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The Wonderland Raid
🕑 Added 2022-02-04 18:01:03 +0000 UTCThe Wonderland Raid.
Vess shut the door to her apartment. “It is getting late.” She blinked her blue eyes. “I need to get to the store.” She walked to the stairs and brushed her dark hair to the side. She had a long workday to spread her new product out in the world. After she lost her size-changing device, she had to change her tactics to slowly spread transformation relics out to people. It was much slower but still effective at spreading some general chaos so she could eventually swoop in and claim whatever she wished.
But she was behind this week, not selling a sink product beyond general merchandise. Finally, she exited the building and walked out into the brisk winter air. “That isn’t acceptable. I have to at least sell one Moonlight Rise this week.”
She turned the corner, and the park came into view. Her shop was in the center of the city’s park, far away from prying eyes. There she sold a large assortment of strange talismans and products to people who were a bit too busy to realize just what they were buying. It wasn’t perfect, but it sure made up the funds while she tried to remake her size-altering device so she could rob people blind again.
As she entered the park, a chill ran through her spine. “Phew.” She pulled at her jacket. “It is much colder out here than I thought. I should have brought my winter jacket.” She chucked. “Or drank one of my potions so I would have fur right now.”
Vess looked up to see a strange-looking white rabbit in a trench coat standing twenty feet away from her with its back turned to her. She scratched at her head and slowly walked forward. “Hmm, is that one of the people I turned into a rabbit looking for my store to turn back? Maybe I should look to cash in on that market.”
The giant rabbit looked at a watch and suddenly hopped off. Vess narrowed her eyes. “Hey, don’t you run away. You have some money to pay me.” She chased after the rabbit. “Come back here.”
She followed the rabbit through a dense thicket of bushes, only for the white bunny to vanish. “Hey. Where did you go?” Vess took a few steps forward and scratched at her head. “This doesn’t make any sense. Come on out. I have an extra special bottle of carrot be gone juice for you. Ahhhhhhh!”
The ground fell out from under her, and she tumbled downward. She looked up as the sky above her quickly vanished, and she became enveloped in darkness. After a few moments of falling, she could see a light below her, slowly approaching. Vess took deep breaths as she fell into a strangely lit tunnel filled with pictures and books. “What is this place?” She looked around as she slowly floated downward. “Why am I not following to my doom?” She tried to look down and ended up doing a flip in the air, her feet kicking one of the books off the shelves.
“Crap.” She grabbed the book as she came back around. “I won’t be doing that again.” She looked at the book. “The Great Adventures of Pasrie Robin?” She arched an eyebrow. “What in the world?” She dropped the book, and it slowly rose back towards its place on the shelf. “Umm, this place is bizarre.” She tentatively peered down the hole. “When will I get to the bottom?”
Suddenly the end of the hole appeared, and she landed in a soft chair. “Oufff.” Vess shook her head and looked around. “Where am I?” She scratched at her head and moved her dark bangs to the side so she could see the hallway of doorways. “They go on and on forever.” She turned around. “Same with that way. What is this place?”
Vess slipped out of the chair and dusted herself off. “Well, I guess I should find a way out.” She crossed her arms and sighed. “Well, nothing to really do but try a door.” She adjusted her blue jacket and walked over to the nearest door. “Ugh, locked.” She turned her head and looked at the door directly across the hallway. “Probably just bad luck.” She walked across the black and white tile floor and tried again. “You have got to be kidding me.”
She quickly went down door by door, trying each only to find them all locked. “Come on.” She slammed her hand on one of the thick white barriers. “One of these has to be unlocked.”
“Oh dear, oh me. I am going to be late.”
She turned around to see the same white rabbit she had followed down the hole as it opened one of the doorways. He looked at his pocket watch and shook his head, his big furry ears twitching. “This won’t do, this won’t do at all. The duchess will be so furious if I don’t hurry.” He hurried across the hallway and opened one of the doors.”
“Hey. Wait.” She waved one of her arms. “Please.”
The white rabbit ignored her and vanished through the opening. Vess hurried so the door wouldn’t shut and lock her in the endless hallway, her hand just grasping the edge of the doorframe as it was about to shut. “Got ya.” She sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow. “Phew. That was a close one.” She took a deep breath and then stepped through the gateway.
She came into a vast circular room with even more doors. Vess shook her head and put her hands into her jean pockets, “You have got to be kidding me. Who designed this place? I am just going to take my chances with the hallway.” She turned around to find that the way she had entered had vanished. “I feel like someone is trying to get me back for something I did to them.” She hugged herself and walked into the center of the room. “Look, whoever it is, we can make a deal, ok. Ahhh!”
