I came up with this a few weeks ago, but never got around to writing it. Blame my ADHD if you will (I KNOW I AM!), but I finally figured out the best way to go about this thing. And if it seems something like Kuni no Alice meets Toy Story meets the Twilight Zone... GOOD! That's what I'm going for, minus the horror. I'm not good at writing horror. Now, ON WITH THE INSANITY!
Alice in the Country of Toys
Prologue
Once, there was a little girl named Alice Liddell. When she was little, she was given a sewing kit and some fabric and stuffing by her older sister, Lorina, who told her to make something to pass the time. At the end of a week's time, she's made and adorable little white bunny with red buttons for eyes, a pair of wire glasses hot-glued to his nose, a red gingham-checked jacket over a pink shirt, brown pants, and a clock around his shoulder. She named him Peter White, and though she loved all her toys dearly, she loved Peter the most.
Peter was soon joined by another rabbit - but this one had black fur, lopped ears, and mix-matched red and black buttons for eyes. He also carried a watch, but it was silver instead of gold. His name was Sidney Black. Next was a pink-and-purple striped cat with yellow button eyes named Boris Airay, then a orange-brown hare with violet eyes named Elliot March. Then came two Barbie dolls that Alice named Vivaldi and Crysta, seven Ken dolls named Ace, Blood, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Gowland, Julius, and Jericho, and a little toy mouse she named Pierce Villiers. Then there was that blue caterpillar that Alice save from a hungry bird. She named him Nightmare Gottschalk. She later took in a black gecko she named Gray Ringmarc.
She loved all of them dearly, and hoped to be with them forever. Her love for them all was so strong and warm, the toys - as well as the caterpillar and gecko - began to take on lives of their own. At times, she could swear she could hear them talking to her. She even woke up to find the animals in her bed, cuddled up to her, even though she'd put them all in the little beds she'd made for them the night before. That was a little strange, but not unwelcome.
Though, as time went on, she began to notice other things. When she was cleaning under her bed one day, she found a large spider that appeared to be stabbed to death with the sword she'd made for Ace. Checking the Ken doll, she found a few gashes in his hard plastic shoulder where he'd been bitten. Somehow, Ace had killed the intruding arachnid. "Thank you, Ace," she said gratefully as she filled in the gashes with semi-melted plastic, before sewing up his shirt and jacket. His painted-on smile only seemed to broaden.
All her toys seemed to look out for her, and in return, she showered them with all her love. But one fateful night when Alice was 16, their massive symbiotic relationship was destroyed. A careless teen had tossed a lit cigarette into the back yard of her house, and in the dry summer weather, it didn't take long for a fire to spark up and spread to the building. The toys could do nothing as their bodies caught fire and burned or bubbled and melted. The caterpillar had gone into his cocoon, and was therefore helpless, and as for the gecko, he suffocated in the smoke and heat of the flames. Alice was dragged kicking and screaming from her friends, and the last thing the toys saw with their painted or button-eyes were the tears streaming down their dear friend's face before their spirits escaped their burning/melting bodies.
When morning came and the fire was put out, Alice sat alone in the remains of her room, the ashes, puddles and charred skeleton of her friends surrounding her. "I'm so sorry," she whispered softly, tearfully. "I couldn't save any of you! Why does life hate me?!"
She was broken away from her sobbing when she noticed Nightmare's chrysalis trembling. Hope filled her eyes. One of them survived? The thin shell broke open, and the butterfly struggled hard to get out. At last, a black butterfly with white markings emerged. He flew to Alice, landing on her cheek. He seemed to take in the desolation, rubbed his little head against her face as if to try to comfort her.
Don't worry, Alice. Their bodies might be gone, but they won't forget the kindness you showed them. They won't let you suffer alone.
Oooh, what's the little insect planning? Yes, I know, the beginning is a bit sad, but it'll get happier little by little. Just be patient!
Nightmare: Please Review!