Alice in Wonderland World part 7 (Patreon)

Alice in Wonderland World part 7

Sarah shook her head as she pushed the door open. “I can’t believe I let myself believe I was the real Alice.” She pounded herself on the head. “I just can’t believe it.”

Tess shivered as she followed Sarah into the next room. “I can’t believe I really shrunk, and we are now only a few inches high.” She looked around at the blades of grass almost as tall as them. “This is insane. I didn’t sign up for this.”

Sarah turned her head to look at her friend. “Haven’t you been through enough nonsense already to know this stuff happens? I thought you told me that you had a growing experience yourself?”

“I umm. . .” They pushed their way through the grass. “I did. But shrinking? This just is so weird. How are we supposed to do anything at this height? The grass is taller than us, for god’s sake, Sarah.” She ran her hands through her dark hair. “I get that we had to shrink down to get out of that room. I mean, the only working door was our current height and all. But how are we going to grow now?” She looked around.  “This place isn’t like the Wonderland I saw in the movies growing up. We didn’t come into some place that is our size. We are tiny as. . .” She took deep breaths.

Sarah turned around. “Breath Tess. It is going to be alright. I know where I am going. I may have been brainwashed into thinking I was Alice for who knows how long, but I still know my way around here.” She put her hand on Tess’s shoulder. “We will get back to our original height. Don’t worry.”

“But how?”

“You saw the movie, right? What other methods are there to change in size around here?”

“Umm. . .” Tess tapped her chin. “Well, there was the pool of tears which we just left. The cookies in the rabbit house. I doubt we could even enter that place.” She shivered. “Oh god, we are too small to enter a house. Just why.”

“Tess, focus.”

“Ok, ok.” She took a deep breath. “There was also the mushroom from the caterpillar scene. That was in a big forest.”

“And where are we now?”

Tess threw out her arms. “Well, with all of this grass blocking our view, I have no idea. Look, just guide me to the magic cookies, drinks, or mushrooms that will get me back to my original size already.” She pulled at the sleeve of her jacket. “I am going a bit nuts here. What if there are bugs crawling around. I don’t want to see a giant ant or roach. Ughhh.”

Sarah shook her friend. “We are going to be fine. You hear me. Look, the mushroom we seek isn’t that far. Now come on.”

Tess sighed. “I hope you are right.” She followed Sarah. “The sooner we get to that mushroom and grow, the better.”

Sarah tapped her fingers on the sides of her dress. “Can we discuss what we are going to do after we eat the mushroom?” She turned her head. “We have to figure out how to save the others. I can’t just leave Carien to be some white rabbit attraction at this theme park.”

Tess slowly nodded her head. “Right. We can’t let that crazy lady Vess get away with this.”

“Vess?”

“Yes. It is the woman who hired me.” Tess pulled at her arm. “It is a very odd tale, to say the least. After Patrick and I arrived well, he started to act weird.  Almost as if he was possessed.”

“Like Carien was.” Sarah looked at the ground. “And I eventually ended up.”

“Ya. Well, when I went to go and look for him, I met the owner of the park. A woman named Vess in a dress that, now that I think about it, reminded me a lot of the red queens. She considered you an attraction.”

Sarah formed her hand into a fist. “What? I am not some kind of theme park attraction that is only meant for amusement. What is wrong with this Vess person?” She batted away a blade of grass. “Seriously, what could be going through her mind to do this to us?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask Vess when you find her.”

Sarah sighed. “I think I shall.” She shook her head. “I thought all of the Fredricks Fancy nonsense was bad. Now I have to deal with this. . . ughh.”

They pushed their way through some giant blades of grass to stand before the caterpillar and his giant mushroom. He smoked from his pipe and looked down at them. “Who are you?”

Sarah shook her head. “Sorry, but we don’t have time for this nonsense.”

A spark flew out of the side of the caterpillar’s head. “I said, who are you.”

Tess gulped as she approached the mushroom. “Are you alright, sir?”

The caterpillar twitched. “That isn’t what you are. . .” His whole body began to shake. “Who are. . .”

Sarah scratched at her head. “I don’t remember him freaking out this much last time I was here. I didn’t really stick to the whole Alice in Wonderland script that time either.”

The caterpillar slammed his arms down onto the mushroom, sparks flying out of his body. “You will not ignore my question, Alice! Now, who are you.”

Tess gulped. “This is getting creepy.”

Sarah shook her head. “I will just get the mushroom so we can grow and move on.”

