Friends of happy, unclouded souls
And dreaming eyes filled with wonder!
Enjoying life; we have, you and I
Great fun, no more asunder.
Our grinning smiles will surely hail
The telling of our fairy-tale.
We have not seen their happy faces
Nor heard the contestants' laughter
In too many a time or place
Both so far, and for days hereafter
For to travel and watch we will not fail
To follow along this fairy-tale.
A tale began in fanship bold
Bringing its friendships glowing
Alike in mind, kinship to find
Among the laughter sowing.
Relationships for now, and yet
Throughout the years to ne'er forget.
Hearken then, to our stories here
With happy memories flowing
Tales that fill minds without fear
Happy faces still a'glowing.
We are the Whosers, tis true my dear
Who jump to find the players near.
Without each other, all alone
We sometimes find moody sadness
But together, no longer do we moan
For as friends, we are gladness.
Remembered words will hold us fast
We shall not heed the skeptics blast.
Though the shadow of a sigh
May tremble through the story
Longing for days gone by
As in transcriptions of glory
But it shall not end, for on we sail
Along in this life, our fairy-tale.
Ashley sat in front of her computer, sighing to herself. One hand sat idly on the mouse, the other petting the grey kitten in her lap. Not daring to stop, as anytime she did the kitten, Whoser, nudged her hand with her nose to encourage her. But nothing was really getting her attention on the screen. After the get-together, and the amazingly vivid dream she'd had then, nothing was really as exciting. Not with all her friends gone home.
Seeing as no one seemed to be around to chat with for her at that moment, she looked for something else to entertain her. The computer game of chess was beginning to bore her. But finally she hit upon it. Sitting on top of her computer was her newest toy, a small videocamera. With a grin she moved the mouse and clicked on it. Now looking in the screen at ... herself. A video of herself smiling back at her. "Let's pretend" she whispered to herself "that we were back there. In that world of dreams."
With another click, she froze the image in place. As she did, the computer beeped, rousing Whoser from his spot in her lap and causing him to jump up onto the screen, nose pressed against the glass. She looked down to smile at him for a moment, curious form winding on her desk, and then looked up again. To freeze in astonishment, as across the screen the picture had changed. Movement happening again, but in places in her room where nothing was. And most shockingly, her own image no longer there.
Her hand snuck out of it's own accord to touch the screen where her face should be. Curiosity and wonder prompting her movement. But more wonder followed as she watched her hand reach the screen, and then finally seeing herself reflected. Or not reflected ... as the world went dark for a moment at the sight of her hand going through the screen.
******
The next thing Ashley knew, she was sitting again in a chair. With a soft laugh she looked at the screen, chuckling ruefully. "I must be tired when I think ..."
Her voice trailed off at that. Or more specifically, at the image in front of her. The screen she looked into was no longer a computer screen, but a mirror. A looking-glass. And on the other side, curling around the mouse, sat Whoser. Purring loudly.
Standing up, she began looking about, and noticed that what would be visible from where Whoser sat and she had been earlier was quite common and uninteresting, but that all the rest was as different as possible. For instance, the pictures on the wall seemed to be all alive, and the clock had a real face staring back at her. But more surprisingly was the fact that a chess board, looking exactly like the one she had been playing upon on the computer, sat on a table to the side.
This was no ordinary chessboard though, something Ashley was definitely thinking to herself as she noticed several of the chessmen down at the base of the table, the exact chessmen that had been won off the game she had been playing. Which would be relatively normal even in this situation ... except they were moving. "Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise, and in a moment she was down on her hands and knees watching them. Watching the chessmen move around. "Ok, ok ... Red King and the Red Queen ... White King and the White Queen" Ashley said in a whisper, "all sitting at the edge." In fact, all four were sitting along the edge in deep blue plush chairs, small tables between them seeming to hold small pitchers of water as they waited.
As she loomed above them, they didn't look up. This gave her ample opportunity to look them over. The Red Queen, lounging back in her seat, gazed indolently around the room. Her shirt was red, long and blousy, worn over a pair of black pants. Her hair was a bright red shade as well. The smile that crossed her face had that same relaxed, amused look to it. The king on the other hand was not smiling, the look on his face being relaxed, but more in a bored way, and not at all amused. His dark hair fell over his eyes, and moved ever so often as he shifted uncomfortably in the red suit he wore. She also noticed that those two didn't face each other, but instead stared off into opposite directions.
