“Thanks,” Sabrina grumbled.

“By the way,” Nurse Sprat said as she waddled back down the hall. “Keep your fingers in your pockets. She’s a biter.”

“Perhaps I should guard the door,” Barto said as he peered into Red’s room.

Robin Hood led the group into a bright white room with prison bars on the windows. Crayons and colored pencils were scattered about, many smashed underfoot and smeared on the room’s marble floor. Thousands of drawings were taped to the walls, all depicting the same scene: a small house in the woods surrounded by a mother, father, grandmother, a dog, and a small girl in a red cloak. The mother was carrying a baby in her arms.

Red Riding Hood sat at a tiny pink table bolted to the floor. She was having a tea party with several stuffed dolls. All the dolls were mangled and beaten. Most were missing their eyes, others legs and arms.

“Party guests!” Red Riding Hood cried, clapping her hands and laughing. “Please, do have a seat. There’s plenty of tea.”

“Relda, if you’d like to ask the questions, feel free,” Little John said, eyeing the girl nervously.

“Of course,” Granny said. “I’ve had some experience with Red.”

“Yeah, like that time she tried to kidnap you and kill us,” Sabrina said.

“Lieblings, stay close to me,” Granny said to the children.

The group approached the table tentatively, like they were sneaking up on a gorilla. Granny Relda was the first to take a seat, followed by Daphne, Robin Hood, and then Little John. Sabrina was happy to stand. She felt she could keep a better eye on the deranged Everafter if she were on her feet.

“It’s a lovely party,” Granny Relda said.

“Thank you,” Red Riding Hood said as she gestured to an empty plate at the center of the table. “Would you care for a cookie? My grandmother made them.”

“Thank you,” the old woman replied. She reached over and pretended to take one of the imaginary cookies. Robin and Little John did the same, while Red Riding Hood poured imaginary tea from a pot into everyone’s cups.

“Red, how are you feeling?” Granny asked.

“They took my basket,” the little girl said. “I need my basket. I have to take it to my grandmother’s house. She’s very ill.”

“I’m sure they will give it back to you, Red. We were wondering if we could ask you some questions,” Robin said, then pretended to take a sip of his tea.

“I have questions,” Red said. “So many questions. The people in the white coats won’t answer them, though. They say it’s all my imagination.”

“Well, how about if we play a little game? You can ask me a question and I will try to answer it, and then I’ll ask you a question and you can do the same,” Granny Relda said.

“Games! I love games!” Red cried. “Me first!”

“Very well, what is your question?” Granny replied, as Robin Hood took a tape recorder from his briefcase and turned it on.

“Where is my kitty?” Red asked.

Granny looked at the girls for help. It was clear she didn’t understand Red’s question, but Sabrina knew all too well what Red wanted to know. She was referring to the Jabberwocky she had used to terrorize the town. It was a nearly unstoppable killing machine with a thousand teeth, but to Red it was a cuddly kitten. The family had used an enchanted sword known as the Vorpal blade to kill it.

“She’s talking about the Jabberwocky,” Sabrina whispered.

Granny’s face flushed. “Red, your kitty is sleeping.”

“Sleeping?”

“Yes, he went to sleep and he didn’t wake up,” Granny said.

“Oh,” Red said, then grew quiet. “I love my kitty.”

“Perhaps you could get a new one,” Robin Hood said.

“A smaller one with less teeth,” Sabrina replied.

“And one that doesn’t breath fire,” Daphne added.

“Your turn!” Red said, rebounding from her sadness.

“What can you tell us about the Wolf?” Robin asked.

Red Riding Hood peered at him for a long time. It was obvious that she was confused, but Sabrina remembered what Red had once called Mr. Canis.

“He means the doggie,” Sabrina said. “You remember the doggie, right?”

“Oh, yes! The doggie,” Red said. “I loved the doggie but he could be bad.”

“Bad?”

“Very bad. He bit Grandma,” Red said.

“We know,” Granny Relda said. “We were wondering what you remember about the night he bit your grandma.”

The little girl sat quietly for a moment. Her eyes drifted off as if she were struggling to remember something dancing on the edges of her mind. “Cages,” she said softly, then looked around at the room. “So many cages.”

Uncle Jake turned to Granny Relda. “What cages?”

Granny shook her head. “I’ve read nearly every version of the event and I’ve never seen any mention of cages.”

“Red, can you tell us more about these cages?” Robin Hood asked.

“NO!” the child shrieked. There was so much anger and hate in her voice it startled even Little John. He nearly fell over his chair as he tried to back away.

“It was my turn to ask a question!” Red cried. “You have to play the game right.”

“Of course, my friend,” Granny said in a calming voice. “We didn’t mean to skip your turn. What is your next question?”

“Can I go home?”

Sabrina shuddered. Her fear seemed to be shared. The rest of the group seemed just as unnerved by the suggestion. Ferryport Landing was on the verge of chaos already. The last thing it needed was Red walking around free. Eventually, Granny mustered the courage to answer. “You’re very sick and you need to get better. Once that happens you can go home.”

“I don’t feel sick. I don’t have a runny nose.”

“That’s because you are sick inside your mind. It’s a different kind of illness. You can’t feel it at all.”

Red frowned. “OK.”

“Can we ask a question, now?” Granny asked.

Red Riding Hood nodded.

“Tell us about these cages,” Robin Hood said.

“The doggie was in one and then there was wind and then he wasn’t in the cage anymore. The doggie wasn’t in the doggie anymore. He was in the man. The man with the ax. He was an angry doggie. He made the other man scared. The other man cried. My turn! How is my baby brother?”

Granny searched the faces of the group for an answer but everyone was silent. She turned back to the child. “I didn’t know you had a baby brother, Red.”

“Oh yes,” Red cooed. “He’s got bright red hair, pink skin, and big green eyes. I just love him so much. Is someone taking care of him?”

Sabrina and Daphne looked at each other knowingly. They suspected that this baby brother of Red’s wasn’t really a relative, but a child she and the Jabberwocky had stolen. They had found a crib and baby toys in Red’s hiding place, once, but who the child was or where he might be now was still a mystery.

“Yes,” Granny lied. “He’s perfectly safe.”

“Good,” Red sighed. “Your turn.”

“You said that there was a man at your grandma’s house,” Robin Hood said. “Who was he?”

“Which one?”

Granny looked shocked. “I’m confused. Are you saying there were two men in your grandmother’s house?”

Red nodded. “One was the doggie. One was the man.”

“This is pointless,” Sabrina whispered to her grandmother. “Even if she does remember what happened, she is so confused—how can we trust anything she says?”

Granny nodded reluctantly. “I’m afraid I agree. Perhaps we should go.”

“Will you come and visit me again?” the little girl asked.

Sabrina cringed at the idea of making another visit to the murderous Everafter.

“We’ll try,” Granny said. “In the meantime you work on feeling better.”

“Tell the doggie I said hello,” Red said.

Once outside, Nurse Sprat set down her sandwich and went to work on the various locks and bolts that kept Red inside and safely away from others. Once Sabrina had calmed down, she noticed something in Robin and Little John’s faces.

“What?” she asked.

“Something isn’t adding up here,” Robin said. “She spoke of cages. It might not mean anything, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t look into it. I think we need to go see our furry friend again. I’m guessing there’s a secret locked inside the cage in his head and we need to get it out.”