Chapter 2
Daphne followed the black mist into the woods, but it quickly disappeared, and she was left wondering around like a lost sheep.
"It's only a dream." She kept telling herself. "I'll wake up soon and everything will be fine."
She sighed, "It'll be just fine."
She walked slowly through the woods and believing that it was just a dream, was not paying attention to anything.
Until she heard movement behind her.
It must be the black mist, she thought maybe it was back to lead her out of this dream. She would never have guessed what, or who, was standing behind her.
"Fred?" She asked.
"Daphne! Oh my gosh I thought I'd never see you again!" Fred exclaimed, he threw his arms around Daphne.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
"I don't even know where here is, Daph." Fred mumbled into her hair, "By the way, what are you wearing?" He asked.
Daphne snorted, "I could say the same thing about you!" Daphne exclaimed. "Huh?" Fred asked, and he looked down, his eyes widened. He was wearing a yellow t-shirt, under a pair of red dungarees, and he wore a red hat and a bright blue tie.
"What the fuck is going on?" Fred asked.
Daphne laughed, "You're in my dream, Freddie."
"Daphne, this isn't a dream." Fred replied. "Of course it is, Freddie! When the jewel thief blinded us, I fell and hit my head. I'll wake up soon, and we'll be back to normal." Daphne smiled.
"Daphne, how are we both having the same dream?" Fred asked.
Daphne shrugged, "We spend so much time together?"
Fred shook his head, "I don't know what that man did, Daphne, but this is not a dream. I think it's real."
"And I think I know where we are." Daphne replied. "Where?" Fred asked. "Ok, don't think I'm going crazy, Freddie. But I think we're inside Wonderland."
Fred raised his eyebrow, "What?"
"Look at me, look at what I'm wearing, and look at you!" She pointed to something that was stitched onto the front pocket of his dungarees, "Tweedle-Dum."
"Tweedle-Dum?" Fred asked. "You've never heard of Alice in Wonderland?" Daphne asked, Fred shook his head.
"Ok, so it's about a girl, Alice, who falls into a rabbit hole and finds a world inside it, Wonderland." Daphne explained. "So, who am I?" Fred asked. "Tweedle-Dum." Daphne replied.
"Ok, let's just find a way out of here." Fred said. "How does Alice get out?"
"The Cheshire Cat opens a door in the tree, and she realised the whole thing was just a dream." Daphne explained.
"Ok." Fred rolled his eyes, "Let's find this cat."
"It's not that simple, Freddie."
"It never is." Fred muttered, "Tell me then."
"Through the entire story she is following a White Rabbit, which is how she got into Wonderland in the first place. But she finds the Mat Hatter and the March Hare, and then she follows the White Rabbit to the Red Queen. She threatens to cut Alice's head off, before Alice runs away and then the Cheshire Cat opens the door and takes her home." Daphne explained.
Fred sighed, "This is probably the weirdest thing we've ever done."
"Come on, let's just get this over with so we can get home."
Daphne took Fred's hand, and together they walked through the woods.
"So, when does Alice find the Cheshire Cat?" Fred asked.
"Well, first Alice finds the singing flowers and the caterpillar, which then leads her to the Cheshire Cat." Daphne explained.
"So, we need to find singing flowers and a caterpillar."
"Yep. But I realised, this is not from the book, it is from the 1951 movie. There have been many movie adaptations, but this I remember this is from the animated movie."
"So, why aren't we animated?" Fred asked, Daphne shrugged.
They walked and walked, and finally found the field of singing flowers, who judged Fred and Daphne's 'scent'.
Daphne now knew they were on the right track, they just had to walk a little bit more before they found the caterpillar.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" Fred asked. "Sssh!" Daphne hissed, "Do you hear that?" She whispered.
Fred listened, and he heard a voice, singing.
"Come on." Daphne whispered, she grabbed his hand and led him to the singing.
It got louder and louder, and they saw a blue caterpillar sitting on top of a mushroom, and smoking a hookah.
A-E-I-O-U
A-E-I-O-U
A-E-I-O-U
Daphne and Fred stepped closer to the mushroom. Fred watched in amazement as the smoke from the hookah was turning into letters. "Wow!" He gasped.
How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!
The smoke turned into a crocodile crawling before jumping into a puddle of water.
"Do you think he can help?" Fred asked. "We're not asking him for help." Daphne replied.
"What?" Fred asked. "I remember the way Alice took to the Cheshire Cat. We go right at the mushroom." Daphne explained.
"What if he sees us?" Fred asked. "He won't bother us, if we don't bother him." Daphne answered, "Come on."
She and Fred stepped quietly towards the mushroom, and just as Daphne had said, the caterpillar didn't bother them. Daphne pulled Fred to the right, and they quickly ran through the grass to the woods where Daphne said the cat would be.
"Freddie, I've been thinking."
"About what?"
"If this is not a dream, and it is real. And if you and I are here, where are the others?" Daphne asked.
"You think they could be here too?" Fred asked.
Daphne shrugged, "I don't know, but it's possible."
Fred sighed as thought about the possibility of the rest of the gang inside this incredibly strange place.
"I think we should follow the story." Daphne said. "Huh?" Fred asked. "Think about it. I followed a figure through the tunnel, and it led me to a field, then I followed a black mist through the woods, and I found you. In the movie, after Alice finds the Tweedles first, then follows the White Rabbit." Daphne explained.
"Ok? Do you think it'll help us out of here?" Fred asked. "I do." Daphne replied.
Finally, they got to the woods, and ran until they found a sign which read, This way to the Mad Hatter and the March Hare
"We're supposed to find the Cheshire Cat first." Daphne muttered. "Come on, let's just say we found him." Fred replied.
"Yes, you found me!" A voice said.
"Is that the cat?" Fred asked, and Daphne nodded. They looked up to the big tree behind them, "Where is it?" Fred asked.
"Here I am!" The voice exclaimed. Fred looked up at the tree where the voice was coming from. "It's invisible." Daphne said.
"You read some weird shit, Daphne." Fred commented, but Daphne smiled.
"You were looking for me?" The voice asked, and slowly the pink and purple cat began to appear, Fred's eyes widened as he watched it.
"Ah, it's you again!" The cat exclaimed. "Huh?" Fred asked. "We haven't been here before." Daphne said.
"Of course, you have, I'd recognise that blue dress and your scraggly hair anyway, Alice." The cat laughed.
"I'm not Alice!" Daphne exclaimed, "But we were looking for you. We need to find the Mad Hatter."
"Well, there is the sign, not Alice." The cat smiled widely.
"Yep, we see it." Fred muttered.
"So tell me, why are you looking for the Mad Hatter?"
"Oh, we just like to be among mad people." Daphne said, Fred looked at her with a confused look.
"Oh that's good, almost everyone is mad here!" The cat exclaimed, "You may have noticed, I'm not all there myself." And with that, his body faded away, his head being the last go disappear.
"Come on!" Daphne exclaimed.