Chapter 10 - Ice Pack.
"The hotel" was as the priest said. Straight down the main road and the sign that advertised it to passers by in the street could hardly be missed. It stood hanging from a large building with pictures of a bed and a slice of cheese on it. Alice thought it might have mice but shrugged it off and entered anyway.
The sight that befell her was more comforting. There were many people sat around tables drinking eating scrumptious looking meals and laughing quite heartily. Including Christopher who looks like he was enjoying himself a little too much. A far cry from the nervous, cheeky young man she gave her knife too (and her kiss). She sat down at his table and he gestured to the barman who approached with a pad and pencil. Alice did not object as she was starving.
"What's' good to eat Chris?"
"It's Christopher!" he insisted. His speech was slightly slurred. "By the way Alice, they serve a wonderful drink here called Banderscotch, you should try it?"
Alice thought about him and looked at him.
"How many of them have you had, Christopher?"
"About five or six." He honestly replied.
"Have you eaten yet?"
"No, I was waiting for you. Because it's proper" His head waved about, trying to seem distinguished and failing, miserably. True it was proper to wait for friends. He may be slightly sozzled but he was still a gentleman. And she liked him for it. She asked what was good as the barkeep had just arrived.
"I have heard from the locals that the snark and chips is quite excellent."
Alice smiled in amusement. When she was in the "real" world fish and chips were common food in England and since the snark was the wonderland equivalent, it made sense. She ordered and asked for one bottle of Banderscotch (she didn't want to eventually fall into the state Christopher was, albeit recovering slowly). The waiter brought two plates with a large battered snark and a number of chips. All of this looked delicious and the pair wasted no time in tucking in. She drank from the bottle and a warm feeling entered her as the liquid ran down her throat into her stomach. She felt more relaxed and shuddered slightly which wore off the effect.
"I told you it was good stuff, Alice!" he reminded her. The food had sobered him up slightly and he became more inquisitive. "How did your meeting with the Bishop go?"
"Well. I suppose I learnt something so it wasn't a total loss." It suddenly hit her that he may have lived here at one point. "Have you ever drank the water of purity?" The question had raised a few eyebrows around the place but unshook her companion.
"No, what flavour is it?" his answer was innocent enough.
"Doesn't matter." Was her response and they continued eating.
The meal itself was unlike anything Alice had ever tasted. She had eaten fish before but it was not as delicious as snark. It seemed more delicious and the flavour swirled around ones mouth as if it's duty was to enrich every taste bud before it was swallowed. Every bite seemed to please Alice and Christopher no end. Accompanied by a mouthful of Banderscotch, the dining experience was one of the best culinary surprises Alice had enjoyed in her lifetime. It was so much superior than the porridge she had in the asylum. Their ravenous appetites had made sure their plates were clear before the barman came and took them away. Their conversation turned to their plans.
"The barkeeper has agreed to let us stay for the night but as for tomorrow what are we going to do then?" asked Christopher. He had a point. They were on the verge of looking glass land, all they had to do was step through now.
"Tomorrow we have to step through the looking glass. I hope it has improved since my last visit."
"I doubt it," said Christopher "Through the looking glass the rules of wonderland don't really apply. From what I've heard, the queen had to corrupt the hatter to rule there."
"But the hatters not there now," Alice pointed out "so something goods bound to have happened."
"I hope so, I didn't like my time there much!" he said, sarcastically.
She held his hand reassuringly and gave him a comforting smile. They shared that moment once again. Alice thought it strange that her most strongest (and pleasant) feelings came through times of sadness but she did not complain as she had never felt this comfortable with anyone else save one person. The Cheshire cat. She hoped he was not jealous, he could be so awful and even more closed minded when he was jealous.
They decided that as it was getting late, they should head up to their rooms so they asked the barkeeper to be escorted to their rooms.
"Oh wait miss!" shouted the barkeeper. "This parcel came for you!"
