Alice in Underland

Alice in Underwald

The forest was still. Not a creature stirred. The air held its breath. The dark was thick. Thick and heavy. Like black tar. Fog drifted over the forest floor like a dense carpet of white smoke. A twig snapped. And another, followed by another. The creatures of the night scurried away as something stumbled noisily through the pitch dark. A woman ran through the forest blindly, stumbling and scraping. Her golden flaxen hair flew behind like a trail of light. Her skirt was torn and shorn as brambles and branches grabbed at her lithe body, wanting purchase, hungering for her. She looked back over her shoulder and her crystal blue eyes tried to pierce the darkness as she ran forward. She tripped. She fell. Her white stockings tore and turned from snow white to crimson red as the various cuts and breaks on her knees stained the soft material. She huffed and puffed on all fours as she tried to catch her breath. A voice screamed inside her head “Don’t stop. Can’t stop. It is going to get you. Get up. Get up now and…run!”

She got up and began to run again. She heard the gurgle and roar behind her. It was coming. It was getting closer. If she stopped again it would get her. Her lungs burned as if she was inhaling fire. Her legs were hurting and bleeding from the various cuts. Her muscles screamed as the tendons whipped them raw. She can’t keep going…but she must. The voice screamed “Don’t stop. Can’t stop. Don’t let it get you. Don’t stop Alice.” She kept running.

She reached a clearing. A break in the endless flood of threatening trees. The clearing was perfectly round. And the grass emerald green. Wild flowers littered the grass in sprays of crimsons and golds and violets. In the center of the clearing was a white door. Just a door. No wall, no building, no celling. Just…a door. She edged towards the door. The tall grass whispered secrets and lies. She stalked closer and closer towards the door. It stood implacid like a white monolith. “No Alice…don’t” the silent voice screamed. She touched the glassy black nob. She screamed and pulled her hand back. It burned with icy fire. She watched as it began to melt and sizzle. She spun around as she heard the monstrous howl. It was getting closer. She turned back to the door. This may be her only escape. She watched as the black turned to an icy blue as it began to drip in pools of mirrored glass. She reached out and grimaced as the thing bit into her flesh. She turned the handle and shoved the door open and tumbled inside.

She knelt on all fours. Her hands and knees touching cool white tiles. She moaned as her bruised knees screamed. She sat back onto her haunches and sighed. She didn’t hear the howling anymore. She looked to her hands. The one she opened the door with stung a violent red. It looked like blood staining her hands red. She wiped her hand against her white apron as she rose to her feet. She teetered on her Mary Jane heels as she tried to readjust to the firm floor after the uneven and broken land of the dark forest. She slowly turned to the door behind her but only a wall remained. A smooth white tiled wall. She cocked her head to her shoulder and said “Curioser and curioser.” She turned back to the room. It was a long hall way with many more white doors jutting out on either side. She grinned as she began to walk down the hall. Her stilettos clicking and clacking as she walked, her smooth white stockings hissed as they rubbed against her thighs as she walked. She felt warm even though her dress was short and revealing. She past door upon door. Which one would she take? She wondered.

She reached one of the doors. She looked at it. It called to her softly. She smiled and reached out. The door swung open and dark hands grabbed her and pulled her in. She screamed as the countless shadow hands pulled at her and tugged at her. They tore at her dress shredding it. She screamed and writhed and kicked and bucked but they were too many. They were too strong. They pulled her into the darkness, deeper and deeper still. Far in the distance she could make out a pin-prick of light. A single shard against the all-surrounding darkness. The hands pulled her closer as she fought. The light grew brighter and brighter. She heard the howl. It had found her. It was closer now. It was going to get her if she could not escape.

There, in the center of the shard of white light, was a chair. A single lonely observation chair, like those in a dentist’s office…or in a doctor’s office. There beside the chair stood a lanky tall man, hunched slightly under his own height. He wore a long dilapidated top hat and an evil grin. She screamed as he looked at her.

“Wwweee havvve been waiting for yooouuu Aliccce.” He slurred and hissed. The hands guided her further and forced her into the chair. They strapped her down dressed now only in her lingerie and stockings and heels. She felt like she was in some demented adult film. Her wrists were strapped above her head and her legs spread. She pulled and bucked and screamed but she was trapped. Helpless. Vulnerable. She heard the howl and she stared into the darkness. She saw nothing but her own reflection staring back at her and she screamed as the Hatter edged closer with a syringe. The cold metal pierced her pale skin and a tiny ruby of blood pearled as the yellow liquid flowed out of the glass and into her thirsty veins. She screamed in silence.

