Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
ALICE
I stand at the edge of the forest, staring into the dark, twisted mess of trees ahead.
Riddles float in and out of my mind, but trying to catch them is like trying to grab smoke—impossible.
Nothing in this place has ever made sense, has it?
But somehow, deep down, I know the way. I just don’t know how I know.
“Come on, Alice,” Absolem’s voice cuts through my thoughts, calm as always.
“I can’t—I...” I trail off, trying to force the pieces together in my head, but it’s like a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces.
I’m still not convinced I’m not dreaming.
Everything feels too surreal, like I’m stuck in that half-asleep state where nothing’s quite real, yet everything is too vivid to ignore.
I take a breath and glance up at the trees. They loom like old nightmares, their twisted branches stretching out, reminding me of shadows creeping across my bedroom walls when I was a kid. I’d hide under the covers, pretending the monsters weren’t real.
But here I am, stepping into the nightmare.
Each step is cautious, deliberate. The silence is unnerving.
Absolem floats close behind, like my silent shadow.
The bats are gone, but we stick to the trees, hiding in their shadows.
The path is strange—everything is strange—but it almost feels like something’s guiding me.
The trees part ahead, and I bow slightly, whispering a quiet “thank you.” I know, they’re just trees, but it feels right somehow.
One of the trees twists, its roots rising up from the ground. I freeze, but it doesn’t stop. The branch reaches out, its twigs forming into something that almost resembles a hand, pointing ahead.
“That way,” it seems to say.
But then, something else catches my eye. On the ground, half-buried in the dirt, is a knife. The handle is worn, cracked, but solid. The blade’s seen better days, but it’s sharp. Too sharp.
“Now that’s an odd thing to find in Wonderland,” I mutter, picking it up.
Absolem puffs on his pipe, the smoke curling lazily around him, dancing like it has a life of its own. “Many have walked these paths before you. Few have survived.”
Charming.
I pocket the knife, just in case, and follow him as he glides ahead. The trees are thinning, and something smells... different. Salty?
Not the dream-like, magical smell I’d expect here. No, this is something familiar. I pick up the pace, the path widening. And then I see it.
A beach.
“Seriously?” I stop in my tracks, hands on hips, shaking my head. “A beach? In Wonderland?”
Absolem doesn’t bother answering. He just keeps on along, like this is all perfectly normal. Of course he does.
I bend down, grabbing a handful of sand, letting it sift through my fingers. It feels real. Well, real enough.
“Is this... is this the Walrus and the Carpenter?” I murmur to myself, half-remembering something.
“The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand...”
The words tumble out before I can stop them, like they’ve been lodged in my brain all this time.
Absolem nods, as if my random quoting makes perfect sense. “You remember, Alice. You just forgot your wonder.”
I swallow, my chest tightening with that word. Wonder.
“I didn’t forget. I...” My voice trails off.
“This way,” Absolem says, already ahead, leaving a trail of dust and smoke behind him.
I hurry after him, but stop dead as we stumble upon something else. My heart skips a beat.
There they are—creatures chasing around a rock, the Dodo standing right in the middle, directing the madness. The same backwards music I’ve been hearing all along is playing here, not quite right, just as I remember it.
“I know this,” I whisper, squinting at the bizarre scene. The creatures run in circles, going nowhere, all while the Dodo stands tall, as if he’s in charge of this ridiculous chaos.
I barely have time to process what I’m seeing before a loud whoosh snaps me back to the present. The ocean. The damn ocean. A massive wave crashes towards the shore, its dark, foamy crest racing towards us. My heart leaps into my throat.
“Oh, hell no,” I mutter, spinning on my heel to run, but before I can take more than a few steps, something slams into me.
I stumble, nearly falling over as one of the creatures—some sort of bizarre, long-legged thing—runs straight into me. It looks down at me, completely unbothered, then shoves me aside, straight into the chaotic madness of the race. Great. Just freaking great.
I try to scramble to my feet, but the ground seems to shift beneath me, dragging me into the whirlwind of creatures running in circles. My head spins. Every time I try to break free, another one of those ridiculous beings bumps into me. They don’t stop, they don’t even acknowledge I exist.
Absolem appears beside me, somehow floating running through the chaos while I’m barely keeping my footing. Of course, he’s unfazed.
“Keep running, Alice,” he says calmly, like this is all perfectly normal.
“What do you mean, ‘keep running’?.” I shout, dodging another creature that nearly knocks me flat. “I’m trying to get out of this mess.”
Absolem just gives me one of those infuriating looks, puffing on his pipe, smoke swirling lazily around him. “There’s no getting out. Not yet. So keep running.”
I don’t have time to argue. Another wave crashes, this one closer, sending water splashing across the sand and soaking my feet. Great. Wet shoes . Just what I needed.
I grit my teeth and do as he says. I keep running, weaving through the chaos, dodging creatures that are all shapes and sizes—some with too many legs, others with none at all. The music grows louder, that same backwards, twisted melody, making my head pound.
“Why is this happening?” I shout over the noise, more to myself than to Absolem.
The air shifts. I don’t notice it at first, but then I hear the low, ominous flutter of wings—lots of wings. I glance up, and my heart skips a beat. The bat-like creatures from before, their silhouettes dark against the distorted sky, are circling overhead. Looming.
“Absolem ...” I mutter, my steps faltering.
He grabs my arm, yanking me out of the race and into the open. I stumble, my feet slipping on the wet sand, and I crash down, face-first, into the cold muck. For a second, I just lay there, groaning in frustration, sand sticking to my cheeks and in my hair.
“Get up, Alice,” Absolem says, his voice more urgent now.
I scramble up, ignoring the sting in my hands and knees, and we start running—really running—away from the race and those shadowy creatures circling above.
The sand shifts beneath my feet, and every step feels like I’m sinking.
I can't move fast enough, can't get away fast enough. "It's not working."
"Run, Alice. You need to run."
We reach the edge of the beach, and ahead of us stand more trees, but these ones are different. They glisten in the dim light, their bark shimmering like they’re made of glass. Not the twisted, gnarled things from before, but tall and elegant, glowing purple under the strange sky.
But before I can take another step, I see them. The Queen’s guards, standing like statues at the edge of the forest, their blood-red armour gleaming ominously in the dim light. Their faceless helmets tilt ever so slightly, as if they’ve been waiting for us all along.
I stagger back, heart racing, only to realise we’re surrounded. They're behind us too, pointing long, sharp spears at us. "Get down on your knees," one of the guards commands, his voice sharp and cold.
I turn to look at Absolem, hoping for some kind of guidance, but he’s backing away. No—he's fading. The smoke from his pipe swirls around him, and then he’s just... gone.
“No, don’t leave me…” I reach out instinctively, but he’s already disappeared into the mist.
“Good luck, Alice,” his voice echoes in the air, just a whisper now.
My body moves on its own, half-lunging as if to follow him, but the sharp press of spears stops me cold. Three of them are suddenly tucked under my chin, another two jabbed into my back. The metallic tips bite against my skin, a not-so-subtle reminder that there’s no escaping this.
One of the guards steps closer, bending down to bring his face level with mine. His helmet’s featureless except for the heart-shaped eyes, a twisted parody of affection. “The Queen will want to see you,” he says, his voice dripping with a strange kind of satisfaction.
Well. Isn’t this just my day?