Wonderland

An Endless Waltz

Chapter I - A White Rabbit

"... and then your brother proposed. He finally did it. I know, I know - it's hard to believe. You always gave him such a hard time about dragging his feet, but he and Evelyn are finally getting married. I believe it's this summer, but I could be wrong."

Thirty-two year old Eric Walsh knelt before the tombstone of one Maria Lynn Walsh, gently brushing off stray dust from its granite service and tracing the engravings with numb fingertips. If asked, he could always use it as an excuse for the tears brimming his emerald eyes. How stupid, he chuckled to himself, who would blame me for a few tears?

"Oh! And by the way, your dad's surgery was a success. He still seems stiff, but he's only had great things to say about his knee replacement. He hasn't slowed down since. He and your mother are finally planning on taking that trip they had to postpone..."

This is ridiculous, Eric sighed inwardly, turning his head towards the clouds above, watching as the grays and greens mixed - a clear sign of an impending storm. Is this what people really do? How does this help? Maybe I'm just doing it wrong. The turbulent billows steadily swirled, and Eric couldn't help but feel he was staring into his own heart.

His gaze then dropped to the young child standing several yards away, a striking young girl if ever there was one, with her back to the graves and her eyes focused solely on her fidgeting feet. Eight year old Katherine refused to even look in her father's direction, hiding her gaze behind her thick curtain of blonde hair.

"Katherine," Eric called gently, not wanting to startle her. "Do you want to come and say 'hello' to Mommy?"

The girl only shook her entire body from side to side in an emphatic 'No.' Eric frowned, but couldn't bring himself to voice his displeasure. What do I need to do to reach her? He mused, standing up from his kneeling position, his knees cracking from the strain.

Everyone told him it would take time, and that there was only so much he could do. Forcing her was the wrong thing to do, the psychologist had said. She would confront it and cope with it in her own way on her own schedule. It may be an explosive situation, and a calm resolve, but it would happen.

And yet Katherine wasn't reacting at all. She could hardly look him in the eye, only answered the odd yes and no, and otherwise kept herself locked in her room. She wouldn't even look at her own mother's tombstone.

I suppose I can't blame her for that. I can hardly look at it myself.

He could feel the gentle brush of mist on his skin, along with the rumble of thunder and a pick-up in the breeze. It wouldn't be long before the storm hit.

"Bye honey," Eric bent towards the stone and placed a kiss upon it. It was cold and raw, not anything like the lips he longed for. "I'll be by soon."

He marched away and gently placed a palm atop Katherine's head, guiding her out of the cemetery and towards their car. She refused to take his hand.

The rain came in shortly after father and daughter made it home. It brutishly pounded on the windows and roof, and the howl of the wind whistled through the walls. Eric even had trouble pulling the front door shut, the powerful gust even pulling the knob loose.

"Great... another damn thing to fix," he growled, but then cringed as Katherine walked past him. "I'm sorry, Kat. Forgive my language."

He may as well have not said a thing at all, as Katherine didn't seem to acknowledge he was even there and went right for her cat Zoë, who had a decent grove carved out in the couch cushions.

"Hey! I know, how about Lasagna for dinner? Your favorite!"

Is that the best I have? I can't even make dinner sound convincing.

He fidgeted nervously, feeling out of place in his own living room with his own daughter. Katherine only stroked Zoë, who rolled over onto her back, basking in the attention. It was the only time Eric could see even the faintest of smiles on the girl's face.

"How about you take Zoë to your room and I'll see about getting you two some snacks," Eric smiled, and Katherine seemed to agree as she scooped the heavy cat into her small arms and marched up stairs.

Eric let out a heavy sigh and collapsed into the couch, just letting all of the tension flow from his body, allowing himself to relax. He hadn't realized all he had been holding in until it was gone, and he could almost just float right off the couch. His head fell back and his eyes closed.

Just what am I supposed to do Maria? How do I reach her?

He couldn't help but remember, it wasn't long ago that they had all gone to the State Fair. She had smiled so beautifully and laughed so loudly. She sang in the cars, danced around the house, and was always putting on plays for them. Her favorite was rescuing the Prince and slaying the dragon. He laughed quietly to himself.

Well, maybe one day soon I'll see another show.

It had only been two months. Two excruciating months, but that was still just over thirty days, or eight weeks. Any other time, those days blur by and you're left thinking, "It's Christmas again all ready?"

But these days, time drags by at a limp, with every second in the silence of his own home ticking by in his muddled brain.

"Time heals all wounds, huh?" He murmured as sleep began to claim when.

CRASH!

He was startled from his reverie by a loud rumble from the kitchen. He didn't jump up immediately however, as he assumed it was just Zoë searching for something to eat.

