Everyone ready to continue with the Maze? ;)

Valerie: At this point, I just want everything back to normal. :p

Daphne: I'm ready to kick some butt! ;) :D

Lauren: I ditto Val's sentiment. :P

Katie: Play! (Claps and grins) :D

*The twins cheer.* :D

*We move to a spot somewhere in the maze. Lauren and the twins appear.*

Lauren: *folds her arms* This is so not funny. :P

Shelly: (Looks around; everything is blue and white and icy, glittering softly in the falling snow) Wow, Mommy! It's so pretty! :D

Lauren: Pretty, yes. Annoying...oh yeah. :P

*Mick sticks his tongue out and catches flakes on it.* :D

(Shelly does the same, and the two run ahead, catching snowflakes on their tongues. :D)

Lauren: Wait, Mick, Shelly! Don't go too far off! I don't know where we are. You might get lost! :P

Shelly: (She stops) Okay, Mommy. :)

Mick: *nods* We won't run off. :)

Lauren: *sighs* Good. Why don't you each take one of Mommy's hands, and we'll all walk along together, okay? :)

Mick: Okay!

*Mick takes one of Lauren's hands, then Shelly does. They turn a corner and find two directions to go in: left or straight ahead.*

Lauren: Umm... :-/

Shelly: (Looks up) We do "Eeeny Meeny Meinie Mo?" :)

Lauren: We might as well, Shelly. Would you like to? ;)

Shelly: Ok! (She does the hand gesture and spiel and ultimately ends up picking left)

*They go left and continue ahead.*

(The trio walk along together in the maze, the twins making funny faces into the icy walls and giggling at their reflections. Micky goes to an ice wall, sticks his fingers in his ears, and crosses his eyes...but jumps back from the wall when he sees something far scarier than his goofy expressions reflected in the wall! :o ;) )

Lauren: What is it, Mick?

Mick: (Points behind them) Scary ugly guys, like in Daddy's movies! :o

"Scary Ugly Guy 1": Who you callin' a guy, pipsqueak? :p

Lauren: Oh, geez.

(The "scary ugly guys" are four tall, grotesque figures dressed in soft leather tunics and boots and loose hose. One is clearly female, with longer hair and eyelashes and larger, more full lips; one is older, with more scales and warts, a longer nose, coarser hair, and less teeth.)

Lauren: Umm... hi! We're just passing through! :)

"Scary Ugly Guy 2": (Crosses his arms) I'm the Troll King, and these (indicates the others) are, unfortuantly, the fruit of my loins. :p ;)

Female Troll: Thanks, Dad! :D

Male Troll 1: Who ya callin' fruit?

*Lauren rolls her eyes.* :P ;)

Troll King: Milady said to hold onto a little something for you.

Lauren: What's that? :-/

Male Troll 2: Do we GOTTA give her back, Dad? She'd make a great fur muff for Mom! :D ;)

Troll King: (Smacks his son) Milady SAID she was only on a loan! ;) :P

Male Troll 2: Hey, that hurt!

Troll King: That's the idea.

Female Troll: Can I ask the questions, Dad? Can I? :D

Troll King: You'll ALL do it! But first, the prize. (There's a black light, and Kimberly the Fox appears in a cage made of icicles)

Shelly: Oooh, little fox! :D

Mick: Cute little fox! :D

Lauren: *eyes widen; mutters* Kim. :-O

(Kimberly is trying to gnaw at the cage bars; she looks at Lauren and the twins and grins hopefully. :D)

Troll King: You answer our questions, you get your fox buddy. You don't, you, the fox, and the runts end up in the ice prisons. Got that, girlie?

Lauren: *makes a face* Yeah, I got it. :P

Female Troll: Ok, I got the first one! Two people are standin' under an umbrella, but they ain't gettin' wet. Why? ;)

Lauren: It isn't raining. :P ;)

(We briefly see the trolls standing under an umbrella, trying to figure out why they’re still dry...until they look out from under the umbrella and see a sunny sky. The Troll King smacks one of the boys in the head. :p )

*The twins giggle.* ;)

Male Troll 1: (Hits his sister across the head) That was a dumb question!

Female Troll: (Hits him back) I wanna hear you come up with something better! :p

Male Troll 1: Don't worry, I GOT somethin' better! Why did the troll throw the butter out the window?

