The girl lies awake in her bed tossing and turning this way and that, trying so desperately to find sleep. The old house is creepy during the day, but it's downright scary at night, especially in the midst of a thunderstorm. Nor does it help any that her room is all the way in the attic. A temporary arrangement as most of the rooms in the house are under renovation.
She stares about her from the safety and security of her blanket with wide eyes that demand to know all that goes on. Each shadow looms at her and seems to have nothing, but ill intent. She tries to convince herself that there's nothing there in the dark that is not there in the light, but at this point, she doesn't believe it.
The girl had thoroughly explored the house earlier that day, a common exercise for one who wants to understand architecture, and she found nothing extraordinary about it. It was creepy alright, but there were no secret rooms, no extraneous and unexplained gaps in the wall or outlines that would indicate something hidden therein.
It's just a large, creepy house. It also doesn't help that this particular house is miles away from its nearest neighbor. Couple as well the lightning storm outside and you have all the makings of a wet yourself night, not that she would endure the indignity of having soiled her bedding. She's not as young as all that.
Now, the girl has never been one to scare easily and even to a certain extent enjoys horror movies, so long as they aren't too scary or graphic, but this night has her shaking in her purposefully mismatched socks. Every little creak and shadow is a portent of dark machinations made manifest.
But despite her fears, despite her misgivings on the matter, she feels her eyes closing, they just will not hold open any longer. Like an exhausted watchman, she's abandoning her post and this fact weighs quite heavy on her mind, driving her deeper. Her eyes flutter for a brief instant before they open wide.
Something's strange, but she can't quite place a finger on just what, just yet. The girl stares at the ceiling directly above her and focuses her sight to see more than she is able. It's dark, but there seems to be a darkness within the darkness. It grows steadily in size and soon she sees why. Something is falling and it's aimed at her.
She tries to leap from her bed, but she's too late. A cold, dark, giant hand lands on top of her with enough force to expel the air from her lungs and closes its fingers around her, effectively taking hold of her whole body, blanket and all. And no sooner has it taken hold, then it is propelled upward, back the way it came.
The girl watches with unbelieving eyes as she rises into the ceiling as though it isn't even there and the air rushes about the pair as they accelerate even more. Into a vast space they seem to fly through the vastness of endless possibility for ever expanding infinity, toward the realms of insanity.
The sky around them becomes awash with colors and shapes, the kind you might find when looking through a kaleidoscope as it turns repeatedly. The sudden onrush of colors chases away the gloom and the shadows and the girl remains slackjawed at the incredible sight that continues to unfold all around her.
The girl stares from her vantage to see just where she is being taken. There's a door ahead, like the hand it grows in size as they approach. It's a plain white door with little specks of silver mixed in at erratic intervals, giving it the appearance of being covered in bright, sparkling glitter, for better or worse.
She hears a loud click and the door opens wide of its own accord, noisily squeaking as though the hinges are improperly maintained. It is through this open obstruction that the hand propels its prize, and once they're through does it shuts behind them. That's when the hand lets go of its prize while continuing on its journey.
The girl plummets through the air at an incredible speed as her blanket flutters away in the violent onrush of wind, revealing her to be clad in a pale blue nightgown with a multitude of bunnies in varying colors that are frolicking about. Cute as it may be, the observer who gazes in the dark will be greeted by a diverse array of glowing, militarized equipment on these fluffy, baby rabbits.
Bizarre as her attire may be, it is of little consequence as all at once, she inexplicably starts slowing, falling at an even rate. Much the same as Alice did when she fell in the rabbit hole. She looks about her surroundings even as she continues her uncertain descent, gone are the colors, only the darkness and shadow remain.
The girl looks beneath her, but does not see her bed, as she half-expected, given she believes this to be nothing more than a dream. Instead, she sees a strange, circular room that has no ceiling. She's much too high to make out any of the details, but she can tell there's something in the middle of the room and it is this thing that she will surely land upon.
Into a large, plush, oversized chair the girl falls and lands fully upon a myriad of different colored cushions of varying sizes and densities. She suffers no injury from her landing and stares all about her at the curious place she finds herself surrounded by. The room is mostly dark, as it's sparsely illuminated by an unknown source.
It's a circular room as mentioned before, with a bare wood floor and all along its walls are a myriad of large bottles that are crammed onto shelves that stretch from the floor to what would count as a ceiling. And inside these many containers are a thick cloud of smoke with a pair of eyes, each set of which are a different color and all of which stare directly at the child in the chair.
