by Lotus Rose
“I didn’t think so,” Malice snarls. “So why did we waste all this time with putting on the act of you being oh-so-morally torn, when we all knew we were going to end up here?”
The Prince closes his mouth and relents with a sheepish shrug.
“I do think we should just go,” the Hatter says quietly. “It’s just not right to do that to her.”
Malice lets loose a howl of outrage, rushes over to him and kicks him in the shin.
As the Hatter yowls and hops about holding his leg, Malice says, “But there is a third option. I could take that dagger of yours and hold it up to the crone’s neck and demand she tell us the prophesy or I’ll slice her neck, and if she lies, we’ll come back and make good on the promise, but I really thought the foot rub option would be much more entertaining.” The old lady is looking a bit panicked so Malice smiles sweetly at her to calm her.
“You’re right,” the Prince says. “You were being pragmatic, while I was just trying to pretend…in order to look good.”
Malice says, “Well, by golly, I thought that Black Rose was supposed to twist you. It’s about time you start acting like it.”
The Hatter starts making a pitiful moaning noise, but Malice glares at him, causing him to stop.
The Prince assumes a more rigid posture. “You’re right. I am twisted. I don’t know what I was thinking. Habit, I suppose. You may proceed with my blessings.”
The Hatter whimpers but doesn’t speak.
Malice says, “And so after wasting so much time, I’ll rub the lotion on your feet if you’ll agree to recite your little prophesy. So where is it?” She demonstratively looks about.
“Here,” the old lady says. She rummages in her dress and pulls out a little tub.
She hands it to Malice’s outstretched hand.
Malice twists it open. The goop inside smells like rotten milk, and she kneels, calling out as she grabs those old toes, “Avert your eyes!” because she thinks it’s funny, but also to cover up the nervousness as she shifts the smelly goop ever closer to those crinkly, old toes.
But Malice closes her eyes, and soon it is over, and the old lady’s scrunched wrinkled toes and feet are slathered in the goop.
She stands up and is so grateful as the old lady hands her a handkerchief.
Everybody stares at her ugly feet—something they had been avoiding before.
Her toes start wriggling and crinkling over and over and the flesh of her skin becomes red.
The lady says, “I can feel my little piggies tingling.”
They all stare expectantly. Malice thinks she saw one big toe grow ever-so-slightly.
“Oh, fiddlesticks,” the lady says, “the lot of you staring at my feet is embarrassing me. Come now, I’ll tell you the prophesy.”
They all look up to her face.
The lady says, “Many years ago, two sisters were born. One was Cinderella. Her sister, Goody Two-shoes, was born with a most beautiful pair of shoes.
“Goody Two-shoes was always kind and sweet. Her magic shoes made her so. Everyone loved her, except Cinderella. Cinderella was so jealous and wanted a magical pair of shoes of her own. Long story short, she stole a pair of magical glass slippers from a sorceress made of glass, who Cinderella then murdered by shattering her to death. But the magical slippers would never permanently shatter, because they have the ability to reform.”
The lady glances down at her feet, which have grown three times their former size and are now visibly enlarging. The Hatter makes a whimpery sound as he spies them.
The lady continues, “And here is where the prophesy comes in, for it is foretold that there shall come a day when a flower of doom shall threaten to twist all the fairy tales. The fate of the fairy tales shall hinge on a showdown between Goody Two-shoes and Cinderella.
“The two shall duel. If Cinderella defeats her sister, all her goodness will be vanquished, and the twisting will prevail in the Land of Fairy Tales. But if Goody Two-shoes defeats Cinderella, the effects of the rose shall be reversed.”
She looks down at her huge feet. They’re now each as long as one of her entire legs.
She laughs. “Soon my feet will be big enough to fit in the shoe!” Nudge of her head.
The Prince says, “The girl named Goody Two-shoes…Cinderella must be going to kill her. Where is she?”
“Well, she has her own area.” She points down the trail. “At the fork in the road, go through the Gold Egg-laying Goose’s area, then go down the trail till you see Goody Two-shoes’ sign. You can’t miss it.”
