Cheshire Smile
It would be so nice if something would make sense for a change.
She stared at her ceiling fan as it spun round and round. Her light blond hair fell amongst the pillows under her, messy and untamed. Her eyes were glazed over as her thoughts teetered on the line between imagination and insanity.
Her thoughts strayed to a man with a hat holding a tea cup. He liked tea, she knew, and he was mad. Not angry, but just a little crazy, crazy like her perhaps. There was a cat too, a purple cat, or maybe it was pink. The cat frightened her, but it also excited her, and she often tried to smile like him. Maybe that's why they thought she was crazy, it was her smile. It was too big and made her eyes scrunch up and it showed off all her teeth. All she was doing was smiling like the cat, she told them, but they just nodded, their eyes filled with pity.
Rolling over to her side, the young girl sighed drearily. She was rather bored, her thoughts no longer keeping her entertained. Checking the white clock nailed against the while wall, she frowned. Slowly getting up, the small blond cringed when her bed creaked and moaned. She shuffled over to the only window in her room and leaned against it. Looking past the bars keeping her from escaping, she watched the bushes and trees outside. They swayed and made slight noises as the wind pushed and pulled their leaves. Glancing at the clock again, the girl smiled her cheshire cat smile. Suddenly, a bush rustled a little more then it should have and a small rabbit hopped out. It was holding a watch on a chain and wearing a coat. It looked around before spotting the window she was in. It held up the watch toward her and tapped it, indicating that it was time to go.
"I'm late." the girl muttered, getting ready to climb out of the window. She stopped when she realized the bars were still there and frowned. Grabbing them roughly with her small, delicate hands, she tugged them as hard as she could.
"I'm late." she said, a bit more forcefully as she pulled and pulled with all her strength. She looked outside and began to panic when the rabbit began slowly hopping back towards the bush, shaking it's head.
"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" She was almost screaming now, having pulled herself all the way up to the window ledge. She was tugging so hard on the bars that her hands were beginning to bruise. Her callouses from previous blisters were beginning to rub red as she pulled and pulled.
"I'M LATE!" Her scream was strangled now, her thoughts spinning with images of the man with the hat, the purple or pink cat and the woman with red hair. A giant caterpillar with smoke around him clouded her vision as she began to try and break the bars.
The door flew open as men in uniforms ran forward. She thrashed and fought their strong arms as they took her back to her bed and began to restrain her with the cuffs attached to her bed.
"I'm late, for a very important date!" She was trying to explain to them that she need to go, she needed to go now. They didn't respond and she began screaming at them, because maybe they didn't hear her? It was until a much older man with a needle walked in that she stopped screaming. She began thrashing once more though, she had seen that needle before and quite frankly, she didn't like that needle.
The men, once again, held her down and she felt the cold metal against her skin. Tears were streaming down her face, the rabbit was waiting and she was stuck, again. Stuck in a room with bars, strong men and needles. After a moment her eyes began to close slowly and she smiled a big smile, just like the purple cat who was also pink.
"No time to say "Hello." Goodbye, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late."
Everything went black.
"Veronica, how are you this evening?"
"My name is not Veronica."
"Oh, it isn't? What is your name then?"
"My name is Alice, and I'm very late."
"What, I'm sorry, I don't think-"
"Ah, that's just it. If you don't think, then you shouldn't talk."
"What exactly are you late for?"
"A very important date."
"Veronica, you do know-"
"My name is not Veronica. My name is Alice."
"Alice, you do-"
"Curiouser and curiouser."
"Alice, I need you to pay attention."
"I would like to go back to my room please."
"Of course."
Her eyes flew open and she took in a deep breath. She tried to move until she realized she was still tied to the bed. Smiling to herself, she closed her eyes as her thoughts teetered on the line in between imagination and insanity.
"How doth the little crocodile improve his shining tail. And pour the waters of the Nile, on every golden scale. How cheerfully he seems to grin, how neatly spreads his claws. And welcomes little fishes in, with gently smiling jaws."
