“Oh the silliness of me… Would you like a cup of tea? Please help me I’m terribly lost...”
These words echoed out one ear and out the other. I was tumbling, falling down an endless hole. Furniture like lounging chairs and rocking chairs, antique lamps and Chinese cups were swirling around me in a lazy breeze. I’d been falling for hours I’m quite certain, and I have no idea wherever I may be going. As I got down deeper into the hole, the darkness spread and thickened. The happy furniture and items disappeared and more scary items began to float up and pass me. A thick metal smell began to wash over me, and the walls of the hole seemed to glisten. I outreached my hand and let it skim across the wall a bit, and then I brought it back in front of my eyes. I squinted in the dark light, seeing a crimson red liquid running down my hand. A scream escaped my lips, echoing harshly around the walls of the hole. Soon after I had finished screaming my head hit a jagged rock and the world turned pitch black dark.

I woke up on a patch of grass in a field. The grass was flowing around my body in a breeze that carried the scent of blood and fresh tea. I opened my eyes seeing a gray sky with some scattered clouds; than glancing over to the left side of my I saw something that made me scream bloody murder. A white rabbit, with huge spots of blood in patches of his fur, blood-shot eyes, twitching ears, and a broken pocket watch curled up in his paws dripping with the same horrid liquid.
“Why hello Avery, may you please stop screaming?” The rabbit said in a timid, screechy voice. I stopped.
“How do you know my name rabbit?” I whispered, afraid that my scream had awakened something scarier than this creature.
“I know your sister. The kingdom has heard many things of you. And all of them, well, horrid!” The rabbit screamed and then lunged at me, a dagger incrusted with deep red rubies and intricate silver swirls. I swear I could catch small clocks clicking along with my heart-beat thumbing harshly in my chest. I thought I was about to die, and expected my life to flash in front of my eyes. Of course I had no such luck; I hadn’t had much history in my life yet. Too bad it was to be wasted. The dagger was inches from the center of my heart before a piercing scream stopped his hand. I saw my chance, and grabbed the dagger from his hands and began to run. I didn’t make it far because I tripped on something; I got up and looked for a split second seeing a field filled with bloody bodies of children. I let out another blood-curdling scream and then ran for my life across the field jumping over bodies and then into a dense forest.

I had only ran for a few minutes until I believed I had finally strayed away from that field and that scary rabbit. I knew where I was; and what was happening to me. I had been lured into this world, portrayed as a happy place but for reality it was a sick, sick place. My sister Alice wasn’t crazy, and I wasn’t either. This was real, and I wasn’t exactly sure what I was to do. All I knew in my mind was not to get killed.
The forest began to thicken and the air was quite humid. There was absolutely no breeze but I felt a sudden chill wash over me. I spun around checking behind me to make sure nothing was there. All I saw was an empty path full of creepy cobwebs and old leaves randomly scattered throughout. I turned around once more to the direction I was going a few minutes ago, seeing something that made me stop right mid-step. Floating in the air was a cat, with a huge toothy grin of sharp teeth and haunting yellow eyes.
“Why hello Avery…” The cat said in an echoing, deep voice.
“Heh-Hello.” I said in a small voice.
“Oh, don’t be scared… I’ll be your friend...” The cat echoed. He swirled around me in a circle as a gray-blue smoke with yellow eyes.
“Follow me…” The cat whispered in my ear and then began floating down the twisting path. I followed him reluctantly, mostly because of the woozy smell just a bit farther down the path. As I walked it got stronger and stronger until it burnt my nose and imprinted my mind with the scent of blood and tea.

Before long I had come to a clearing with a large tea table in front of me. The linens were bloody and ripped, as were the chairs. All the tea china had been broken and had ghastly stains upon them, only a few that weren’t broken were left. That mysterious cat had vanished and as I looked around my eyes laid to rest on a person I had hoped not to see or visit. He had changed, dying his hair to a dark and sinister black; it was no longer standing on end and was cut in a surfer-dude style.