A Parcel? For Alice? Here? This was most unusual but she asked for it anyway. He cleared a long space and placed it gingerly on the bar. From his actions it looked like quite a gentle object wrapped in brown paper tied simply with string with the word "fragile" written on the side by a gentle hand.
Next to the writing was the picture of a crescent moon. Stranger still!
Alice took the parcel and as the object was placed in her hands the whole room slowed in time until everyone stopped moving and her surroundings became dark and blurry. She looked at the parcel once moor and the crescent moon had rotated and began to speak.
"Open me, only when your alone!" The voice was that of the Cheshire cat. A pair of eyes appeared above the mouth, then both disappeared.
The bar and its occupants returned to normal leaving Christopher looking at her, slightly concerned.
"Are you alright Alice? You were in another world for a moment."
She decided not to tell him about the cat so told a little white lie.
"I guess that Banderscotch went to my head after all!!" she chucked making the bartender, Christopher and several nearby drinkers laugh. "We'd better go to bed, See you in the morning."
She sprightly kissed his cheek (making him blush) and both went up the stairs into their rooms. Alice quickly locked her door, blocked it with a chair. Whatever was in the parcel it was clearly important and she wasn't taking any chances. She looked around her room. A single bed covered in a pink quilt (seemed comfortable enough), a chest of draws which were of no use since she had no other clothes and a bedside table with a curious lamp stood atop of it.
She sat on her bed and removed her boots. It felt like she had been wearing them forever and her toes seemed happy to be free once again. She lied the parcel on the bed beside her and paused in thought.
"What would cat send me here?" she thought "It must be important or why go through the trouble." Her hand gingerly pulled the string and the paper unwrapped itself revealing one of her most prized possessions sitting on her bed. Her ice staff!
The room became dark and blurry once again and the familiar, charming voice returned.
"I have kept it in my care until now, you know how to use it I assume. You may need it sooner than you think!" his voice disappeared just as it's owner would.
She was too tired to think right now so she placed the staff in one of the draws (lying in its dormant state) removed her dress, folded it neatly and went to bed. She hoped it would be dreamless. It wasn't.
She was rolling through the grassy fields of wonderland with her friend Rabbit. It had been so long since they were together and she swore she would make up for it as soon as possible. They lay on a hillside looking at the birds circling in the sky until something changed.
A torrent of water burst through the floor next to her drenching her and Rabbit. They ran away from it but another fountain burst in their path. The sky darkened and deafening claps of thunder were heard all over the sky. Alice was frightened but rabbits next words had their appropriate effect she had heard all too well before.
"WAKE UP ALICE WAKE UP!!"
She awoke sharply to hear not thunder but someone banging on her door outside! She sharply got dressed and opened her drawer revealing the ice staff. "It's been a while" she thought to herself but wasted no time, she took the staff in to arms and banged on the bottom of the handle. Suddenly, it was alive. Wisps of fine, dry ice came slowly from the crystal like top end. She rapidly fastened her boots (which took some moments as they were knee length, how she wished for shorter shoes!) and stood ready pointing the staff towards the throbbing door. Suddenly It burst open and there stood the barkeeper, although quite different. Where he had green eyes before, now a pale glowing white and fixed on Alice in a fatal gaze!
"I Will destroy Alice, cleric." His voice sounded almost multiplied with a higher and lower doubling to it. He advanced but Alice waited no longer and twisted the staffs handle.
Instantly gusts of blue and white energy appeared from the crystal orifice and blanketed the barkeeper in a sound of a blizzards roar and Alice feeling the recoil of the streaming ice.. Screaming with cold the bartender writhed in pain, shivering uncontrollably, until he was frozen in a skin tight layer of ice and his eyes returned to normal.
Alice ceased the staffs freeze with another twist of the handle and stood motionless as the bartender melted away into a pool of water. "A clean death" Alice thought.
A scream came from Christopher's room!!!!
"CHRISTOPHER!!!!" she screamed as she ran full speed down the corridor. She cared for him too much and was not going to lose him now!!!
