Impossible (A HEARTLESS Fanfic)

Chapter Four

Alice gazed down sadly at the wreckage that had once been her beloved oak tree room. How long would it take her and Mr. Ferret to fix it? As she contemplated the damage, the front hatch opened up from the ground, and Mr. Ferret was scurrying out. When he saw Alice, all of the fur on his body stood on end, and he started twitching and jumping about.

"Oh my, oh my, oh my!" he fussed as he spun in circles. "Alice, what happened?"

"I'm afraid I ate something that didn't quite agree with my size," Alice responded.

"We need to get you down from there before something flies into your head! Perhaps you should sit down while I search for some spare Shrinking Cake."

"Sitting may prove more hazardous, Mr. Ferret. I fear I may cause a slight earthquake if I were to do so."

"You're going to attract attention, my dear. I've never seen you so tall before! Just stay there and try to blend in while I look for some Cake. Stick some branches in your hair! Maybe they'll think you a tree!"

He was right. Since arriving in Hearts, Alice's curiosity had turned her many different shapes, sizes, and colors. But this was the tallest she had yet been. Whatever had been put in that tart was a strong type of magic indeed. Would Shrinking Cake even remedy the situation?

"Oh! Shrinking Cake!" Alice exclaimed, her senses finally returning to her.

Digging into her sash, she found a piece of Shrinking Cake that, unlike her clothing and everything else that happened to be on her person when she grew, had remained its original size. Nibbling at it carefully, her height slowly began to decrease, and she found herself coming nearer and nearer to the ground. When she was back to a normal, human size, she held her hand over her head, trying to determine whether she were the right height. Deciding that it was close enough, she stashed the cake once again in her sash. With that taken care of, she turned to the fallen oak tree.

"How sad," she lamented. "I really did love that tree."

Mr. Ferret had returned with a sliver of white cake. "I think this may be Shrinking Cake, but I'm not sure. Our pastry drawer is quite disorganized, and I seem to have added some thimbles and matches to the—oh! You're back to you."

"Yes, I had some more Cake on me. Oh, Mr. Ferret, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be sorry, my dear, I quite like you this size. It's very difficult to hold a conversation with you when your head is up in the trees."

"No, about the tree. I've destroyed it."

"Oh." He turned to the rubble as if seeing it for the first time. "So you have."

"It's all my fault. I'm so sorry."

"Hush, hush, child, it's of no concern. Trees grow back. And the downstairs is mostly untouched. A few things fell out of the shelves, but nothing that cannot be righted. As for your room, I will gladly build a temporary one for you down below until we can grow a new tree. See? No need to fret."

He put a gentle arm around Alice's shoulders, giving her hand a comforting pat. Alice smiled, but she was not comforted. How she loathed being forced downstairs in the dark, locked away from the world above her. But she had no one to blame but herself. She had eaten the tart and grown to a ridiculous size. Still, who would have thought that the Queen's own baked goods would be so perilous? True, she was a heartless ruler who doled out beastly punishments, but why would she sully her beautiful dessert with such magic?

"Alice, my dear, I am very happy that you are now closer to the ground," Mr. Ferret said, "but I must ask: What did you eat to cause you to grow?"

Alice hesitated, her eyes roving over the ground. Amidst the branches and bedposts and bedding was the tart, still beautiful and perfect, with only a tiny piece missing from it. Even knowing what would happen if she were to eat it again, her mouth watered at the sight of it.