Chapter 1: Alicia in Wonderland
Summary:
When dream meets reality,
when pop culture meets classics…
Step into Alicia’s wonderful nightmare
and bet your life on a game of blackjack.
Notes:
This work was originally written for:
[FanFiction.Net] The Houses Competition
- [Season] Year 2: Round 8
- [Category] Drabble: up to 500 words
Prompts:
- [Word] Poker
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Down the pipeline, here I go
Into the chamber, where the magic begins
Chasing Katie Bell with her pocket watch
That goes, “Tick-tock, tick-tock… Poof!”
Where has she gone? I don’t know
Lost and frightened, I burst into tears
Drowning in despair, I hear a familiar sound
“Tick-tock, tick-tock… Bang!”
Waking up in the middle of the pitch
Across the table filled with cauldron cakes
Tall hat on his head and a broom in his hand—
Ah, it’s Oliver Wood at his best!
“Tick-tock, tick-tock, we’re going to be late!”
Katie squeals and hops around the man
Flailing her pocket watch in the air
“Queen Angelina is going to be mad!”
Swept away in a whirlwind of colors
Brought to a castle bloodier than red
I watch the flames rising with awe
Frolicking something amongst the blaze
On closer look… It’s a deck of cards!
With the ace of spades thrown above them all
Beads of sweat slip off its flat face
“Let me down—it’s not twenty-one!”
Glancing up, and there she is
My dearest friend under the crimson crown
Staring down at me with a glare
“Why is she here?” she asks my escorts
“Not me,” says Katie
“Nor me,” says Oliver
Then they finish in unison
“We don’t even know who this is!”
Pointing at the cards in the fire
Queen Angelina towers over the blaze
“I challenge you to a game of blackjack,
But if you lose… you’ll die in their stead.”
In the cyclone of cards
I face the arrogant Queen
Looking down at the dealer’s deck
Will my silent prayer be answered?
A jack of diamonds, “hit me”
Then a three of hearts, “hit me again”
And a six of spades, “now stand”
I rest my bet at twenty
Queen Angelina licks her lips
And she shows her hand with a flourish
I gape at the cards presented before me—
It’s a twenty-one, and I lost!
Dragged away by the arms
Ace of hearts on the left
On the right, an ace of spades
Together they throw me into a deep black pit!
Down into the darkness I fall
The Queen’s evil laughter filling my ears
Screams of terror piercing through the blackness
Until a jerk pulls me out into the light
I blink my eyes against the brightness
I can’t believe my eyes—it’s Oliver the Mad Hatter!
Crushed in his hand is an ace of spades
I burst into tears; “What’s going on now?”
“Stop crying and start running,” he urges me
Pointing his broomstick far ahead
“The Queen is furious, and she wants you dead,
Get out of here before she gets your head.”
The world spins around me again
Disembodied voices taunting at me
I scream myself hoarse at their sniggers…
When will this insanity end?
Notes:
INSPIRATIONS:
Visuals and themes based on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll;
Structure, rhythm, and poker reference loosely based on the Vocaloid song “Blackjack” ft. Luka Megurine, by Yucha-P.
Chapter 2: Alicia Through the Looking-Glass
Summary:
What is a dream?
And what is real?
Just step through the mirror,
to where true horror lies!
Notes:
This work was originally written for:
[FanFiction.Net] The Houses Competition
- [Season] Year 2: Round 8
- [Category] Drabble: up to 500 words (Additional Entry)
Prompts:
- [Word] Sharp
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Peek-a-boo! Trapped in the House of Mirrors
All around me, faces of a scared little girl
Left and right, with no way out
I look into the glass, into another me
Breaking out a grin, she beckons me forth
Filling the maze with melodic laughter
I inch closer to the impish reflection
Fingers meet the cold, pristine surface
Tipping forward, I fall through the glass
Into an abyss beyond the icy pane
Let the darkness embrace my still frame
Then, I open my eyes to a sea of red
The smell of blood that hits my nose
Noise of a distant roar fills my ears
Then, something crunches under my sole
Looking down, right into a bloody skull
“Who killed Cock Robin?” It cackles at me
“Not me!” I want to run away from those gaunt eyes
Only to be met with a high-pitched giggle
“So tell me: what’s that in your hand now?”
Feeling a coldness in my hand
A searing pain cut through my fingers
Holding up slowly to my widening eyes
A dagger glistened with dripping blood
No,
No…
NO!
I throw the dagger away
Into the sea of the rotting dead
Inferi rising below me
Clasping my ankles, dragging me down
Down,
Down…
NO!
Slashing through corpses
Clawing out of the deathly pit
Eveything felt like a blur to me
My bare feet slapping the dirt road as I run
Run,
Run…
RUN!
“Who killed Cock Robin?”
“Leave me alone!” I scream
At the mirage of me
Fearful eyes piercing into mine
Mocking sniggers echo in the air
Ugly sneers clouding my vision
Projected on the mirror around me
A crying girl drenched in blood
“Alicia,” they call out to me
Disembodied hands claw out of the glass
Each holding a knife, pointed at me
“Bad girls must be punished for their sins!”
Down to the ground on my knees
I wish for the floor to swallow me whole
Why am I still here? Why won’t you let me out?
I jolt up at the sound of cracking
Mirrors shattering
Glasses falling
Daggers raining down
Stabbing through me
My body twitch to the sharp agony
Tasting the blood oozing from my mouth
I open my arms wide
And welcome the end of it all.
Notes:
INSPIRATIONS:
Title pun based on Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll;
Some references to Who Killed Cock Robin?, a nursery rhyme often associated with death or murder tropes;
Visuals based on the House of Mirrors, a popular attraction in theme parks and carnivals around the world.
CardinalComet on Chapter 2 Sat 30 Nov 2024 04:02PM UTC
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ravenael (whyraven) on Chapter 2 Sun 08 Dec 2024 09:01AM UTC
Last Edited Sun 08 Dec 2024 09:01AM UTC
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CardinalComet on Chapter 2 Sun 08 Dec 2024 12:00PM UTC
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