The Alice Games

The Fool

Delia trotted down the hallway after the strange girl, who seemed to walk at a very fast pace. The hallway was really little more than a tunnel, lit only by some mysterious glowing fungi.

Soon the hallway opened up into a circular room with walls paneled with doors. There were doors of every shape and size, covering the length of the immense room. It felt as though every door in the world were there. "The one you'll want is the little one over there," the strange girl said, pointing. "Go through it by any means possible; now, if you need any help once you're on the other side of the door, you call for Kyoree, yes?" And with this, Kyoree vanished into thin air quite suddenly.

Delia obediently went over to the door Kyoree pointed out, but found that it was locked. Looking around, she saw that a little glass table was in the center of the room, and a key was on it. Delia walked over and took the key, and tried it on the small door. The door, frustratingly, remained locked. Delia set the key back down on the table and, taking no notice whatsoever of the small bottle labeled 'Drink Me.' This is because although Delia took note of the bottle, she most certainly did not want to be drugged.

Delia decided that if she couldn't get through the little door, she could try the others. However, the key fit none of them. Delia returned to the little door. She gazed at it, frustrated, and finally, she punched it with all her might.

The door, being at most ten inches tall, flew off its hinges. Now what? Delia wondered. She was certainly not ten inches high. She could no more get through the door than a dragon could blow out candles.

"Psst!"

Delia's eyes shot to the opening in the door, and laid eyes, for the first time, on a Dormouse. 

"You use the potion." The Dormouse hissed. "It ain't poison, I swear."

"Okay..." Delia replied. She didn't budge. The Dormouse rolled her eyes.

"Why would I lie to you?"

"Why would you be talking in the first place?"

"Well, why not?" The Dormouse shot back.

"Because," Delia began, "Mice do not talk."

"Where you're from," the Dormouse sneered. "And I'm not just some common mouse, I'm a Dormouse. Thea the Dormouse, specifically speaking, and you'll remember that."

Delia sighed. "What's the difference?"

"It makes all the distance, you great, clumsy, spidery-" At this point Thea ran up Delia's arm and quickly shoved something in her mouth. Delia tried to spit whatever it was out, but nothing seemed to deter her opponent, who plugged her nose.

"What did you do?" Delia cried as Thea jumped from her shoulder. Indeed, Delia felt odd- like she was folding in on herself.

"Just gave you a bit of potion," Thea reassured the shrinking teenager, watching her work fondly. When the work was complete, a mountain of clothes laid before the Dormouse.

Delia crawled out of her jeans, thankful that she had been wearing a stretchy camisole. At least she wouldn't go buck naked.

Wherever she was going.

Delia, head still pounding from the effects of the potion, followed the Dormouse to the door, which she fit through now.

"Come on, then," Thea invited. "Oh, and hold my tail."

Delia took a hold of the Dormouse's tail and stepped into the broad sunlight streaming through the door.