Alice woke up surprisingly alive inside her bed with the Cheshire Cat
sitting on her mantelpiece. He was currently munching on the Griffon's leg
as a drumstick and for once looking rather well fed. Alice pulled up her
nightshirt to stare at her stomach and run her fingers over where the wounds
should be.
"Funny, I always assumed if I died in Wonderland I'd be dead forever." Alice
blinked.
"You would be but we managed to pop you out of there before you became...all
dead." The Cheshire Cat yawned as he began licking his paws clean of flesh
stuck between his claws.
The Cat disappeared as Alice's sister opened the door and peeked in while
Alice shoved her nightshirt down.
"Hello there Alice. How are you doing? We decided to let you sleep in but I
was getting a bit worried about you. It's almost noon." the beautiful
statue-esque woman walked over by Alice and helped her out of bed much like
a child. It was the kind of treatment that she resented on some level but
was glad to get after the hell of the hospital. It was somewhat disturbing
to remember everything of her experiences there but remember she did. Not a
day went by that Alice didn't wish some painful death on Heironymous Wilson
and his cronies.
"I'm doing fine my dear sister. I'm dreadfully sorry for oversleeping and
neglecting my duties. If you don't mind I'll get prepared immediately to
perform them." Alice said in her most calm, rational, and polite voice.
Intellectually it had occurred to her she was still probably insane and
everything the cat was telling her was more madness but playing the role was
better than a return to the asylum.
"Oh I'm afraid it's already been taken care of Alice. Furthermore my husband
and the children are heading into the country later today for a private
family outing. So really you have the entire house to yourself." Alice's
sister made the rather unfortunate fact clear, even unintentionally, that
she didn't consider Alice part of the family anymore. After so many years
Alice didn't really blame her but it was still grating.
"I see." Alice said with a mild note of irritation she couldn't fully hide.
"Oh don't be a bother Alice. I'm very close to getting you a job as a house
keeper for a friend's family. We've decided to keep your past a bit of a
family secret. It really isn't your fault after all and your not lettered
enough to be a Governess and well....you know. You'll also never really
attract a husband since you can't keep this sort of thing from a man but as
a housekeeper you'll be able to get yourself a nice apartment. Won't it be
lovely after those dreary asylum walls?" The lovely blonde fixed Alice's
nightshirt and hair band slightly before walking to the door. With a wave,
she shut it and was off.
"Well that was quite possibly the most insulting thing I've ever heard....in
the real world at least." Alice shrugged and crossed her arms. Her sister
had been nice enough to take her in but her husband's arguments and the fact
Alice scared the children was enough to want to make her leave with as much
dignified haste possible.
The Cheshire Cat yawned and poked his head out from under the covers. "She
does have a bit of a point you know. What are you going to do with your life
Alice? Provided of course you don't make any more stupid mistakes like
befriending the residents of Wonderland again. Didn't I tell you
before...."
"We're all mad here. Yes I'm rather remembering it cat." Alice sighed and
headed towards her bath to start undressing. Stopping only when she noticed
the cat was leering at her. Alice gave an unpleasant stare toward the
shaggy feline's toothy grin.
"Yes Alice?" the Cat said.
"Do you mind?" Alice asked, pulling her nightshirt back from it's halfway
point off.
"Yes, yes I do." The Cat rolled his head three hundred and sixty degrees.
Alice shook her head before getting undressed and bathing. There was very
little sense trying to preserve your modesty from a figment of your
imagination.
"I'm afraid your little performance last night made things much worse. You
see madness is a disease with a single cure, death. Only the dead are sane
and everyone else gets even more crazy as time goes by living. The Red
King's madness is seeping through England like the Fire of 1666 or the
Plagues just prior. Who knows how many children woke up with nightmares
screaming or not at all.....every body he adds to his disease is one more
child of Wonderland doomed to add his soul to the power. Ooooo yarn!" The
Cat sighed before spotting a ball of string in a knitting basket by the tub.
Alice's sister had removed sharp objects from Alice's vecinity so the Cat
hadn't have to worry about being speared.
Alice washed out her hair as she looked at the Cat "I wish I knew what you
were talking about but since your still here I know I have to go back to
Wonderland."
"We're inseperable Alice. You know in the health care facilities of today a
man like the Red King could live decades...bring about Great Wars. The Evil
in his mind could even move on from his body to new troubled souls....you
know that's why they loved you Alice. You were to be the Red Queen, the one
to take over if something ever happ...URK." the Cat found Alice holding his
throat even as she rinsed the soap from her free arm.