However, the White royals had a different orientation all together. The White Queen sat up straight in her chair, and her smile was bright. Her white long button-down blazer-shirt was tailored carefully, and wasn't loose like the red queens, although worn over black pants like the other. When she was sitting back in her chair Ashley thought she had long masses of waves, but as she leaned forward a bit to listen to the White King speak Ashley saw instead a chin-length layered cut. The White King, who reclined backwards as he conversed with her, was also dressed in white and black. Like the Red King, his black hair fell over his eyes sloppily, but unlike him his expression was one of thoughtfulness and amusement.
"Hello?" cried Ashley, trying to get their attention. They seemed to start, but didn't look around. With a sigh, she decided to try again, this time kneeling down by the table to look. "Hello?" she called again, "excuse me, I'm totally lost. I was just wondering if anyone could tell me anything about where I am?"
"Oh joy" responded the Red King. "It's that time again" With a groan he stood up from his chair and stepped forward.
"Stop your complaining" retorted the Red Queen. "At least it's a topic we know a lot about."
"mmm, yes" continued the White King. "So it's about what to look out for in this place ... have I got it?
The White Queen finally stepped up. "Yes, sounds good. Backbeat please?"
The last statement was so out of the blue that Ashley almost jumped and knocked over the table when out of nowhere drum-sounds began, and the royalty began to move to that music. The Red Queen stepped forward a bit, and began to speak in a sort of purposely whiny tone.
"Well around here we got lots of things to do
Well around here it's the looking-glass you've come through
Well around here there's only one big fear
Yes around here it's the jabberwock, my dear."
The queen bounced on her feet and then grinned, almost maliciously, at the Red King beside her. Who was rocking from foot to foot and looking very uncomfortable. He began to speak in a very explosive beat style ... "Hey there girl you better watch out" and then broke it off, sighing. "I'm no good at this!" he exclaimed to the heavens, though Ashley was sure he still wasn't looking at her. The Red Queen snickered and he glared at her, before starting again in a much slower and surer tone.
"Girl you better watch out I say
For the Jabberwocky comes each and every day
It's a scary creature, with it's little pest
So bad that I don't want to say the rest!"
Ashley felt a little chill at that statement, but shrugged it off as the White Queen swung forward with a grin on her face. "Ah..ah-ah-ah-ah" she began, "ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhhhhh!" Ashley jumped back at the piercing scream, to be cut off and replaced by a quick-spoken rap.
"Well you know what is lurking out there
It's got ugly looks and it's got bad hair
They call it the Jabberwocky and I declare
It's mannerisms are a bit hard to bear.
For it's got a growl, and a parasite
That'll keep it chasing you through the night!"
The White Queen grinned triumphantly, then turned to the White King with a smile. "That was, er, quite good" he spoke, shuffling forward a bit. "My turn now?" The Queen nodded, and the King began to speak. And speak it was, none of the rhythmic patter that any of the others had done, just a long ramble of words that flowed from his mouth with a shrug.
"Well, you know, when someone asks me that question there's only one thing I do know to say
And that, umm, is that little rhyme I've learned long ago and remembered all to this day
That is to beware of the Jabberwock my friend! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch
And beware that parasite, it's tic, they're worse than even the frumious Bandersnatch!"
Ashley couldn't help the little shiver that crossed her form at these words. After asking about what to expect around here, the last thing she had expected was a story of some kind of monster. But she continued watching the royalty as they went and sat down. As they did so, the backbeat stopped as suddenly as it began.
And that's when she noticed it. The snuffling noises, and the thuds that had been hidden behind that rap backbeat and her concentration on the players. With a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach she turned around.
It was the stuff of nightmares, worse than she ever imagined. It was tall and a putrid orange colour, a much too orange colour for any type of natural being to be. The orange was part and parcel of dirty curly fur, and it even had a pair of horns curling from it's head. It's back legs were hooved, and it walked only on those feet, leaving the front, with red-patterned claws, looking like they almost were wrapped in tape, to grasp around. All orange except for the burns on it's front, which her eyes traced, yes there was an E, and an X, and another E, and a C, burnt across its front. The larger beast's shoulder was the seat for a smaller creature which instead of being orange was the colour of dull lead. It was a bug which also had burns, across it's forehead, a C and an R and an I.
