Utapri Short Stories

The Fall To Wonderland - Part 2 (End)

But the next morning came, and many other mornings did, too. Haru was still in that strange place and was getting more and more desperate. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to get home. Nagi tried to calm her down and promised to help look for ways to get her back to the Land of Reason. While she didn't come back, she ended up making friends there and had a lot of fun every day.
~★~
“Always come back, my angel!” Van MadHatter was waving at the girl on a beautiful afternoon when she had come to visit him. Nagi was with Kira in the library cafeteria looking for a way to send her home. She was crossing the street when she heard a powerful voice scream from not far away. “HEY!  YOU THERE!  IN A BLUE DRESS!  STOP NOW!  I CHALLENGE YOU!” Haru turned in the direction of the voice and when she noticed the crown on the boy's head she knew immediately who it was.
~★~
“Ah!  I don't ... I mean, I'm not worthy of a challenge imposed by you, Majesty.” Haru bowed the best she could with the bags in her arms, but the King of Hearts did not like her answer. “Nonsense! Everyone is worthy of a challenge! You are the only one I have never challenged before. I don't remember your face.” And he looked at her thoughtfully.  Haru felt her blood run cold. There was no escaping it.
~★~
The King of Hearts took her to the castle in his chariot and she had no way of telling Nagi about where she was going. Yamato took her to the rose garden and they sat on a stool, side by side. “I will let you choose the challenge.” He said with a smug smile. “I always win.” And he hit his chest proudly. Haru asked what happened to the loser, but she didn't like the answer. “The loser must reveal his biggest secret to the winner.”
~★~
Haru had nothing to do. If she won, she would arouse the King of Hearts' wrath, but if she lost she would have to reveal that she was from the Land of Reason and he would be furious too. She let out a heavy breath. “Let's play 21.” She said at last. “It is a very simple card game. Do you know it?” And she smiled kindly.
~★~
“Of course I do!” The King was taken aback by her smile. “Whoever wins 2 times will be the winner.” He announced and called one of the guards to be the judge. Yamato won the first match, but Haru won the second. “Impossible! How can you have won?” He punched the bank, irritated. “Whoever wins the next one is the winner.” He narrowed his eyes and the girl nodded, apprehensive.
~★~
“I won!” Yamato shouted happily and when his euphoria passed, he demanded that Haru tell her biggest secret. The girl thought of lying, but failed. “You what?” Yamato looked shocked. “Show me your cards!” He demanded and Haru, reluctantly, showed him. “Did you let me win?” He asked more as a statement.
~★~
At that moment, Nagi Cheshire materialized next to Haru and pulled her close to him, hugging her tightly. “Haru! We have to go...!” But the King did not allow him to teleport with the girl. The guards more than quickly prevented her from escaping. “Why did you let me win?” Yamato asked looking her in the eye very closely.  Nagi tried to break free, but failed.  Haru swallowed before answering.
~★~
“I know that winning is important to you.” Haru whispered and looked away, afraid that she had done the wrong thing. For a second, nothing happened. So Yamato hugged Haru tightly and when he released her, he was smiling. He explained that he had never met anyone from the Land of Reason who was as kind as she was.  Only Alice had been able to do such a thing and that was why she had been given the right to live in Wonderland.
~★~
Haru and Nagi left the castle after promising to return to visit the King. The relief the girl was feeling was short-lived. There seemed to be something wrong with Nagi. “Hey!  What's wrong with you? Are you feeling sick?” She asked worriedly, but he just shook his head. The two passed by a traditional fair that was having a typical party in Wonderland that evening.
~★~
“Come on, Haru! It looks like fun!” Nagi forced a smile and pulled her to the game booths, then they danced and ate a lot of delicious food. They had a lot of fun, but the shadow of sadness on the boy's face was still there. The young woman was worried about her friend and when they were leaving back home, she decided to ask again: “Nagi-kun, what happened?  You look so sad...”
~★~
Nagi sighed and the smile completely left his face. He held her hands gently, and with tears in his eyes, he told the reason for his sadness. Kira had found a way to get her home. On the next night of the full moon, at midnight, she should dive into the Lake of Tears clinging to an object from the Land of Reason. Haru asked when the next full moon would be and he simply said, “Tomorrow.”
~★~
Haru felt his words weigh on her heart and understood the reason for his sadness. She couldn't say any more and they went back to the cabin in silence. From her bedroom window, she could see the Lake of Tears, but that view that so pleased her on other nights, now haunted her. Did she really have to go home? Did she want to come home? She had gotten used to life in Wonderland.
~★~
She had many friends there and she never felt alone. Nagi was also always trying to cheer her up and the two worked together picking up fruits from the Forbidden Forest and water from the Lake of Tears to sell in the city. It was a peaceful and happy life. But wouldn't Nagi care if she decided to stay? He seemed to want her to stay, but ... Did he really want to? She wasn't sure and that worried her even more.
~★~
The fateful night has finally come.  Haru had spent an extremely pleasant day in the city and had managed to visit all of her friends. She didn't say goodbye to anyone because she still wasn't sure if she wanted to leave or not. She was standing on the edge of the lake, watching its waters with the book she had brought from the Land of Reason. Nagi approached her and hugged her from behind. “I will support you no matter what your decision is.” He whispered.
~★~
Then he released her and made her turn to face him. He handed her a purple box and said it was his gift to her. It was a pair of earrings in the shape of pink kittens. Haru felt tears streaming down her cheeks and let him put the earrings on her. “That way you will always remember me.” He said with a smile, but he was also crying.
~★~
Haru hugged Nagi tightly and they both felt it when the gate opened on the lake. A strange energy seemed to emanate from its brilliant waters.  Nagi did not want to cry, but it was inevitable. He loved Haru. He loved her from the moment he first saw her.  When the girl released him and turned toward the lake, he felt like his heart was going to break.
~★~
Haru walked to the edge and held the book close to her belongings from the Land of Reason, then lifted them over her head and threw everything into the lake. She had made her decision. She went back to Nagi and hugged him tightly again. It didn't matter whether he would let her stay in the cabin or not, whether he wanted her to stay with him or not. She didn't want to go back to where she came from. She felt that her home was there, in Wonderland.
~★~
“Haru ... why?” Nagi asked when they finally broke free. And the girl smiled slightly between tears. “Because I love you and I feel like my home is here.” She confessed in a whisper and that made him have the courage to kiss her at last. When they separated the kiss, he stuck his foreheads and murmured, “I love you, too. Since I saw you the first time.”
~★~
Haru never imagined that she would find a home so far from home. She never dreamed that she would find love in Wonderland. She never thought she would become part of the place she loved to read about in the books of her old world. But she was sure that there she had found her happiness.

~ The End ~

This Story was originally published at my Instagram account _utapri.stories

Chapter cover edited by me.