She twisted around as her hips hit a glass table. “Crap.” She quickly grabbed the table so it wouldn’t tip over and shatter. “Why didn’t I see this when I walked into the room.” Vess took a deep breath and looked around. “Umm, Mr. Rabbit. Can you please come back?” She scratched at her head. “I need to find my way out of here.” She walked up to one of the doors and pulled at the locked knob. “Please don’t just leave me in here.”
Vess turned around and slowly slid down into a sitting position. “Ok, think. You are in someone else’s crazy funhouse, and you need to find your way out.” She put her head into her hands. “What do you think people do when I put them in these situations? Ugh.” She shook her head. “Am I even going to get out of here?”
She looked up and noticed a strange sparkling bottle on the glass table. “Huh?” Vess pushed her way to her feet. “Where did that come from?” She walked over and picked up the bottle. “Drink me?” She held up the bottle above her head. “Where did this thing come from? And why does it sound so familiar?” She looked back down at the table. “Hmm.” She set the bottle down and tapped her fingers on the glass. “I swear this is very familiar; I just can’t place it.” Vess scratched her nails on the glass. “It is killing me that I can’t think of it right now.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Well, I am very thirsty. Besides. . .” She took the cork off the bottle. “Drinking from you is better than trying all of these doors.” She laughed. “Down the hatch.” She took a few sips from the bottle. “Wow, that is something.” Vess licked her lips. “It tastes like cherry pie?” She suddenly shrunk down a few inches, her clothes now gigantic on her body. “What an odd taste.”
She shook her head and looked at her body. “What in the world?” Vess dropped the bottle on the ground. “What is going on?” Before adjusting her clothing, she shrank again, her jacket and blouse collapsed on top of her. “Hey.” She swatted the massive fabric to the side as she shrank yet again, falling into a pant leg. “What is going on? Oww.” She shook her head as her clothes fell on top of her and slammed her to the ground.
She tunneled her way out from under her garments. “Ugh.” Vess shook her body as she emerged out from under her jacket. “That just happened.” She looked up at the glass table before her. “Wow, a little bit of that drink caused me to shrink so much.” She walked over to the table and measured herself. “I must only be an inch or two high. This is crazy.” A smile formed on her face. “If I could have more of those Drink Me bottles in my shop, my problems would be over. I could sell them to people and shrink them and. . . .” Vess sighed. “Ugh, it won’t work if I can just shrink them.” She sat down. “And it won’t work if I can’t get out of here.”
She stood up. “Well, I guess I should focus on finding an exit to this madding place again.” She looked up at the massive gateways. “I did make sure that I am not going through any doorway now, that is for sure.” She turned around to see a yellow curtain at the far end of the room. “Why is it every time I turn around, there is something new in this room?” She ran across the room and over to the curtain as fast as her little legs would take her. She then moved the curtain to the side. “Ok, how am I going to tie this up?” Her eyes widened as the curtain moved on its own, rolling up to the side. “This place is very peculiar.”
Vess turned her head to see a black and white door standing before her. “Ugh, not again.” She shook her head. “I am sick of doors.” She shrugged. “Well, I guess I should at least try it.” She tried the knob, and to her surprise, the door opened. “Oh my god, yes. Thank you.” She swung the door open. “Thank you so much.”
She peered through the portal to see a garden full of strange cakes and red potions. “More of the shrinking potions?” She clasped her hands together. “Perfect. But what are the other things in there?” She shook her head. “I don’t care. I will figure it out later and just roll with it. I am just happy I found the stash.” She jumped up and down. “Yes, this will help me out so much. Oh, yay, baby.” She swung her arms around and hugged herself, her right hand striking the door and slamming it.
“Oh shit.” She tried to open the door back up, but it was locked tight. “You have got to be kidding me. It was just open. Don’t you do this to me.” She tightened her grip around the handle. “Nooooo!”
Vess took in a deep breath and turned around. “I am really starting to hate this place.” She ran her left hand through her hair. “Let’s see; maybe if I can find that bottle again, I could shrink down and slip under one of the other doors around here.” She began to walk back towards the table. “Or possibly shrink down so small I could get back into that room. It is perfect.” She raised her head. “Wait, where is the bottle?” Vess clenched her hands into fists. “And what happened to my clothes. Augh.”
She kicked the cold marble floor. “This is the last time I chase some random bunny, even if I turn people into them.” She shook her head. “I am starting to wonder if I will ever get out of here.” She blinked her eyes rapidly and took another deep breath. “Keep it together, Vess. I don’t know what is coming over you but just keep it together, ok.”
