It was around midnight. Stars were etched in the night sky and there was not a cloud in sight. The crescent-shaped moon shimmered softly. She breathed in and out, her chest slowly rising and falling back again. Oz stroked her hair affectionately as he moved strands of dark coloured tresses away from her beautiful face.
Staring at the ceiling, he immersed himself in his own thoughts;
Thoughts about Alice.
Oz recalled the first time he had met Alice. He remembered being imprisoned in the enigmatic Abyss; a place he thought would only exist in dreams, or for that matter; nightmares. The Abyss was perplexing; it was tenebrous and sinister. He remembered how fear had weighed his heart down and vexation filled his thoughts.
He remembered the broken porcelain dolls; dressed in blood-stained fabric. He remembered how their plastic eyes would follow him wherever he went and how their lips would tug into a sadistic smile. Their footsteps would follow behind him, waiting for the right moment, thirsting for gruesome carnage.
The Abyss was not a dream. He truly knew it existed. He remembered the torment he felt; the strain was endless. The memories were too strong to let go.
He recalled how loneliness had filled his heart; darkness began to consume his thoughts. That cheerful persona of his was ebbing away slowly; his emerald green orbs expressing sorrow. His legs felt like heavy lead as he trudged solemnly. He didn't know where he was going. He didn't know anything at all anymore.
Then, he met B-Rabbit.
He remembered how frightenedhe was when he encountered a chain. He remained indifferent, trying his best to keep a cool exterior. He remembered seeing a vivid flash of red and black. And how quickly it defeated the chain.
He remembered sitting in front of her eating from a jar of sweets. He remembered how odd he felt. Mixed emotions were at war with each other. She looked so ordinary compared to the floating puppets and broken doll houses. It was as if she was a dream. For the first time, he felt relief wash over him. He realized how long he had been staring at her. She was looking at him as if she was waiting for an answer. Did he zone out too long?
'Alice, that's my real name.'
Together they escaped the Abyss, the contract sealed with a kiss. He remembered being frozen in shock; how embarrassed he felt. His cheeks flushed ten different shades of crimson red as he finally gave in. Butterflies erupted in his stomach as his heart pounded faster. She felt so real...
But he knew that she wasn't real at all.
Alice was a dream. She was a lingering memory from the past.
Alice supposedly died one hundred years prior. Constantly, he reminded himself that she was merely a chain; no matter how much she looked like one, she could never ever become human again.
He refused to believe it.
She told him that she was searching for her scattered memories. There were so many memories that were shattered into bits and pieces; but they continued to persist. Oz knew Alice was quite sensitive about her past. Rarely ever would she cry. If she would, Oz would hold her in his arms endearingly, whispering sweet nothings in her ears and heartfelt words of comfort.
Maybe it was right to say that Alice was a dream;
A dream that Oz wished would become true.
Blinking, Oz snapped out of his wistful reverie. He fell asleep with his arms wrapped protectively around Alice. Heat rushed to his cheeks as he breathed in the sweet aroma of her hair. Bashfully, he tried to shift himself away but miserably failed. Alice had her delicate arms wrapped firmly around his body with her iron grip was refusing to let him go. Oz stole a glance at her face before heaving a sigh, finally surrendering to her loving embrace.
He knew that together, they would go anywhere.
End.
[665 word count!]
