Alice into Darkness

Sparks Hollow

The sun was glowing in a clear and intensely blue sky, the weather was pleasant, there was a soft wind coming from the West and Alice Layttel was delighted to discover that Sparks Hollow was far more beautiful than she would ever have imagined it to be...

"That's the Church of Saint Matthew" Grace Snowflake explained, pointing at the various landmarks of the town with great pride- "Right over there you can see Sparks Market, in which we purchase almost anything we could need, and beyond are Starlight Square and Sparks Hollow Cathedral..."

Alice looked like a noblewoman as she rode on a splendid white horse, her violet cloak rippled behind her and she could do nothing but stare in profound fascination as she admired the graceful gardens and parks, the eerie and yet elegant churches, those clock towers of impressive height and the cobblestone streets that made a great combination with their silvery light posts.

The grass was a dazzling shade of green, the houses and shops were made of wood, red bricks and rock, there were plum and apple trees almost anywhere you looked and the glass windows everywhere displayed every color that you could ever imagine...

"Thanks, Grace" Alice said, beaming at her and looking into those mysterious blue eyes for a moment- "Sparks Hollow is really beautiful!"

Alice discovered that she would not look any different from the people in town since all of them wore coats, hoods and cloaks on top of various styles of jackets or dresses, their boots were heavy and strong and everybody looked happy as they walked or just rode on their horses through the lively streets...

At that moment the bells began to ring at the top of every church tower of Sparks Hollow, those orange birds were flying from one park to another and the Snowflakes rode through Starlight Square, which displayed the most elegant shops of the entire town and graceful musicians playing their violins and flutes between the various gardens and trees.

The Snowflakes turned a corner to the left after having traveled a few streets beyond the square, then they turned to the right, they passed beside one of the largest parks that Alice had ever seen and twelve minutes later they arrived at a peaceful residential street at the Northern outskirts of Sparks Hollow...

Albert was the first to descend from his horse in front of a large and delightful house composed of red bricks and marble, the heavy doors were made of the finest wood, the windows were even larger than those of the elegant shops and Alice realized that they had arrived at the family's home at last.

"Welcome, Alice!" Eileen said, and then she dashed into the house like a bolt of lightning as soon as her father opened the main door.

Alice walked slowly into the house to discover a wooden living room with blue and orange couches, the walls were decorated with portraits of the family and paintings of the town, the floor was made of polished gray marble and there was a library with windows that provided a great view of trees outside and a beautiful back garden...

Eileen and Logan dashed upstairs on their way to their personal rooms, they laughed as they screamed weird things to each other and meanwhile Grace was already busy at the kitchen, singing happily as she began to prepare an excellent lunch for her family and their guest.

"There is still some smell of the pesticide, but it shall pass very soon" Albert said with his weak and harsh voice, coughing a little as he removed his expensive brown cloak- "Follow me, Alice! I'll show you the guest room..."

"Thanks! Are you sick with something, Albert?"

"Yes, I have a... a problem in my lungs, but we prefer to avoid talking about that" Albert explained, displaying a soft smile for Alice as they climbed the wooden staircase- "You see, that's the room that I share with my wife... and that's Eileen's room... Logan's Lair is at the end of the hallway... And this shall be your personal room!"

Albert pushed open a honey-colored door in order to reveal the room that the Snowflakes reserved for their best friends and guests: It was large even though it would be small if compared to Alice's room at Layttel Manor, but the wide and purple bed was splendid and the mirror and wardrobe were larger than what Alice would actually need.

There was a great wooden bookshelf at a corner, the bedside table was equipped with a stylish lamp and the enormous window provided a view of a vast vineyard and eerie forests in the distance...

"Thanks, Albert! This is excellent..."

Albert bowed at Alice just like he had done at the campsite a few days ago, the sickly man presented her with a heavy key made of wrought iron and then he left Miss Layttel alone so she could start to feel at home... Eileen and Logan were making a hell of a racket at their rooms, Grace continued to sing as she cooked downstairs and Alice just sat down on her soft and comfortable bed.

"They are a nice family, and quite wealthy as well judging from the looks of this place" Alice whispered to herself, placing the photographs of her father and Loraine on the small bedside table- "I just need to tell them that I should go back to the Haunted Forest, then they will insist for me to stay and that's all! Things just keep getting better and better..."

Alice laughed as she laid down to have some rest, the Layttel sword and dagger looked great on the bed right beside her, whatever that Grace was preparing smelled delicious and the Snowflakes had no idea that they had just brought a monster to their house...