began, but Edaniel jumped up.
“I ate the whole thing!” and swept the turtle back up, and dropped it on Edrear’s head, who merely glanced up and did nothing to object to Edaniel’s terms.
“Well… I guess we should make our way to the spirit before Edaniel has anymore sugar.” Dinah stood and strode out of the shop and down the waxed floor to their target. Edrear walked at her side, but Edaniel did nothing but twitch from place to place, with the occasional hyper-slide from one side of the hall to the other, spinning out on the slippery surface and crashing into the opposite shops.
They shielded their eyes and entered the ungodly pinkness. But no one was there. Dinah searched about for clues. All she noticed was that all the dresses zipped up in the back. She looked back at Edrear so see if he found anything more interesting, but almost laughed instead at how out-of-place he looked trying to weave through the dress racks. She then looked to Edaniel, who suddenly jumped up beside her, wearing the exact same dress she had on. There was a moment of silence as she stared at that bizarre image before she blinked and shook off the weirdness again.
Dinah began to get very tired of looking at all the same designs after a while. Silk and furs where everywhere. “Must be polar bear season,” she noted dryly, turning over an awful white fur thing on its hanger.  She wound her way to the back of the room and walked along the wall. She noticed a very poofy little noble dress, and held it up to herself in the mirror. “I could cosplay as her Little Ladyship in this,” she said, hardly amused and tossed it back. Then she saw it.
There was a small door in the corner. She pushed it open with some difficulty and glanced in. It was darker than the hall outside, even with the garish light blaring into its small interior.  She crawled in a ways, and found herself nearly tangled in a web of string. She quickly pulled herself out, but brought half the contents of the room with her. All ribbons and lace. She vaguely had time to wonder why it had been locked away, when she heard the sounds of clash from the front of the shop.
Dinah stood and looked past all the brightly colored dresses to see that the spirit had finally made her presence known. It seemed that Edrear, in an attempt to make her show herself, provoked her by tearing one of her dresses apart.
“Don’t make me get all slap-happy on you!” came Edaniel’s buzzed shout as he pounced to aid his brother.
Dinah ran to help them both, still caught up in the webbing. Without pausing for any sort of one-liner or dramatic pose, she grabbed at the ribbons and threw them in a heap at the vicious frilly spirit. It shrieked as sit became more and more tangled in the net as it struggled. And even as they watched, the strings wound and tightened until the ghost was covered, and then nothing more remained but the now slackened string.
Edrear looked at Dinah, “Where did you find that?” he asked.
“In a closet at the back of the room,” she replied pointing and panting.
“Why would a ghost be keeping the key to its undoing in its own dreamworld?” he puzzled.
“Masochist?” suggested Edaniel.
Dinah shrugged and walked back out into the hall with Edrear.
“Hey look! A nickel!” cried Edaniel as the dreamworld dissolved and they found themselves back in the Sunken Mausoleum.

Description
Dinah walked down the path to the Sunken Mausoleum alone, calmly observing her surroundings, and yet looking past them into so many memories of the same path before, with someone else...
Upon reaching the familiar riddled tombstones, Edaniel and Edrear came into sight. She smiled and skipped the last few paces to meet them.
“Good evening, Miss Dinah,” Edrear greeted in the customary gentleman-like fashion, “You are well still, I hope?”
“Hola Dino, how’s life?” chipped in Edaniel with his usual spiky grin.
Dinah sighed, “I do think I’m getting there…” still smiling, though a tad thinly.  She glanced past them to see the angel, then did a double-take. “Why is the Angel… gothic?” she asked, puzzled.
“Oh that. Well, the Mausoleum has found a new sponsor in Hot Topic,” Edrear replied, looking back at the new decked-out angel.
“Ah…” said Dinah, still in a sort of shock. “Well… I guess it does add a new flavor to the place…” she looked around for more interesting clues along the same lines.
“Enough chit-chat!” Edaniel bounced, “Come my fluffykins! Those cheeseburgers don’t cook themselves you know!” he gave a tilted toothy grin and padded off in the direction of the tombstones, leaving Edrear and Dinah to catch up, less confused about such cheeseburgers than they should be, having known him too long to find it strange in comparison. They wove and twisted though similarly odd tombstones until they reached one that Dinah chose as the next assignment.
“Alright, soup of the day, my munchies!” Edaniel hopped up to the stone. It was a simple small column in the shape of a zip-up corset. Dinah read the riddle thus:
Ribbons are pointless,
Laces a pain,
Lock them out of site,
Throw them in the rain.
Beauty is simple,
Beauty is fun.
Beauty can kill you,
Unless you know where to run.
“Hmm…” Dinah mused uselessly, as they descended into the deep dream-world. There was a clank, and doors opened before them, leading in a shiny darkened room. They stepped out, and Dinah realized it looked quite a bit like the shopping mall in Watertown. But none of the shops had any lights on. Only one at the very end looked like it stole all the illumination, which was brilliantly pink and sickeningly sparkling even from this distance. Dinah figured that was where their target lay.
