Thread: Lost Time Is Never Found Again (Lotherio & darkangel76)

AAAAHHHHHHH!!! Alice shrieked. Sitting bolt upright, Alice had all she could do to find her focus. It was dark, there was a chill in the air. As she glanced about the room, she caught sight of eerie shadows dancing along her walls. Shadows that loomed and threatened, looking as if theyd jump off the walls in which they resided only to skulk closer and closer and Alice could feel herself shivering as she sat there, her covers drawn up, her skin wet with sweat. Those shadows! Oh those gruesome looking shadows! Wincing, her teeth chattering, she suddenly felt a bout of paranoia creep up from within. Was that laughter she heard? Why yes. She could hear that awful, sickening laughter. O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! he chortled in his joy, Alice mumbled to herself, as she shook. Her voice but a whisper after the loud scream shed let out moments ago. Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Alices voice trailed as she recited the one poem that often gave her solace, brought her peace. As the words dripped from her tongue, she felt her body relax ever so slightly. Enough that the terror shed felt over the past several second subsided. Enough that she could finally move. Catching her breath, she pushed the blankets away from her body and swung her legs around and over the side of the bed. As she slid down along the mattresss edge, her bare feet landed upon the cold wooden floor of her bedroom. Ah, dear, Alice, remarked an older woman. Alices mother, Mrs. Kingsleigh. Please, my darling. Id love for you to make the acquaintance of Mr. Connelly. He but moved here last week. Alice felt herself cringe. She knew what this was about. It was the same thing each and every time she was introduced to a man. Her mother was showing her off, hoping for a match and union. Oh the dreadful thought of it all. Hello, Mr. Connelly, Alice replied, her voice aloof as she let her mind wander. Pleased to meet you. She gave him a half-curtsy as she let her eyes scan the room for something better to occupy her time. Of course, she knew it was rude, but that was precisely the point. Miss Kingsleigh seems distracted? Mr. Connelly asked, his question rhetorical. I do apologize, Mr. Connelly, but I think you are perhaps better suited to conversing with my mother. Good eve, Alice answered as she wandered off in search of a corner to hide in. Quickly making her way across her room, Alice threw open the doors to her wardrobe. Inside it she grabbed herself some clothes and placed it inside a tiny carrying case. Something she could easily lift and carry by herself. Once full, she quickly dressed herself, choosing to don one of her favorite blue gowns and a light jacket. Tying up her blonde locks with a black ribbon, Alice quickly glanced at herself in the looking glass. This is it, Alice. Now or never. She let out a heavy sigh. You know you dont belong here. Theyll never change. None of it will. At that, Alice set jaw and snuck out of her darkly lit room. Quietly, she closed the door. As she crept down the long, carpeted corridor, she found it funny that no one seemed to wake with her screams. Then again, she could hardly fault them. After all, shed been having these night terrors for months now. Oh, if only she could recall the dreams! Somehow she knew they were the same each time, but no matter how hard she tried, she could never seem to remember any of it. Not a single thing. Alice quietly opened the front door of the large house, the cold night air a kiss of delight upon her skin as she made her way outside. Closing the door behind herself first, she set off at a dead run toward the trees bordering the houses western perimeter. Running, gasping, she finally made it to the trees. As she made her way into the dense woods, she found it difficult to move about. The moon was hidden behind clouds and the trees blotted out any other light that could even remotely show the way. Just then, Alice tripped on the root of a tree. It jutted out and caused her to stumble. As she tried to regain her balance, she suddenly found herself falling. Tumbling downward in a tunnel of pure black. The rabbit hole Alice cried as she fell downward. Down. Down. Down. Until she finally landed with a hard thud. Standing up, Alice rubbed her backside, a tiny frown crossing her lips as she reached for her case. Looking around, she realized that something wasnt right. Something was Wonderland! Alice said aloud. Her eyes caught sight of the chandelier standing upright from the ceiling in which she stood. Just then, her frown turned into a smile and she made her way toward the door. As Alice approached the door, she sucked in a sharp breath and braced herself. She knew what was on the other side. After all, shed been in this place before. In so many ways, it was more of a home than her own England. Giggling softly, she dared herself to push on the heavy wooden door and walk through it. When Alice walked through the door, she watched it shrink behind her. The sight of it made her smile and shake her head. Turning back and looking outward, she suddenly let out a tiny gasp. What is this place? This is not how I remember it, Alice said to herself. The lush Wonderland she recalled as a child was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a dusty road leading to somewhere? Or perhaps nowhere? Or oh, this was Wonderland, it could lead everywhere! She looked out and only saw the road. Isolated, seemingly endless. Up the way, however, she noticed some buildings. And music? Why yes, she heard music. Merrymaking. Someone was having a party. At that, Alice gripped her case tightly and began to head toward the sounds she heard up ahead. As she got closer, she wondered who would be having a party in such a dusty place. Whoever they were, they must undoubtedly be mad.