She looked back up at the glass table. “Well, I guess it is a good thing you are still here, right. If anything, only to mock me.” Vess narrowed her eyes. “Wait, what?” Sitting on the edge of the table was a tiny gold key. “But. . . that wasn’t there before.” She sighed and shook her head. “I am not even going to question it anymore. I am just going to go and get the key and be thankful it is there.”
She walked right up to one of the glass table legs. “Though how am I supposed to get up there.” She looked up. “That thing is massive now.” Vess gulped. “I have a hard enough time reaching for the top row of merchandise at my store.” She narrowed her eyes. “But if I don’t get up there, I will be trapped in here forever.” Then, with her arms and legs wrapped around the glistening table leg, she began to shimmy her way upward.
Halfway up, the table leg began to curve inward towards the other legs. Vess groaned as it became tough for her to pull herself up. “Just a bit more. Ugh.” She suddenly lost her grip and slipped back down, sliding along the black and white tile floor. “Oww, oww!”
She shook her head and looked up at the glass table. “This is impossible. Even if I got up to where the legs come together, I wouldn’t be able to go any further than that. I am trapped.” She stood up and sniffled. “And who is even going to come looking for me? I don’t see a way out of this situation.” She sat down on a hard surface like sitting on a bench.
“I just want to wake up in my bed and forget this whole thing.” She crossed her legs. “Have some hot cocoa.” A smile came to her face. “Maybe even make a new pendent for some unsuspecting patron. That sounds so nice right now.” She put her hands behind her. “Wait, what am I sitting on?” Vess stood up and turned around to see a large golden box.
She pulled at her left arm as she examined the intricate designs on the crate. “This looks very nice. Nice looking rabbits and playing cards. Though I do wish it was open.”
As if listening to her, the crate slowly creaked open. Vess arched an eyebrow and saw dozens of small pastry cakes in the box. “Well then.” She reached down and picked one up with the words Eat Me written on it. “I think I saw this on the other side of the doorway. I wonder what it does, though.” She took a small bite. “Mhhmm.”
Vess shook her arms. “Ugh, my skin feels loose all of a sudden.” She looked down at the tiles as they began to move away from her. “Huh?” As she raised her head, her hips hit the glass table and pushed almost knocked it over. She grabbed it just in time to avoid knocking it over, her hands growing along the top of round table. She then stood up and hugged herself. “That little cake sure has a lot of kick to it.” She took a deep breath as her head came closer and closer to the ceiling. “I better slow down soon before I run out of room.”
Vess winced as her head brushed against the ceiling. “Ugh. Stop already.” She put her hands on the ceiling as her shoulders pressed against it. “I regret eating that cake.” Her eyes closed as her body finally stopped growing. She took a deep breath and knelt down.
“Phew.” Vess picked up the glass table from between her knees. “Well, at least I am big enough to have the key now.” She looked around. “Though I can’t get out of here now.” She tapped one of the doors with her hand. “Even if I could get one of these doors open, I would never fit. This is just absurd.” She looked directly up. “Why couldn’t of I just stayed small so I could have entered that room. With all of those size-changing drinks and cakes, I could have expanded my business tenfold.” Vess slammed the side of the room. “Damnit.”
A piece of the ceiling fell and hit her in the head. “Oww. Uugh.” She rubbed her noggin. “Someone should have done a better job at building this place.” She narrowed her eyes and noticed a gleaming red glow. “A bottle!”
She gently picked the bottle up and raised it upward. “Oh, thank you, thank you.” Vess took a deep breath. “Just keep calm, and this will be perfect.” She looked down. “Now, get the key with your other hand. Good.” She then shook the cork off the bottle. “And down the hatch.”
A few moments later, Vess was shrinking downward. She dropped the bottle with a smile on her face as she gripped the key with both hands. Down and down she went until once again she was just a few inches high. Finally, she looked up with a giant grin on her face. “Wow. It took a while, but everything worked out.” She looked at the small doorway across the room. “Now to get inside and claim my well-earned prize. I am sure someone will just love these little devils as much as I do.” She laughed as she crossed across the floor. “As much trouble as they have caused me today, I am sure that I can find an interesting way to sell them to someone.” She slid the key into the keyhole and unlocked the door.
“There is so much I can’t wait to do these goods.” She walked into the garden full of potions and pastries. “I almost can’t keep the ideas from bubbling up to the surface.” Vess took a deep breath as she looked around the rose-filled gardens. “Though how in the world am I going to get all of these wondrous goods back up that crazy rabbit hole I fell down?”
