Page 3--Alice Gothica Part One--Lauren Masterson

“How unfortunate,” Alice thought to herself, “that the clouds have decided to take summer away when the trees haven’t even begun to bleed.”
How right she was as the wind blew through the trees still full of green.
“It really ought not to do that,” Alice pondered as the wind tangled her black curls into her necklace, “Who ever heard of green trees dropping their leaves?”
Even as she said this a few fallen leaves fluttered by. Most of them were brittle and browning at the edges, but green none the less.
“And here is finally a perfectly pretty yellow one!” Alice exclaimed as she plucked a canary yellow leaf from the scatter, “Oh!”
Alice found herself pinching a rather thin Canary between her fingers instead of a leaf. It gave an annoyed peep.
“What manners!” The Canary exclaimed as it pecked its flat beak against her finger, “Plucking a mother from her nest! The very idea!”
“I’m terribly sorry,” Alice exclaimed as she placed the Canary back on the sidewalk, “Is that better?”
But the Canary didn’t answer because it had completely burrowed into the leaves leaving behind not a trace of yellow.
Alice straightened up and shivered, clutching her black hoodie closer, “How I’d much rather be overheated than cold. One can always take off more clothes unless they have them with. Which they would already be wearing, I suppose which wouldn’t do them any good if they were still cold.”
As Alice pondered this she failed to watch the sidewalk bend suddenly, like a great serpent rearing up, and nearly tumbled into a large fox.
“Careful!” The Fox exclaimed as it held its teacup perchariously overhead
“Dear me, I’m terribly sorry,” Alice shook her head and the sidewalk righted itself.
“It’s quite all right. Things here have a habit of moving on you if you don’t pay careful detention.”
“Don’t you mean attention?” Alice asked as the Fox flicked his tail and settled his tea into his pocket. “Not even a drop…” Alice murmured, seeing not a single stain on his pocket.“No, detention dear. For if one paid attention to all the scenery they would miss everything else. No, one must pay detention, which is deterring your attention whilst not ignoring.”
Alice pondered this while twirling her hair round and round her finger until it was nearly caught in her ring, “My dear, how clever you are, sir!”
“Clever indeed! You never see a stupid fox, now do you? There aren’t enough of us in the world to be stupid.”
“But there are a great many people in the world and not all of them are stupid!” Alice protested, fearing the coy little Fox was mocking her.
“Yes, and there is no need to bristle so, only that there are such a great deal of people in the world that some of them can afford to be stupid because there are always a great deal of others left.”
The Fox then pulled out a pocket watch and flipped the lid. Only instead of hands, a strange little poofle of a creature popped out and hopped, flashing eyes silver as tin. The Fox plucked the little momerath betwixt his paw and squeezed its fluff. The legs melded and sharpened until a needle produced from its head. The Fox tapped his furry arm and drove the momerath deep within. The Fox rolled his eyes, quivered and then opened them again. He then briskly wagged his tail before them.
“Be gone in two shakes!” He called waving.
Alice looked around, “Be gone where?”
“Goodbye!” The Fox called. And just as he had said, he was gone in two wags of his tail.
“What a strange way to leave,” Alice thought as she continued down the path, “Oh how I wish these books weren’t so heavy!”
“And what a strange way to come,” a small voice bleated as Alice trudged on.
“Excuse me?!” Alice jumped as she searched for the new voice.
“Here!”
Alice looked down and saw a rather small black Lamb sitting cross-legged on her book bag with its front arms wound round her shoulder strap.
“No wonder my bag is so heavy! Please get off!”
The Lamb bleated as a black tear slipped down into its shiny wool, “Oh, that just wouldn’t do, miss! That just wouldn’t do!”
“And why not?” Alice demanded, for she was now rather cross.
“Because I haven’t gotten one pairs of two!”
“Haven’t got two pairs of what?” Alice demanded, “Why must everyone I meet speak in riddles?”
“If it’s riddles you’re wanting to ask three quarters past the moon,” the Lamb explained as it smoothed the great tangle of wool covering its eyes.
“But I don’t want any riddles!” Alice exclaimed.