The Prince nods. “We must catch up with Cinderella. Come on, let’s go.”
“Good luck preserving the integrity of the fairy tale beings!” the lady calls out as the group begins walking away. “Thanks for helping me with my feet… No!”
They turn to look at her. She’s straining to lift her legs, but her feet are so huge, they barely move.
“Having trouble?” Malice says with a grin.
The old lady is sobbing. “I can’t move my feet! They’re too heavy.”
“And only getting heavier!” Malice adds not helpfully.
“Please!” the lady shrieks, panicking. “You’ve got to help me. You’ve got to—I don’t know—help me put my foot in the shoe at least!”
Malice cackles and points. “Maybe one of your brats will help!”
Next to her, the Prince is cackling, and the Hatter is muttering to himself, “That poor dear lady.”
“Let’s go,” Malice says. She turns away and walks.
“No! Don’t leave me! Please don’t leave me!”
They keep walking.
Chapter 15
The scene behind them vanishes and the anguished cries of the old lady grow quieter as they walk down the trail.
The Hatter is sniveling to himself, constantly muttering things about the “poor old lady.” He seems quite distraught, so Malice doesn’t think he’ll make very good conversation.
So she focuses her attention on the Prince.
She looks over at him as they continue walking. “So when you smelled the rose, it twisted you? Changed your story?”
“Yes, my origin story has been shifting ever since then. It’s different than even a few minutes ago.”
“Well, I’m curious to hear it.”
“Very well. Once upon a time, I was a happy prince, minding my own business. I was satisfied being single, because women are complicated. But one day, Cinderella came, with her magic glass shoes and seduced me. She knew I had a foot fetish, and she took advantage of it. I don’t want to go through all the details, but she ended up breaking my heart, stealing my kingdom and wealth, and kicking me out of my own castle!”
“What a scoundrel!”
“I tried to kill her, but she fled, but she lost one of her shoes, which I picked up. Ever since that day, I have vowed to one day place that shoe upon her foot once more.”
“Huh? That sounds…rather nice. Why would you do that?”
The Hatter says, “Perhaps he’s not as mean as you.”
The Prince stops walking and shakes his head. He pulls out the glass slipper. “Look…”
She peers at it. It’s quite different from the last time she saw it, since the inside of the shoe is now lined with sharp glass spikes.
The Hatter yelps, but Malice chuckles.
“Brilliant,” she says.
The Prince says, “I had a witch enchant the shoe to grow those spikes, tipped with poison. Anyone who dons the shoe will die immediately. And that is why I have dedicated my life to hunting that conniving backstabber down. For I am determined to kill her with the very same shoe she used to seduce me.”
“How ironic,” she says.
“Indeed,” the Prince says. He continues walking.
“If only I had a card,” Malice adds.
The Hatter says, “But she seemed so nice before. She doesn’t deserve to be killed.”
The Prince says, “Her tale has become twisted, just as mine has. Sh
e’s not the sweet innocent girl you knew before.”
Malice says, “Well, I look forward to seeing the end of your tale. Sounds like it’ll be a jolly good show.” Malice laughs uproariously at the delectably twisted tale, but suddenly stops. Her ticktock heart has suddenly started ticking again, and the kindness programming kicks in. Such a cruel vicious tale is no longer funny.
The Prince doesn’t notice her sudden change of demeanor. He is too busy inspecting one of the sacks of his belt. “One of those little hooligans must have stolen my slingshot balls!”
The Hatter says, “Perhaps they wanted to play marbles.”
The Prince says, “If I wasn’t on this mission, I’d turn back and show them what for.”
They walk a bit further as the Prince stews.
Malice sighs and points. “There it is.” Because up ahead is a bunch of signs and five different trails going off.
Chapter 16
They find that the new version of the slipper can no longer track Cinderella, but they don’t even have to think about which path to take, immediately setting off for the Gold Egg-laying Goose’s area.
The scene around them shifts, and now they are in a dirt area next to a small humble wooden cottage.
