by Crane, M. L.
Alice became hysterical and began screaming.
“LET ME OUT OF HERE! LET ME OUT! I DON’T BELONG IN HERE! LET ME OUT, RIGHT NOW!”
The nurse hollered for help while she fumbled to unlock Alice’s door.
Alice sighed. Thank God, she thought.
Within moments, the nurse and two orderlies came rushing in. The orderlies grabbed Alice by her arms and dragged her back to the bed and held her down.
“Wait…what?! What are you doing? No! NO! LET ME GO! I DON’T BELONG IN HERE! STOP! OH, MY GOD! NOOO!”
The nurse bent down over Alice, holding a needle in her hand. “Hush now, Alice. There is no need for all of this nonsense. You’re perfectly safe in here.”
Alice screamed as she felt the burning sting of the needle enter her arm. And then, everything went black.
CHAPTER EIGHT
When Alice awoke that morning, she lay in her soft bed wrapped in her favorite blue comforter. She was grateful that the night was finally over.
Alice had barely gotten any sleep that night, after having spent it battling through one nightmare after another. Each one was more terrifying than the last.
While Alice lay there, feeling the morning sun kiss her cheek, she couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach that there was something terribly wrong going on. She had never had nightmares like these before, and they were getting much worse.
Alice opened one eye and saw Rose laying beside her, still fast asleep. She snuggled up against Rose’s back and draped her arm over her. She pulled herself as close to Rose as she could get, and let out a content sigh. Alice smiled as Rose’s curls tickled her nose. She placed a kiss on Rose’s neck and whispered, “I love you.”
Alice quietly got out of bed, being careful not to wake Rose. She went into the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea.
While Alice sat on the porch silently sipping her tea, she watched the ocean’s waves lazily roll in and out. Alice was contemplating whether or not she should tell Rose about the new nightmares. She hated to keep secrets from Rose, but she also didn’t want to worry her.
Alice was so lost in her thoughts, that it startled her when Rose came shuffling out onto the porch.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Alice said.
Rose sat down at the patio table. She stuck her tongue out at Alice and blew a raspberry.
Alice giggled. “Uh, oh. Someone’s grumpy this morning.”
“Mm.”
“Want me to go get you a cup of tea?”
“Mm.”
Alice laughed and went inside to make Rose a cup of tea.
When Alice returned, she handed Rose her teacup and sat back down. “There you go, princess. This should get rid of your grumps.”
“Thanks. I’m sorry, baby. I don’t think I slept very well last night. What about you? How’d you sleep last night? Any more nightmares?”
Damn it, Alice thought to herself.
“Well, I did have several new nightmares last night. It was like one after another all night. But I’m fine. It’s nothing that a couple of cups of tea can’t wash away.”
Alice stared at Rose and waited for her to make a remark.
After a short, awkward pause, Rose said, “Mm. That’s good.”
Rose didn’t even glance at Alice. She just continued to sip her tea and gaze blankly out at the ocean.
Alice was dumbfounded.
“Wait, what? You’re not even going to make a smart-ass remark like, Oh, well maybe the Sandman was having a two-for-one sale or something like that? No? Nothing? Who are you, and what have you done to my girlfriend?” Alice teased, hoping to get a reaction out of Rose.
Rose shrugged her shoulders and replied, “Mm.”
Alice immediately felt uneasy.
“Rose, are you mad at me? Have I done something to piss you off?”
Rose remained quiet for a moment and then calmly replied, “No, I’m fine. I think I’m just tired.”
“Rose, I don’t think that you are all right. Maybe you should go back to bed. I can stay home today and take care of you. I think you might be coming down with something.”
Rose waved her off and murmured, “Naw, I feel fine. Totally fine.”
~~~~~
Alice walked down the hallway towards the meeting room with Dr. Pelletier. She was barely hearing a word that he was saying about the new patient that she would be meeting that morning.
