Alice Mare: Crying Wolf

In a large city there was a large, large mansion, home of a wealthy man and his family. It wasn't exactly a small family, nor was it very big itself. There was him, his wife, and his three kids: a daughter and two sons.
They all lived in that house, alongside many others.

To the three children it goes as followed. The first was the eldest son, a fine player of sports, specifically soccer. The second was the daughter, with an intelligent mind. The third and youngest...

...he was peculiar.

Joshua wasn't much of a boy who can stand out. True he is slightly above the average amongst his peers in sports and academics, however it was very little. In a wealthy family like his, however, it was a frustrating fact to live with. Many things have been pushed on him, likely an attempt to have him stand out.

He was to do school in the summer, roughly a month or two, and he'd be placed in extracurricular classes to find some form of talent. Neither wrung anything fruitful, and Joshua grew annoyed by this.

Why are you still trying? He often asked in silence.

I can't stand it.

It's annoying.

Why is it so hard to understand?

These thoughts constantly swirled in his conscience, and for a while there came a sharp pain in his chest.

It was as if he lacked something.

As the pain grew, he came upon to think to himself, "Maybe it would be better to leave," And so he did.

Behind the mansion stretched a large forest, extending into the mountain. Joshua was told that people may often lose their way walking through those woods, and to not wander deep inside. For the first time in a long time, he broke that rule.

Inside the forest was a whole other world. There the trees (in his eyes) danced, the tiny critters (in his ears) sang. When he came upon a small waterfall that pooled onto a crystal clear river, he drank the water and it (upon his tongue) tasted sweet.

For Joshua, who spent many days inside his lavish home, this was a grand adventure.

It was nice.

Joshua came across a man deep in the woods. It was by chance; he had seen a white rabbit earlier and he thought, like Alice in Wonderland, he would be brought into yet another world.

Rather, instead of a portal to Wonderland, the rabbit lead him to the man that sat upon a tree stump, humming a foreign tune.

Joshua called out to him, but there came no response. He slapped him on the hip.

"Eh?! Oh, well now," The man turned to see Joshua, and upon seeing him let out a large sigh. The man asked, "What's a child like you doing in here?"

"I'm on an adventure, mister," Joshua replied, "I left home to find something for myself,"

The man nodded, looking rather bored. "Did you find anything?"

"No,"

"Do you plan to go home then?"

"No,"

The man sighed once more, "No good, no good. Don't stay out here child. Go home,"

Joshua frowned. "Why should I listen to you? You're not the boss or anything,"

"Child, why are you so reluctant?" The man asked, "Surely you care for your parents and such as. Do not worry them further,"

Joshua averted his gaze. "...I can't do anything. They try to see if I could, but I can't. I hate it,"

The man nodded again, before standing up. "I see now, child. Ah, but then again you may not understand it. I myself could barely comprehend it, that thing God gave us,"

"What are you blabbering about?" Joshua asked.

"Who knows?" says the man before he asks, "Have you heard of it before, child?"

"What is it?"

"You know. That thing none can understand yet none can live without. Ah, but you could be too young to know what it is, that thing called XXXX,"

Joshua thought something sounded out, overshadowing the single word that man uttered. The man chuckled slightly before facing Joshua once more.

"Go home child. Staying the night will bring you a fever and fatigue. If you must, you may come again anytime,"

Unsure of what transpired, Joshua backed away from the man, and turned towards where he thinks "home" is. Before he walked onwards, though, Joshua looked over his shoulder at the man.

"Can you tell me your name?" he asked.

There came a laugh, and the man uttered something inaudible. Joshua thought to ask again, but strong gust of wind blocked his gaze for a moment. When he looked again, the man was gone.

Joshua ran forward after that. He ran and ran until his feet grew sore and his throat started to burn. When he stopped to rest, he looked up to find himself at the mansion once more. A few feet from him stood his mother, a worried look on her face.

