Until the Flowers Bloom
Written by Ryan Benike
"I don't quite remember it like this," exclaimed a feminine, adolescent voice near by. There stood a blonde girl in a dark blue dress with a white apron. She looked in front of her. Her face made no sign of emotion as she kneeled down. She took her hand and reached out to a figure on the ground, nudging it slightly. She gave another look at the figure. It was a boy with brown spiky hair. Another glance at his attire revealed many white hearts on the boy's black jacket and pants. As the girl nudged him a second time he turned over, revealing his face. Metal clanked as chains on the boy's jacket clashed with each other. The boy however was no awake, and obviously not aware of the girl in front of him.
"Boy? Do I remember you from somewhere? Can you hear me? Wake up!" stated the girl, this time shaking the boy back and forth.
Suddenly the girl became startled, the boy was coming too. The boy slowly opened his eyes to seen the faint hue of the girl's dress and a yellow blur surrounding her head. As the boy began to sit up he then fell down to his side. The girl moved closer to give him a hand, her soft hands grasping the hands of the boy.
"Where am I?" softly spoke the boy, who then grasped his head as though a sharp pain ran through it. "How did I get here?
The girl looked down at the boy; with this glance she knew where she had met him before. It was in this very forest where the boy and two of his companions arrived and saved her. The thoughts of that day reemerged, the day 4 years ago when she was on trial. However, that thought soon pasted as she once again thought about how she had arrived back here, back to this place she thought she left behind.
Little did the girl know that the boy had already stood up, brushed himself off and had been starring at her for some time now. The girl soon noticed and her eyes shifted towards his direction.
"You're…" the boy began to speak before being interrupted by a rustle in the bushes. The boy made a quick motion to his waist, as if he were to grasp a sword, had he been carrying one. The girl jumped back, surprised as the bushes stopped. The woods themselves began to shiver in a light breeze passing by. Calm and collected the boy looked around, nothing could be seen.
"Welcome back" exclaimed a voice from the woods. The girl looked around but could see nothing. Slowly a mouth began to form on a tree limb closest to the girl. The girl's startled body began to feel relief, as though things were alright. The boy on the other hand was still frantically searching for the origin of the voice. The mouth began to open once more revealing a bright and shiny grin. As what appeared to be a body forming around the mouth, a structured feline build emerged.
"Cat, you seem as cheerful as ever." remarked the girl. However she noticed something different about the cat. There was no color about him; in fact, his body had no resemblance to his former self, except for the large grin.
"You must go child. She knows you are here. She will try to find you. Only you can stop the heartless red hag," said the cat as his body began to disappear leaving only his head. "Take the boy, he has the key to stopping her, now go, before HE comes." With in what seemed like an instant the cat vanished, leaving nothing but a faded smile in the girl's memory.
The boy looked at the girl. Her expression was of confusion and frustration. It's as though the boy could sense what she was thinking. He knew something was up.
"You seem to know the way, we should get moving," silent but confidently stated the boy. The girl nodded her head in agreement and she began to lead him through the forest. After it seemed like five minutes had passed the girl looked at the boy. Her blue eyes made direct contact with his. The boy made direct eye contact back, noticing a lack of expression on the girls face.
"..Where are your two friends?" asked the girl. The boy looked around, knowing very well the friends she speaks of are not by his side. Thoughts ran through the boy's head of the last thing he remembered before waking up on the ground. A light flashes before the boy's eyes. Fire, ice, lightning and a small rose flashed through his thoughts before an image of 3 objects in a white room appeared.
"I don't know," stated the boy, pondering the visions that flashed before him.
The two of them continued walking through the forest. The girl pointed forward to what could be shown of the end of the forest. The boy swiftly stopped and reached for his waist. Whispers could be heard from around them. The whispers became louder and louder. These were no whispers, these were laughter.
"The walrus…" shrieked a chuckling voice from the trees around them.
"…and the Carpenter," replied a loud, echoing voice in the opposite direction of the first.
"Like the oysters they have come not knowing there fate…" exclaimed the two voices in perfect unison. Without a moments notice two large figures bounced from the tree tops in front of the teens. The boy quickly put his left hand in front of the girl, motioning her to stay back. The large figures moved closer and briefly passing by a ray of sunlight left by a gap in the forest roof. The boy noticed a red and white stripped shirt on one of the brutes. The girl backs up nervously, shaking her head back and forth.
"What do you want!?" yelled the boy.
"The time has come," the left brute said. "To talk of many things," replied the brute on the right, who as the glimpse of sunlight revealed, to be larger than the other.