The mounting concern that Alice had for Rose, coupled with the bizarre events of the last few weeks, had begun to give her a headache. The drum beats of a full blown migraine had begun to manifest inside of her skull. The muscles in her neck and shoulders ached terribly from all of the restless tossing and turning she had done throughout the night. Alice felt as though she were walking through a fog. Reality seemed so far away.
With her mind preoccupied, Alice wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking and nearly ran into two custodians.
The two custodians were both wearing gray coveralls with embroidered name patches. The short, stout one, Pat, was carrying a tool box and a metal bucket. The tall, skinny one, Bill, was carrying a ladder.
“Good morning, Pat, Bill! It’s not even noon yet, and you two look as though you’ve already been through the ringer,” Dr. Pelletier remarked.
“Oh, you have no idea. We’ve just spent the last two hours in Lucy’s room, trying to prove to her that there ain’t no dang monster on the roof. The girl insists that the monster is climbing down through the pipes, and is trying to get into her room. So, Nurse Noble made me climb up and look in the ceiling, to prove to Lucy that there’s nothing there,” Bill explained.
“Did it work?” Dr. Pelletier asked, grinning because he clearly already knew the answer to that question.
“Nope, it sure didn’t! The kid’s still squawking about the damn thing. I tried telling Nurse Noble that there weren’t no sense in me getting up there. But you know how she is. Mean old thing. Hell, she should’ve gotten up there herself. If there had been a monster, she’d have scared it off just by squinting her beady little eyes at it.”
Dr. Pelletier chuckled. “Nurse Noble can be quite stern, but she means well. She’s an old-fashioned lady.”
“Old-fashioned?!” Bill laughed. “Hell, I think she’s just old. Her soul’s all shriveled up like a prune, and that’s why she’s so dang cranky.”
“Well, perhaps.” Knowing Nurse Noble, Dr. Pelletier couldn’t deny it. “I believe later today I’ll take Lucy outside so that she can show me the monster on the roof.”
“Oh sure, why not! And after that, we can all go digging for apples!” Pat exclaimed sarcastically.
Dr. Pelletier gave Pat a disapproving look before adding, “So that once she can see for herself that there is nothing on the roof, it may put her mind at ease.”
“Oh, yeah,” Pat said sheepishly. “I’m sure that will work. That sounds like a great idea. Well, you have a great day, Dr. Pelletier. You too, Miss.”
Dr. Pelletier watched Bill and Pat scurry down the hallway. He chuckled as he watched Bill smack the back of Pat’s head.
Dr. Pelletier turned to Alice and asked, “Now then! Are you ready to meet him?”
“Meet who?”
“Maddock. The young man I’ve been telling you about.”
“Oh, yes! I’m sorry. Yes, of course. I’m ready. Dr. Pelletier, who is Nurse Noble? I thought that I’ve already met everyone who works here, but that name doesn’t sound familiar.”
“And with good reason. Nurse Noble is one of our night nurses. She’s only here for a short time in the morning. Occasionally, she will work a day shift if one of the other nurses calls out sick. Perhaps sometime I can introduce you to her.”
“After hearing Bill talk about her, I’m not so sure if I want to.”
Dr. Pelletier smiled. “Oh, pay no attention to Bill. Nurse Noble is harmless. Now, let’s not keep Maddock waiting any longer.”
Alice nodded and flinched. She rubbed at her te
mples as an effort to massage away the migraine.
“Alice, are you feeling well today?”
“I just have a bit of a headache, but I’m all right. I guess I’m just feeling a little foggy this morning.”
“Oh my, is that so? Well, if you’re not feeling up to it, we can meet with Maddock another day.”
“Oh, no! I’m okay. I just didn’t get much sleep last night. I think I just need a good cup of tea.” Alice smiled, doing her best to fake it.
“Wonderful! Perhaps after our meeting with Maddock, you and I can grab a cup of tea together, hm?” Dr. Pelletier suggested.
Alice smiled and carefully nodded her head in agreement.
When they reached the meeting room, Dr. Pelletier paused before opening the door.
“I think you’re going to find Maddock quite amusing,” Dr. Pelletier said to Alice with a hint of playful mischief in his voice.