"Beware of the Jabberwock, and the tic" her mind cried, appalled and afraid of this grotesque combination. It came towards her, 2 pairs of beady eyes fixed upon her, and her heart started pounding as she frantically looked for escape. The creature moved with grandiose, over the top gestures, seeming to lose itself in anger and going postal at the sight of the fan. Ashley began to backpedal, so much that she fell backwards. Onto the table. Onto the chess board.
As she did, she swore the Jabberwocky became larger and larger, which panicked her, but at the same time it grew further and further away, which reassured her. For now she found herself far away from the Jabberwocky, on a checkered field, in the middle of nowhere.
Ashley looked around, heart still beating fast, but beginning to feel reassured. "Why, the ground is patterened like a chessboard. Sorta makes me want to ... mow the lawn" she exclaimed. "Curiouser and curiouser." Walking around a bit, she jumped with shock, for indeed, off in the distance to one side she could see what looked like a small stage and 4 blue chairs. All empty as far as her squinting eyes could make out. "Why, I am on the chessboard!" she exclaimed, highly amused at that. "At least the Jabberwocky can't find me down here. Still, it would probably be best to find some cover."
Indeed, the plain on which she stood was pretty barren, flat and void of anything else. She thought for a moment about going to that stage, but remembering how easy it had been to look down on it from above, decided against it. Instead, she peered off in all directions. And in one direction, she swore she saw what appeared to be ... a hill. The only place on this board which wasn't really really really flat. "Perhaps there's more than just empty plain on the other side" Ashley decided, and made her way towards it.
As she climbed the hill, she came upon a large flower-bed, with a great variety of flowers, and a willow-tree growing in the middle. She looked at the flowers in awe. They were all of amazing beauty, but four struck her the greatest. The first appeared to be like a tiger-lily, but her stem was a peculiar bright green, and among her petals were two larger dark ones that draped towards the ground. The rest were golden, except for a fringe of black just above the center. Ashley wondered if it was possible for a flower to look Oriental, but if any could, this one did. The second was a Rose, deep red petals curving around to a core that had a lovely mahogany brown tone to it as it rustled in the wind. The rose itself seemed the newest of all the flowers, still having fresh dew glistening off of it. The third, the daisy, gave vibrant colour, and the stem, quite dark, gave the impression of braiding. Its leaves were slapping against the base of its stem in a most distracting manner. Finally came a violet, with golden tinge to it's petals, and it's leaves shaped almost like maple leaves.
"Wow" said Ashley, definitely impressed "I wish you guys could talk ... or do a hoedown".
"Oh, we can talk honey, but we ain't doin' no hoe-down, ok?" Ashley heard these words coming from the Daisy and she could have sworn that the violet shrank away in fear. "Great, now I really am going nuts. Flowers don't talk, flowers don't talk..." she repeated.
"We can talk" said the Tiger-lily, and Ashley jumped back in surprise as a pair of slightly slanted brown eyes looked amusedly at her. "When there's anybody worth talking to."
Ashley was caught between her astonishment and her awe at that moment, but soon her courage took over and she spoke again. "And can all the flowers here talk?"
"As well as you can" said the Tiger-lily, her voice changing as she continued, to something deeper and very much like she'd feel a bad landlord would speak "and in lots of different voices."
"We're just not used to fans, that's why we didn't begin" continued the Rose, in a voice so melodic Ashley had the overwhelming feeling that she would be an amazing singer. "But I said to myself, you look sensible, and familiar for some odd reason."
"She does look okay, although she could have longer petals" responded the Tigerlily, and Ashley touched her now short hair with a pout.
"I think it looks fine" came the very soft and raising voice of the violet. She was now beaming since the word hoedown had been forgotten, and Ashley smiled back returning her mind to the conversation at hand.
"Aren't you afraid to be here all by yourself?" she asked curiously, for nothing else was in view but this garden in the middle of nowhere, and she still was afraid of the Jabberwocky and the tic.