She sat staring at a quick-silver mirror at the girl in the chair being assaulted by faceless horrors. She smiled as she screamed and writhed. She was glad that it was not her there, half-naked and exposed and vulnerable. She was glad she was not the victim of some sadistic freak in a top hat. She was glad that she was not about to become some helpless sacrifice to the beast that kept howling. At the same time she felt a sense of impending doom and dread as she frowned and shed a single crimson tear. She knew something was wrong but she could not figure it out. A tiny silent voice pleaded “Alice please wake up. You need to get up and come back.” She swatted at the talking gnat buzzing in her ear as she stood up and dusted herself down. She gave the girl on the other side of that water-like mirror a wave and wished her luck before heading off towards the crashing waves of a crimson ocean and red sands. She strode along the shore line and saw a red door. Just a door. No walls. No building. No ceiling…just a door. She stared at it while biting her crimson lip. Her lip pearl a drop of ruby as she anxiously decided not to go to the door. It simply did not feel right. So she turned and walked in the opposite direction towards a rickety old wooden shed with a glowing red sign flickering in the fading morning light.

She knocked. Silence. She knocked again. Still no sound from within. She pushed softly at the door and it slowly creaked open. She peered inside and asked quietly “Hello? Anybody home?” The shed seemed empty. She stepped inside and looked around. It seemed like a small diner. There was a wooden counter and some seats placed along the one side. There was three plates placed at every alternate spot. The plates seemed half eaten. She looked around again. No chef. No waiters. No diners. She stepped in further as she looked around nervously. Six booths with three alternate servings…still no diners. She called out again. “Hellooo? Mmmm…curiouser and curiouser.” She shrugged and sat at the counter. She crossed her shapely legs and swung it playfully. She looked around again. She was feeling kind of hungry. She looked at the plate next to her. It was a plate of cooked clams. She licked her crimson lips. She grabbed the plate and pulled it closer. She looked at the soupy broth and the floating clams. They sure looked yummy. She picked up a spoon and swirled at it. The clams bobbed and swam. She cornered a clam with her spoon and wretched the shell open. She peered inside and fished the meat of the clam out. She yelled and dropped the spoon and clam. The shock of seeing the wrinkled infant screaming silently at her made her stomach turn. She clambered off the seat and ran to the corner and retched up bile and water. Her body convulsed and bucked as she tried to get rid of the image.

She fell to her knees and gasped for breath. Her body was weak and broken but at least the image was gone. She slowly got up to her feet and turned back to the diner. Her jaw fell open as the walls had begun to run with liquid red rust. It oozed like blood from a seeping wound. She backed up against the door as the flood flowed closer and closer. She slammed her back against the door. She was trapped. She tugged at the handle but it would not budge. She began screaming and turned and began kicking and punching the door.

“Open the fuck up.” She screamed and cursed the door. She spun back to the interior of the room. The river was almost upon her. It had already stained the counters and booths in a sickly wet sanguine. She pressed her back hard against the door and squeezed her eyes shut. Just at that moment the door flung open and she fell backwards into a dark cellar. She rocked back up off her back into a sitting position. The door. The shed. The blood-red ocean and crimson sands…all gone. She looked around to try make out where she was. It looked somehow familiar but she could not place it. She slowly got up and dusted herself down. She looked down and saw she was wearing a blue and white midi dress with frills and white panty hose and flat Mary Janes. She frowned. “Was I wearing this earlier? I can’t seem to remember.”

“Well hello there…” said a smooth mewing voice. She spun around to the corner where it had originated but there was nothing there.

“Hello?” She called.

“I already said hello. Why would I greet you again?” The voice teased.

“But I don’t see anybody there.”

“Well that is because you are looking but you do not see. You are like a pair of glasses.”

“I don’t think I understand.”

“There’s your problem…you are not thinking Alice.” The voice kept teasing.

“I didn’t tell you my name.” She replied feeling somewhat nervous. She begins to squint as she tried to figure out where the voice was coming from. She was rewarded as she began to make out the outlines of a toothy smile. That was followed by a bobbing furry head, grey furry body and a swishing tail. She backed away as the dark corner that seemed empty not too long ago was suddenly filled by a cat. A fat grey mangy grinning cat. Now the fact that the corner that was empty is not any more did not disturb her as much as the fact that the cat had a…human face. She caught a scream.

“Ah…now you see me. Good…now we can talk.” The cat purred.

“So, are you lost?” It asked.

“I think so. I am not sure where I am.” She replied sheepishly.

“Ok, so where is it you want to go?”

“I don’t know…I guess it doesn’t really matter.”

“Well then Alice my dear…you can’t be lost if you don’t care where you are going.” It retorted.

Alice was getting mad. She stomped her foot and shouted “Don’t speak to me like that. I am not a child. And how do you know my name? I didn’t tell you.”

“Oh but Alice you did…the day you came into my house and killed my family. You made sure we all knew your name. See?” The cat was changing. It was beginning to become desiccated. It seemed to be rotting right before Alice’s eyes. Its fur began to fall out and its flesh began to shrivel up and dry. Its eyes turned white and its grin became skeletal. Alice screamed at the sight and turned to flee the sight. The voice that was once soothing and smooth became an agonised screech.

