"Now, let us begin," the ringmaster hisses. "Melvin...Since you're the doting husband...Why don't you go first?"

  Melvin's throat suddenly feels dry. He runs his tongue over his lips a second time, dread causing his heart to race. The ringmaster's eyes narrow menacingly.

  "If you do not hurry, Percy will be forced to administer another stab as punishment. Your wife will eventually resemble a pincushion. I would hurry, if I were you."

  Melvin thinks really hard before answering. He loves Harriet, everything about her. Harriet's gorgeous smile, her wonderful laugh, the twinkle of mischief which used to play in her eyes before they made love, and her beautiful body. Only one thing in Harriet's past has taken so many of these things he loves. Get rid of the root problem, and maybe he will have his wife back forever.

  "I wish...Harriet's aunt, Raquel, had never been born."

  "What?" Harriet cries from inside the stab chamber, her voice muffled. "Why would...What are you...Huh? Raquel?"

  Melvin's heart sinks, rather than feeling relief. Harriet loved Raquel. It was Raquel who threw a majestic baby shower when Irene was born. Already, Melvin is beginning to feel an emptiness in his soul. Something is missing. Something vital. Is Harriet feeling the same way?

  "Your turn, Harriet!" the ringmaster says with glee.

  Melvin peers over at the purple woman in disgust. The level of hate he feels for this woman would top any scale. It would dwarf the scales exponentially.

  "Why is any of this necessary?" Harriet questions. "Why do you feel the need to hurt us? We never bothered you. We were just headed to a restaurant to celebrate. Please, Ma'am...Let me out. I don't want to do this."

  Percy, anticipating the ringmaster's command, jabs Harriet again. She wails with sadness and pain. Percy's mouth turns downward and he looks away again.

  "Why, Percy?" Harriet whispers. "Why are you going along with this? I thought you were a nice person. Why do this?"

  Percy pretends to stab Harriet again. He is careful to only prick Harriet this time. She senses something is different and yelps unnecessarily. Obviously, there is some good in Percy. He must be just as much a prisoner as they are.

  "Your turn, Harriet!" the ringmaster yells impatiently. "Or you forfeit. And Melvin stays with me. Either as my lover or my slave...Your choice."

  The idea of the ringmaster enslaving Melvin, or making love to him, boils Harriet's blood. She says the first thing which comes to mind.

  "I wish...Melvin would lose the salesperson of the month contest next time around!"

  "What?" Melvin hollers, eyes bulging. "That will eliminate a big chunk of my sales bonus. I needed six months in a row...Or, we won't be able to afford our cruise. Not without opening another line of credit. Harriet..."

  A thought occurs to Melvin and he smirks. Not all dreams cannot be redone after they are undone. Sometimes, they can be improved upon. Harriet did it before. She can do it again.

  "I wish...Harriet never raised that ten thousand tonight."

  "Melvin?" Harriet shrieks. "Oh, Melvin...How could you--?"

  After a moment's pause, Harriet's muffled voice again floats from the stab chamber. Melvin can tell from her voice that she is close to laughter. Whether it is hysterical laughter he cannot tell.

  "I wish...Melvin would lose his position as tennis club president!"

  "No, Harriet...You didn't?!" Melvin gasps, true shock in his tone.

  The ringmaster's face loses all expression and she points her cane in Melvin's direction. Her usually green eyes flash purple and Melvin notices a slight altering of her appearance. For a split second, the ringmaster appears much older, and her white teeth are no longer blunted but very long and sharp.

  "Do you both think you are funny? Bonuses? Tennis president? Only serious wishes are permitted during the test."

  "Losing my title as tennis president...Is pretty serious. I've been president of our club for six years running. That gives me serious clout with our HOA. Now, I may actually have to follow the rules."

  The ringmaster leans in close, glowering at Melvin with hateful eyes. She taps the end of her black cane on the ground.

  "Follow my rules...Or die. That is the choice you have now. Defy me again...And I will teach you pain. I will teach you both pain. Do you understand?"

  "Alright. Serious wishes only. I get it," Melvin concedes.

  "You each have one wish left. Use them...Wisely."

  The ringmaster extends her left hand and a chair flies from nowhere. The ringmaster catches the chair in midair. She sets it down on the earthen tent floor. Straddling the chair, the ringmaster glares over the top at Melvin.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "Continue, Melvin!"

  Melvin squeezes his eyes shut and thinks really hard. Only one thing comes to mind. Only one thing will matter if he and Harriet do not make it out of here. Melvin opens his eyes and utters the hardest words he has ever heard himself say.

  "I wish...Irene had never been born!"

  "Noooo!" Harriet wails, before her voice dies away.

  A heaviness settles over Melvin and his head droops. Much of the life goes out of his eyes and he refuses to look in the direction of the stab chamber. What has he done?

  Inside the chamber, Harriet weeps. Her voice sounds choked when she finally speaks. Does she still remember their little girl? Strangely enough, Melvin has memories of their daughter once existing, but existing no more. An evil gift from the ringmaster? After all, the game is a test of their love, and hatred, for each other. If they couldn't remember what they had lost, what would be the point? This entire test stinks of a death in the family.

  "I wish..." Harriet sobs. "I wish...Melvin had never made--"

  The ringmaster's purple lips curl upward in an evil grin as Harriet begins her wish. Melvin's eyes widen and he tries to scream a warning. The ringmaster whips her cane in his direction, taking the words from his mouth.