"Joshua!" She cried out, "Where have you been?!" She walked over to the boy and embraced him, a gesture that startled him.

"Mom..." He uttered quietly. His body trembled slightly.

"Yes Joshua?" she responded, pulling away.

"Mom...I met a laughing wolf in the forest today,"

The mother stared at him in surprise before giving a light hearted laugh. "Is that so?" she said, patting Joshua on the head, "That must've been something," With that she stood up and walked back inside the mansion.

Joshua remained where he was, stunned by her actions. Slowly, he brought up his hand to the spot his mother patted him. Inside, a warm feeling emerged.

He wondered what it was, that pleasant feeling.

When Joshua wandered into the forest again, a month had roughly passed. The man from before had not appeared on this second venture, which disappointed Joshua slightly. As such, he decided to look around the woods again.

He discovered many new things that day: a view from the tall trees, the scent of flowers from an open field, the feeling of a cold wind blowing against his skin. All of which he found pleasant, however not so much like the pat on his head. Joshua wondered if he'll experience that feeling again.

When he continued strolling through the woods, he once came across a bush that bore red berries. They resembled tiny clusters of cherries, and Joshua wondered if they would taste the same as well. Slowly he reached out to pick a single pod, only to be stopped by a forceful yet familiar voice.

"Don't eat that child. Lest you feel like dying soon," Joshua turned to see the man from before, in all his strange grace.

"Mister wolf…" Joshua uttered, and the man chuckled.

"Is that what you've come to call me as?" the man asked before shaking his head, "Meh, it doesn't matter, not the slightest,"

"What is your name anyways? You never told me last time,"

The man laughed, "I carry many names with me, the great deal coming from my journeys around this world. You can say that I've grown detached from the concept of a proper name; it's just another alias to me,"

"Oh," Joshua pouted slightly, "That's boring,"

"Boring or not, you have the right to call me whatever," the man stated, "Although I suppose calling me a wolf is a bit of a stretch; I'm more like a fox or snake in my mind,"

"Nah, you're more like a wolf to me," Joshua said with a grin, "You said I have the right to call you anything, didn't you?"

The man sighed. "So it seems," he said, "But names and the like aside, what brings you back here? It's been a month already; I figured you've grown tired,"

"Aren't you going to ask what my name is?" Joshua asked.

"No need. Now to my question, child,"

Joshua groaned in reply. "I was bored again," he answered, "They're still trying to make me do things. It really pisses me off,"

"Language, child. A foul tongue breeds more sin," the man stated simply.

"Why should I care? It's still the same thing as before," Joshua muttered, "Say, mister wolf, tell me about your adventures,"

"They're bizarre and otherworldly, child. There's no need to tell phantasmal stories," the man replied.

"Just do it. I have nothing better to do anyways," Joshua insisted. So the man, with a large sigh, told him that he once heard two birds arguing in midair. It was a trivial argument, something about being lost, but it was a rather interesting sight.

When Joshua returned to the mansion, he told his mother the same story, claiming he saw those birds and heard their arguing. The mother was surprised, deeply so, but like before she became delighted at his words and patted his head.

That warm feeling came again, yet not as strongly as before. Joshua pondered over the reason.

Day by day Joshua constantly went into that large forest. Though not always immediate, that man was there to see him. Each time they met, Joshua asked for the man to tell him a story of his journey, and the man, always with a sigh, would tell him some kind of tall tale. As soon as Joshua went home, he would tell that story to his mother, always claiming it was him that had seen or done it all.

Each time, his mother would be delighted, and Joshua would earn a pat to his head. That single gesture had always filled him with a warm feeling, albeit not as strongly as the first time. Over time though Joshua stopped caring about the reason; he didn't need to wonder anymore.

He merely knew that he needed to feel that warm feeling again.

Joshua was addicted to it, and yet he could care any less than before.

As the days rolled on however, Joshua began to notice a few strange things happening in the mansion.