Lauren: *folds her arms* He wanted to see the butterFLY. *shakes her head* What a groaner. :P ;)

(We see the male troll toss butter out of the window. The butter only goes part-way before it sprouts wings and flies off, much to the surprise of the troll. ;) )

Female Troll: I KNEW you couldn't do better! :p

Male Troll 1: Yours was worse!

Female Troll: Oh yeah?

Male Troll 1: Yeah!

(She smacks him, he smacks her, she pokes his eyes, and we get into a cartoon shouting match, complete with animated fists flying in a cloud of dust. As the cloud moves in the background, the Troll King makes a face.)

Male Troll 2: I think my question is better than EITHER of those! :D

Troll King: Sure, go ahead. Can't be worse than those two ding-dongs. :p

Male Troll 2: What do snow balls use to ride to work?

Female Troll: (She and her brother stop momentarily; fists are raised) Hey, snowballs don't work!

Lauren: Ummm... *grins* iceCYCLES. ;)

(As Lauren says that, a bunch of snowballs with eyes, arms, and legs hop on a few icicles with ice ball "wheels" and drive off. ;) )

Female Troll: That was the dumbest question I ever heard! :p

Male Troll 2: It wasn't worse than YOURS. :p

(The female troll yelps and grabs him...and we now have three trolls in the cartoon dust. Kimberly and the Troll King roll their eyes. :p)

Troll King: (Mutters) I knew they took after their mother. (To Lauren) Ok, missy, you and those brats are smart, but I bet you're not smart enough to get my riddle. I ain't like those cretons makin' war back there. (He crosses his arms) Tell me why birds fly south for the winter.

Lauren: *shrugs* It's too far to walk. *pauses* Really, riddles? I have two kids and a husband who's an overgrown kid. Not a day goes by without at least a half dozen riddles. ;)

Troll King: (Nods at his kids, still engrossed in their battle) Tell me about the "overgrown kid" thing. Just be glad yours still ARE kids. (Mutters) All right, fine, you win. We gotta give the fox back. (Louder growl) But we won't like it! :p

Lauren: *grins* You're all heart. ;)

(The trolls, Lauren, and the twins watch as a bunch of cartoon birds in Hawaiian shirts, sunglasses, and Panama hats trot pass them. They carry suitcases and bottles of suntan lotion. ;) )

(The Troll King nods at the cage. It vanishes in a black light. Kimberly reappears on the ground, still a fox, but out of the cage.)

Female Troll: (She and her brothers stop feuding long enough to note the fox leaving the cage) Aw, now we'll never get that muff for Ma!

Male Troll 1: She's gonna pitch a fit! :p

Shelly: Hello, Fox! (She runs to Kimberly and pets her) :)

Troll King: Sorry I couldn't change her back. That ain't my section or my magic. :p

Lauren: That's okay. We'll change her back eventually. :)

Troll King: I'd better get these idiots back, before they kill each other and their mother kills ME. (Nods) Good luck, chick.

Lauren: Thanks. Same to you. ;)

Troll King: (As a dark light envelopes the trolls) Oh, yeah, and if you wanna find the way to go, just keep goin' to the left. You'll find what you want one of these days. ;)

Lauren: Thank you!

(Kimberly growls and leaps at them...just as they disappear. :p X( )

Shelly: The scary ugly guys went away! :p

Mick: *grins* They were funny! :D ;)

Lauren: *nods* Yeah, they were pretty funny. ;)

(Kimberly just makes a face. SHE almost wound up being a muff! :p )

Lauren: *picks up Kim* Sorry, Kim. I know how you must feel. Don't worry, we'll get you changed back soon. :)

(Kimberly frowns and indicates the left passage. She doesn't entirely trust the Trolls.)

Shelly: (Grabs her mother's hand) Come on, Mommy! Let's find Daddy! :D

Lauren: Okay, Shelly, okay! Come on, Mick. Take Shelly's other hand and let’s get going again. :)

*Mick goes over and takes Shelly's other hand. They continue on.*

(Kimberly stays a bit ahead of Lauren and the twins, but not enough to get lost.)

(Cut to another part of the maze. Valerie appears. She frowns, walking down a long, winding path.)

