Behind Sanity

Chapter Twenty-Nine

                                                                   Behind Sanity

                                                             Chapter Twenty-Nine

                                                                              1

                Staring down into the water below her, Alice could already feel the cold before it even touched her skin.  She never much liked to swim, but if it was the only way back, perhaps it was the way she must go.  They had to keep moving after all.  She could no longer hear the ants pursuing them, so she supposed they must have at least stopped to inspect her diversion, and she and Rabbit had been on the move for a while.  Still not out of the wet lands yet, but she hoped to be getting close.

                 Now, they were looking at an even larger pool of water than what they had come across before, and it was so still that it made Alice shiver just to look at it – despite the cold haze that she could literally see rising off the top.

                “Well, you had better get going, Alice,” said White Rabbit from behind her.

                “Aren’t you coming?” she asked.  The rabbit began to laugh.

                “Oh, heavens no!” he cried. “I have another way, but it will be quite hazardous for you.”

                “More hazardous than this?!” Alice asked in shock, looking down at the still pool below her which slowly ran into a raging river in the distance.

                “Indeed,” said the rabbit. “For you.”

                Alice sighed deeply.  She didn’t like the thought of having to go alone, but what else was she to do?  She supposed Rabbit wasn’t much of a swimmer.

               “Alright,” said Alice. “But how will you know if I make it out?”

                “When you come out the other side, of course!” said the rabbit with a laugh. “Goodbye, Alice!  And good luck!”

                “But…!”

                He disappeared into the weeds then, leaving Alice standing at the edge of the pool.  Looking down at it, she began to sneer.  Hmm…swimming.  What a sport.  She stood around hopefully for a few moments, hoping this was the part where Cat came and took over, but even though she waited for a long while, he didn’t come.  And here she was standing in front of water – again.  She was really disliking this place about now. 

                Feeling that there was truly no other way to steer from this, she stepped down into the water at its edge.  She had been right: the water was extremely cold to the touch.  It, too, was salt water, no doubt.  She supposed she was receiving her just desserts.  After all, she had created this pool of tears several years ago, crying about something that she couldn’t remember.  Though she was feeling bold from her recent battle, she wondered what dangers lurked in the depths.

                She continued on through the water until it was midway up her boots.  Great; now she would have to walk around with wet boots as well!  Raising her foot to go in deeper, she felt a light nip on the back of her ankle.  She jumped at the pinch.  What…?