A farm boy of about 15 years of age turns to look at them. He is standing next to a goose sitting in a bird nest in the middle of the open dirt area. About twenty feet away is an eight foot wide crater in the ground.
“Oh no,” the boy says. “Not more visitors!”
Malice, who is pleasant and polite once more, says, “Sorry to bother you, but we are seeking a girl with glass slippers named Cinderella who is causing a lot of trouble in Fairy Tale Land.”
“That’s for sure,” says the boy as he points to something lying on the ground in front of the goose. “She left that.”
Malice looks to see a black rose lying there. She blows out from her cheeks. “Where does she get them all?”
The Prince shakes his head. “So the goose’s tale has been twisted?”
The boy says, “Huh? Her tail?” He looks.
The Prince says, “No, her story. It has changed?”
The boy scowls, makes a fist and shakes it. “Yes. That crazy ball gown wearer! First she threatens to cut me with her glass shoe if I don’t tell her where Goody Two-shoes’ area is, then she uses that vicious magical flower to twist the goose and her golden eggs!”
Malice says, “Let me guess. The goose used to lay eggs of pure gold, and now she doesn’t?”
The boy says, “Well after she smelled that flower, the eggs are still gold-colored, but…look!” He walks up to the goose. “Shoo goose, shoo!”
The goose lets loose some squawks and flutters its wings in irritation but then gives in and walks off to a short distance away.
They look down to see five golden goose eggs, with what look to be candle wicks with metal caps poking out the top of each of them.
The boy says, “Not only are they no longer real gold, but they are explosive. The goose now lays golden grenades!”
They all three let out sounds and utterances expressing their concern for their immediate safety.
But the boy says, “Oh, don’t worry, they must be lit before they go off. But what use do I have for explosive eggs?! That nutter! She even lit one and threw it in my hands before she told me they were explosives. I had to throw it.” He points at the crater in the ground a distance away.
“She’s indeed a cruel mistress,” the Prince mutters through clenched teeth.
“Yes,” the boy says angrily. “She kept laughing at that. She thought it was the funniest thing ever. I hope you track her down and give her what she deserves.”
“We fully intend to,” the Prince says. “Would you be so kind as to point us to the goody two-shoed girl’s area?”
He points. “Down the trail. There is a sign for it, so you can’t miss it.”
“Thank you,” the Prince says. “Do you mind if we take some of these eggs? In case we need explosives…”
“Yes, please do. I have no use for them anyway. Oh, in order to light them, you must pull the cap off quick, and the friction causes a spark that lights the wick. It explodes about ten seconds later. Make sure not to be holding it at the time.”
Moments later, the three travelers are on the trail once more, going as fast as they can to catch up.
When they come to the next mass of signs, they go in the direction of Goody Two-shoes.
Chapter 17
The Queen of Hearts had been taking a nap in the afternoon, when Alice intruded into her dream to tell her she was trying to contact someone on the Wonderland side. The Queen of Hearts bolted awake and rushed to Sleeping Beauty’s bedroom. Unfortunately, the Cheshire Cat had decided to tag along.
So now, the Queen of Hearts is alone with the Cat in Sleeping Beauty’s room, putting the hat on the girl’s head.
After reciting the words she’d heard the Storyteller say, the image of Alice appears again.
This time, she seems to be around 16 years old.
The Queen of Hearts doesn’t stop to question that.
The girl is sitting crosslegged in a day dress, floating in the air, with a glowing crystal ball floating above her lap. She is holding the palms of her hands to the ball, as if making a reading or directing its magic.
“Queeny weeny, so it’s just you and the Cat this time, eh? Well, okay, I’ll get right to it. My connection to Wonderland has grown stronger so I was able to call you, but I can’t hold on for long. I have to tell you, I’m having a problem. One of the fairy tale beings is trying to contact me, in order to save her.”
“Oh? Cinderella? Malice?”