The Daisy laughed "I know what you were thinking and that wasn't nice" she spoke, braided stem twisting to face Ashley. "But no, we don't have to worry. We have the tree, which watches over us."
"How can a tree watch over you?" Ashley asked, still confused. With a smile the Tiger-lily moved to the side, just slightly, and Ashley's eyes opened in amazement at the face that appeared carved into the wood. Though somehow she knew innately it wasn't carved as much as part of the tree itself, and that the tree was not an it, it was very much a him. An expressive face, but a silent one. The long graceful branches of the willow tree curved as the wind played through them, but they seemed to play the wind more than the opposite, and she almost swore she heard the wind change notes and tones as it ran through those branches. Quiet notes that still seemed to fill the air.
"But what could the tree do, if any danger came?" Ashley asked, "big scary orange danger?". To that she did what she had begun to consider the 'Jabberwocky walk'.
"Why set off the alert, to a proper rhythm" responded the violet, again quite quietly, though her petals rising from between the maple-like leaves underneath her to continue to watch Ashley curiously.
"But he's not much louder than you are Violet" commented Ashley, looking around, "and I haven't heard it say anything at all".
"Oh, come on sister" answered the Daisy "he can be loud if he wants. Besides, he's got all the help he needs."
The Rose nodded again, her voice melodic and holding a tinge of sadness as she spoke again "Watch."
And as the branches of the tree moved again, the wind whistling eerily between them, she heard a loud, sweet call rise above that sound, but still fitting it. From the embrace of the tree's boughs fluttered a small bird, with the sweet voice of the nightingale, (though some part of Ashley's mind kept saying coloratura), though in appearance she was a pale white with a dark cap. Her voice raising high above the whistling, playing a merry tune. Ending on a sweetly, yet piercing, high note, before sitting comfortably in a perch among the wood and watching the scene with mischievous delight.
Throughout the song Ashley watched the Rose, wistfully almost watching the singing. "Why don't you sing?" she asked the Rose.
With a whisper the Rose replied "They won't let me, Ripley."
"She calls everybody by that stupid ass name." said the Daisy, getting quite a look from the Rose.
"Well, would you prefer if I called you 'Hag' or 'Nasty ... girl'??" the Rose snapped back.
"Don't make me put you on ice! You'd be ... pushing up daisies!" the Daisy replied, laughing at her joke, leaves again slapping against her stem.
Ashley was trying to figure out a good reason when the voice of the Tiger-lily broke in again. "But girl, you better get going. According to the nightingale, there is another of your kind approaching. Just over the hill."
So Ashley walked across to the other side of the hill, just like she had been planning before. Finding more brush and shrubbery on this side of the hill, she had to weave and ramble a little more than before finding what the flowers had termed "one of her kind." As a matter of fact, it was a familiar one of her kind, the Red Queen. Still dressed in that blousy red shirt, it was still the bright shock of her hair that caught the light more daringly. "Hello" the Red Queen said in a rich English accent, "Where do you come from? And where are you going?"
"I'm afraid I quite don't know" replied Ashley "I believe I've lost my way. I just thought that maybe if I came over that hill ..."
"Hill?" replied the Red Queen, eyebrow arching delicately with a laugh "These aren't hills, I could show you hills". Her smile darkened, and Ashley's eyes widened in surprise at the innuendo. But in a moment the spell was gone, the Queen shaking her head in rueful amusement. "Oh, that'll never go out will it."
"I think it will" replied Ashley, getting an approving glance from the queen at that comment, as well as a gesture from her to walk with her. Walk with her up the next hill, taller than the last where the flowers were. The other side of the hill, however, fell down like a cliff's edge, and from there she could see the checkered field resolve itself into larger squares. "So ...it is a giant chessboard?" she exclaimed, though the Red Queen didn't seem to hear her. Or perhaps she did, as she turned around to look at Ashley quizzically.
"Where did you say you were going?" the Red Queen enquired again, looking her up and down. "I really don't know" replied Ashley. "I'd like to explore this entire realm I would."
"Well, frankly that's quite impossible" replied the Red Queen, "unless you become a Queen yourself." And again she looked Ashley over, walking around her. A sort of uncomfortable feeling but she braced herself and dealt with it. "But if you want to try, it's truly what you want ... all you have to do is get to the eighth square."