The girl looks from her place of considerable comfort as she leans forward to get a better view. The situation is indeed unnerving, but she does her utmost to remain brave. A not altogether difficult feat, as the scenario promotes curiosity more than fear and she is nothing if not a curious kind of creature.
She's lost in her eyes' wanderings, when suddenly, her body tenses up. Her back is rigid against the back of the chair. She knows something is out there, she can feel a presence and with it, a surge of fear. She stares, as best as her eyes can, from her frozen body. She's too scared to move, even slightly. She feels something upon her shoulder.
Slowly, she turns her head and opens her eyes wide. She sees a detached hand draped upon her person. She screams and throws herself to the other side of the chair. She clutches the arm rest with all her might, while she stares at the looming digits that are perched upon the top of the oversized piece of furniture.
The lone appendage is soon joined by the body it's attached to, which seems to be a woman and she has a look of concern about her face. "I'm so sorry, my dear," she speaks and places the mate to her lips as though she might sneeze.
The girl slowly rises from her defensive position. Before her stands a woman whose skin is a creamy white, like it was made of fine china, which stands in contrast to the long, black dress she wears. Her eyes are a bright green and her voice is near to music. Her face however is crinkled by a frown.
The child creeps nearer to the woman as she climbs over the many cushions. She takes hold of the hand that yet rests upon the chair and runs her fingers over its surface. It's somewhat cold and smooth, just as you might expect from china. It is a strange sensation, kind of cold, but very smooth. Almost like a frozen spot of milk.
The woman lowers herself and now stands face to face with the girl as she smiles. "I'm so sorry," the strange adult, repeats and gives a slight nod to her head. "I wish I knew of a better way to bring you here. I hope the hand wasn't too gruff."
The girl looks into the air, back from where she'd come. "It was alright," she says as she returns her gaze to the only other person in the room. "I was only a little scared."
The woman seats herself upon the chair, her smile broadens. "Would you like a playmate?" she asks of the child cradled near as he draws that much closer and reattaches her hand.
The girl smiles. "I would," she returns and settles her posterior on the edge of the chair's arm..
The woman averts her attentions from the seatings only other occupant and rests them upon the jars that sit on the shelves. She extends her hand as though expecting to receive something from out of thin air. As if in response a swirl of smoke with yellow eyes comes wafting through the air and rests within her open palm.
The woman brings the smoke near and with her other hand pierces it with a single finger. She stirs the smoke and it spins faster and faster forming a sphere. At which point, she withdraws her protruding digit and the cloud continues to spin. Like a potter at the wheel, she molds the ball as it rotates rapidly.
She pulls and smooths the edges with an expert grace until she releases the spinning object and lets it fall to the chair. And no sooner does it touch the plush cushion then a yellow puppy springs from the spot as though made of rubber and bounds into the arms of the little girl who is simply overwhelmed by the sudden appearance..
The quadruped immediately begins to lick and playfully nibble at the child's face and she squeals with delight, completely overcoming the fear she felt only a moment ago. It doesn't matter to her that the dog looks as though fashioned by hand and isn't quite right symmetrically with many a handprint and smudge to identify its unique creation process.
She just laughs and giggles as the misshapen canine runs it's long tongue across her face and she gives the animal a great big hug. It settles in her lap and immediately curls up to take a nap delighting the child further as she beams with joy first to the puppy, then to its creator, who returns the gesture.
The girl is clearly happy. "Are you going to eat me now?" she asks in a serious tone despite the smile that graces her face.
The woman is taken aback and doesn't know how to respond.
"In all the books I've read," the girl carries on, unfazed by the silence. "When a child is brought into a creepy but wonderful place, they are usually eaten by the mysterious benefactor, or worse."
The woman is surprised by the girl's complex vocabulary, but she soon recovers. "No child. I'm not going to eat you," she assures her and pats her head.
"Are you going to take my soul then?" the girl queries rather simply and cocks her head to the side.
"No, not that either," the woman refutes the allegation and slowly shakes her head. She is finding the inquisition to be more amusing than alarming.
"Then am I trapped in here forever?" the girl persists in her questioning as she scratches the puppy's ear.
"No, you're not trapped," the woman pushes through the interrogation, further amused by its direction and even playfully giggling.
"Then, can I go home?" the girl inquires and leans forward.
"I am afraid not just-" the woman ventures in and bows her head slightly.
The girl cuts off the rest of her statement. "Then I am trapped!" she exclaims as though she had solved a big puzzle and slams her fists against the pillows causing the dog to jump before immediately resettling.
The woman smiles. "No, you're not trapped," she tells her guest and sets hand on her knee. "But I can't send you back till morning."