"Just take me back there whenever you can." Alice said, wrapping herself in
a white towell.
"Ah my dear Alice in order to to get to there you have to go where you got
from there." The Cat posed a riddle and hoped Alice would solve it quickly.
He was not dissapointed.
"The Asylum." Alice said glumly. She had to return to the source of her
nightmares to rid of them.
"By hook or by crook you'll have them." The Cat smirked.
***
Edwyn Jameson was now officially stumped by the Merriweather McTaggert's
prognosis. As far as he could tell, the electrical therapy had no
appreciable affect. The fact he was found with a different look to his face
was no doubt just random muscle contortions playing their part in reaction
to the electrodes. Mrs. Mctaggert's yearly donation to the hospital was up
in just a week's time though and Edwyn's position wouldn't be secure if he
couldn't show some sign of progress.
"You stupid stupid stupid little runt." The Doctor looked down at the
straight jacket bound figure who smelled of needing to have his clothing
changed again. Seeing no one who could possibly care, the Asylum doctor took
the time to kick the mad Englishman in the skull. The Doctor smiled enough
to give the man a few swift blows to the sternum and one across the jaw
which drew blood.
"Ah how woefully uncivilized for a man in my position but I admit a very
stress relieving one. The primative area of the brain occasionally needs
release from it's baser primate instincts. For instance it's why no man can
remain faithful to his wife or why children must be beaten by their fathers
even if sterling examples of behavior." Edwyn said to the figure who showed
no reaction to his words whatsoever.
Edwyn recalled a polo friend of his involved in the trade named Heiro who
had a similar case to this one. As Edwyn also recalled Heiro had a bit of a
problem betting on the ponies as well. It was highly unprofessional of him
but if the final treatment that had been so sucessful on the "Alice" case as
described in the Mental Health examiner newsletter could be applied to
Merriweather without anyone knowing of Heiro's involvement....
"Well the absolute worst that could happen is you die." Edwyn shrugged and
clapped his hands for some orderlies to arrive. Even if Merriweather died
in the process Edwyn could claim he had been showing remarkable progress
before some heroic accident.
With no fanfare or care Edwyn left the room and clapped his hands. The
orderlies outside comming to prepare Mister McTaggert for a trip.
-Charlemagne
sitting on her mantelpiece. He was currently munching on the Griffon's leg
as a drumstick and for once looking rather well fed. Alice pulled up her
nightshirt to stare at her stomach and run her fingers over where the wounds
should be.
"Funny, I always assumed if I died in Wonderland I'd be dead forever." Alice
blinked.
"You would be but we managed to pop you out of there before you became...all
dead." The Cheshire Cat yawned as he began licking his paws clean of flesh
stuck between his claws.
The Cat disappeared as Alice's sister opened the door and peeked in while
Alice shoved her nightshirt down.
"Hello there Alice. How are you doing? We decided to let you sleep in but I
was getting a bit worried about you. It's almost noon." the beautiful
statue-esque woman walked over by Alice and helped her out of bed much like
a child. It was the kind of treatment that she resented on some level but
was glad to get after the hell of the hospital. It was somewhat disturbing
to remember everything of her experiences there but remember she did. Not a
day went by that Alice didn't wish some painful death on Heironymous Wilson
and his cronies.
"I'm doing fine my dear sister. I'm dreadfully sorry for oversleeping and
neglecting my duties. If you don't mind I'll get prepared immediately to
perform them." Alice said in her most calm, rational, and polite voice.
Intellectually it had occurred to her she was still probably insane and
everything the cat was telling her was more madness but playing the role was
better than a return to the asylum.
"Oh I'm afraid it's already been taken care of Alice. Furthermore my husband
and the children are heading into the country later today for a private
family outing. So really you have the entire house to yourself." Alice's
sister made the rather unfortunate fact clear, even unintentionally, that
she didn't consider Alice part of the family anymore. After so many years
Alice didn't really blame her but it was still grating.
"I see." Alice said with a mild note of irritation she couldn't fully hide.
"Oh don't be a bother Alice. I'm very close to getting you a job as a house
keeper for a friend's family. We've decided to keep your past a bit of a
family secret. It really isn't your fault after all and your not lettered
enough to be a Governess and well....you know. You'll also never really
attract a husband since you can't keep this sort of thing from a man but as
a housekeeper you'll be able to get yourself a nice apartment. Won't it be
lovely after those dreary asylum walls?" The lovely blonde fixed Alice's
nightshirt and hair band slightly before walking to the door. With a wave,
she shut it and was off.