  "I wish...Melvin had never made those dumb wishes!"

  "No, Harriet!" Melvin bellows.

  Harriet's excessive sobbing is all Melvin can hear. He glances over at the ringmaster, who wears a pleased grin. The purple woman, if you can call her that, climbs calculatedly from the chair she was straddling. She leans directly into Melvin's face and laughs.

  "I'm sorry, Melvin...Even incorrectly used wishes count towards the total. You are free to go."

  "What?" Melvin roars. "I'm not going anywhere without my wife! You go to hell!"

  "Impossible," the ringmaster sighs. "But as far as not going anywhere...You are sadly mistaken. But first, I want you to witness my wrath for defiance."

  Inside the stab chamber, Harriet sounds as if she had lost all control of her senses. She slams her fists, her knees, and the palms of her hands against the chamber's lid. Her loud screams fill the tent.

  "Let me out! Percy?! I know you can hear me. Let me out. Let me out. I want to go with my husband. Let me out. Please. Percy! Melvin? Help me, Melvin! Let me out! Let me OUT!"

  The ringmaster teleports to the platform. She grabs a large sword from the middle of the table where the daggers are arranged. Resting her black cane against the stab chamber, out of Percy's reach, the ringmaster raises the sword high into the air. Both Percy and Melvin cry out at the same time.

  "Master, no!" Percy screams in terror.

  "No. Don't hurt me wife! Don't hurt Harriet. Take me. I will stay. Let me stay. Spare Harriet, please," Melvin hollers.

  The ringmaster whips her head in Percy's direction and he shrinks back in fear. Melvin twists in his chair, trying futilely to loosen his bonds. Wanting desperately to kill the woman in purple threatening his spouse's life.

  "Sorry, Melvin. You both knew the rules. Your wife chose to defy me. For that...She will die."

  With those words, the ringmaster plunges the sword deep into the chamber. Harriet's cry of agony nearly stops Melvin's heart.

  "Harriet?!"

  Percy's mouth gaps as the ringmaster withdraws the sword. Bright red blood covers a large portion of the sword, and Harriet is now silent.

  "Harriet?! Harriet!?" Melvin screams over and over again. "Harriet!?"

  "Goodbye, Mr. Deels!" the ringmaster roars.

  Retrieving her cane, she sweeps it in the direction of the main entrance. Melvin's chair, on which he is chained, slides backward along the tent floor. Anything in the way is knocked violently aside. Once the chair exits the tent flaps, it topples over. Melvin goes sprawling as the chair disappears. He looks up in time to see the large tent fold up and wink out in a bright purple flash. He clambers hurriedly to his feet.

  "Harriet?!"

  ====================================

  The ringmaster whirls on Percy and storms in his direction. She grips his chin in a painted hand and glowers hatefully at him.

  "Don't you ever pull a stunt like that again! Your tampering with my spells nearly cost me the game. As it is...I have lost the opportunity to gain another vessel for..."

  Quickly shifting gears, the ringmaster presses her lips firmly to Percy's. Percy, not really sure what to do, enfolds her tightly. For what seems like forever, the ringmaster kisses him with unmatched fervor. Percy's mind grows foggy, his thoughts becoming a jumbled mess. Even more so than usual.

  By the time they separate, Percy wants nothing more than to make love to his tempestuous master. Her moods are so unpredictable, but always full of passion. The ringmaster uses a finger to curl a tuft of Percy's hair. She kisses him again, briefly this time.

  "Do be sure to get every drop of blood from inside the chamber. I want it as clean as the day I made it. Okay, Percy?"

  "Yes, Master," Percy says.

  Without waiting for an invitation, Percy kisses her again. The ringmaster allows him a moment of desire before withdrawing. She walks away without another glance in his direction.

  Percy's mind clears a bit. He unlocks and opens the stab chamber. His heart drops at the sight of Harriet's serene body. Even in death, she is ethereally beautiful. Percy comes to the front of the stab chamber and carefully lifts Harriet out of it. He holds her tight to his chest, a tear running out of one eye.

  She was not his Alice. But she could have been. If only he had correctly learned the spells. If only he knew how to transfer a lover's essence into another vessel.

  Lowering Harriet's body to the wooden platform, Percy kisses her lips. He removes a lock of hair from in front of her face. So beautiful.

  ======================================

  "Mr. Deels?!"

  Melvin opens his eyes and glances frantically around. A male doctor hovers over Melvin's hospital bed, a look of genuine concern etched on his intelligent face.

  "Are you okay, Mr. Deels? You gave everyone a pretty good scare. You've been out for several days. Your family is here. They'd like to see you. Are you okay with that? Simply nod your head, if that's okay."

  "Harriet?!" Melvin manages to squeak out.

  The doctor's face pales and his mouth drops open. A tall police officer stands up from a nearby chair.

  "We still haven't found your wife, Mr. Deels. We suspect she wandered away from the scene of the accident and got lost. Possibly in her delirium. There's a large lake nearby. We're combing the area with dogs. If she's there...We'll find her."

  Melvin's entire body shivers. There was no accident. Harriet didn't wander into a lake and drown. Oh god! Irene?

  "What about my daughter?" Melvin questions, fearing the answer.

  "She's fine," the officer says. "She's with your wife's aunt...Raquel Peters."

  "No. Noooo!" Melvin screams, his lungs feeling as if they will burst. "Nooooo!"