Frowning, she began to repeat herself, hoping to get it right. She didn't need that caterpillar telling her off again, now did she?
Her thoughts strayed to a man with a hat holding a tea cup. He liked tea, she knew, and he was mad. Not angry, but just a little crazy, crazy like her perhaps. There was a cat too, a purple cat, or maybe it was pink. The cat frightened her, but it also excited her, and she often tried to smile like him. Maybe that's why they thought she was crazy, it was her smile. It was too big and made her eyes scrunch up and it showed off all her teeth. All she was doing was smiling like the cat, she told them, but they just nodded, their eyes filled with pity.
Rolling over to her side, the young girl sighed drearily. She was rather bored, her thoughts no longer keeping her entertained. Checking the white clock nailed against the while wall, she frowned. Slowly getting up, the small blond cringed when her bed creaked and moaned. She shuffled over to the only window in her room and leaned against it. Looking past the bars keeping her from escaping, she watched the bushes and trees outside. They swayed and made slight noises as the wind pushed and pulled their leaves. Glancing at the clock again, the girl smiled her cheshire cat smile. Suddenly, a bush rustled a little more then it should have and a small rabbit hopped out. It was holding a watch on a chain and wearing a coat. It looked around before spotting the window she was in. It held up the watch toward her and tapped it, indicating that it was time to go.
"I'm late." the girl muttered, getting ready to climb out of the window. She stopped when she realized the bars were still there and frowned. Grabbing them roughly with her small, delicate hands, she tugged them as hard as she could.
"I'm late." she said, a bit more forcefully as she pulled and pulled with all her strength. She looked outside and began to panic when the rabbit began slowly hopping back towards the bush, shaking it's head.
"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" She was almost screaming now, having pulled herself all the way up to the window ledge. She was tugging so hard on the bars that her hands were beginning to bruise. Her callouses from previous blisters were beginning to rub red as she pulled and pulled.
"I'M LATE!" Her scream was strangled now, her thoughts spinning with images of the man with the hat, the purple or pink cat and the woman with red hair. A giant caterpillar with smoke around him clouded her vision as she began to try and break the bars.
The door flew open as men in uniforms ran forward. She thrashed and fought their strong arms as they took her back to her bed and began to restrain her with the cuffs attached to her bed.
"I'm late, for a very important date!" She was trying to explain to them that she need to go, she needed to go now. They didn't respond and she began screaming at them, because maybe they didn't hear her? It was until a much older man with a needle walked in that she stopped screaming. She began thrashing once more though, she had seen that needle before and quite frankly, she didn't like that needle.
The men, once again, held her down and she felt the cold metal against her skin. Tears were streaming down her face, the rabbit was waiting and she was stuck, again. Stuck in a room with bars, strong men and needles. After a moment her eyes began to close slowly and she smiled a big smile, just like the purple cat who was also pink.
"No time to say "Hello." Goodbye, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late."
Everything went black.
"Veronica, how are you this evening?"
"My name is not Veronica."
"Oh, it isn't? What is your name then?"
"My name is Alice, and I'm very late."
"What, I'm sorry, I don't think-"
"Ah, that's just it. If you don't think, then you shouldn't talk."
"What exactly are you late for?"
"A very important date."
"Veronica, you do know-"
"My name is not Veronica. My name is Alice."
"Alice, you do-"
"Curiouser and curiouser."
"Alice, I need you to pay attention."
"I would like to go back to my room please."
"Of course."
Her eyes flew open and she took in a deep breath. She tried to move until she realized she was still tied to the bed. Smiling to herself, she closed her eyes as her thoughts teetered on the line in between imagination and insanity.
"How doth the little crocodile improve his shining tail. And pour the waters of the Nile, on every golden scale. How cheerfully he seems to grin, how neatly spreads his claws. And welcomes little fishes in, with gently smiling jaws."
Frowning, she began to repeat herself, hoping to get it right. She didn't need that caterpillar telling her off again, now did she?
♠ ♠ ♠
Word count: 921.
Thank you for reading.
Thank you for reading.