"I weep for you," laughed the smaller brute as bounced towards the boy. In what seemed like an instant the boy threw his right arm to the side and opened his hand and closed it. The girl looked in front of her to see an object in the boy's right hand. The object was a long metal pole with what appeared like teeth at the inner end. Noticing a small chain on the hilt of the weapon, the girl stepped back and calmly smirked, lifting her eyes up at the two brutes. At the same time the boy jumped up to repel the bouncing brute. With his metal object in hand he swung at the brute, knocking him against a tree and landing on his head. The larger brute slowly walked towards the young girl while the boy repelled the other. She let out a loud scream as the brute approached her and reached out his large, dirty hands. Before his grimy palms could reach her he dropped to the floor, face first into the ground. The girl looked up to see the metal object slammed on top of the brutes head. The boy looked up and smiled.
"Look out!" screamed the girl as the smaller brute crept up behind the boy intending the grapple him. The boy turned around to see the brute jump into the air and come crashing down on him. Swiftly the boy hurled his weapon high into an intercept course with the brute. The object flew towards the brute and made contact with his face. In quick haste the boy grabbed the girl and jumped out of the way before the brute came crashing down. A large thump could be hurt throughout the forest. The young boy grabs the startled girl and begins to make their way out of the forest. Just before they reach the exit they hear more laughter from behind them.
"Shall we be trotting home again brother?" whispered a worn out and tired voice. The boy looked back and saw the larger of the brutes nudging the smaller one. But the answer came there none.
They finally made it out of the woods and into an open field. To their surprise the field was barren and dry. The grass was dead, the trees withered and a partly cloudy sky above them. Off in the distance they noticed a small white creature on the side of the path. The two cautiously approached. The girl covered her mouth in shock and noticed the poor creature was in fact the honorable rabbit. Tears began to pour out of her eyes as she collapsed into the boy's arms. The boy held her tight. After a few minutes the girl collected herself and noticed a pocket watch on the ground next to the deceased rabbit. She carefully picked it up as it opened up revealing a note. She began to read it:
"If you are reading this then I have not made it out to warn you of the dangers here.
It is as I had feared; the Queen has been corrupted without her heart. There was
much darkness within her that it enveloped the land itself, changing all life and all
substance. Find the boy, he will have the key to seal her darkness, just like he
sealed away the heartless creature 4 years ago. Stop her and everything will be
restored…."
The last sentence was sloppier than the others, showing he had to write it quick before his fate drew near. At a second glance the girl noticed the final statement which read.
The Hatter's gone mad.
Suddenly the sky darkened. Off in the distance a storm was about to hit. The withered trees slowly blowing as the wind picked up. The two of them hurried down the path as small gobbles of rain began to fall. The rain started slowly and if as though instantaneous down poured. All around them large goggles of rain were falling; however, the girl noticed these weren't ordinary drops of rain. The rain began to pour harder and harder with larger drops plummeting to the ground. The girl nudged the boy and pointed straight ahead to four large black puddles. In fact, there were thirteen black puddles all around them. Completely surrounded the girl huddled closer to the boy.
Simultaneously the puddles began to move and rise above the ground forming small black figures with bright yellow eyes and exotic movements. They appeared to be hunched over and shook their heads as if they were owls, but more frequently. A flash of lightning struck a near by tree and the figures began to charge the boy. He reached out his right arm and blocked a frontal attack by one of the dark figures. The boy began to display a unique style of fighting as he swept through figures with much ease. The girl collapsed on the ground, a fear could be seen in her eyes that were unlike anything she'd ever seen. It was then when the boy realized she could feel emotions. The black figures halted their attack and began to regroup twenty yards in front of the girl. Worried, the boy tried to pick her up but she has hard as stone. It was then when the boy realized that up in the sky was a dark winged creature hovering above them. After a few more passes the creature landed in front of the group of black figures and began to devour them; while at the same time growing in size. The boy didn't recognize the creature, although it shared many features familiar to him. The boy remembered picture books when he was a kid of mystical creatures; this was surely one of them. The creatures eyes were a crimson red at a closer glance had black scales with red outlines every now and then of a heart. The creature let out a massive roar which scared the girl even more. Readying his weapon the boy leaped to the monstrous winged reptilian but was knocked to the side by its tail. The boy went plummeting against the ground and sliding across the muddy ground. Three flashes of lightning hit the ground in the distance behind them. The rain began to thicken as the skies began even darker than before. The only source of light now was the constant flashes of lightning arriving after the sounds of thunder. The creature let out another roar as it set its sights on the girl.