"The Eighth Square?" Ashley enquired, looking across the ground.
"Why yes!" exclaimed the Red Queen. "It's rather simple. Being here, you are, of course, a pawn. Which means you can move to the next square easily. " With a grandiose gesture she pointed down another path, winding its way down the cliff "The railway will even take you two squares, this being your first move. And when you get to the Eighth Square, you shall be a queen as well, and be able to go wherever you please."
"I'd very much like that" replied Ashley, eyes full of the scenery in front of her.
"Then off you go" replied the Red Queen, giving her a little push. And with that little push a small laugh, a wink, and the Queen did disappear. Leaving her to travel on.
Of course, the first thing she did was to look around this country she was going to travel through. Ashley loved to travel, and you never knew what you could spot by peering around while you did. Sometimes the most marvelous things or people would pop out of the woodwork. But her path down the cliff was actually quite simple. A little disappointing for Ashley, used to such tremendous things. "It's rather barren as compared to the last time" she mused to herself, "I wonder if this is truly the same place."
"Of course it is" came a buzzing from the side. With a jump, Ashley looked over to where the voice was coming from. It was from a smaller flower bed, and for an instant, even though the flower was quite small in comparison, she thought perhaps this one spoke as well. "Good evening miss flower" she began hesitantly.
"I'm not a flower!" replied the voice, with an even more pronounced buzz. And from the flower there did fly a little Bee, buzzing happily as it hovered by her face. It's body was of striped dark brown and bright gold, colours changing constantly in the sunlight.
"Oh... I'm sorry, Ms. Bee" she stammered, sustaining the end of ms., as seemed appropriate.
"It's alright" the Bee responded, flying a little ahead of her, seeming to encourage her to keep walking. "The mistake was understandable."
"What did you mean, this is the same?" she enquired, heading down the hill after the bee.
"Simply this" responded the bee, buzzing happily. "The things may be reflected in a different way, but it's all the same thing. A place where laughter is key. Which is a good thing, cause laughter is good for the soul, and more."
Ashley nodded, for that was sage advice. "You are very clever" she complimented the Bee, "would you have any other advice for me?"
"Just simply this" the Bee replied, "If your mind keeps telling you to say something, but your mouth just gapes open and won't respond, do your best to follow your mind. Otherwise it might get annoyed with you, and that's not a good thing. And just beeee yourself. Oh, and watch out, cause the worms are awfully arrogant in these parts!" And with that the Bee flew up towards her face, brushing soft against one cheek, and flew off, buzzing off with the words "that's for good luck."
And lucky Ashley did feel. So lucky that her pace picked up, and she began to jog down the hill, eyes brightly catching the scenery moving faster alongside her. She barely slowed in time as a sign flashed in front of her, not even quick enough to see what the sign said. What she did see, however, was a tall dark form in blue standing in her path, and she managed to stop in time for that.
"Ticket please?" said the Guard, frowning down at her. Ashley gulped, for neither the Queen or the Bee had mentioned a ticket being needed. She patted her pockets, but nothing that looked like a ticket appeared. "Now then, show your ticket miss" continued the woman, dark eyes blazing at her.
It was unusual, for in her mind as the Guard spoke she swore she could hear a chorus of voices echoing in her mind. "Up against the wall!!" they cried at her sentence, making her tremble more. "I'm afraid I haven't got one" replied Ashley timidly, "there wasn't anywhere to get one where I came from."
The Guard looked down at her, eyeing her carefully. "What are you then, to come from somewhere where there are no tickets?" she accused, folding her arms across her chest. Again voices reverberated in her mind, saying "Line up, single file, and follow the instructions!", but this time she felt more like giggling then shivering.
"I'm a fan?" replied Ashley, a little tremulous after this strict approach. But at those words the Guard beamed, large smile coming out to shine.
"Oh, you're a fan! Well, please, do go through!" the Guard said, gesturing to the path and the train just a short ways away. As she did, she smiled with such a smile that all Ashley's fears from before were gone, instead feeling totally comfortable with the woman, enough to smile back And as she walked by the Guard, feeling reassured that she was indeed a nice woman, the voices chorused in her mind, "it's not me, it's my boss." Making her laugh brightly yet again.
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