pillars around them, as they curved in tall arches, and they seemed to ascend into the nothingness above their heads.

   It was so surreal, almost like it was out a painting. Jenna then noticed Balto hop into what appeared to be a gondola (which was strange since Jenna had never seen one) with an eerie lamp at the end of the boat, which illuminated a few spots of the murky sewer water. Balto had to stand on his hind legs to balance himself, as he took up a long pole from the side of the boat, and he soon alleviated the gondola, making it not move.

   "Come," He said, holding out his paw once again, "There is so much I want to show you," Jenna reached for his paw again, and he soon helped her into the boat, and once she had placed herself in front of him, he slowly moved the staff back and forth, once on each side, to make the boat move ever so slowly down the murky path.

   The boat moved smoothly across the water, with Balto gliding his paws over the staff, being as careful as possible. Jenna meanwhile wasn't sure what to think, as there had been some doubt when this dog had promised that she would not be harmed, and considering how gentle he was with her, it showed he had some kind of respect for her well-being. Jenna was reassured by this, but kept her doubts to herself.

   The gondola carried itself through the murky sewer water slowly, and as Balto made a swift turn, they turned a corner to find taller arches, which led to yet another pathway that seemed endless. However, this wasn't true, as there seemed to be some sort of blue light illuminating from beneath the waves.

   Jenna gasped with awe as the gondola turned into a much larger section of this underground river, which turned out to be a massive lake, whose width was nearly as long as the Opera House above. Jenna saw a misty fog engulf their surroundings, including the faint glimmer of what looked like candles underneath the water, which glowed with a bluish hue. It was like it was something out of a dream, a strange, surreal dream.

   "We're almost there," Balto said, as he continued his way down the massive lake, steering clear of the candles that rose from the depths of the water. They soon came upon a large stone staircase at the end of this cavern, it soon led to a large area that was occupied by a large house, at least, that's what it looked like. It seemed like a building, despite there being only a front entrance door.

   The boat came to a stop at the foot of the staircase, and Balto placed the rowing stick on the ground. He then stepped out of the boat, and gave Jenna his paw. "This is my home. Watch your step," He said, and he carefully lifted Jenna out of the boat. The two then ascended the stairwell, and they came up to the door in the cavern. and using a claw, Balto slowly carved it into the side of the door, unlocking the hinges.

   That's a strange way to open a door, Jenna thought. Balto then opened the door, and kept it open for the husky to go in first.

   "Welcome Jenna," Balto smiled, and as Jenna entered the place, she gasped, for this "home" was quite incredible. There was a small parlor in one corner of the room, there were two doors that probably led to other rooms. There was no carpet, but stone, whose rocky hardness that had been carved into a smooth texture. There was a large medieval gate at one end of the lair, and next to it, was a massive organ, that almost took up one part of the wall. A smaller piano was also next to the organ, and next to that, here was a desk and table, with various papers strewn about it, a small ink bottle and quill. Several furniture was around the place, and whilst it was more like a cave than a house, it had a "homey" sort of feel to it. There was hardly any lighting, as the only ray of light illuminated from numerous candles, decorated all around.

   "Do you like it?" Jenna turned to face Balto, and noticed something odd about him. Before in the darkness she could not make out what he was wearing, but now that her eyes had adjusted, he could see his form much more clearly. Much like other dogs she had seen, he wore a gentle-dogs outfit with a black dinner jacket and white suit and collar, however, the striking thing about this wolf...dog was his face, as it was covered mostly by a large, black, ebony mask, that covered the top part of his face, and a bit behind his ears, which were poking out through holes in the top, his entire nose, and it ended at his mouth, as it didn't cover the bottom half of his snout. It was strange, as it seemed to stick out from the rest of his form. Was he hiding something? Like an injury perhaps? Or was he just doing it for fun, almost like he was trying to be dark and mysterious?

   "It's...it's nice. Strange, but overall nice," Jenna replied, looking about the room, "I like it, it's just...well..."

   "Oh, I see..." Balto looked down at his paws, "it's because of...my mask, right?" He placed a paw on his black mask, almost ashamed of having to wear it.

   "Why are you wearing a mask? Are you hiding something?"

   Balto seemed to glance about the room, "Uh, it's best I don't tell you," he said rather quickly, "Shall I give you the grand tour?" He gave a grin, in which his teeth shown in a flash of the candlelight. They seemed much sharper than any other dog Jenna knew. However, despite this overall oddness that Balto was giving off, he seemed harmless enough, despite being the Opera Ghost.

   Balto led Jenna around his "lair" and showed her most of the main place. He said the organ, piano and desk was where he wrote music, as he was no Angel, but a composer. He said that he excelled in the art of music, and he was inspired by the greats of the old age of music.

   Jenna asked where the two doors on the wall led to, and Balto showed her the first one. Inside was a room that held a large coffin, with white and red roses around it, as well as skulls.

   "What's this for?" Jenna asked.

   "This is where I sleep." Balto answered.

   Jenna seemed confused, "What, in a coffin?"

   Balto chuckled, "No, I sleep there," He motioned his paw over to one side of the room, which had a small blue blanket placed on the ground.

   "Then, what's the coffin for?"

   "It's for..." Balto paused, "Well, I don't really know why I put it there. I don't really know why I have it to begin with, but I have it for…reasons. I had to put it somewhere." Balto then walked over to the other door.

   Jenna blinked, as this was somewhat absurd, seeing a coffin ready to use in the middle of a room was kind of random, she assumed it was for someone's funeral, or perhaps it was for scenery purposes. She wasn't sure, and she closed the door, and walked over to the other room.

   "What's in here?" Jenna asked.

   "A guest room... you know, for visitors..." He said this quickly, and looked away from the husky. Jenna noticed this, and wondered why he was acting so mysteriously. She gazed into the guest room, and it looked rather stunning. The walls were covered with dark red curtains, the satin bed equal in color. There was a small desk in the corner, a large drawer closet, and another vanity mirror, much similar to the one in her dressing room.

   "Well, that's pretty much it for my home," He said, "And now, Jenna, I suppose you have questions, a lot of them as a matter of fact. So, go ahead and ask away."

   "Oh, ok." Jenna began, "Are you...really the Opera Ghost?"

   "I am, Jenna." Balto chuckled, "I suppose you've heard the rumors."

   "They say you're a thief, and a murderer, and a monster."

   "They always have..." Balto whispered, but Jenna didn't hear it.

   "Are you?" Jenna asked. This was probably the question that she had been wanting to ask. It didn't really matter if this dog was the Angel of Music; she was just hoping he wasn't a criminal hiding inside the Opera Canine.

   "I know what they have said, and yes, I have stolen...things, but I can assure you, it's all in good fun."

   "But what about one of the workers falling from the rafters?"

   "That was an accident, just an accident. I was merely going on my way, but he just happened to see me, and he fell out of shock." Jenna believed him, but she was still unsure.

   "Ok, but why do you wear a skull mask?"

   "Oh, you mean this?" Balto ran over to one of the doors and went inside. He came back out with the skull mask that everyone in the Canine had seen.

   "It looks rather...creepy." Jenna said, "Is it a real skull?"

   "Not really, it just looks real. Made it myself, fashioned it from my own head. It was pretty easy..."

   Jenna didn't exactly like the way Balto would make his voice trail off, and she decided to ask him what she had wanted to ask him after all this time.

   "Balto, why did you bring me here?" Jenna asked.

   Balto sighed, "Jenna, I know I sort of had to lie to you to bring you here, but the truth is, I've always wanted to bring you here. You see, I've