"Jabberwock!" screamed the girl, for she knew this creature most certainly. The boy began to charge again and landing a blow to the left torso of the dragon. To the boys surprise his weapon had no effect on it. The dragon lashed out its neck and slammed into the gut of the boy, knocking him back near the girl. Closer and closer the Jabberwock came towards the girl but she could only stare. The boy got up again and rushed the creature. He leaped into the air once more and slashed his weapon towards the beast neck. The creature seized the boy in mid air and his weapon fell to the floor. Another bolt of lightning struck the ground near by. Squirming, the boy was in the clutches of this monster. The Jabberwock turned it's eyes upon the boy and opened its mouth preparing to engulf him whole. Just before the dragon can put his mouth around the boy he notices the weapon appears to be floating. The Jabberwock looks again at the weapon which seems to be held by the mouth of a large set of teeth. Lips begin to form, eventually an entire face appears and soon a body. The girl gets excited as her fear begins to disappear.
"Cat!" she yells, "Your smile always cheers me up, even in the most depressed of times."
The mangy cat hops up onto the head of the Jabberwock. The boy reaches out for the weapon but the cat doesn't let it go. Reaching out for his weapon the boy attempts to grab it again. A puzzled look appears on her the girl's face before realizing what is about to be done.
"Don't do it cat!" she yells, but her plea is drowned out by a clash of thunder. The cat looks at the boy and simply smiles. With a bite of his teeth on the hilt of the weapon he swings it up high into the air as the dragon knocks him up and opens wide for one swift gulp. The instant the cat is swallowed lightning strikes the weapon, which is now half way out of the dragon's mouth. The boy is dropped as he lands on his butt. A strong smell begins to appear as the dragon shakes back and forth in pain. Finally the dragon doesn't move at all. Smoke rises from the body as the weapon falls from its mouth to the ground. The boy picks up his weapon and it suddenly vanishes.
"Are you alright?" asked the young boy looking at the frightened girl. "I'm very sorry. He gave his life to protect you, you should feel grateful."
"I am grateful," replied the girl, yet no facial expressions could be noticed by the boy. The rain began to mix with the little girl's tears, although only she knew she was weeping.
The clouds soon parted ways but there still wasn't any sunlight to emerge. .The travelers continued walking down the path and eventually reaching a small wooden house by a pond. The moment the girl looked up her stomach growled. She had remembered she didn't have anything to eat since she arrives. The boy looked over to her grasping her belly. He smiles as a louder growl is heard from his direction. Holding his hands over his head he lets out a large sigh. As the boy exhales a white flash comes before him. He is in a white room with a little blonde girl in a white dress in front of him. The boy looks around the room and hears the crackling of objects under his feet. He lifts up his oversized shoes to reveal 3 broken crayons. Over hearing the noise the little girl looks up from her drawing and giggles. The giggles begin to get quieter as the boy becomes farther away from the room. It's as though he were being pulled by an invisible force. He blinks to find himself back on the path with the young girl. Dazed and confused he collects himself once more and lets out another long sigh.
"Shall we see who's there?" asked the girl. The boy only responds with a nod. They approach the house and reach the front door. Before the girl has a chance to open it she hears a familiar voice.
"We should go," hesitates the girl.
"Why not stay for a cup of tea my dear?" replies a voice behind the door. A twisted laugh is heard afterwards. "Leaving? You shouldn't be afraid to drop right in!" with the floor opening under the travelers. As the door closes and the two plummet to the depths unknown a high pitched voice exclaims, "Drop right it! Ha! I've still got it!"
Thud! The girl lands right after the boy. He checks around and notices they are alright. He carefully looks around the room for an exit, but the boy doesn't find one. The same eerie voice is heard from around them.
"Where are my manners? How could I be so heartless, I left you all alone in the dark…wait, scratch that…you should know you are never ALONE in the darkness…" as the voice faded away and yellow eyes began popping up around the room. From the distance and numbers of the eyes the boy could estimate the room was circular, fifteen yards in diameter. The yellow eyes didn't move, only stood there. The boy reaches with his left arm for the girl but his fingers slip off her as if she's moving away from him. He hears a scream next to him as 3 pairs of eyes move towards the wall away from him.
"Sor..!" yells the girl before she disappears into the darkness. The boy grasp his right hand and heads in that direction as the yellow eyed creatures make there move and close in on him.
Meanwhile the girl gets carried off into a large room with a long table in the center. Rotten food and spoiled drinks cover the top of it. The girl gets carried past a few crooked portraits of various people, none she recognizes. The creatures put her down at the end of the table and vanish into the floor. The chandelier ignites above her; each candle lights in no particular order until all thirteen are lit.
