Her Mother, With Words Of Wisdom And Caution...

Suddenly Cassie isn't in 100% control, her surroundings take a strange twist, the world around her looks haphazard and unreal.. suddenly her mother is sitting across from her and Cassie realizes - she's at the cafe in her favorite painting from the gallery where she works.

"Dearest Cassie, I had hoped you wouldn't discover my secret and walk the Dreamer's Road to the Never-After as I did, but it appears you too have gone astray," her mom begins matter-of-factly. "You can still choose the court of Summer rather than Winter Cassie, but remember, it is all too easy to fall out of Summer, if you do your only choices then are diving into Winter as I did or digging your feet and fingers into the soil as an Autumn Person which would be agony for us both."

"It's too late for you to take root and grow as a Spring, I'm afraid you left that path long ago, but there's still time to spurn the call of the Leprous White Lady and dance beneath the Son of Summer. Dream responsibly Cassie, there's more at stake than you realize..." Her mother finished.

Just then their coffee and Madeleine's arrived, pulling Cassie out of her confused stupor and cutting off further conversation for an interval...