We're in Wonderland
one.
We were in Wonderland.
The flowers towered above us. They peered and squinted at us, making comments as though we weren’t there. We made our way through the giant garden, pushing the blades of grass away, ignoring the flowers sticking their faces at us. We stumbled and tripped, desperately trying not to get lost or left behind. Eventually, we stopped in front a mushroom. It was large, but unlike the flowers, it looked somewhat normal in size. A cloud of smoke filled the air above it. It made us cough and splutter. Suddenly, it began to clear and swirl away from the mushroom, revealing a blue caterpillar. Never before had we seen a blue caterpillar.
Our adventure continued. We travelled for what seemed like an eternity until we came across a clearing. It was an odd looking place. There was a large wooden table in the centre, it was cluttered with mismatching cups, saucers and tea pots. Half of them seemed to be broken, and they were strewn all over the place. At the head of the table, sat a man. His hair was a mass of bright orange curls, atop of which sat a large top hat. He was surrounded by several tea cups, and was accompanied by some sort of hare. He was jittery and jumpy, and he sat just like a man would. Much like the orange-haired man, he too was sat among several china cups. However, unlike his the man, he was throwing the cups around, obviously not satisfied with them.
Still we journeyed on. After leaving the tea table, we came across a deserted, derelict part of the woods. The trees nothing more than twigs, the grass dull and dry beneath our bare feet. We made sure to leave here quickly; we didn’t want to think about what might have gone on here. Continuing on our way, we entered the part of the woods that was alive and thriving. The trees on either side of the narrow path met in the air, blocking any of the sun that tried to shine through. Everything was dark, yet somehow, we still felt safe. That’s when the air started to ripple around us. We spun around, expecting something horrible to jump out at us, attack us. But nothing did. We heard a voice there as well. Then it appeared. A large, smiling mouth. Nothing more, nothing less. We were shocked, we didn’t know what to expect when the rest of the creature began to appear. A cat, with thick grey fur, streaked with turquoise.
But our travels didn’t end there. Exiting the woods, we were met with a barren wasteland. Nothing but cracked earth and rocks in front of us. The sky was much clearer than it had been in the woods, due to the fact that there was nothing to block it out. The odd rock protruded so that it broke the endless stretch of sky, but other than that, we were perfectly exposed. This didn’t stop us though. We ventured on. It was taxing, but we made it. Once across the dry land, we were face to face with perhaps the oddest thing yet. A castle. A large, red, castle. With heart-shaped turrets and towers. Circling it was a moat. The water looked murky and more swamp-like than a moat should. Small rock-like objects broke the surface every now and again. We knew if we wanted to get across, we’d have to negotiate our way across them. You went first. You stepped on the first rock, and I watched your eyes grow wide when it began to sink with your weight. It turned as you moved your leg onto the next one, and we could clearly see that they weren’t rocks. It was my turn to cross the moat. I decided to copy you, placing each foot carefully, making sure I had a decent footing before even thinking about moving. It was when I was nearly half way across that it happened. There was a sickening screech from above the castle. I looked up, searching the sky for the source of the noise, my eyes scanning my surroundings furiously. It sounded again, this time closer to us. I spun around, desperately trying to see whatever it was. As I did, I lost my footing and slipped.
I woke with a start. Heart pounding, breath coming short and fast, brow coated in sweat. Swallowing, I began to get to my feet, taking in my surroundings. There was no red castle, I wasn’t crossing a moat, and there was no screeching noise. I was sat underneath a large tree. I hadn’t been in Wonderland.
I had been dreaming.
The flowers towered above us. They peered and squinted at us, making comments as though we weren’t there. We made our way through the giant garden, pushing the blades of grass away, ignoring the flowers sticking their faces at us. We stumbled and tripped, desperately trying not to get lost or left behind. Eventually, we stopped in front a mushroom. It was large, but unlike the flowers, it looked somewhat normal in size. A cloud of smoke filled the air above it. It made us cough and splutter. Suddenly, it began to clear and swirl away from the mushroom, revealing a blue caterpillar. Never before had we seen a blue caterpillar.
Our adventure continued. We travelled for what seemed like an eternity until we came across a clearing. It was an odd looking place. There was a large wooden table in the centre, it was cluttered with mismatching cups, saucers and tea pots. Half of them seemed to be broken, and they were strewn all over the place. At the head of the table, sat a man. His hair was a mass of bright orange curls, atop of which sat a large top hat. He was surrounded by several tea cups, and was accompanied by some sort of hare. He was jittery and jumpy, and he sat just like a man would. Much like the orange-haired man, he too was sat among several china cups. However, unlike his the man, he was throwing the cups around, obviously not satisfied with them.
Still we journeyed on. After leaving the tea table, we came across a deserted, derelict part of the woods. The trees nothing more than twigs, the grass dull and dry beneath our bare feet. We made sure to leave here quickly; we didn’t want to think about what might have gone on here. Continuing on our way, we entered the part of the woods that was alive and thriving. The trees on either side of the narrow path met in the air, blocking any of the sun that tried to shine through. Everything was dark, yet somehow, we still felt safe. That’s when the air started to ripple around us. We spun around, expecting something horrible to jump out at us, attack us. But nothing did. We heard a voice there as well. Then it appeared. A large, smiling mouth. Nothing more, nothing less. We were shocked, we didn’t know what to expect when the rest of the creature began to appear. A cat, with thick grey fur, streaked with turquoise.
But our travels didn’t end there. Exiting the woods, we were met with a barren wasteland. Nothing but cracked earth and rocks in front of us. The sky was much clearer than it had been in the woods, due to the fact that there was nothing to block it out. The odd rock protruded so that it broke the endless stretch of sky, but other than that, we were perfectly exposed. This didn’t stop us though. We ventured on. It was taxing, but we made it. Once across the dry land, we were face to face with perhaps the oddest thing yet. A castle. A large, red, castle. With heart-shaped turrets and towers. Circling it was a moat. The water looked murky and more swamp-like than a moat should. Small rock-like objects broke the surface every now and again. We knew if we wanted to get across, we’d have to negotiate our way across them. You went first. You stepped on the first rock, and I watched your eyes grow wide when it began to sink with your weight. It turned as you moved your leg onto the next one, and we could clearly see that they weren’t rocks. It was my turn to cross the moat. I decided to copy you, placing each foot carefully, making sure I had a decent footing before even thinking about moving. It was when I was nearly half way across that it happened. There was a sickening screech from above the castle. I looked up, searching the sky for the source of the noise, my eyes scanning my surroundings furiously. It sounded again, this time closer to us. I spun around, desperately trying to see whatever it was. As I did, I lost my footing and slipped.
I woke with a start. Heart pounding, breath coming short and fast, brow coated in sweat. Swallowing, I began to get to my feet, taking in my surroundings. There was no red castle, I wasn’t crossing a moat, and there was no screeching noise. I was sat underneath a large tree. I hadn’t been in Wonderland.
I had been dreaming.