“Wwwwerrrre aaarrre yyyooouuu goooooing Alllicccce? Wwwweeee not done talking. Yyyyoouuu havvvve not yet seeeen.” It began to cackle. It sounded like glass shattering. Alice ran up the stairs and threw the cellar door open. She fell. It felt like forever falling. She fell and kept falling. She saw the ground rising up to meet her but it seemed to never happen. Just then she was on the kitchen floor. She gasped and coughed as she slowly, painfully pushed herself up. She looked around and grinned. Yeah this is the place. She stepped towards the counter and grabbed the red painted spoon. She held it blade down as she stepped into the living room. There they were, sitting watching TV.

She skipped inside. Her mommy and daddy were sitting on the couch watching their shows. She skipped inside and jumped on his lap. He held her and she smiled. She missed this. But how was possible? She had just seen them minutes ago but it felt like an eternity. He held them and they began to tickle her. She laughed and squirmed.

“No daddy…stop.” she giggled. He stopped and stared at her with a blank expression. An expression as a mask of shock and anguish. She looked at him and smiled. “What is wrong daddy?” He looked at her and hissed “Whhhyyyy Alllicccce?”

She sat back and slipped off his lap and looked at him. The spoon (butcher knife) stood up in his chest in a pool of red paint. His head lolled and stared at her with blank glazed-over eyes and a grimace of fear and doubt. He slowly turned his head to his wife and stretched out his hand. Her face and neck were painted in sanguine. It had rolled down her chest and pooled beneath her. Her smile carved into her face, ear-to-ear. Her eyes stared at the ceiling lifeless and emotionless. Alice shut her eyes tight and screamed. An icy cold hand touched her shoulder and leaned in close. She smelted the rot and sulphur in its breath as it spoke.

“Don’t worry Alice. I have you now.” howled the Jabba Wocky behind her. She shivered as she shook her head. She clutched her head. It was throbbing. She felt the blood rush through her veins. She heard her heart rumble and threaten to burst out her chest. The icy touch began burning her flesh. She tried to wretch away but its claws dug into her shoulder and anchored her.

“Open your eyes Alice. Look. See. See our works. See our…artworks.” The malignant voice taunted. She shook her head. “no.” she whispered too afraid. She felt hot tears burn down her cheek staining deep cracks of acidic pain. “What have you done?” She accused. It laughed. It sounded like razor sharp claws dragged sadistically over a chalk board. “Me? No Alice. Not me. Us. You and I. We did this…together. Look. See.” She opened her eyes and looked in terror at the two on the couch. Their dead empty eyes accusing her. Cursing her. She screamed and pulled out of its grip. Its claws took a part of her shoulder as she pulled away. She screamed in pain but she didn’t stop. She ran. She ran towards the red oozing door. No wall. No building. No ceiling. Just a door. A red wet oozing door. A door dripping of blood and gore. A door silently accusing her. She slammed against the door with her wounded shoulder. She rammed and slammed. She screamed and cursed. She begged and pleaded. Finally the door gave her purchase and she tumbled inside.

The ground fell away from under her feet. She tumbled and fell in slow motion. Portraits and photo frames rained upwards past her face. She looked at them as if they were memories of a life that was not her, but she remembered them. She fell downwards as her memories rained upwards. She fell as a crumbled mess on a patch of green sweet smelling grass. She sobbed as she tried to wash the image of the death masks of her parents from her scarred brain. Slowly the images faded as she gingerly lifted herself off the patch of grass. She sat down and crossed her legs as she looked around confused. The world was black and thick. It seemed like nothing existed beyond her field of vision. She could have sworn she heard chattering in the distance, like the squealing of metal wheels on tiled floor. She backed up away from the sound as it faded away into the distance of the infinite inky night landscape. She backed up into a solid mass behind her. She started and shied away and turned to face the object. It was a tree. A large tree. A large, black tree. A large, black, gnarled tree. Its bark seemed to writhe and slither in the blackness. She slowly, gingerly got to her feet and regained her composure. She looked up at it. There were pale boards nailed to its trunk. She could smell the sap ooze from the holes the nails had felt in its trunk. It smelt metallic and sharp. She looked at the boards. They were pale and hard looking with writing etched into the surface. There were words. She strained to make them out. They were hard to read.

this way come this way

no that way…go that way

back here come back here

forward always forward

GO AWAY!

lost forever lost

found what you are looking for?

As she was trying to make sense of the words she felt a cold slither at her smooth stocking clad legs. She looked down and saw a slimy colourful caterpillar. It slithered past her and up onto a mushroom that towered above her. She craned her neck downwards to look up at it. It glared at her and asked menacingly

“O R U?” smoke billowed from its mouth.

