Nursery Rhymes for the Mentally Ill

Sugar Horses Painted Red

Smiling girls, rosy boys,

Come and buy my little toys.

Monkeys made of ginger-bread;

And sugar horses painted red.

Jonathan.

Jon-a-than.

JONATHAN.

Any way you said it, it was still wonderful and beautiful and made my heart want to throw-up. That wasn't a very pretty picture, but it was how being head over heels for your ex felt.

I hated myself for it.

But sadly, I had fallen for those deep, crystal ball eyes that changed depending on his mood. Right now they were dark and blue, filled with so much emotion I thought that maybe the colors in them would leap out and slap me. I needed a good slap, right about now.

"Do you think it's a coincidence that you're here? Like, HERE, in this place?" Jonathan asked.

"Well, I hope it's not a coincidence. I'm more hoping its fate, you know, so I have an excuse to be here, HERE, in this random forest with you, going wherever you're going," I said, pausing. "Is this real? I mean--I'm in this place, where animals talk and everything is made of imagination. It could all just be a crazy dream, right?"

Jonathan laughed. "If it is a dream, its the best one I've had in a while. And, also, if its a dream and we wake up, we'll probably end up in a mental house together."

I laughed as the black stallion picked up speed.

"Are we headed in any general direction?" I said, suddenly concerned that we were going to be spending the night here, in the forest.

"Yea. To the castle. We'll be there in about a minute."

I doubted that, considering that all I could see for miles were hills, trees, and far off in the distance, some purple snow-capped mountains.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew, and the smell of bunt cookies filled my nose, along with the sharp, cinnamon scent of Jonathan. Oh, God. I was SO falling for him.

"Hang on," was all he said before a giant, clear bubble appeared in front of us, Well, not exactly clear. It was like a soap bubble--with all of the different colors swirling around.

"What--" but the stallion galloped full speed, forcing me to grab on to Jonathan's grey tee-shirt. Then, suddenly all of the trees just...disappeared.

For a moment I had vertigo--we were now on a cobble-stone street, lined with cute shops and stores. And...in front of us...

The Castle.

It was huge, and massive, with gold and dark green adornments to match the thousands of vines that covered it. But then we suddenly backed up, into the forest.

Jonathan looked back at me.

"Alice..." he said as he dismounted. I got off too.

"Yes?"

"I...people there are going to...assume things about you and me. I'm--I'm the King. My father just died a few months ago--they want me to marry you."

He said it with a slight grin, so I just nervously burst out laughing.

"Haha, uh, yea..." I trailed off, scratching my head.

"I mean, if you don't want to--there are other people--I mean, we wouldn't get married NOW, I was just telling you, so, um--"

"Jonathan." I said with a smile.

And then...I kissed him. On the lips, On HIS lips, HIS red lips that were cracked because they don't sell chap-stick here, and that were dry and so perfect and flawed that I kissed him harder, and entwined my black fingernails into his too  long blonde hair that smelled like pine trees and spices, and then his eyes were open and he looked at me, he LOOKED at me, really SAW me--

Of course something interrupted us.

Of course.

MEG