"I'll be there in a bit, cat!" He called, pushing himself to his feet with a heavy sigh. He padded into the kitchen to find a bowl still rolling along the kitchen counter top, but there wasn't any sign of the familiar orange tabby awaiting a fresh dish.

Well that's unusual, his brain observed, and he couldn't help but agree. Zoe was a notorious beggar, and had never been deterred from a treat before. Perhaps the storm had startled her.

He quickly headed up the stairs and peaked into Katherine's room, only to see her and Zoë sound asleep, curled up together like the perfect pair. Which actually sullied his mood a touch more.

Great! Now we have rodents.

Dinner was a somber affair, as per usual. The two sat silently around the table, both picking at their meals noncommittally. Eric would occasionally dare to ask a question or bring up something to do with her school or art, and at best he received an unintelligible mumble. And their time concluded as all the past two months had, with father and daughter going their separate ways.

After the mundane tasks of dishes and waste disposal, Eric slumped to his own room to finish a few papers from work and tuck in. Such was the routine these days, the silence of work and the silence of home, peppered with the odd visit from a concerned family member. Not one of them had any luck with Katherine either. The girl was simply shut down, and wouldn't open up to anyone.

He wasn't far into his mind numbing report on the correlation between the eighteen to twenty-five year old demographics and drop in the sale of their "study enhancing" product and what steps could be taken to rectify it when he was brought back into the real world by an odd sound.

It echoed down the hall and into his bedroom, coming from a source he could've never expected.

Laughter?

The giggles continued to come, even had he crept closer. He didn't wish to scare the illusive sound away.

But was this a mere figment of his imagination. It'd been months since he'd even seen a smile from Katherine, much less heard a laugh.

Could he be delusional? Hearing or seeing what he wish to?

He peaked into his daughters room to find her seated at her table. She didn't seem perturbed by his presence or react negatively. She merely turned to him and smiled.

Months - it had been months since he'd had such a simple gesture directed towards him. A smile. She'd smiled at him.

Eric returned it wholeheartedly and leaned in on the door frame.

"Hey, sweetie, just what's got you in such a good mood right now?"

"It's the rabbit, daddy," was her answer, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"Rabbit? What Rabbit, Kat?" Eric looked around the room but couldn't find any sign of a small creature. Zoë looked at him dully from her perch upon the bed, apparently not perturbed by the appearance of a foreign animal.

"The white rabbit! He said he came to see me, that he was sorry he was so late," she laughed. "He said he meant to be here days ago."

"Oh!" Eric finally understood, chuckling and shaking his head. An invisible white rabbit it was. He had been told that, in time, Katherine would find ways of coping with her heartache. And if it meant a menagerie of imaginary animals, he'd take it as long as it meant she continued to smile and laugh for him.

"Well, is there anything I can get you and Mr. Rabbit? Something to snack on?"

"Oh! He said he'd like some tea. I had to tell him I didn't know how to make any, but now you can!"

Tea? She's never asked for tea before. Eric couldn't even recall a single time she'd had one of those fake tea parties he always saw little girls having in movies. If it's what she wants, though, it's what she'll get.

It didn't take long to boil some water and dip in a few bags and return. Katherine, of course, thanked him and Eric returned to his paper work with renewed vigor, his heart finally light and mind at ease for the first time in months. Just seeing Katherine's bright smile again was like seeing the bright morning sun for the first time in months of perpetual night.

It was hours later when he suddenly woke back up, tossing a few papers from his chest to the bedside floor. He snorted and rubbed his eyes, not knowing when he'd dozed off or for how long. He looked towards his nightstand at groaned when he saw the one o'clock A.M. flashing at him.

The wind and rain had intensified outside, pounding against his window almost maliciously. He wondered if it would at least stop by morning, as he didn't wish to brave such weather with Katherine on their early commute.

Katherine... I guess I should tuck her in. Hope she put herself to bed.

That was one thing he could almost always count on. Kat was never one to put up a fight or throw a fit over bed time. She was indeed his daughter in the regard that she loved her sleep. So it was quite the shock to see Kat's bed was still made and empty. His daughter and her cat weren't to be seen.

"Kat?!" Eric called down the hall.

He plodded towards the bathroom, but the light was off and her toiletries were untouched.

"Kat!" He called again, this time more urgently.

That's when he heard to low growl of Zoë coming from down stairs. He raced down to find the cat huddled under the kitchen table, ears down, back rigid and fur standing on end.

"What's the matter girl? Where's Kitkat?" He asked, rather ridiculously, knowing full well he wouldn't receive an answer.

Dread had settled on his heart as he anxiously searched for his daughter.

