Were all mad here.

Alice tried to control her breathing as she entered the maze. The tea party was, like always held at the Queen of Hearts home. The backyard was a mind blowing maze. Tall, thick ivy soared twenty feet above the head of an average man. The maze had always intrigued Alice. It held some mystery that could only be put into one word magic. To an average mortal, like yourself, this was nothing compared to what happened around Alice as she made her way into the maze. The entrance was a huge patio that now had been transformed into a dance floor. Everything was of the colors blood red or black. Pulsing music beat heavily and vibrated up Alice’s legs. She stared in wonder. Fire jugglers on stilts were performing amazing feats in midair. Flying creatures of all sorts adorned the skies in every shape and size. Alice walked past a group of Witches that had formed a circle and were slowly, but increasingly chanting. Their words became faster and their arms linked as they focused on the spell. Neon ribbons of colors wound around their long dresses like snakes. They paid no attention to this as the more and more colors encircled them. To Alice’s great astonishment, their bodies began to float, only inches at first and then several feet. As the spell ended they opened their piercing, bright eyes and giggled at each other. Alice had failed to realize how young they were. They could not be more than two years older than her. The witches now sat cross-legged, still floating and started gossiping.

“Did you know Nathaniel Night will be here at midnight?!” A witch with long blonde hair stated to the group.

They all gasped in pleasure.

“No!” Another one with short auburn hair replied, her eyes filled with delight.

“Yes, I heard the mermaids talking about it. Isn’t it great? We finally get a chance to meet the prince of the vampires!”

Alice, tired of hearing the chatter, continued through the maze. She spotted her mother, who was impossible to miss, conversing with a Seven of clubs. The royal deck was her mother’s personal guard. They guarded the grounds day and night without ceasing. On occasion they had been assigned to watch Alice, but their main objective was to protect the Queen. Alice passed by making sure to give her mother a warm smile.

As the sky began to darken, tiny, minute lights started circling the skies. As the fireflies grew in number the light became so bright, it illuminated the space as if it was day time. It was a beautiful sight. The fireflies were a small galaxy slowly turning above the guest’s head.

A tiny ting could be heard throughout the area, calling all to silence. The Queen of Hearts lowered the wine glass and spoke with a voice that never wavered.

“Ladies, gentlemen, creatures of Wonderland, I welcome you. This is a time of celebration and joy. Each and every one of you has a part in this world. Without you our existence would not be possible, but futile. So I offer thanks on my part. I am honored to be you Queen, and I will always put my fellow Wonderland people ahead of everything else.” The speech was brief but held so much power. Sometimes Alice failed to see just how powerful her mother was. It made her proud.

“Enjoy yourselves now as we feast!”

From out of thin air a massive, round table appeared in the center of the patio. Cherubs flew from each corner, carrying silver trays, which trailed steam behind them. As the food was laid around the wooden table every one struggled to get a good seat. Alice was pushed and shoved until she was behind the crowd and standing alone. She was fine with that. She wasn’t hungry anyway.

Just then Diana darted past her chasing a winged mouse. Diana plunged into the dark maze after her dinner.

“Diana! Come back. You’ll get lost.” She sighed to herself. Who would help her find her? No one at the moment, they were all fighting to taste the Queen’s legendary food. Alice was on her own.

She turned from the aggressive crowd and confidently walked into the maze. She was instantly covered in shadows as the glow from the fireflies faded. She pushed her bangs out of her face, but still could not see much in front of her. She slowly continued, making her way through twist and turns in search of her precious cat. She just had to find Diana. Alice became very troubled as she continued through the cold dark maze. She was surely lost; she just didn’t want to admit it. Just then her foot was grabbed by something hard and stiff. Alice went head over heels as gravity took over. The breath was knocked out of her as she landed.

“Great” She thought. “Not only am I lost, I’m clumsy”.
She slowly picked herself off the ground, which was surprisingly thick and soft. The culprit lay a few feet away. A branch had grown away from the rest of the thick wall of ivy. The twisted branch was knarled and dead. It stood out against the thick and lush bush it had grown from. Alice quit gazing at the branch to continue her search, but there was a problem. She didn’t know which way to go. Four paths all evenly spaced around her looked exactly identical. A small tear slowly fell from under the thick curtain of her dark hair. She was………………….lost.