CHAPTER NINE
Dr. Pelletier and Alice entered the meeting room. Sitting at the table was Maddock. His ash brown hair was wildly sticking up in all directions as though it hadn't been combed in days. His wide hazel eyes darted rapidly around the room as he fidgeted uncontrollably in his seat.
“No room! No room!” Maddock shouted.
“Come now, Maddock. There is plenty of room,” Dr. Pelletier exclaimed.
“Pfft! Well, of course, there is room for her,” Maddock remarked, rolling his eyes. “But I don’t recall inviting you to this party.”
Alice glanced over at Dr. Pelletier and covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her smirk.
Maddock smiled broadly, exposing the large gap between his two front teeth, clearly proud of the reaction he’d gotten from Alice.
Dr. Pelletier looked at Alice and said, “Well, this should to be interesting.”
Dr. Pelletier sat down and placed his glasses on the end of his nose, ready to begin jotting down notes.
Alice sat down at the table across from Maddock and introduced herself. “Hello, my name is Alice. It’s very nice to…”
Maddock threw his hands into the air dramatically, interrupting Alice, and exclaimed, “Maddock Hatcher, at your service! The pleasure is all yours. I like hats! Big, tall hats. But you could never wear a hat, you know. You have far too much hair. A hat would never sit properly on top of your head! How do you keep your head from falling off? With so much hair, it’s a wonder how the weight of it doesn’t break your neck.” He threw his head back and laughed hysterically.
Maddock was wonderfully flamboyant and spoke with a beautiful British accent.
“That’s alright. I don’t care for hats anyway,” Alice replied.
Maddock froze with a look of shock on his face. “How could you possibly not like hats? Hats are very important, you know. They keep your thoughts in. They keep your secrets hidden. Without a hat, your thoughts just fly about.”
Maddock paused for a moment, and then his eyes lit up, and a smile crossed his lips as though he had just remembered something wonderful.
“Did you know, that when you lose a thought, it’s like letting go of a sad balloon?” His voice trailed off as he stared up at the ceiling as though he were watching a thought physically drift away. Suddenly, he passed gas. “Ooh, pardon me. I believe I’ve just lost a thought.”
Alice heard Dr. Pelletier chuckle and glanced over at him. He cleared his throat, trying to wipe the smile off of his face, and motioned for Alice to continue. His lips twitched as he struggled not to laugh.
Alice was also finding it incredibly difficult not to laugh and needed to take a moment to regain her composure.
When Alice finally felt that she had the giggles under control, she looked at Maddock and asked, “Are you British?”
“Of course not! What would make you ask me such a ridiculous question?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I think your accent is lovely. I just assumed that you were British.”
“Well, you assumed wrong, you know. If you want respect from people, you have to talk like this.”
Alice grinned. “Oh, I see. So, are you from around here?”
“Do you mean to ask, where I am from?”
“Yes, of course. It’s the same thing, isn’t it?”
Maddock pressed his hands to his chest and stared at Alice with an over-exaggerated look of shock on his face. After a moment, he slapped his hands down on the table and exclaimed, “It most certainly is not! To suggest that the two questions are the same thing is absolutely ludicrous! That is like saying, ‘Do cats eat bats?’ is the same question as ‘Do bats eat cats?’ They are not the same thing at all. They are entirely different, you know.”
“Yes, you are absolutely right.” Alice’s cheeks were beginning to hurt with the effort of keeping herself from laughing. “I apologize, Maddock. So, where are you from?”
Maddock’s gaze drifted away, as though he were recollecting a fond distant memory. “I’m from far, far away. Somewhere, over the rainbow. In a Wonderland just past the second star to the left. But, you must travel by train to get there, you know.”
Alice observed Maddock with adoration. He seemed to be so innocent and oblivious to the harsh realities of the outside world. For a moment, Alice thought to herself how wonderful it would be to go wherever it was that Maddock believed he was from.
“Maddock, how old are you?”
