The tunnel was in darkness for a way until Alice came to a dead end where
two braziers hung from the walls. A large symbol of a playing card club
was painted on the wall.
'How very queer to find this here,' Alice commented to herself. She leaned down to inspect the painting.
Alice jumped back with a shriek. She watched as a fist a hand of the same colour shot out of the painting.
The hand unfolded itself to a more friendly looking position.
'It looks as though it wants to shake,' said Alice 'As if to say sorry.'
Seeing little else to do she carefully walked to the wall and placed her own into the black hand. It grasped her firmly but as she loosened her grip the hand begun to crush hers. It wrenched her closer to the wall and she watched in horror as its nails grew to sharp points that stabbed into her soft skin. With one quick motion it pulled her into the wall. She close her eyes and when she felt her hand free she opened her eyes to see she was standing in a laboratory of some kind.
'Odd,' she told herself as she examined some jars sitting on a shelf to her right 'It seems that these would appear to be parts of animals.'
'The Lion and the Unicorn to be exact,' said a voice from behind 'They were fighting for my crown again.'
Alice turned to see a tall man with a white robe and a large crown.
'What did you do?'She asked of him.
'I had to get them to work together, you see,' the White King told her 'with the help of my two servants. One to thread and one to sew,'
'What are their names?'
"Hatta and Haiga,' he said.
"Oh yes. I remember him,' she exclaimed ' H is for Haiga. I love him with an H for he is happy. I hate him because he is hideous. He eats ham sandwiches and hay and -,' Alice's head flung back from the force of the slap.
'Sorry, my dear,' he said as if nothing had happened. He smacked his hand as if were a disobedient puppy. 'Can't take it anywhere anymore. Keeps doing that to people.' He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her into a nearby chair.
"Tell me,' he said 'Who else do you see in this room apart from me.'
Alice looked around her, still stunned from the slap. She saw nothing except a curtain covering something in the corner of the room.
'I see nobody,' she told him.
'Damn it,' he grunter 'I don't have the eyes to see nobody in this light and he always runs about so.'
'No. I mean I don't see anybody,' she told him.
'Of course not. I expect he's somewhere else,' he replied 'but right now I feel I have forgotten something.'
'The Lion and the Unicorn,' Alice reminded him.
'Ah, yes,' he walked to the corner and drew back the curtain.
Alice gasped as she saw the creature that was strapped to a chair in the corner. The head of the Lion and the Unicorn upon the Lion's broad shoulders. The left leg and arm that of the unicorn with the right's belonging to the Lion all attached to the Unicorns body. The Unicorn's horn had been sawed off just above the base and rammed up through the roof of the Lion's mouth so it appeared as if he had a horn like a rhino. Its entire body was covered with bloodied stitches.
'The poor thing,' cried Alice.
'What,' the King yelled 'What?? You would sympathize with a threat to my crown??' HE grabbed her by the hair and dragged her across the room so she stood face to face with his handiwork. She looked into the Unicorn pleading eyes and into the dull lifeless eyes of the Lion.
'Help us, Alice,' she felt their pain as she heard two voice's sound from the Unicorn throat.
'I promise,' she reassured them 'to do what I can.'
"What??' cried the King. With his free hand he grabbed her neck. 'You would ally with the usurpers.'
She should not reply as he pushed her back to the wall, crushing down on her windpipe. He released her hair to pull open a door to their left.
'Their will be no traitors to the King,' he screamed and threw her through the door to the ground.
He closed the door leaving her in darkness. It opened again a moment later to throw some hay on her.
'There is nothing like it when your faint,' he said and shut the door.
Alice dried her eyes and begun to feel her way through the darkness.
'How very queer to find this here,' Alice commented to herself. She leaned down to inspect the painting.
Alice jumped back with a shriek. She watched as a fist a hand of the same colour shot out of the painting.
The hand unfolded itself to a more friendly looking position.
'It looks as though it wants to shake,' said Alice 'As if to say sorry.'
Seeing little else to do she carefully walked to the wall and placed her own into the black hand. It grasped her firmly but as she loosened her grip the hand begun to crush hers. It wrenched her closer to the wall and she watched in horror as its nails grew to sharp points that stabbed into her soft skin. With one quick motion it pulled her into the wall. She close her eyes and when she felt her hand free she opened her eyes to see she was standing in a laboratory of some kind.
'Odd,' she told herself as she examined some jars sitting on a shelf to her right 'It seems that these would appear to be parts of animals.'
'The Lion and the Unicorn to be exact,' said a voice from behind 'They were fighting for my crown again.'
Alice turned to see a tall man with a white robe and a large crown.
'What did you do?'She asked of him.
'I had to get them to work together, you see,' the White King told her 'with the help of my two servants. One to thread and one to sew,'
'What are their names?'
"Hatta and Haiga,' he said.
"Oh yes. I remember him,' she exclaimed ' H is for Haiga. I love him with an H for he is happy. I hate him because he is hideous. He eats ham sandwiches and hay and -,' Alice's head flung back from the force of the slap.
'Sorry, my dear,' he said as if nothing had happened. He smacked his hand as if were a disobedient puppy. 'Can't take it anywhere anymore. Keeps doing that to people.' He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her into a nearby chair.
"Tell me,' he said 'Who else do you see in this room apart from me.'
Alice looked around her, still stunned from the slap. She saw nothing except a curtain covering something in the corner of the room.
'I see nobody,' she told him.
'Damn it,' he grunter 'I don't have the eyes to see nobody in this light and he always runs about so.'
'No. I mean I don't see anybody,' she told him.
'Of course not. I expect he's somewhere else,' he replied 'but right now I feel I have forgotten something.'
'The Lion and the Unicorn,' Alice reminded him.
'Ah, yes,' he walked to the corner and drew back the curtain.
Alice gasped as she saw the creature that was strapped to a chair in the corner. The head of the Lion and the Unicorn upon the Lion's broad shoulders. The left leg and arm that of the unicorn with the right's belonging to the Lion all attached to the Unicorns body. The Unicorn's horn had been sawed off just above the base and rammed up through the roof of the Lion's mouth so it appeared as if he had a horn like a rhino. Its entire body was covered with bloodied stitches.
'The poor thing,' cried Alice.
'What,' the King yelled 'What?? You would sympathize with a threat to my crown??' HE grabbed her by the hair and dragged her across the room so she stood face to face with his handiwork. She looked into the Unicorn pleading eyes and into the dull lifeless eyes of the Lion.
'Help us, Alice,' she felt their pain as she heard two voice's sound from the Unicorn throat.
'I promise,' she reassured them 'to do what I can.'
"What??' cried the King. With his free hand he grabbed her neck. 'You would ally with the usurpers.'
She should not reply as he pushed her back to the wall, crushing down on her windpipe. He released her hair to pull open a door to their left.
'Their will be no traitors to the King,' he screamed and threw her through the door to the ground.
He closed the door leaving her in darkness. It opened again a moment later to throw some hay on her.
'There is nothing like it when your faint,' he said and shut the door.
Alice dried her eyes and begun to feel her way through the darkness.