"Why?" The girl responds simply as she looks deep into the face of her conversational partner.
"It's the rules I have to abide by," the woman endeavors to explain and pats the knee her hand rests on.
"Who made the rules?" the girl queries and tilts her head in the other direction.
"My master," is the woman's reply as she gives a sigh.
"Who's your master?" the girl comes back undaunted and runs her fingers through the puppy's short hair..
"Oh, he's long since gone and left me on my own," the woman explains while skirting the more unsavory aspect to the question while she looks down at her hands and for the first time away from her guest.
"Then why do you follow his rules?" the girl inquires with genuine interest while seeming quite aloof.
"It's what I was programmed to do," the woman returns matter-of-factly and withdraws her hand to place on her own lap.
"Programmed?" the girl replies with piqued interest as she sorts through the information. "You mean like a computer?"
"I suppose," the woman responds after a moment to think with a scrunched face to denote her concentration. "Here let me show you something."
With a silent gesture she brings forth another cloud of smoke, this one with purple eyes. She sticks her finger into the middle of it and begins to stir. The wisp swirls and swirls and with it she fashions a glass mirror.
"Have a look," the woman speaks as she hands the girl the reflective object.
"Oooooh!" the child exclaims and brings the looking glass closer. "Is that my evil duplicate who'll terrorize the world while I'm absent?" She lays the glass down so they both can watch at the same time. Within the image is indeed what appears to be the little girl sleeping comfortably in her bed.
"No," The woman says as she suppresses a laugh. "That's you."
The girl stares a moment. "You mean I'm dreaming?" she asks as she returns to looking into the face of the strange woman.
"Well, yes and no," the woman begins as she prepares to launch into a long drawn out explanation complete with hand gestures. "You see this is really a, an one-dimensional…"
The girl looks at her quizzically.
"Oh well," the woman concedes as the answer is far too complicated to summarize in simple terms and gives off a puff of air. "Yes, it's just a dream. Or to be more accurate, a nightmare."
"A nightmare?" the girl responds and sets the mirror aside which then disolves into a puff of smoke. "Is that why you look like that?" She's referring to the inhuman, yet at the same time, very human appearance the woman bears, her pale, white skin contrasting a dark dress with an effect of throwing shades of grey.
"It is," the woman begins and starts to adopt an air of melancholy. "My master made me so. He also gave me my own individual conscience so that I might craft unique horrors for him to enjoy to his heart's content."
"So are you going to scare me then?" the girl queries and nods her head. "Because I really don't like it to be too graphic."
"Oh dear me, no," the woman assures her and adopts a more exuberant countenance. "I don't like to scare people."
"You don't?" the girl fires back and withdraws slightly.
"No indeed," the woman cements her position and crosses her arms as she shakes her head.
"Then why did you abduct me?" the girl inquires and scratches her head as though to facilitate her thinking.
"I don't like to scare people, but I do like company and I love to entertain," the woman attempts to defend her reckless decision and drops her arms to a more civil position, namely in her lap. "As for the abduction, I'm sorry, but it's the only way I know how to bring anyone here. Still, I don't want you to come here if you do not wish, so here." She reaches inside her garment and produces a small, silver bell tied with a green ribbon, sitting at the end of a dark, wooden handle. This she hands over to the astute adolescent. "All you need to do is ring the bell three times before you go to bed. Otherwise, I'll leave you alone. But remember, if you do come here you can't go back until the sun rises."
"Why sunrise?" the girl asks and takes hold of the trinket which she gazes closely upon.
"It's what my master wanted," the woman responds and looks to the ceiling.
"So you mean to say that this place is my own fantasy world come true?" the girl poses her own assumption and gives a quick glance to find there is nothing of interest above her.
The woman returns her gaze to the child and nods, a smile forming on her lips.
"And I am to have anything my heart desires?" the girl presses as she shoots for the moon and sits that much straighter.
Again the woman nods and adds a wider smile.
"And you can make anything I want?" the girl plies her hostess and leans forward.
"I can indeed," the woman responds as she stands up from the chair and bows low. "What would you like?"
The girl thinks a moment. "I would like to have a lavish tea party," she requests and beams with unbridled excitement.
The woman is already being surrounded by the wisps of smoke, which she orchestrates into all the things they would need.
"And I would like that tea party," the girl carries on and scoots a little closer to the edge of the chair. "To be in the middle of a beautiful garden. Full of all manner of flowers."
The woman smiles as she makes the smoke swirl faster, until it's all her guest can see, as she stands from her chair, a yapping pup running circles around her.