His eye contacts had been changed to a deep and luring ocean blue. His clothes were not frayed and worn, like I had been told once before. He was wearing jeans in a light wash, a loose white t-shirt that showed off his thin and muscular figure and a neat gray blazer with a loose orange tie. At least he was making a fashion statement, leave it to the Hatter.
“Why hello Avery, funny to see you here.” He said as his voice had changed; it was more deep and charming. It almost made you feel like you wanted to run over to him and never leave his side, I fighted the temptation.
“Hello there Hatter, do you still go by that mad name by chance?” I spitted at him.
“Oh don’t be so very nasty Avery. Let’s not start on the wrong foot. I no longer go by Hatter, now it’s Damen.”
“What a bold change. I do like it.” I said, sweet talking him just as my sister had, taking back the sarcastic remark I just had spitted at him.
“There you go. Just like the old Avery I know...” He said in that charming voice.
“Well, well! I almost forgot, come have some tea!” Damen said, gesturing a wide arc with his right arm at the empty tea table. I took a chair right next to his at the top of the table. He poured some dark crimson liquid into a tea cup in front of me, and some of it in his too. He dropped a few sugar cubes in one by one. Plink….Plink….Plink….
“Whatever are you doing to your…tea?” I said timidly.
“Adding sugar, takes the edge off.” He said with no doubt in his voice.
“Well, that’s rather. Different, I might say. Whatever is in it in the first place?” I said, trying to appear comfortable in this horrid place. I took a rusty spoon and began to stir the liquid, watching it swirl mysteriously.
“I’m not sure if I should tell you that. Just drink and you’ll feel much better than you are right now.” His voice said, though I already knew he would say that. I would never drink it, ever. I don’t want to go through what Alice had; it’s a poison with a sweet taste and a stinging sensation throughout your body. It still gives me shudders today, especially right now since I’m so close to this horrid man. I stared down into the liquid and made my decision. I stood up from the table quickly hearing a thick, rumbling noise coming from behind me.
I spun around to see a raging, smoking chainsaw ripping through the crisp air. It was being operated by itself, and I let out a scream. Reacting quickly I dodged a wide arc of a swing from the thing, and then skid across the tea table by jumping onto it and throwing everything within reach of my hands. That didn’t seem to stop it all, and to rip my confidence up even more I heard a cackling of happy laughter from Damen. My eyes were widened with fear most likely, that pale blue sky color of theirs. My long, auburn hair was probably tangled up and all over the place, with a few leaves tossed in. It was coming close now, and I had nothing else to do to save myself. It was just inches from my heart, when Damen simply clapped his hands, and the machine powered off and flew into the dense forest.
I let out a long gulp of air and sucked it back in. Damen laughed again. He got up and offered his hand to me from off the table. I reluctantly took it, and he helped me step down from the table onto a chair, then the ground. Surprisingly, he then spun me into his arms and held on tight.
“Are you okay?” He whispered his eyes wide with shock, like he cared that I would die or not.
“No.” I said stubbornly.
“My dress is ripped terribly and ghastly stained, my hairs a mess probably, I’ve got dirt in my nails and my shoes are almost gone! And, that thing almost killed me and you sat there till the last minute! Why did you do that knowingly? Oh yeah, just trying to spin me into your web like you did Alice!” I spit at him meanly. He actually looked kinda hurt.
“I’m sorry. While you were being attacked I had a change of mind, and I didn’t have any control over my mind. It was until the last minute that I could whisk it away. You know how I used to be called the Mad Hatter, right? Well there’s a reason for that.” He whispered silently.
“Yeah, Alice told me. I faintly remember the whole story of hers; it’s slightly clouded now because I’m actually experiencing it.” I said carefully, choosing my words wisely.
