GOD, I'M SO SORRY! TT_TT I KNOW I'VE BEEN TERRIBLE WITH UPDATES RECENTLY, BUT I'VE FALLEN INTO THE WORST WRITING FUNK OF MY LIFE! EVERYTIME I TRY TO WORK ON ROLL CALL, I'LL WRITE A SENTENCE OF TWO BEFORE I JUST STARE BLANKLY AT THE SCREEN AND LOSE INTREAST.

SO, TO TRY AND HELP ME OUT OF THIS FUNK, I'M GOING TO TRY WRITING ONE-SHOTS. THIS HERE IS A SHORT STORY, TOLD BY (INSERT RANDOM NAME HERE). IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ALICE OR ANY ONE IN SPECIFIC, SO JUST IMAGINE WHOEVER YOU WANT.

IN MY QUEST TO REGAIN MY GROOVE, I'LL BE TAKING REQUESTS FOR ONE-SHOTS. PLEASE LEAVE ME A REQUEST IN A REVIEW OR PM ME. I'LL BE SURE TO LEAVE FULL CREDIT TO THE ORIGINAL OWNER, (SO PLEASE BE SURE TO GIVE ME A NAME TO SITE, ALL YOU ANONYMOUS READERS OUT THERE).

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, AND I PROMISE THAT I'M NOT GIVING UP ON ROLL CALL!

The Bird in the Gilded Cage.

I paced down the halls of Blood's mansion, feeling the pure…hugeness of the place as the tap-taping of my footsteps echoed softly in the space around me. Such a gaudy place…just like the rest of Wonderland. I don't know why though. This is supposed to be a Wonderful Wonder World, right? So why does it feel like everything is trying too hard to impress me?

Perhaps I'm overanalyzing…I just prefer…cozier places.

I passed painting after painting, vases filled with impressive bouquets on marble stands, grand windows covered with rich velvet drapes, and grand, polished oak doors carved with big, powerful bears and lions. So extravagant.

I looked down at the book in my hands. I had borrowed this from Blood's library…and looking at it, for some reason, makes my stomach churn. Even the most menial things in this world, like this book, was overly glamorized. It's embellished cover, it's title that stretched across the spine in silver lettering, and it's gold leafed pages made me want to hurl it into the grand marble fireplace.

Ug…I need to do something rougher…like camping. Not with Ace though. He's just another reminder of what lays in this world. What I need is to go out into the woods; I mean the wilderness, and just lay up for a few days. Safe amongst the trees, and the animals that continue on without a care in the world. There, on a grassy hill, I'll watch the stars as nighttime comes to Wonderland. Those blinking and flickering lights, high up in the black, endless sky…that's where I want to be.

I sighed as I looked up at the grand door to Blood's studio. Will he leave me in peace this time? Fat chance.

I opened the heavy door, glancing around the plush study. To my surprise, the Hatter was nowhere to be seen. Perfect, I thought. I'll just run in, replace the book, and be on my merry way. Far away from this suffocatingly huge mansion.

Don't get me wrong. It's not just this mansion. It's every territory. Even the Clock Tower and the Park are too excessively big for my tastes. Even the Circus and yes, the Prison in particular, gets on my nerves. I'm not sure why though. A circus, a park, and a castle should all be big and extravagant, yes? And shouldn't a tower or a prison be sprawling? And as I walked over to send the sickening book to whence it came, I couldn't help but ponder the reason for my disgust.

I've come to think that it isn't just a mere difference in taste. No, my dislike seems to far deeper rooted than that. There must be some reason that my subconscious recognizes and despises, while my conscious self is blind to. There's a truth to my hate that I can't see.

I set the book in its proper place before I turned to take my leave. But as I stepped to the door, a sound reached my ear. A soft, sweet melody that I could just barely hear.

I turned, gazing over the massive library. It…it's coming from the back?

I walked through the large, heavy bookcases, following the sound through a veritable labyrinth of hardbacks.

Finally, I found myself at a cracked door, more grand than the usual. The song was coming from within.

I reached out and pushed the door open, gaping at the sight before me.

The room was, over all, barren. The walls and plush carpet were a deep rose red. There were no windows, and light came from several ceiling lights, shaded with fogged glass. Yes, this room was plain…save for the back.

At the back of the room…no, it WAS the back of the room. There, golden bars stretched floor to ceiling. The door, large enough for a human to pass through, was sealed by a heavy looking iron padlock.

Past the bars, lush plants sat in their pots, the ground covered in some very convincing false grass. At the back, mounted to the wall, was a massive bird house, styled like a bird palace. All over, mirrors, rings, even a bird bath, every little luxury a rich man could give the feathered creature stood in that cage.

And, in the center, on a carved perch, there sat the most magnificent bird that one could imagine. It was a beautiful bird, massive, even with its wings folded. It had golden feathers, with markings like silver on the tips of its primaries and its underbelly.

The large bird eyed me with a massive, gorgeous golden eye, but paid me no mind. Instead, it lifted its beak and continued to sing its song. Now that I was here, with nothing between me and the bird but the bars, I could hear it's song clearly. It was a soft, sorrowful ballad, beautiful and perfect in its misery.

As I listened to the song, I could feel my own heat breaking in empathy. As the bird started to trail off, I stepped closer and spoke softly, "I know I might look like an idiot, talking to a bird, but…this is Wonderland. Stranger things have happened. So, if you can speak bird, please tell me something. Why are you so sad? You're home is huge and beautiful. Surely Blood cares for you in every way possible. Here, you are not in danger of predators to ruin your beauty, nor will storms darken your days. So tell me why, great bird, why is your song one of sorrow?"

The bird looked at me with sad eyes, opened its beak, and answered my question. Somehow, deep within, I had known it would.

"Human girl, I sit here in a gilded cage. I was brought here and locked away so that others may be happy, though my own happiness is inconsequential. As is I sit and sing for the pleasure of the master, I remember my days in the open sky, with no bars or locks to bind me. My sorrow taints my song."

I looked in fascination at the bird with the musical speaking voice, "Will he ever let you go?"

The creature shook its head, "Not in the foreseeable future."

I touched the lock gently, "…Are you lonely here?"

The creature nodded, but stayed quiet.

I smiled at it sadly, "Bird, would like it if I visited you? I could tell you stories about what I see outside."

The golden bird rustled on its perch, "If you could do that, human girl, I would be most grateful."

…..

I left the bird there in that cage, in hurry; for fear that Blood would return and discover me there.

As I looked up at the vast blue sky outside the gates of the mansion, I envisioned the bird soaring in those skies, free; as he was meant to be.

I smiled gently as I walked down that trodden path. Visiting the bird was the least I could do. He had guided me to a truth I likely wouldn't have found on my own.

So, as I walked, I pulled out my crystal vial, only half way full, and said to the sky, "Someday, bird, we'll both be free of our prisons. I promise you."

Because a cage as big as the world with bars of gold is still a cage.

WELL…MAKE OF THAT WHAT YOU WILL. I HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL SOON!