A small man enters the room with a slanted top hat, which carries a small piece of paper with the numbers 10/6. He scuttles up to the girl and sits in the chair adjacent. With a clap of his hands four yellow eyed creatures enter carrying a tea pot, a cup, a spoon and a cupcake respectively. He leaned over to the young girl who showed no sign of expression even as the man got closer and closer to her face.
"Miss little goodie too shoes aren't we? To think the queen has been looking all over for you. It seems she never got her heart back since you last were seen here." The manr remarked sarcastically. The girl began to get up and bolt for the door until the yellow eyed creatures blocked her path.
"Sit, sit, sit!" exclaimed the man. "You're finally invited to my tea party and yet you refuse to stay, how rude."
"It is you who is the rude one Mr. Hatter, keeping me here against my will. What is it you want?!" the girl replied.
"Why I don't want anything from you my dear," snickered the Hatter. "The Queen simply wants your head!" laughed the Hatter, rocking himself back and forth in his chair. "Actually my dear, the Queen needs to rid herself of any purity she once had" chucked the Hatter. "Not that she had any to begin with. Cup of Tea?" asked the Hatter looking in the direction of the girl.
"No tha…" replied the girl before she was interrupted. "I wasn't asking you! Well March Hare, spot of tea?" yelled the Hatter. The girl turned around in her chair to see a skeletal figure on the ground behind her. The shape and form resembled a rabbit. The girl merely looked back at the Hatter, and replied, "It was you. You killed him. You killed the White Rabbit! How could you do such a thing?"
"You'd be surprised what you can do without a heart. Then again you should know, seeing as you're nothing but a nobody trying to be somebody. Or haven't you noticed yet?" asked the Hatter, brimming with joy. "My heavens! You really don't know!" remarked the Hatter as he leaned on the front legs of his chair, arms resting his chin in close proximity to the girl. "You and the Queen are the same! The Queen herself is your heart which makes you her heart...in a sense," replied the Hatter, lost in his own confusion of the matter. "However, it is twisted and corrupt. You are merely an empty shell, like ME!" shrieked the Hatter as he stood up and began to dance on top of the table. He bent down and put his face in front of the girl; His wrinkly skin ever so clear now. "Oh! I almost forgot how do you like my little world here? I bet it caught you off guard when you returned. I felt the need for a change; actually, I didn't change a thing. You did remember. Without a heart you became rather emotionless and confused. You created this world; I merely filled it with what was presented to me." He clapped his hands again and the yellow eyed creatures rose from the floor. "A blonde haired fellow in a black cloak came to me after you left. I will never forget him because of an icy chill he brought with him. He offered me endless entertainment, a world of my own. All he asked for was my heart…and I so gladly gave it to him. Soon I began to gain influence on the Queen of Hearts herself. The skies grew dark, the land rotted and everything cheerful began to wither and decay into what I saw fit!" The Hatter jumped off the table and signaled for the creatures to grab the girl and follow him. "Time to see the Queen!" the Hatter began walking towards the door with the girl being carried behind him.
Meanwhile the boy was still engaged in a seemingly endless fight against the creatures of darkness. A white flash appeared in front of the boy. They were becoming more frequent, clearer now. He saw a silver haired boy dressed in navy with the outline of a red heart on his chest. The brown haired boy watched himself as he picked up his weapon and began to thrust it into his own stomach. He fell to the floor, watching himself but unable to act. Off to the side he noticed a red haired girl getting up from the ground. The boy's pain was completely forgotten as a feeling of warmth filled him inside. The next moment the boy was back in the room. He began to run for the nearest wall and pointed his weapon into the side where he saw the girl disappear. A beam of light came from the end of his weapon as a small door opened up. "Alice!" the boy yelled as he ran through the house fighting off the yellow eyed creatures appearing before him. It was then when he noticed the opened door. He ran outside and stopped to look around. To his left on the path he saw the girl's little black shoe. Picking it up he began to run down the path, hoping this was the way she'd gone. Off to the distance he could see a large garden. Surely this was where she was being taken. Running faster than he'd ever run before he began his way down the hill towards this destination.
At the same time the girl was finally brought to a large chamber in the middle of a hedge maze. The place was all too familiar with the girl. The Hatter grabbed the girl and began walking down this long stretch of red carpet. Pillars surrounded the inside of this path which lay before the Hatter. The Hatter continued walking down the carpet until reaching a large chair. The girl knew who's chair that was. The thought of it not being the Queen's never entered her thoughts. The girl could hear footsteps to the right of her. A side door opened up revealing a large, atrocious looking woman before her.