“No, no, someone else. Goody Two-shoes is her name, I think. I can only get a vague sense of what she’s trying to tell me, but I’m not yet strong enough to contact her. I’m having trouble reaching my thoughts into her Fairy Tale Land.”
“I’ve heard of the goody two-shoes, but there is a girl who’s named that?” the Queen of Hearts says.
“I think so, that’s what I sense at least. She wants me to help her. Cat, do you know anything?”
“I’m afraid I’m unable to travel into the Fairy Tale Land and I know practically nothing about those who live there.”
Alice bites her lip. “That’s too bad. It’s just that I don’t know what to do. She keeps reaching out to me. I can sense…there’s someone after her and she wants me to rescue her. And also in her thoughts I can read a strong notion, about the Black Rose, I believe. It’s a magic flower I encountered in Wonderland. It got a hold of me once, and I can feel its dark influence once more. I must admit it’s entered my thoughts again. I’ve been having dreams about it. And I can sense she wants me to focus my thoughts on it and stop it somehow, but it’s all so vague. I can’t read her thoughts completely clearly. But obviously, she wants me to help her in some way, and I don’t know what to do.”
The Queen of Hearts sees an opportunity suddenly opening up before her. And so, she decides to lie to the girl. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, my dear, but this Goody Two-shoes is not so wonderful. I actually do now recall her.”
“You do?”
“Yes, she is a goody two-shoes. Remember when you used to wear them? She wants to make the fairy tales be all sickly sweet, and make them boring and sugary tales for toddlers to get ‘moral’ lessons from. She is the last thing the fairy tale beings need.”
“Huh? I don’t understand. Is she someone powerful? I’m sorry, but I can’t speak much longer. My connection is fading.”
The Queen of Hearts is committed to her lying, but at the same time, she doesn’t want to go too far and be exposed as a liar later. “Some say she’s powerful, some disagree, but the fact is, she’s lying about the Black Rose. The Black Rose is actually what the fairy tale realm needs.”
“It does?”
“Yes. I don’t know what you think, but the Black Rose is not so bad. It’ll shake fairy tale land up, make it exciting and alive!�
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Alice bites her lip. “I’m not sure about that. But Goody Two-shoes says she’s in danger and wants to be saved.”
The Queen of Hearts thinks whoever Goody Two-shoes is, is probably better off dead, but she doesn’t want to push her lies too far. “I don’t know if she’s in danger or not, or if she even deserves to be saved. But I do think she wants you to focus on bringing the Black Rose’s power to Fairy Tale Land. Can you do that, by thinking on it?”
“I don’t know. I feel my thoughts do have some kind of effect on Fairy Tale Land. I’ve been constantly focusing on believing in the fairy tales. Oh dear. I can feel my connection with you is fading. I’ll keep up—”
Her image vanishes. After several moments of waiting, Alice doesn’t reappear.
The Queen of Hearts wonders if she remains silent about this incident, if it will go unnoticed.
When she asks the Cat if he can keep the secret, he says he won’t tell, and she has to make do with that.
Chapter 18
When the area appears around them, they see a grassy area next to a modest wooden hut. There are about a dozen pink bunnies hopping about. There are also many hearts cut from red colored paper lying on the grass.
One of the bunnies hops up to them. “You must help!” the female bunny says. “Some girl is chasing Goody Two-shoes! I think she wants to kill her!”
They look around.
The bunny explains, “No, they are no longer here. Goody Two-shoes ran away, and the girl in the blue dress followed her!”
The Prince says, “Do you know where they went? We want to help Goody Two-shoes.”
“No! I don’t know! They went that way!”
“Well, what happened?” the Prince says.
“Goody was just sitting, cutting her paper hearts, and the other girl comes and calls her names, then they just started fighting. Goody kept asking why was she acting like that, and saying that they were sisters. Then the other girl said she had become twisted. Then Goody yelled up to the sky, ‘Alice help save me! Help me to destroy the Black Rose!’ I don’t know what she was talking about. But then there was a flickering in the sky, and Goody ran away, saying she had to go to the queendom, and her sister followed her.”