“Who’s up for a poke around the place before we enter the world pink shiny doom?” Edaniel put in. Edrear glanced at Dinah, who shrugged and followed Edaniel again, who headed straight for the candy shop. He hopped happily onto the counter and snooped around, shaking bottles and jars full of brightly colored skittles, looking for whatever.
Dinah and Edrear sat down. Edaniel zipped from one side of the shop to the other, in no organized manner. He popped up beside Dinah and presented her with a coke like it was the Holy Grail with a shout of “Caffeine!” Dinah opened it and sipped as Edaniel continued his spasms across the room.
Edrear looked at the can. “I don’t see how anyone would willingly drink something that is black and fizzing…” he muttered.
Before Dinah could reply, there was a loud gasp, and Edrear was on his feet ready to fight any sudden evil. But Edaniel pranced around the corner and dashed their fears, as he held the biggest chunk of sugar Dinah had ever laid eyes on. It turned out to be butterscotch.
“Slam-dunk! ‘Tis the tastiest cake of all!” cried Edaniel joyfully.
“That must be worth a lot of money,” Dinah found no other comment spring to mind.
“Or three kitties, if you’re a commie,” was Edaniel’s random reply.
“I doubt you’d be able to eat all of that, brother,” noted Edrear.
“Bet you! I bet you this turtle!” Edaniel whipped the poor creature from out of thin air. Dinah figured it might have crawled its way from the pet shop, but somehow she wouldn’t put it past him to have one in his pocket. Wherever that pocket may be on his furry frame…
“Right…” Edrear replied, as Edaniel began to gorge himself on his precious sweet. In the meantime, he and Dinah discussed the spirit they were after.
“She seems to be rather princessy,” Dinah judged by what she could see of the far shop. It was full of sequined dresses, tiaras, perfume and tiny little sassy dogs.
“She may still be dangerous, despite the frilly décor,” Edrear said.
“Whoooaa…” Edaniel toppled to the floor, “I don’t feel so good…”
“I did tell you,” Edrear began, but Edaniel jumped up.
“I ate the whole thing!” and swept the turtle back up, and dropped it on Edrear’s head, who merely glanced up and did nothing to object to Edaniel’s terms.
“Well… I guess we should make our way to the spirit before Edaniel has anymore sugar.” Dinah stood and strode out of the shop and down the waxed floor to their target. Edrear walked at her side, but Edaniel did nothing but twitch from place to place, with the occasional hyper-slide from one side of the hall to the other, spinning out on the slippery surface and crashing into the opposite shops.
They shielded their eyes and entered the ungodly pinkness. But no one was there. Dinah searched about for clues. All she noticed was that all the dresses zipped up in the back. She looked back at Edrear so see if he found anything more interesting, but almost laughed instead at how out-of-place he looked trying to weave through the dress racks. She then looked to Edaniel, who suddenly jumped up beside her, wearing the exact same dress she had on. There was a moment of silence as she stared at that bizarre image before she blinked and shook off the weirdness again.
Dinah began to get very tired of looking at all the same designs after a while. Silk and furs where everywhere. “Must be polar bear season,” she noted dryly, turning over an awful white fur thing on its hanger.  She wound her way to the back of the room and walked along the wall. She noticed a very poofy little noble dress, and held it up to herself in the mirror. “I could cosplay as her Little Ladyship in this,” she said, hardly amused and tossed it back. Then she saw it.
There was a small door in the corner. She pushed it open with some difficulty and glanced in. It was darker than the hall outside, even with the garish light blaring into its small interior.  She crawled in a ways, and found herself nearly tangled in a web of string. She quickly pulled herself out, but brought half the contents of the room with her. All ribbons and lace. She vaguely had time to wonder why it had been locked away, when she heard the sounds of clash from the front of the shop.
Dinah stood and looked past all the brightly colored dresses to see that the spirit had finally made her presence known. It seemed that Edrear, in an attempt to make her show herself, provoked her by tearing one of her dresses apart.
“Don’t make me get all slap-happy on you!” came Edaniel’s buzzed shout as he pounced to aid his brother.
Dinah ran to help them both, still caught up in the webbing. Without pausing for any sort of one-liner or dramatic pose, she grabbed at the ribbons and threw them in a heap at the vicious frilly spirit. It shrieked as sit became more and more tangled in the net as it struggled. And even as they watched, the strings wound and tightened until the ghost was covered, and then nothing more remained but the now slackened string.
Edrear looked at Dinah, “Where did you find that?” he asked.
“In a closet at the back of the room,” she replied pointing and panting.
“Why would a ghost be keeping the key to its undoing in its own dreamworld?” he puzzled.
“Masochist?” suggested Edaniel.
Dinah shrugged and walked back out into the hall with Edrear.
“Hey look! A nickel!” cried Edaniel as the dreamworld dissolved and they found themselves back in the Sunken Mausoleum.