"The hotel" was as the priest said. Straight down the main road and the sign that advertised it to passers by in the street could hardly be missed. It stood hanging from a large building with pictures of a bed and a slice of cheese on it. Alice thought it might have mice but shrugged it off and entered anyway.
The sight that befell her was more comforting. There were many people sat around tables drinking eating scrumptious looking meals and laughing quite heartily. Including Christopher who looks like he was enjoying himself a little too much. A far cry from the nervous, cheeky young man she gave her knife too (and her kiss). She sat down at his table and he gestured to the barman who approached with a pad and pencil. Alice did not object as she was starving.
"What's' good to eat Chris?"
"It's Christopher!" he insisted. His speech was slightly slurred. "By the way Alice, they serve a wonderful drink here called Banderscotch, you should try it?"
Alice thought about him and looked at him.
"How many of them have you had, Christopher?"
"About five or six." He honestly replied.
"Have you eaten yet?"
"No, I was waiting for you. Because it's proper" His head waved about, trying to seem distinguished and failing, miserably. True it was proper to wait for friends. He may be slightly sozzled but he was still a gentleman. And she liked him for it. She asked what was good as the barkeep had just arrived.
"I have heard from the locals that the snark and chips is quite excellent."
Alice smiled in amusement. When she was in the "real" world fish and chips were common food in England and since the snark was the wonderland equivalent, it made sense. She ordered and asked for one bottle of Banderscotch (she didn't want to eventually fall into the state Christopher was, albeit recovering slowly). The waiter brought two plates with a large battered snark and a number of chips. All of this looked delicious and the pair wasted no time in tucking in. She drank from the bottle and a warm feeling entered her as the liquid ran down her throat into her stomach. She felt more relaxed and shuddered slightly which wore off the effect.
"I told you it was good stuff, Alice!" he reminded her. The food had sobered him up slightly and he became more inquisitive. "How did your meeting with the Bishop go?"
"Well. I suppose I learnt something so it wasn't a total loss." It suddenly hit her that he may have lived here at one point. "Have you ever drank the water of purity?" The question had raised a few eyebrows around the place but unshook her companion.
"No, what flavour is it?" his answer was innocent enough.
"Doesn't matter." Was her response and they continued eating.
The meal itself was unlike anything Alice had ever tasted. She had eaten fish before but it was not as delicious as snark. It seemed more delicious and the flavour swirled around ones mouth as if it's duty was to enrich every taste bud before it was swallowed. Every bite seemed to please Alice and Christopher no end. Accompanied by a mouthful of Banderscotch, the dining experience was one of the best culinary surprises Alice had enjoyed in her lifetime. It was so much superior than the porridge she had in the asylum. Their ravenous appetites had made sure their plates were clear before the barman came and took them away. Their conversation turned to their plans.
"The barkeeper has agreed to let us stay for the night but as for tomorrow what are we going to do then?" asked Christopher. He had a point. They were on the verge of looking glass land, all they had to do was step through now.
"Tomorrow we have to step through the looking glass. I hope it has improved since my last visit."
"I doubt it," said Christopher "Through the looking glass the rules of wonderland don't really apply. From what I've heard, the queen had to corrupt the hatter to rule there."
"But the hatters not there now," Alice pointed out "so something goods bound to have happened."
"I hope so, I didn't like my time there much!" he said, sarcastically.
She held his hand reassuringly and gave him a comforting smile. They shared that moment once again. Alice thought it strange that her most strongest (and pleasant) feelings came through times of sadness but she did not complain as she had never felt this comfortable with anyone else save one person. The Cheshire cat. She hoped he was not jealous, he could be so awful and even more closed minded when he was jealous.
They decided that as it was getting late, they should head up to their rooms so they asked the barkeeper to be escorted to their rooms.
"Oh wait miss!" shouted the barkeeper. "This parcel came for you!"