"You're finally here!" the hag smirked and made her way to the large chair. "To think you killed my beloved pet! I will take great pride in ridding you, my embodiment of good from this perfected twisted world I rule over.
"You mean, we rule ov…" exclaimed a confident Hatter. However, before he could finish speaking the Queen stood up and waved her hand in a cutting motion past her neck. The Hatter suddenly dropped to the ground. The girl gasped as she saw the blood trickle from underneath his body and his head roll off to the side. The girl looked up and saw a large black scythe behind her, floating in mid air.
"Your turn! Off with your he…" but before she could finish the boy knocked the Scythe to one of the pillars near.
"Are you alright Alice?" asked the boy, however eyes glared upon the Queen. "You have to seal away my heart! It is the only way to end this" pleaded Alice. "It is my fault; ever since I left so many years ago I've seen the evil, heartless people of my world. I couldn't stand them, so much corruption and hate where I'm from. It began to change the people I loved, and eventually the war took my family's lives. I couldn't handle it; I needed to get to someplace more cheerful! This wasn't how I remembered it; this wasn't the place I came to as a child. No, my own fears and corrupt thoughts have tainted this land. Please! Seal my heart away with the darkness! I can't take it anymore!" The girl began to collapse onto her hands and tears began rushing down her cheeks. The boy's right hand tightened its grip on the blade and he began to charge the Queen.
The Queen threw her arms up into the air and two scythes appeared before her. She gripped both and began to engage the boy. The boy slashed at the Queen but her scythes repelled every attack with a clank against their metals. The Queen began a relentless assault towards the boy backing him up against a pillar. The Queen took a large swing; the boy ducked in time as the blade made a clean cut through the pillar of stone. This time the boy was on the offensive, he swung his weapon with all he had and eventually sent one of the scythes flying to the air. The Queen took another swing at the boy but he jumped over it and leaped to the Queen. She was wide open, as the boy came down with his weapon it was repelled by the recently knocked away Scythe, now floating in mid air. The Queen flew the other scythe into the air as well as it hovered next to her. In a bright flash a large axe appeared in her hands. She stood there, smiling as the two scythes moved towards the boy. He blocked their attacks but with no time to counter with his own. He noticed the Queen making her way towards Alice. Deflecting the scythes and ending up farther and farther from the Queen was all he could do as he watched her get closer to Alice. The two scythes zoomed in a crisscross motion looking for the final blow. The boy escaped at the last minute, causing both blades to hit each other and shatter. He ran towards the girl as the axe was about to deliver a fatal blow to the girl. Alice sat there frozen as the blade was coming down upon her. Clank! And a bright light flashed before the boys eyes. Before the light engulfed him he noticed his weapon deflect the axe.
This time the boy found himself on a small island. He walked down this little sandy beach, hearing the sound of the ocean next to him. "I'm waiting for you," stated a sweet and subtle voice behind him. The boy felt warm and relieved after hearing this voice. In a sudden moment the boy was back in front of Alice. Surprised, the Queen summoned another axe and began to slam it down. The boy grabbed his weapon and before the axe reached him he shoved his weapon into the chest of the Queen. A light began to flash and a large explosion hurled the boy and Alice against the pillars. The blast began to engulf the entire chamber and spreading out faster and faster. Alice was being thrown the opposite direction, she cried out, "Thank you! You've sealed away my darkness and brought light back into my world." Moments later the boy vanished.
"Alice…Alice," stated a familiar voice. "You're alright!" the voice said again. Alice stood up and looked around her. She touched the back of her head and let out a soft "ouch". Upon opening her eyes she began to cry. There in front of her was the White Rabbit, alive and well. "Oh good!" he said, "You've been out for days." Alice turned to the Rabbit and gave him a huge hug. She looked around the room and asked, "Where is he? Where is the boy?" There was no answer from the Rabbit. "He's home" stated a clever sounding voice. Alice quickly searched the room with her eyes. "Up here!" replied the voice. Alice looked up and saw a bright white grin smiling down on her. "Cat, you're grin always makes me happy" stated Alice.
Restoration at 100%, Restoration Complete.
The boy opened his eyes and felt he was inside a small object. Before he could touch it the object began to open up like a flower to reveal a white room. He looked around and saw two other similar looking objects.
"Hey! You're finally awake sleepy head!" quacked an excited voice.
"Gawrsh! You're finally up Sora!" replied a tall figure in a green vest.
"I was asleep?" the boy replied as he tried to remember all that had happened.