The Wax Museum

And then a candelabrum in the far corner of the cave suddenly burst into fiery light, and then another and another and another. The cave was now as bright as day and Fred saw that the room was absolutely filled with people. People who did not move, people frozen in poses both gay and sinister. A man over there was about to stab a woman tied to a post while a richly dressed couple danced the waltz just steps away. Three children knelt with their heads laid on the chopper's block, the axe-man standing over them, and but five paces over a second threesome of children jumped rope.

And all of them, so life-like and yet unmoving, as still as statues.

"You found my note," a voice called out cheerily from behind Fred. The knight spun around and saw a man come casually walking toward him. "The note in the bottle..." Fred remembered. "It was a trap."

"Yes," the man grinned from ear to ear. "The floating chest was a trap set by the Dragon. The note in the bottle was a trap set by me. And you fell for both of them." Fred grimaced. He was ashamed that he had been taken so easily. "And so now I''m back in the Dragon's caves." The man shrugged, "Yes and no. We are far from the Dragon's main abode. I prefer to live by the sea, and the Dragon allows me to reside here. At night I gaze out to where the eastern ramparts of the Shreken dip into the Aryn Ocean. It is a beautiful sight."

"The Dragon allows you..." Fred considered the man's words. "In exchange for what?"

The man smiled again, "For taking care of unwelcome visitors."

Fred stared into the man's twinkling eyes, his grip tightening on the bars of his cage. "What are you going to do to me?"

The man swept his arm out at his menagerie of frozen figures. "What do you think?" The man then stepped back, bowed and said,

1. "My name is Waxman and welcome to my Wax Musuem."

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