A Parcel? For Alice? Here? This was most unusual but she asked for it anyway. He cleared a long space and placed it gingerly on the bar. From his actions it looked like quite a gentle object wrapped in brown paper tied simply with string with the word "fragile" written on the side by a gentle hand.
Next to the writing was the picture of a crescent moon. Stranger still!
Alice took the parcel and as the object was placed in her hands the whole room slowed in time until everyone stopped moving and her surroundings became dark and blurry. She looked at the parcel once moor and the crescent moon had rotated and began to speak.
"Open me, only when your alone!" The voice was that of the Cheshire cat. A pair of eyes appeared above the mouth, then both disappeared.
The bar and its occupants returned to normal leaving Christopher looking at her, slightly concerned.
"Are you alright Alice? You were in another world for a moment."
She decided not to tell him about the cat so told a little white lie.
"I guess that Banderscotch went to my head after all!!" she chucked making the bartender, Christopher and several nearby drinkers laugh. "We'd better go to bed, See you in the morning."
She sprightly kissed his cheek (making him blush) and both went up the stairs into their rooms. Alice quickly locked her door, blocked it with a chair. Whatever was in the parcel it was clearly important and she wasn't taking any chances. She looked around her room. A single bed covered in a pink quilt (seemed comfortable enough), a chest of draws which were of no use since she had no other clothes and a bedside table with a curious lamp stood atop of it.
She sat on her bed and removed her boots. It felt like she had been wearing them forever and her toes seemed happy to be free once again. She lied the parcel on the bed beside her and paused in thought.
"What would cat send me here?" she thought "It must be important or why go through the trouble." Her hand gingerly pulled the string and the paper unwrapped itself revealing one of her most prized possessions sitting on her bed. Her ice staff!
The room became dark and blurry once again and the familiar, charming voice returned.
"I have kept it in my care until now, you know how to use it I assume. You may need it sooner than you think!" his voice disappeared just as it's owner would.
She was too tired to think right now so she placed the staff in one of the draws (lying in its dormant state) removed her dress, folded it neatly and went to bed. She hoped it would be dreamless. It wasn't.
She was rolling through the grassy fields of wonderland with her friend Rabbit. It had been so long since they were together and she swore she would make up for it as soon as possible. They lay on a hillside looking at the birds circling in the sky until something changed.
A torrent of water burst through the floor next to her drenching her and Rabbit. They ran away from it but another fountain burst in their path. The sky darkened and deafening claps of thunder were heard all over the sky. Alice was frightened but rabbits next words had their appropriate effect she had heard all too well before.
"WAKE UP ALICE WAKE UP!!"
She awoke sharply to hear not thunder but someone banging on her door outside! She sharply got dressed and opened her drawer revealing the ice staff. "It's been a while" she thought to herself but wasted no time, she took the staff in to arms and banged on the bottom of the handle. Suddenly, it was alive. Wisps of fine, dry ice came slowly from the crystal like top end. She rapidly fastened her boots (which took some moments as they were knee length, how she wished for shorter shoes!) and stood ready pointing the staff towards the throbbing door. Suddenly It burst open and there stood the barkeeper, although quite different. Where he had green eyes before, now a pale glowing white and fixed on Alice in a fatal gaze!
"I Will destroy Alice, cleric." His voice sounded almost multiplied with a higher and lower doubling to it. He advanced but Alice waited no longer and twisted the staffs handle.
Instantly gusts of blue and white energy appeared from the crystal orifice and blanketed the barkeeper in a sound of a blizzards roar and Alice feeling the recoil of the streaming ice.. Screaming with cold the bartender writhed in pain, shivering uncontrollably, until he was frozen in a skin tight layer of ice and his eyes returned to normal.
Alice ceased the staffs freeze with another twist of the handle and stood motionless as the bartender melted away into a pool of water. "A clean death" Alice thought.
A scream came from Christopher's room!!!!
"CHRISTOPHER!!!!" she screamed as she ran full speed down the corridor. She cared for him too much and was not going to lose him now!!!