Valerie: Where AM I...other than in a maze? (Shivers; snow is beginning to lightly fall) God, it's chilly! Why couldn't we have done this in a jungle? :p

Valerie: (The sound of odd, tinkling piano music drifts down the hall) Wha...what is that? Where's it coming from? (She follows the music to a piano in the middle of a split in the path. A beautiful woman dressed all in white, from her crystal-and-fur-trimmed gown to her long, pale hair and glittering crystal tiara, plays what sounds like an instrumental version of "Come On In" on a glistening grand piano made of crystal. Jenny the Bunny sits in a rabbit hutch made of ice on top of the piano. The woman turns to Valerie as she emerges.)

Woman: *smiles* Hello, there.

Valerie: That was wonderful! You play beautifully. :)

Woman: Thank you. I am the Snow Queen.

Valerie: That explains the crown. ;) (She nods at the split route) Any advice on which way to go...and how to release my friend? (She scratches Jenny's head) She's not a rabbit. She's a musician...and a member of one of the most popular groups on my record label.

Snow Queen: Unfortunately, I'm not very good with directions, but I can tell you how to free your friend & figure out which way to go. *motions to the piano keys* All you have to do is play the right notes.

Valerie: Well, that shouldn't be hard. (She sits down at the piano) Ok, Your Majestey, do you have my music? :)

Snow Queen: *nods* Yes, I do, right here. *hands Valerie the sheet music, however, the song is unfamiliar to Valerie, and the music only contains letters, not musical notes*

Valerie: Oh my...(gulps)...I'll do it. I know I can. I've been playing the piano since I was five years old. (She stis down and starts to play. We hear a lovely melody...at least until one wrong note is played, and a rumble is heard. Bits of ice start to fall off, but they stabilize as she returns to playing the song. She plays it through again, as the song becomes more meloncholy...but she's worried about the ice and not paying attention, which causes her to miss another note...and, once again, for the ice to break and crumble around them. She screws up her face in determination and plays straight through...ignoring or incorporating missed notes into what turns into "Come On In." The rumbling stops as the song ends.)

Snow Queen: Oh my, that was excellent! *turns to the rabbit hutch and touches it; the door opens* Your rabbit friend is all yours. *picks up a round, compass-type object* You want to go right. :)

Valerie: (Smiles; takes Jenny) Thank you, (curtsies as well as she can with a bunny in her hand) Your Majesty! :D (She waves with her compass hand and hurries off down the path)

(Cut to Daphne, who walks down yet another icy corridor.)

Daphne: *sighs* If I slip on one more patch of ice... :P

(Daphne stops at what looks like a big, long shooting gallery made entirely of ice, like something from a winter carnival. A wolf standing on two feet, dressed in a suit, tie, and boater, leans against the gallery. Maxine, still a piglet, is in a pen made of ice.)

Wolf: Step right up, little missy, and you might just win yourself a pretty little piglet, the prime of ribs, the B of LT! ;)

(Maxine squeals with delight at the sight of her friend. :D)

Daphne: *groans at the joke* That's what I'm hoping for. ;)

Wolf: (Hands Daphne a bucket of snowballs) Hit the target, little lady, and you'll win yourself that nice bit of hamhocks. (Smirks nastily) If you miss more than three targets, I'm having a ham sandwich for dinner tonight. >:)

(Maxine squeals, shaking her head. :o )

Daphne: Like hell you're having a ham sandwich. :P *pulls her arm back and lets the first ball fly. It hits the target.*

(The wolf lines up more snowballs for Daphne and hands them to her. She throws the next one...and the target seems to somehow disintegrate before the ball can reach. ;) )

Daphne: Hey, that's not fair! I had that! :P X-(

Wolf: (Shrugs, though he grins) Snow does that sometimes. ;) (Daphne makes the next two...but the wolf points to the wall. Daphne looks, and he replaces her snowball with a rock-filled one. >:) )

Daphne: I don't see anything over there! *sticks her tongue out at the wolf* :P

(Daphne throws the ball again...and it falls right down before hitting the target.)

Wolf: Last one. Miss this, and I start firing up my stove for a ham dinner. ;) >:) (Hands her a snowball...made of ice. ;) )

Daphne: You know, you're REALLY annoying me, you little fuzzball! :P

*Daphne heaves the ice-ball. It hits the target and keeps going, ultimately hitting the wolf. Daphne grins proudly.* ;)

(Maxine oinks in pride as the pen and the shooting gallery disappear, revealing the rest of the corridor. :D)

Wolf: (Points) Go...thata...way... (groans and passes out again)

Daphne: Alright! *picks up Maxine and heads off in the direction the wolf pointed to* Nighty night, you ball of fur! ;)

(As Daphne walks down the path with Maxine the Piglet in her arms, we cut to Emma, who holds Katie's hand tightly.)