Maddock’s shoulders slumped. “I haven’t the slightest idea. It’s all the same for me, you know. Do you know how old you are?”
“Well, yes. Of course, I do.”
“Oh, good!” Maddock exclaimed. “At least time marches on for one of us!”
“Time marches on for everyone, Maddock. We all grow old eventually.”
“Oh, no. But that’s where you’re wrong, you know. In here,” Maddock said, pointing to his head, “time remains the same. People talk about it all the time. But those foolish things, they have it all wrong. You often hear them say that they will always remain young at heart. But you see, the heart does grow old. People go about their days, worrying about how they’re going to pay their bills or file their taxes. They complain about the mediocre political figures that run their country. And over time, they become bitter and fuss over petty things. It’s sad, really.
“But the mind remains the same. All of your hopes and dreams, your fantasies and fantastic stories, they’re all still in there. Your mind, although sometimes trapped or suppressed by your aging heart, remains young. So, therefore, your body may age in time, but you will never grow old.”
Alice smiled and shook her head in awe. “Maddock, you are an incredible young man.”
Maddock grinned shyly. “Thank you. I do try my best, you know.”
Alice sat back in her chair, crossed her arms, and relaxed for the first time in days. She enjoyed speaking to Maddock so much, that she had forgotten about her migraine. She had forgotten about her nightmares and all of her worries and suspicions. She had even forgotten about Rose. At that very moment, nonsense was exactly what Alice needed.
Maddock pressed a finger against his lips and narrowed his eyes, studying Alice. He looked in both directions as though he had a secret to share and wanted to be sure that there was no one around to hear it. He leaned forward in his chair and beckoned Alice with his finger to come closer.
Alice leaned forward, and Maddock asked in a hushed tone, “Are you fond of tea?”
Alice whispered back, “Oh yes, I love tea very much.”
Maddock sat back in his chair, smiling broadly. “Wonderful! Fantastic!” he shouted. “You should never trust anyone who isn’t fond of tea. It just isn’t right, you know. Cats are not fond of tea. No, they most certainly are not.”
During the remainder of their meeting, Maddock entertained Alice by singing verses from random songs, making up many of the lyrics as he went along. He told her jokes and riddles that made absolutely no sense at all, and Alice enjoyed every bit of it.
“I hate to interrupt, but I believe we’ve come
to the end of this session,” Dr. Pelletier said.
Alice had grown incredibly fond of Maddock and hated to see him go. Within that short amount of time, she had become attached to him and loved him dearly. Alice felt an instant connection to Maddock. He was like a long lost friend she’d just been reunited with after years of being apart.
“Maddock, I’m sorry to say this, but our time is up for today. I very much enjoyed speaking to you. I hope to see you again soon.”
Maddock cupped one hand around his mouth and whispered, “Don’t trust the potatoes. They have eyes in the back of their heads.”
Alice smiled and whispered back, “Okay, I’ll be sure to watch out for them.”
When Alice stood and waved goodbye, she noticed that Maddock’s demeanor changed instantly. He went still and silent. He stared blankly at Alice. And then, he slowly rose from his chair.
“Alice, you’re trapped at the bottom of a treacle well. You must get out. She is coming for you.”
A chill ran down Alice’s spine.
“Who is coming for me?” Alice asked.
“She is the one that drifts in and out of the corner of your eye. She is the ghost that lingers after your nightmares have gone. She is the Jabberwock, and She’s coming for you. She’s going to steal your muchness.”
Alice’s heart was racing. Somehow, Maddock knew about the shadowy figure.
“How do you…?” But before Alice could finish her question, Maddock had gone back to his whimsical, nonsensical self, as though nothing had happened.
Alice turned to Dr. Pelletier. “May I speak with you outside, please?”
Dr. Pelletier followed Alice out into the hallway and closed the door behind him.
“What was that all about? Do Maddock’s moods change that drastically, often?”
“Oh, yes. Maddock is extremely hyperactive, and he rarely makes any sense at all. It can be quite difficult to have a coherent conversation with him at times.”