Sarah cried out as the caterpillar used his pipe to block her. “You can not break character.” Sarah raised her eyebrow as she heard a distinct feminine voice. “Alice. You know who you are.” More and more sparks continued to fly out of the giant blue bug. “Come back to us.”

Sarah crossed her arms. “Who exactly is speaking to me right now.”

“Why the caterpillar, of course.”

Tess crossed her arms. “Umm, even I can tell something is a bit off.” She rubbed her chin. “The voice now sounds like Vess.”

The caterpillar used his pipe to smack Tess to the ground. “Don’t listen to this one that shouldn’t be in Wonderland. Alice. You know who you are.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Look, I fell for this nonsense once, and you are not going to trick me a second time.” She ripped off a section of the mushroom. “If this really is Vess talking to us, then I am going to find a way to free my friends. You hear me.” Sarah took a few steps back, watching smoke rise from the caterpillar before he finally burst apart. “Umm, ok. That was weird.” She scratched at her head. “I guess this Wonderland has a few bugs.”

Tess scratched at her chin and stood up. “Oww. I didn’t think of all things that would happen today I would be hit by a pipe from a blue bug.” She looked at Sarah. “You have the mushroom?”

Sarah smiled. “Yep. Are you ready to be done with this tiny height?”

Tess crossed her arms. “How do you know that you have the right side of the mushroom? We are not going to shrink or something?”

Sarah broke her piece in half. “Hey. I have been here longer than you, ok. I think I know which side makes me grow taller and which side makes me grow smaller.” She tapped her finger as they both ate from the shroom. “Though which side causes only our neck to grow. . . that I don’t remember.”

“What? Only our neck to grow?” Tess turned back and forth. “Why didn’t you say anything before.”

Sarah giggled. “Well, what could be so bad about that?”

“I don’t want to know what it would be like with such a long neck. What if I get it wrapped around in the trees and stuck. I. . .” They started to grow. “Hey, we are growing.” She wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Phew. Everything is working out.”

Sarah put her enlarging hand on Tess’s shoulder. “See. We have nothing to worry about. Once we reach our desired heights, we can focus on saving Carien, Patrick and Gregory.”

“Wait, Gregory is here too? Your old boss?”

Sarah nodded her head as her growth stopped. “Ya. He is the mad hatter.” She gulped as she watched Tess continue to grow. “I, umm, wasn’t happy to see him at the trial.”

Tess sighed. “Well, we just have a lot of people to get out of here, don’t we?” She looked around. “Umm, why am I still growing?” Her head brushed against a tree branch. “Sarah?”

“I gave you too much mushroom?”

Tess crossed her arms as she finally stopped growing, her body a good five feet taller than Sarah. “Well, I don’t find this funny at all.” She narrowed her eyes. “Stop laughing.”

“Oh, come on. I am the one in the Alice outfit. I am supposed to have the growing issues.” She held her hand over her chest and bent over, giggling. “It is funny.”

“I am going to have to reconsider being your friend.”

Sarah sighed. “Oh, come on. Don’t be that way.”

“What about the mushroom. Can you toss it up here so I can shrink down a little?”

“Sure.” Sarah took a few steps back as she pressed on her dress. “Ok, now where is it.” Her face went dark as she spotted a smushed brown spot just under her heel. “Uh oh.”

“What?”

Sarah bent down and ran her fingers over the remains of the mushroom. “I think I just stepped on it.”

“Oh great. What am I supposed to do now?”

“Well, we can go looking for the rabbits’ house if you really want to shrink down a tad.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Though the potion in there would be a bit too much.”

Tess waved her arms. “Oh no, no, no. I want exact figures.” She sighed. “I will just this from Vess. She is sure to have exact measurements on this shrinking nonsense, so we don’t have to guess. Also, that way, we don’t have to constantly bumble around this park, and we can put an end to this nonsense.”

“That is fine with me. But how do we get to Vess?”

“Well, I know—”

Sarah turned her head as Carien hopped by. “Oh, I am going to be so very late.”

“Carien.” Sarah held out her arm. “Hey, wait.” Carien hopped down the trail. “Hey, come back.”

Tess through her arms into the air. “Hey, we can’t go chasing white rabbits. We have to put an end to the nonsense. Sarah!”

***

Vess smiled as she watched the events unfold on the monitor. “I will have my Alice back one way or another. And she is going to pay for wrecking my caterpillar.” Then, she turned her attention to Tess. “As for you. I will have to find a role for you in my Wonderland.” Vess shook her head. “You could have helped me, but now you will entertain kids for years to come, my dear.”