When he finally made it into the living room he froze, and released a sigh of relief. There she was, standing in the open doorway, her back to him. The storm continued to rage outside, but the porch cover kept her from getting soaked.

"Katherine! You scared me half to death!" He couldn't help but be rather sharp with her, no matter the weight that had been lifted from his shoulders. "What are you doing outside at this time?"

She didn't answer immediately, but slowly turned to look at him. Her eyes were glazed over, as if she wasn't quite awake, and she seemed to stare right through him.

"The rabbit said it's time to go," she finally said, her voice low and toneless. "He said if we don't leave now, we'll be late."

Eric placed his hands on his hips and groaned, not having any patience for the story this time.

"Katherine, you'll have to tell the rabbit you can play later. Right now, it's time for bed!"

She didn't budge.

"Okay, that's it. If you won't come inside by yourself, I'll have to drag you."

When did she become so stubborn? I'll have to get mom over here tomorrow. Maybe she'll have some advi-

He froze mid step, his eyes growing wide and jaw agape. It was obscured behind the girls legs and night gown, but he could roughly see the lithe shape of a small, white creature. Boney fingers had a grasp on the girls knee, and slowly it stepped out behind her to look at him with black, bead-like eyes that narrowed with malice.

Eric could only think of it as a gnarled, white coated ghoul with long ears that twitched and ticked every second. It wore a crimson coat with a large gold chain tangling from a pocket on the breast. Black lips curled back in a sneer, revealing large, crooked yellow teeth that chattered threatening.

The rabbit? It's real? No, this had to be a dream.

Imaginary of not, it was a threat to his daughter, and he extended an open hand towards Katherine, eyes urging her to take it.

"Katherine, please step away from the rabbit slowly and come back inside. Don't make any sudden movements."

She paid his words no heed, and the rabbit lowly chuckled, causing Eric's stomach to drop. And then it did something even more astonishing and terrifying. It spoke. And it's words were simple.

"She's our Alice now!"

And then the door slammed behind the girl.

"NO!" Eric cried, leaping forward and grasping the handle. But it felt as if the door weighed a thousand pounds. It wouldn't budge.

He pulled and pounded at the doorway, shouting and cursing in rage. And after a few brief seconds, it gave way, and he swung it open with such fury that the door knob lodged itself in the drywall.

He charged into the torrent, his body immediately shocked by the freezing rain as he was soaked to the bone. His eyes scanned the area for any sign of Kat, until he finally found her small, retreating form disappearing across the street into the neighborhood park and winding trail ways.

"Katherine! Stop!" He called, but he could hardly hear his own words over the wind and the rain. He knew his voice couldn't reach her.

Please no! No! No! No! The word was the only thing his mind could repeat.

And he moved, his legs pumping as fast as they could, pounding the slick pavement as fast as they could. He didn't care for his own safety. He didn't care if he may slip. He had to reach her, to stop her.

He was still faster than her, and it wasn't long before he cleared the tree line and caught sight of her again. She was closely following the accursed creature, who would occasional turn and beckon her forth. He knew his eyes must be playing tricks on him, but from his distance it looked as if the rain wasn't even touching her,as if it was rolling off of some protective barrier.

He continued his sprint, though his feet were becoming heavy as they sunk into the muddy, soft earth. Meanwhile she didn't seem stunted by it, her bare feet seemingly gliding across the service, aided by some supernatural force.

He briefly lost sight of her as she made a sharp turn, but it didn't take long to correct that. But then he watched in horror as her tiny body disappeared down a dark hole.

"NO! KAT!" He roared and lunged forward, throwing himself towards her. He caught nothing but air as he landed belly first in a muddy puddle. She crawled towards the hole and peered inside, but couldn't see through the pitch black curtain.

"KAT! Come back!" His voice echoed down the rabbit burrow, almost as if it went on forever.

Then he noticed that the opening was gradually getting smaller, closing before his very eyes. How it was happening, or why, he didn't care. His daughter had just crawled through it, and there wasn't a second thought to be had. He dove in and immediately began crawling forward.

He could feel the earth closing in around him as the entrance continued to shut behind him. He clawed at the earth in pure blindness, feeling roots and unseen slimy creatures clawing at his face, bare arms, and feet.

Just keep moving forward, was the mantra repeating in his head.

But the hole continued to shrink around him, squeezing him, making it difficult to breathe. Was he going to make it? Was the same thing happening to Katherine? Would they both be crushed?

He wanted to scream to anguish, be he couldn't even manage that as all the air was pushed from his lungs.

Please... just a bit further... one... more... push... Kat!

He grabbed a hold of a stiff root for one final pull, using what little strength left he could muster.

And then he was falling.