Anya sighed contently, sipping a neon green drink that was the Wonderland equivalent of chamomile tea. She and Raven were sitting on a sofa next to a raging fire with thick blankets draped over themselves.
"Feeling better now?" This was Cecilia Steelcrest, the mother of the two fishermen that had rescued Anya and Raven.
"Much better," Anya said. "Thank you so much."
"Do not think too much of it," Cecilia said. "The waters of Wonderland can be wild and unpredictable; ensuring that nobody dies in a capsize is like a second duty to us fishers."
Anya and Raven's fire had been spotted by a small fishing boat belonging to a Christian and Emilio Steelcrest from a small seaside village. The two boys had taken Anya and Raven back to their house where they were offered food and shelter.
"I'm glad there are many kind-hearted people in this world." Raven smiled.
"Speaking of which, how did your boat capsize?" Emilio poked his head through the doorway. A boy about Anya and Raven's age, he had his father's dirty blond hair with his mother's wide green eyes.
"It was caught in this giant storm. We ended up getting thrown overboard." Anya purposely left out a lot of details. The Steelcrests didn't need to know that they had stowed away on the Kraken. "The first mate did tell me something weird though."
"Which was?"
"He said that everything he knew about the Mad Hatter and the March Hare was mostly myth stuff but the one thing he did know was that they lived in a tea shop in Sizable Woods. Oh, we're looking for the Mad Hatter and the March Hare if you're wondering." The reason why they needed to find the mysterious figures wasn't important, but Anya figured she might as well gather information while she could.
"Of course. That is common knowledge here." Anya did a double-take.
"Wait, what!?"
"The Sizable Woods is very close to our village," Cecilia informed them. "The Mad Hatter and the March Hare sometimes come here for tea. The tea you are drinking right now is from their tea shop."
"Do you know when they're coming back?" Anya asked excitedly.
"Unfortunately their appearance is sporadic and we don't know the exact location of their tea shop, only its name: Book End. But we can lead you to the Sizable Woods," Emilio offered.
"Thank you," Raven said.
"That would be very much appreciated," Anya agreed.
Since Cecilia convinced them to stay the night until they were better, Anya and Raven ended up having dinner with the Steelcrests as well as have a sleepover with Emilio.
"Your mom is a really good cook," Anya said, stretching on her cot.
"When your sons and husband are fishermen you kind of get really good at making fish dishes," Emilio said.
"That would make sense." Raven nodded while moving his cot next to Anya's.
"What do your families do?" Emilio asked.
"My two younger sisters and I are students, my dad's a lawyer, and my mom is a stay-at-home mom," Anya told him.
"I am from a family of nobles so my parents are involved in politics but my siblings and I mostly have to live up to the reputation." Raven sighed. "It is not a desirable life, to say the least."
YOU ARE READING
The Melancholy of Wonderland
AventureAnya Haroldsman is a high school sophomore with no future. She's not smart, not competitive, not motivated, and she's never paying attention. Her only useful skills are her common sense, logic, and seeing the world for how it is. And to her, it's ab...