"Well that was quite possibly the most insulting thing I've ever heard....in
the real world at least." Alice shrugged and crossed her arms. Her sister
had been nice enough to take her in but her husband's arguments and the fact
Alice scared the children was enough to want to make her leave with as much
dignified haste possible.
The Cheshire Cat yawned and poked his head out from under the covers. "She
does have a bit of a point you know. What are you going to do with your life
Alice? Provided of course you don't make any more stupid mistakes like
befriending the residents of Wonderland again. Didn't I tell you
before...."
"We're all mad here. Yes I'm rather remembering it cat." Alice sighed and
headed towards her bath to start undressing. Stopping only when she noticed
the cat was leering at her. Alice gave an unpleasant stare toward the
shaggy feline's toothy grin.
"Yes Alice?" the Cat said.
"Do you mind?" Alice asked, pulling her nightshirt back from it's halfway
point off.
"Yes, yes I do." The Cat rolled his head three hundred and sixty degrees.
Alice shook her head before getting undressed and bathing. There was very
little sense trying to preserve your modesty from a figment of your
imagination.
"I'm afraid your little performance last night made things much worse. You
see madness is a disease with a single cure, death. Only the dead are sane
and everyone else gets even more crazy as time goes by living. The Red
King's madness is seeping through England like the Fire of 1666 or the
Plagues just prior. Who knows how many children woke up with nightmares
screaming or not at all.....every body he adds to his disease is one more
child of Wonderland doomed to add his soul to the power. Ooooo yarn!" The
Cat sighed before spotting a ball of string in a knitting basket by the tub.
Alice's sister had removed sharp objects from Alice's vecinity so the Cat
hadn't have to worry about being speared.
Alice washed out her hair as she looked at the Cat "I wish I knew what you
were talking about but since your still here I know I have to go back to
Wonderland."
"We're inseperable Alice. You know in the health care facilities of today a
man like the Red King could live decades...bring about Great Wars. The Evil
in his mind could even move on from his body to new troubled souls....you
know that's why they loved you Alice. You were to be the Red Queen, the one
to take over if something ever happ...URK." the Cat found Alice holding his
throat even as she rinsed the soap from her free arm.
"Just take me back there whenever you can." Alice said, wrapping herself in
a white towell.
"Ah my dear Alice in order to to get to there you have to go where you got
from there." The Cat posed a riddle and hoped Alice would solve it quickly.
He was not dissapointed.
"The Asylum." Alice said glumly. She had to return to the source of her
nightmares to rid of them.
"By hook or by crook you'll have them." The Cat smirked.
***
Edwyn Jameson was now officially stumped by the Merriweather McTaggert's
prognosis. As far as he could tell, the electrical therapy had no
appreciable affect. The fact he was found with a different look to his face
was no doubt just random muscle contortions playing their part in reaction
to the electrodes. Mrs. Mctaggert's yearly donation to the hospital was up
in just a week's time though and Edwyn's position wouldn't be secure if he
couldn't show some sign of progress.
"You stupid stupid stupid little runt." The Doctor looked down at the
straight jacket bound figure who smelled of needing to have his clothing
changed again. Seeing no one who could possibly care, the Asylum doctor took
the time to kick the mad Englishman in the skull. The Doctor smiled enough
to give the man a few swift blows to the sternum and one across the jaw
which drew blood.
"Ah how woefully uncivilized for a man in my position but I admit a very
stress relieving one. The primative area of the brain occasionally needs
release from it's baser primate instincts. For instance it's why no man can
remain faithful to his wife or why children must be beaten by their fathers
even if sterling examples of behavior." Edwyn said to the figure who showed
no reaction to his words whatsoever.
Edwyn recalled a polo friend of his involved in the trade named Heiro who
had a similar case to this one. As Edwyn also recalled Heiro had a bit of a
problem betting on the ponies as well. It was highly unprofessional of him
but if the final treatment that had been so sucessful on the "Alice" case as
described in the Mental Health examiner newsletter could be applied to
Merriweather without anyone knowing of Heiro's involvement....
"Well the absolute worst that could happen is you die." Edwyn shrugged and
clapped his hands for some orderlies to arrive. Even if Merriweather died
in the process Edwyn could claim he had been showing remarkable progress
before some heroic accident.
With no fanfare or care Edwyn left the room and clapped his hands. The
orderlies outside comming to prepare Mister McTaggert for a trip.
-Charlemagne