Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc. are the property of Takahashi Rumiko - Yomiuri TV - Sunrise. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media.

The Lost Symphony

"When I used to read fairy tales,

I fancied that kind of thing never happened,

and now here I am in the middle of one!"

-Alice in Wonderland-

Chapter 4 – Down the Rabbit Hole

One thing about nature that Anna Watson always loved was hearing the sound of gusting wind blowing against the earth – from their pounding sound on the window sills, making waves crashed against each other on the ocean, swaying the branches of autumn trees and making them dance in chaotic movements. It was just hypnotically mesmerising.

However, at the moment, Anna wished that the roaring wind that was now mercilessly hit her limp body would cease its blustery manoeuvre because it reminded Anna how real her situation was. It was indeed not a nightmare where she could wake up anytime. The pain on her skull was throbbing painfully, again proving that it was not just a mere dream.

Still blinking her eyes helplessly, she could see from her peripheral vision that the storm was fast approaching. The sound of the thunder in the darkened sky was deafening; enough to drown out noise of the train and vehicles alike below. Her ghost captor though, didn't seem to be affected by all of these commotions.

Anna tried to move her fingers, her legs – anything, but to no avail. Whatever tricks her kidnapper was doing to her seemed to have worked too well for her liking. Her mind was a mess by now. Inside her head she was panicking and formulating ways of escaping, yet she couldn't do anything about it.

They had been flying for a while now; Anna estimated that it was about ten minutes. She tried her best to calm down and analyse her situation.

'Think, what will Dad do if he's in my position?' Anna took a calming breath and tried to remember what her army-trained father had taught her before.

"Listen well, Anna. If you are kidnapped and your enemy incapacitated you, what will you do?" James asked one day out of the blue a few years ago.

"Hmm, no idea Dad. Scream?" Young Anna retorted nonchalantly while eating her breakfast.

"What if you can't scream? What if you are gagged?"He urged

"Umm…"

"You may be bound, blindfolded, thrown in a trunk; your captors will deliberately try to disorient you. Try to orient yourself when you're being transferred, even if you can't see; left turns, right turns. Draw a map in your head so that when you arrive at your destination, you'll have a rough idea where you are," lectured her Dad.

Remembering her father's word as if it was a revelation, Anna tried to scan the ground below her; trying to make out the area where the phantom had brought her. Her captor was starting to descend towards the ground. Passing through the clouds, Anna could see the landscape below her now.

Train in the distance, narrow streets... and an old Shinto shrine with a huge tree in sight. She felt like it was a familiar tree.

Wait, wasn't that Higurashi shrine? Anna's hope to be rescued returned to mind now that she was able to see the familiar building in sight.

They were getting closer and closer to the ground. The kidnapper's destination was indeed the Higurashi shrine. Anna was dumbfounded. What were they doing here? Was this some kind of a prank from Kagome?

Anna was expecting to see her friend at any moment now, grinning like a fool and told her that it was all just a harmless little joke. But Anna saw nobody in the yard.

'What's the meaning of this? Where's he taking me?' Anna could feel that her captor had loosened his grip a little. He was heading towards a smaller shrine near the sacred tree. With his greyish fingers, he opened the sliding door quietly and went inside, taking Anna along. Before he closed the door, Anna could faintly see that there was a well inside. Before she could discern anything, the door was closed. Inside the shrine was now pitch black; Anna couldn't see at all now because he had moved Anna's body to sling over his shoulder, obstructing the view of her surroundings. She could then feel that they were descending some kind of stairs and suddenly, they jumped.

At that moment, a flash of bright blue and white light was blinding her eyes. Anna thought that it didn't make any sense as she couldn't see where the walls had gone. It was as if she was in an infinite space that wherever you see, it was endless. The light was so bright that she had to close her eyes because they were used to seeing in the dark. A strange and unfamiliar sensation filled her; she felt like her entire body was being sucked into deep, endless void. She felt that she had lost sense of time. Holding her breath the whole time, Anna prayed to whatever mighty being above that she would still alive in one piece after all these crazy fiesta.

At last, those feelings disappeared as quickly as it had started. Anna's captor had softly landed on the bottom of a... well? Although it was quite dark, she could see that they were indeed in the bottom of a small, dry well.

At that moment, as if the fog in her mind was being cleared by something clearly unseen, she could feel that she could once again move her body. She twitched her fingers slowly, smart enough not to alert her captor of her tiny, but possible chance to escape this God-forsaken place hopefully unscathed.

Remain calm, be observant of your surroundings, and bolt in instance when the moment strikes! Her father's words rang in her head.

Then being observant she would be. The first thing that she noticed of the tiny-squared well around her was that its walls were covered by some vines and once again, she could feel her not-so-limp body was once again being dragged up.

'Where in the bloody hell am I?' Anna thought. She was pretty sure that a moment ago, they entered Kagome's old shrine, but what greeted her now was a grass clearing surrounded with trees – a lot of them – in the distance. Not a single shrine was in sight.

The seventeen-year-old girl's face contorted in pain the moment her captor unceremoniously dropped her to the ground next to the old well. Ensuring that his captive was still under his spell, he turned away and looked around as if waiting for someone.

Now was her chance!

As fast as her body would allow, Anna jolted up and ran like there was no tomorrow. She fully realised that her chances were slim, but she couldn't let that stop her. It was escape or being abducted, not knowing what would become of her future. And she wasn't ready for that.

The night breeze was freezing cold. As Anna was abducted inside her house, she was barefooted. Her feet were starting to ache; and getting blisters from the ground below didn't help her either. But she ignored the pain. Whining and stopping were not an option at that moment. As the rocky steps numbed her feet, she knew she had to speed up or else he would catch up with her and she would be dead meat.

'Almost there, don't give up!' screamed Anna in her mind as she ran as if her life depended on it towards the entrance of the thick forest in front of her, thinking that the lush trees could conceal her from the demon behind her and buy herself some time to find civilisation in this God forsaken place!

A terrifying, roaring sound that made Anna's neck hair stood on end was heard from where she ran away from. Clearly, the kidnapper had realised her daring escapade and was speeding her way.

Anna cursed as she was running with all her might, desperately attempt to outrun that God-knows-what mystical creature that chased her. Although it was full moon and the stars were shining brightly, the trees cast a dark shadow. It was difficult for her to see where she was going because it was pitch dark in the forest; Anna had to tread carefully to avoid tripping and alarming him of her whereabouts. The branches were catching on her long hair and bruising her skin mercilessly.

As determined as she might be, Anna was only a human. She got exhausted soon enough and had to catch a breath while leaning against a nearby tree. During her struggle, reality kicked her hard in the stomach. The delayed panic attack was starting to creep inside her mind, making her realise that she was truly alone in a place that she knew absolutely nothing about; separated from her family and friends.

What was this hole she fell down from? Was she thrown away in some kind of a twisted Alice in Wonderland story, casted away in a strange land to slay the Jabberwocky? She thought helplessly as she continued her journey to an unknown destination ahead.

Author's note:

Wow! thank you so much my beloved readers who read this story while I was away. You guys are soooo amazing! I really appreciate all the reviews that you've left for me! *hugs and kisses*. I'm truly sorry for the lack of update for these past few months. My beloved dog was missing and I can't find her. Suddenly I fell into this brink of depression and couldn't find the will to do anything for a while. I love her very much and I still miss her until now. But not to worry, I never have the intention to abandon this story because I have these ideas in my head that I have to pour! So here you go, chapter 4! Stay tuned because you will meet a familiar face in the next chapter soon ;) As always, click those follow and favourite button; and keep the reviews coming! Toodles.