Author's Note: Happy birthday to our favorite perverted doctor, Kitshitani Shinra! This comes from another old Facebook save. (I really am cleaning house with these, aren't I?) This one was a little hard to write, but I pulled it off. I can't wait to explore more with Shinra's condition. This could be a little taste of what is coming next season. (Yes, there will be a new season of the Wonderland series this year. I have so many ideas to work with. You will have to stick around and see.) Anyway, next up should be Izaya's birthday next month. I will have to see what I come up with the old Facebook saves (if I can get them to load properly on my laptop after a certain point. Grrr!) For now, enjoy this latest vision.

VIII: Witches on the Bog:

-Shinra-

I've been here before.

I drew open my eyes. There's so much fog around me. My feet aren't touching the ground. I tried to trace through my memory to navigate my way back home. A light pain rushed through my head. Something is trying not to let me think.

However, I get the feeling that I am not alone out here.

I pushed my body through the fog. It feels like I am being weighed down with lead. I tried to set aside the cause. One thing at a time here. First, see what is through this fog. And then worry about everything else.

Splash. Splash.

I strained my eyes for a listen. Slowly, I started to remember this part. I think I know where I am. Just a little bit closer…

Splash. Splash.

The faint light drew my eyes below to a vast lake. Three witches stood on rafts in the middle. Off in the distance were wrecked boats still floating on the water. It all started to come back to me. I've seen this place before when I left my body. But why am I here?

I tried to remember when I first came here. There was a particular reason they put me here. It's not coming to me who or why. It might have been someone from Purgatory trying to hide me. But right now, this is not that.

Something tells me that something or someone else trapped me here. I can't tell if they mean me any harm though. I looked down at the lake. Not many more memories about this place have come back yet. All I remember is that I was here for a reason and the witches.

Oh yeah, the witches.

I watched as they paddled across the water. The witches never seemed to be moving at all. It was like I was watching a GIF on a screen. Come to think of it, they do look kind of shadowy. Wait… Did I end up in the Land of the Dead—again?

I frowned. This didn't make any sense. I'm starting to understand what Walker and Mikado were talking about. There is something putting us into these places. I closed my eyes to see if I could feel anything.

Strange. I couldn't feel anything here.

I opened my eyes again. Something felt off. Well, more off than this. I couldn't explain it, but I had the feeling that I was being watched. This was confirmed when I noticed that everything went quiet. Looking around wasn't going to do any good. There was no one else around in the fog. Despite myself, I took a look around in the fog. That didn't do any good. I held my breath as I waited. Part of me wished I had my spiked crochet mallet with me.

When I looked down, I saw what was wrong.

One of the witches on the raft was looking directly up at me from her raft.