Long after the cat disappeared Valentine declared that they would spend the rest of the day showing Alister around. It was still dark but when Alister voiced this concern Valentine dismissed it.
"Wonderland has different time zones. I'm sure the sun rose somewhere else." She reasoned.
And sure enough, she was right. It was still morning in The meadow so they spent all morning playing with and getting to know the La La Children before they retreated into the forest.
Valentine suddenly crouched down and put her finger to her lips.
"That's Absolem the Caterpillar," Valentine whispered pointing at a small caterpillar sitting on a mushroom. "All he does is sit around all day and smoke hookah waiting to turn into a butterfly."
She reached into the pocket of her sundress that she had changed back into and took out two small bottles. She handed one to Alister and kept one for herself. On the count of three, they both downed the liquid in it.Immediately, the two began to shrink incredibly until the grass looked like towers.
Valentine wasted no time in running over to Absolem the Caterpillar, dragging Alister along with her who still felt incredibly dizzy from his transformation.
"Good morning, good day, good afternoon, good evening and good night Absolem!" Valentine greeted cheerily. She had explained to him before that since Wonderland had different time zones, it was good manners to say all greetings at once. She also tried to teach him the handshake but gave up after several tries.
"Oh, it's you." The caterpillar said between puffs of smoke.
"Now that's no way to treat your only friend Absolem." Valentine chided.
The caterpillar gave her a weary glance before turning away and sticking his nose in the air.
"Don't mind him," Valentine said, turning to Alister, "being the only caterpillar that hasn't morphed yet has made him bitter."
The caterpillar glared at her and Valentine smiled back sweetly in return.
The caterpillar was blue with small pink hands that held a hookah pipe. He turned to Alister as if noticing him for the first time.
"Who..'r..you?" He asked rolling his 'r's.
"Alister St Claire," Alister replied.
The caterpillar puffed another ring of smoke. "I don't like either of you." He stated, "You're not glamorous enough to be in my presence. Goodbye."
Valentine laughed. "Oh Absolem, you make me laugh."
Once again, the caterpillar glared at her.
"And you Valentine make me sick." He shot back, before taking a long drag.
Valentine smiled and shook her head. "Poor Abolsem, taking his anger out on others because Mother Nature refuses to deem him beautiful."
She took a piece of the mushroom Absolem sat on and handed Alister a piece before taking a piece for herself. They choked down the strange tasting mushroom and instantly they shot up, reaching their original heights within seconds.
"Good morning, good day, good afternoon, good evening and good night Absolem!" She said before they walked in the opposite direction.
The deeper they went into the forest the stranger it got. Alister might've not remembered his life outside the asylum, but he had enough common sense to tell him that it was not like this.
He flinched as he, for the seventh time, detached a Biter from his arm.
"Biters. They're called Biters." Valentine answered holding up the little creature. He had asked her what it was when he detached one from his leg for the third time. The creature was red with small leather wings, a spiked tail and horns. It gnashed its teeth at her and hissed.This one had dug his teeth a little too deep into his arm and now he was bleeding a bit.
YOU ARE READING
The Wonderland Effect
Fantasy"Curiouser and curiouser!" He murmured as he stared at the little fairy children that ran about on the grass. Where was he? ------------- A boy wakes up in a mental asylum with no memory except his name, Alister St Claire. But this is no ordinary as...