People who once lived in the mansion with them started to pack up and leave, and that was last he'd see of them. When he thought they'd come back, he would open the door to find someone else, someone who terrified him deeply. They'd always ask for his father, and when Joshua saw his father after, he would always look so sad. Even so, Joshua wasn't sure what to think of it, and didn't bother to ask any further.

So to escape the tense reality of home, Joshua went into the woods, where he was certain that man would be. Nothing about his escapades had changed since the first day he wandered in. He hoped it wouldn't.

One day however, it did.

That day the man didn't appear, and no matter how many times Joshua called out, he didn't appear. With a loud groan he kicked his leg and went home. When he returned however, something else had happened.

When Joshua came back to the mansion, he realized no one was there. He called, but it seemed as though everyone had left. By then it was just his father, mother, and older siblings, alone in that large mansion. Joshua called again, and still no one responded.

He checked all the rooms, from the first to second floor. When he came to the third floor, he heard something creak. It was a light creak, but still he heard it coming from his father's office. When Joshua opened the door, he came across a surreal sight.

There, floating in mid-air, with a slight creak, was his father. An unpleasant chill crawled up his spine.

Downstairs, he heard something call out. It was the voice of his mother. He looked back at his floating father, and recalled something he didn't realize before. The cold chill he felt; it was the same feeling as that man. What could that mean? He pondered slightly.

Slightly trembling, he ran down the flight of stairs, straight down to the first floor. There, standing at the front door was his mother, with a solemn look on her face. Her grey eyes saw him, and as Joshua continued to stare, he realized something.

He hated that look.

"Joshua…where have you been," she quietly asked. Joshua only trembled in her presence, taking one step back.

"I don't know," he replied, his voice shaking, "Did something happen…Mom?"

His mother let out a long, long sigh, and Joshua's peaceful reality was shattered. There was no money left. They could no longer stay there.

"Joshua…Go get your things. Just enough for the week, until your father and I can figure something out," his mother said. Joshua merely stood there.

"Mom…"

"Yes Joshua…?"

He hesitated slightly. "Father went cold…he went cold," Joshua said, the words burning at his throat.

His mother forced a chuckle. "W-what are you saying, Joshua? Go get your things, now. We haven't much time," his mother said, her voice shaking. Joshua refused to move.

"Father went cold," he repeated, "He's hanging up there, in his office. He's gone cold," Joshua continued to say this, despite his own uncertainty. What had happened? He wasn't sure. Somewhere, maybe he was hoping to be patted on the head again, to be filled with that warm feeling again.

It didn't happen. Rather, something else did, something Joshua didn't expect.

His mother faced him with a cold, cold stare, and to him said, "What are you saying at time like this?! We're all very exhausted right now. Don't tell me such lies again!" She went off, and left him standing in shock.

What lie?

It wasn't a lie…

It wasn't…right?

Joshua wasn't sure himself. He couldn't bring himself to admit what he said was the truth, even though he knew it was. He saw it himself, up there in his father's office. Even so…

His brother and sister came home a few hours later. He said nothing to them; he didn't feel like it. Maybe he was afraid, afraid that they'll look at him with the same cold stare. So he said nothing, as they went up. When he heard a gasp and a sharp cry, Joshua thought to look as well. As he went up however he saw something else.

His mother stood at the office entrance, next to his brother and sister. They were explaining something to her as she trembled. Joshua watched as his mother broke down, and all he could think was how numb he felt.

When I say it, you say it's a lie. Why? Is it because they have something, and I have nothing? Did you know they were all lies before? Is it okay if you don't know they're lies?

Something in his chest ached, and yet Joshua could only watch with a blank stare. At that moment, he closed his heart.

He came to the forest again. Joshua wasn't sure why he needed to. Maybe it was for reassurance of some kind, but then again, it may be to hide himself away from the world. Whatever the reason, he couldn't care. He had stopped caring.