‘Well, let me refresh your memory. After the red queen took over, and the whole of wonderland turned dark, my happy ways vanished. I became a spy for the red queen, and it really did turn me absolutely mad. Now, I have two people inside me, you could say, the good and the bad. Just a moment ago, however, you saw the bad side. I’m really quite messed up you could say.” He said, quite sympathetic really. A spine-tingling chuckle followed.
“Well that’s a certainly terrible way to live! I feel quite sorry for you, really. However, I am willing to ask you to help me get out of here. But first, I’d like to find my sister Alice, bring her home from this horrid place.” I said back, kindly. This poor guy needed some kind things in his life.
He looked at me blankly, with a glassy look in his eyes. Then a look of realization came over his face, like a light bulb went on and off.
“Alice. Alice. Alice?”
“Yes, Alice, what’s wrong?” This was getting weirder by the moment.
“She’s, she’s, she’s….” He trembled slowly. I saw a boney finger of his reach out and point behind me. I looked over my shoulder slowly, not expecting to see what was behind me. I saw Alice.
“Avery!” Her voice called out, how I missed her voice. She stood a few feet away in a clearing, her white-blonde hair long and in loose waves. Her blue eyes glittered with excitement and her pale rose lips curled up into a smile. She was wearing a knee-length white dress, it was simple, with no straps and a white rose in the middle of the top, lace lining the top also. Another white ribbon was thick and tied across her waist, showing her petite figure, and tied in a big bow in the back. Holding her hair back from her face was a simple white hair band.
“Alice!” I called out, tears forming in my eyes. I started to run towards her and she did too, holding her arms out and taking me into a tight hug. Tears were streaming down both of our faces and we both cried tears of happiness.
“Avery, look at you! What are you doing here?” Alice said pulling me out to arms length.
“The white rabbit tricked me, like he did you. Oh Alice, this is a terrible place! Why did you ever want to come back?” I said.
“Because of the white queen, she’s ever so kind to me. Her sister is the one that turned this world dark and evil, and once the word spread that you had found your way here, I just had to come rescue you. Whatever are you doing with Damen? Oh Avery, come with me. I’ll get you all fixed up and clean once more.” She said so lovingly and kindly, I’m glad to have found my sister again. She clapped her hands and a huge beast emerged from the trees. It was white, with black stripes across its gigantic build. The beast’s eyes were kind, a wild leafy green.
“This is my jabberwocky, Delilah.” Alice said, walking to it gracefully with a skip in her step. She began to pet its neck and the animal nudged her softly, making her let out a series of giggles.
“Well, come on over. We should get you to the castle. Delilah won’t hurt you.”
“Umm, okay Alice.” I said and strolled over to where she was standing. She snapped and a little stool appeared on the ground by the creature. She stepped on it and straddled the jabberwocky on her back and held out a hand for me. I stepped up the stairs just as she had, and did the same. Before I knew it Alice let a shrill, soft whistle through her lips and the jabberwocky began to run. Before I left, I glanced back at Damen. A tear was running down his cheek and he was waving softly before he let his hand fall to his side.
Alice and I rode swiftly across the wasteland of what used to be wonderland on the jabberwocky, which her fur was very soft and comforting after everything I had been through. We passed many eerie forests and desert plains with randomly placed bones from who knows what, before I saw an intricate castle come into view. It was tall and white, with many towers with quant windows and a silvery sparkle to it in the sun. Alice pointed out to it with a delicate finger and said,
“Well there it is, dear Avery!”
“Why, look at it sparkle! It’s the most prettiest thing I’ve ever seen besides mother.”
She nodded in agreement, and a silence fell. We were riding faster now, like the jabberwocky sensed home and she wanted to get there fast. As we approached the castle closer I saw there was a wide gate surrounding the castle, made of a hard iron. It seemed to glow with energy as a soft blue light. Beyond that I saw mountains to the left of the castle, with a cascading waterfall leading to a large pool of turquoise water. There was also a huge, puzzling maze made of neatly trimmed hedges, some having white roses with pointy thorns turned silver.