The next couple of weeks seemed fairly quiet as we prepared for the holidays. William, Carmen, and Burnine were busy planning a strategy on how to keep me out of trouble. On top of having to deal with me, they were also worrying about how to get Hugo back. With Hugo under Timothy Tation’s control, they knew I would constantly be in grave danger.

I decided to take Burnine’s advice during a quiet moment and write a letter to my dear mother. I thought that would be nice since my mom had written at least three letters in the past three months asking a lot of questions about how I'm doing and what I have been up to lately.  I never got around to answering any of them.

I sat down and started to write. “Dear Mom, Sorry I haven’t written in so long, I’ve been very busy lately. I’ll try and answer some of your questions. In answer to your question, ‘Do you still talk to yourself all the time?’ More than you’ll ever know. You’ve also asked if I’m doing anything exciting. I have to admit, life hasn’t been dull in the past few weeks. Lately, I’ve been inspired to take up an activity, like karate. You also asked if I’ve been behaving myself in the eating department. So far, I’ve been able to fight off temptation, but I have to admit, it’s getting harder to do with the holiday season approaching. You know how that is.”

My letter writing was interrupted by the intense silence I noticed when I decided to rest my eyes. It was a little too quiet. “I wonder where my silly senses are. Hello ... where is everybody?” Of course, nobody answered. With time to myself, I decided to indulge in a nice, hot, relaxing bubble bath.

The water felt soothing after a long day. At last, I thought, I would be able to totally relax without any cares in the world. As I took advantage of the solitude, I rested my head on the back of the tub on one of those inflatable pillows that attaches to the enamel with suction cups. I felt so relaxed, I let my eyes close and stay shut for about two minutes, however, I didn’t want to totally fall asleep.

When I opened my eyes, the room looked different. The lights had dimmed, and I tried to focus my eyes on what appeared to be a strange looking apparatus in the vanity area of the bathroom. It looked like a tall thin chamber standing upright in which only one person could stand up in.

Inside the chamber, I could barely make out what appeared to be two small protrusions, maybe arm rests, on each side. At the end of each arm rest was a ring large enough for someone to fit their hand through. I could also see a larger ring set in the center. It was attached to two rods hanging from the top of the chamber. The ring looked large enough for someone to rest their chin on.

A voice came out of the darkness as a shadowy figure started to emerge next to the chamber.

 “Hello my dear.”

I recognized that voice as the figure came closer.

“It’s you!” I said as I started to shiver.

There in the midst of the vanity area stood Timothy Tation. I couldn’t get up and run since I was in the bathtub and Timothy was blocking the only way out.

“What do you want?”

“My dear, I’m not here to hurt you. I’ve turned over a new leaf and I’m here to help you now. I want to see you fulfill your dreams of becoming beautiful.”

“I don’t believe you!” I knew him better than that.

“I’ll show you.” He pointed to the chamber I observed earlier. “I have a gift for you.”

I was curious to know what that was, and now I had my chance to ask. “What is that?”

“This, my dear, will make all your dreams come true. When you step inside, you walk out the person you want to be. You’ll have the perfect body. All you have to do is step inside, close the door, pull the lever and it does all the work for you. You don’t feel a thing except pure ecstasy with your new body.”

That seemed too good to be true to me. “You mean, if I walk inside that box and pull the switch, I will be thin when I walk out? Is this some kind of an instant diet machine?”

“It’s a ‘Miracle Machine,” reassured Timothy. “This is a special machine made just for you.”

“I don’t trust you! No machine can do that,” I remarked, still not convinced that Timothy was on the up and up.

“You can trust me,” came a familiar soothing voice from the dim background. “You know I would never harm you.”

“Hugo!” I was nearly in tears when I heard his voice.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Hugo, you’re back! Are you really here to help me?” I was starting to let my guard down at this point.

“I just want what’s best for you,” Hugo said in a soft voice.

“Do you think William would approve of this?” I asked.

Hugo approached as I rested my chin on my crossed arms which were draped over the side of the bathtub, my hair dripping water on the floor and bubbles everywhere. I felt a little chilled and vulnerable, but the sound of Hugo’s voice comforted me. “William wants you to succeed, doesn’t he?” I gave a timid affirmative nod. “He wants you to lose weight. That’s why he’s here. This will make his job easier and he would have a lot to be proud of. What’s not to approve about that?”

I couldn’t help smiling; knowing Hugo was on my side again. I believed him, and more so, I trusted him. “Yes, William would be proud of me.” I was convinced.

“The best is yet to come.” Hugo added. “You can indulge in your favorite delights. I brought you your favorite. Have some of my homemade chocolate clusters.”

“Thank you.” I was so excited about the instant success that was at my fingertips that I had no guilt about celebrating. I put the entire chocolate cluster in my mouth so I could take my time to let it melt in my mouth. That was when the knock came at the door.

“Erni, what’s going on in there? I hear voices. Who’s in there with you?” shouted the voice of William.

“William, I have wonerful news! We ‘ont have anyfing to worry ‘bout anymore.” I had a difficult time getting the words out with my mouth full of chocolate. “Hugo’s back and Timmofy and Hugo brought me a pwesent. Wait til you see!”