"So you came again, child," Joshua heard the man's voice again, and looked up to see him on the stump, much the same way as his first trip to the woods.

"Mister wolf…" he uttered. The man gestured for Joshua to sit by him, and he complied.

"So I've been meaning to ask child," the man spoke suddenly, "Were you taking my stories as your own?"

"What do you mean?" Joshua muttered coldly. The man shook his head.

"Who knows," he answered, "It was just a hunch, but it makes no difference who tells it. In the minds of the normal, it's a fable or tall tale,"

"They were lies, weren't they?" Joshua said. The man shrugged.

"When you speak of them as your own feats, then they become lies. As I told you before, they were phantasmal stories, and not worth telling,"

"Yet you told me,"

"Because you insisted," The man stated simply. Joshua let out a bitter chuckle.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter anymore," Joshua said, "She was mad when I told the truth, you know? When I said father went cold. She told me to stop telling her lies, so now I don't even know what to say," He felt something wet trailing down his cheek. Was it raining? "Maybe she knew I was lying all those times before, but put up with it. She kept on laughing and always pats my head after. It felt so nice, and yet…"

The man merely sighed, looking up at the darkening sky. "Child, I mentioned it to you once before. That thing I told you that no one can define yet no one can live without – I do believe that was what you felt that time,"

"That feeling…I can't feel it anymore," Joshua uttered, trembling slightly, "Mother stopped looking at me now. She won't talk to me any more…"

"So it seems…" the man murmured, "Child, I do believe this is the last time you should come here,"

Joshua froze, his eyes widening at the sudden declaration. "But you're always here…why are you suddenly saying not to come here anymore? Why?"

The man remained silent, mush to Joshua's frustration.

"Why won't you tell me? Why are you treating me like Mom all of a sudden," Joshua cried, "Just tell me already! Was I needed or unneeded all along?!"

"Child, calm yourself," Joshua suddenly felt a hand on his head, similar to how his mother placed her hand. For a moment, he was confused, unsure of what was going on. Then the man did something he didn't think he'd do.

He pats his head, gently but with a strong hand. The man gently pats his head, and it was as though something cracked inside him.

Joshua cried, quietly, his small frame shaking. Not once did the man stop.

"Young child, if only you stayed away. If you did so, you may still have your family," A chill went through his spine; it much like the feeling at the sight of his father's floating self.

"I'm sorry," As the man said this he could've sworn he felt something warm. It was a lonely kind of warmth.

A week had passed since Joshua last saw the man. He went back once or twice, but the man no longer awaited him. He couldn't help but recall the lonely warmth he felt that day. He wondered how that man was doing since.

In the new home a strange man came by one day. Joshua took note of the man's strange, messy appearance from his long, black hair to his melancholic, black eyes. He was told this man will be taking care of him from now on, and that said man told him to call him Teacher. For some reason Teacher reminded Joshua of the man in the woods; emitting that kind of cold presence.

When the time came for Joshua to leave with Teacher, when he took hold of his hand, Joshua remembered the lonely warmth from before.

"Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself, Joshua?" Teacher said with a small smile. Joshua remained silent before he looked up at Teacher.

"I once met a laughing wolf in the forest," Joshua said, and Teacher could give him a puzzling look. He laughed slightly before he continued.

"The wolf laughed, yet he was crying inside,"

...

...

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A/N

I want to thank everyone who decided to read this. It's actually a little old; I wrote it a year ago, and I dug it up just recently. After reading it over, I thought I might as well post it. It shouldn't just stay rotting on this laptop forever now, with me being the only one to read it.

With that said, this was more of an AU than anything for me. Quite honestly Joshua reminds me a lot about myself and my cousin (who btw is also named Joshua) so I thought I might write something with that in mind. I don't really think very much of it now after one year, but I'm pretty sure someone's gonna like it in the end. I'd be very happy if they did.

Otherwise, thanks again for reading!