Katie: Go, Mama?

Emma: We just have to keep following the path, honey. I'm sure it'll lead us somewhere. :)

Katie: 'Kay. Mama?

Emma: (Picks up her daughter) Yes, sweetie?

Katie: Miss Papa. :(

Emma: (Sighs) I miss him too, sweetie, but I'm sure he's close.

Katie: Weely? :D

Emma: Really. Shelia said the guys were in this maze

somewhere. (Kisses Katie) We're going to find your papa and tell him how much we love him, ok? :)

Katie: 'Kay! :D

(She walks a bit further down with the small girl in her arms...until they come to a fork in the rode. A young boy, about ten years old, sits at the fork, staring at Emma and Katie with a malicious glitter in his eyes. He's dressed like a normal kid in a sweater, shirt, tight pants, and old sneakers.)

Boy: You the fat chick?

Emma: (Frowns) Ex-CUSE me? X(

Boy: (Smirks) Yeah, you're her. You ARE fat. I'll bet you're stupid, too.

Emma: (Gulps) How would you know?

Boy: 'Cause you look stupid. You're fat and you're ugly and you walk funny.

Emma: So what? Why don't you just leave me alone?

Boy: I ain't leavin'. You gotta get past me if you wanna find out where you have to go, and you won't get past me, 'cause you're stupid.

Emma: (Clearly upset) No, I'm not! X(

Boy: Then why ain't your husband here? Why do all the boys think you're ugly? (Smirks) I'll bet you couldn't decide which way to go! You don't have the brains, Fatty!

(Katie leans against her mother, sensing that she's upset and something is wrong.)

Emma: Look, I don't have all day to fool around like this.

Boy: Sure, you do. You're slow, too. You can't do anything. Why do you think that husband you're so interested in looking for won't give you the time of day?

Emma: That's not true! (She clenches her fists at her sides, near tears)

Katie: Mama, 'kay?

Emma: Y...yes, baby, Mama's ok. She just thinks this young man is being very rude and should tell her where to go.

Boy: Why should I tell you? You're not smart enough to figure it out yourself?

Emma: (Growls) Could you give me a hint, you jerk? X(

Boy: Oooh, Fat Girl is using not-nice words now! (Sneers) Why don't you just get around me, then?

Emma: Why don't you leave us alone?

Boy: 'Cause you're so much fun to pick on! You're such a stupid little bitch! Look at you, fat and ugly, with that dumb round face and all that spitting every time you try to say an "S!" (Shoves Emma) Why don't you go home? (Emma's crying outright now) Go home, stupid! Go

home and cry to your mommy!

Katie: (Runs up to the boy and shoves him) You MEAN! Go 'way!

Boy: What, you have to let some brat fight your battles? You're so stupid and crazy, you can't fight them on your own?

Emma: (Controls her sobbing; goes right up to the boy) Look, I'm NOT stupid. I'm overweight. I'm not model-gorgeous. I'm oversensitive and shy, but I'm NOT stupid. Why do you have to say such awful things, anyway? Katie's right. You're being mean for no reason. For crying out loud, YOU just insulted a child who is barely two years old! X( :p

Katie: You weelly mean! (Waves her finger at the boy) Say 'sowwy.' X(

Boy: (Quietly) I say them because you believe them. You think you're stupid. You think you're ugly. You think there's something wrong with you. I'm IN you. I'm a part of you, and I've been in there since you were in kindergarden.

Emma: How can I get rid of you?

Boy: Let go of the past, Emma. (Puts his hand on Emma's shoulder) Let go of the hurt. I know you're proud that you survived that, but you have to lower that wall you have around your heart. It's been

crumbling ever since you met Lauren and came to California, but chunks are still there. You're afraid of repeating your mistakes, that someone may hurt you like that again. Well...what if they do? They aren't YOU.

Emma: I...I..can't. I'm scared. :o :(

Katie: 'Kay, Mama? :-/

Boy: Are you too scared to get around me and get on the right path? What can I do to you? I'm part of your past. You need to go towards your future, Emma. (Points to the right) And that should start you in the right direction. :)

Emma: (Smiles, wiping her eyes) Thank you! (Takes Katie's hand and heads down the path)

Katie: (Turns over her shoulder and waves at the boy) Tanks! :D (As they leave, the boy smiles...and fades away)