CRANE: I don’t know how much safer I feel in the light. But one must adhere to the posted hours of the Public Library. Now these books are all of a similar genre, so they should be in the Fiction section.

JERVIS TETCH: I – I must make them go away. Away with the riddles, shoo! Shoo!

CRANE: Jervis Tetch.

TETCH: Crane! The riddle solver! Bad! You bring very bad things!

CRANE: What on Earth are you doing?

TETCH: You answer riddles! You answer riddles, and people die! If you can’t answer the riddles, then we live!

CRANE: What are you babbling about? What are you gonna do?

TETCH: Don’t you see them, Jonathan Crane? Our names. Our names! Written in the riddles! Clock King, tick tock! Dead. Cavalier – where is he? Willows. Trees. Weeds. Plants –Ivy? Toad. Jabberwocks. Alice. Hatters!

CRANE: Jervis –

TETCH: Horseman! Ichabods! Cranes! He’s written us into this! He’s written us out of this! Solve the riddles –we’ll die!

CRANE: If I don’t, Edward dies.

TETCH: Better him than me. (ignites a lighter)

CRANE: Jervis Tetch, don’t you –

(sounds of burning)

TETCH: I am free! Free –the fire has freed me! No more books. No more riddles. I am free!

CRANE: I will tear you apart for this!

(fire alarm sounds)

TETCH: Heehee! Free! Oh, I’m late! So very late!

CRANE: Get back here, you – (TETCH flees) Dammit!

(breaking glass, sirens in the distance)

CRANE: (sighs) They’re ruined. I can’t make heads or tails of this mess. Goddammit, Tetch. You may have just killed us all.