We're All Mad Here (Tim Miller's Twisted Tales Book 1)

by Tim Miller

  Keeping her eyes pinched shut, it was a shock to her when her body hit the cold water. She splashed into a body of water and opened her eyes. The cold stung her naked flesh as she kicked her way to the surface, opening her eyes as she took a deep breath. Looking around and treading water, she was in yet another forest. Though this place wasn’t as dark and dreary as Wonderland. The sun shone brightly as the trees covered nearby hills. She was in a small lake.

  It was hard to swim ashore still wearing the boots. Though that was still all she was wearing. She wasn’t sure where she was, but it was clear she was no longer in wonderland. As she reached the bank, she crawled out and lie on the ground. As she looked up at the sky, there were no clouds at all. The air was crisp and cool on her wet skin. She took several deep breaths. Wherever she was, it wasn’t Texas. Definitely not hot enough.

  There was a sound nearby, a rustling sound along with something lapping up water. Slowly she sat up, looking to her left. There was a huge and furry creature about fifty feet away. It couldn’t see her, but from where she sat, it looked like a large dog. A wolf maybe? The thing was bent over and drinking from the lake. Once it finished drinking, it stood and looked around, using the back of its hand, or paw to wipe its mouth.

  The thing was clearly a wolf of some sort, but it stood on its hind legs like a person, and looked way too tall to be a regular wolf. She thought maybe it was a werewolf, but it was day light. Then again she just came back from Wonderland where she saw talking eggs, unicorns and fire breathing dragons among other things. So the sight of a werewolf should seem tame by comparison.

  The wolf stopped wiping its face when it saw her. The thing froze in place before lowering its hand and started heading her way. She jumped to her feet and started backing away. This was just great. She was far too exhausted to keep running or fighting, but unless she wanted to be eaten by a strange creature twice in one day, she had better run.

  The tall weeds were hard to run in as they whipped against her bare thighs and butt, giving her lacerations all up and down her lower body. She ignored the pain as she powered through the brush, but the beast was too fast for her. It closed the distance quickly and from there was toying with her. It would come up behind her, scratch her slightly, and then drift back. Then it would run up again and repeat it until it got bored. From there it leapt onto her back, knocking her to the ground.

  She let out a scream as the large wolf stood over her, panting, looking as if he were smiling. She tried to struggle away, but the thing held her down. Alice began to cry as the strain and frustration of the last twenty-four hours began to take its toll. After all her trials and all she had survived, here she was going to die in this strange place, to this giant wolf while lying naked in a field. The idea of her life ending didn’t even bother her so much. Other than her short stint as the Naked Queen of Wonderland, she had accomplished little in life other than disappointing her family.

  No, what had her most upset was she would die here, and no one back home would even miss her. It would be as if she’d never existed. Her thoughts were interrupted by the wolf himself, who began to speak.

  “Oh, come on now. Don’t cry,” he said.

  “You can talk?” She said, which should not have surprised her at this point, but it did.

  “Of course I can.”

  “You’re going to kill me aren’t you?”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Because you chased after me and tackled me. Plus you’re a werewolf.”

  He laughed for a moment as he shook his head.

  “No, no. I’m not a werewolf at all,” he said.

  “Then what are you?”

  “I’m the Big Bad Wolf!”

  To be continued...