“Erm…I am not sure I understand.” she replied nervously.

“I said ‘whO aRe yoU?”. She saw the empathised letters etched out in the smoke. She chortled as she finally understood.

“Ohh…*giggle*…my name is Alice. Erm…could you tell me where I am? I seem to be lost.” She enquired.

“How can you be lost if you don’t know where you are?” The worm retorted while sucking deep on a hookah pipe. She looked up at the worm and frowned.

“But if I do not know where I am then I must be lost.”

“Ok…so where are you going?” It asked not really seeming to care as it wound its bulbous body around the hookah.

“Erm…well…to be honest I don’t really know.” She replied looking around her feeling the dark begin to close in.

It laughed as it dragged deep on the purple smoke before bellowing it out “Then what does it matter where you are if you don’t know where you are going?”

She started to feel very frustrated “Listen you fat little worm. I will know when I get there…not that it is any of your business anyways.”

“Mmmmm…Me thinks she is a little confused…” He said to nothing.

Nothing replied “And very confused too…”

She stamped her foot and huffed.

“Fine I will find my own way then.” She looked back at the tree. It writhed and squirmed. It seemed to moan silently in pain. She saw a trickle of sap dripping from beneath one of the boards. She touched it. It was sticky and red like…blood. She stumbled backwards as the light around the tree brightened. She saw for the first time it was not a tree but countless writhing bodies nailed together to form a grotesque living tree of squirming limbs. She gasped as the pained faces screamed out at her and nailed limbs reached out to grab her. She turned to run as she saw the caterpillar’s shape contort and reform into the beast that has been chasing her.

“Commme bacccck Aliccccce…Weeee neeeed yoouuuu…” It hissed as the worm painfully became the Jabba Wocky and took flight behind her. She ran into the darkness. She struggled and strained as the blackness dragged at her feet like a thick morass. It began pulling her down. She felt her feet begin to sink as the morass pulled her down. She looked back over her shoulder and screamed as the beast flew closer and closer as she sank deeper and deeper. She clawed at the thick viscous liquid as it swallowed her. Her head sank beneath the unmoving waves of the tar-like darkness. At least the beast could not get her…but was she really off better?

Deeper and deeper she sank. Colour vanished as the air was pressed out of her lungs by the oppressive thick darkness. Deeper and deeper, further and further she sank until her feet lightly touch black tile. She felt air return to her lungs as she slowly dropped to her knees. She gasped for air as the stale wind refilled her lungs. She looked up slowly, like moving through syrup. She saw a light break through the darkness. She crawled towards the lightly slowly and deliberately. She pressed her hands against the cold wet surface and looked in. Just beyond the blackness was a room bathed in white light. People. Live people. Living people. Walking, talking. She banged against the glass silently and screamed through the thickness. They did not respond. They were too busy looking down at a girl strapped down onto a bed. She stared at them and screamed wordlessly but they did not listen, could not hear. She tried to see who it that was fascinating them was. A girl, just a girl. Nothing extraordinary…but very familiar at the same time.

Suddenly, like a blast of realisation she recognised the blonde girl that was accosted by the tall man in the tall hat. But there was more…she looked more familiar than that. It was almost like…she was looking in a mirror. Oh gawds…the girl was…HER…

“I am afraid that she will not be able to stand trial gentlemen. She is lost. Her mind is trapped.” the doctor said. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and put his top hat on. He turned to the two men behind him. He sighed. “I have done what I can but I am afraid that her dementia is too intense. She is completely catatonic. She has very little knowledge of what is happening outside her world.”

“Will she ever wake up doctor?” Inquired the younger blonde detective with a tone of concern. The doctor shrugged and shook his head.

“There is no way of telling. Like other forms of catatonia, she could wake up tomorrow. She could never wake up. There is simply no way of telling.” The doctor glanced back at the girl strapped down. The beautiful young blonde lying prone and vulnerable. He shook his head in worry. He looked at the mirror behind her facing him. He could see the room reflected back at him. A small part of him hoped that she was in that world. A world separate from this one.

She slammed her fists against the silvered window. She screamed silently for help. For escape. She wanted out. She wanted to be free. She slammed and screamed and cursed. She looked over her shoulder in terror. It howled in the dark shadows. It had found her. It was getting closer. It was coming to take her. She turned back to the window and cried for help. She saw the doctor look at her but did nothing. Why was he not doing anything? Why was he not helping? Why was he just standing there?

He looked at the mirror and squinted. He could have sworn he saw the mirror shake ever so slightly. He laughed at himself and shook his head as he turned his back on the terribly depressing room. The white door slowly swung closed and a loud clang locked the door in place. The three men walked down the long white corridor strewn on either side with countless doors. Screams and howls and curses and hisses emanating from these rooms. The three men walked down the corridor talking among themselves as the screams continued.