Crunch, crunch, CRUNCH.

  The path was made of autumn leaves crunching with Hatter and mine’s feet. We felt the weight of the path change beneath us; looking back, we see where the table once stood begins to blur and fade, as if time was rewriting the scene before us. A brief moment of hesitation, a hare’s breath. Then the table, teacups and the house- all of it vanishes, replaced by a wall with a forest print on it. I reached out to touch it; it’s solid. I jump back and look at Hatter. He shook his head no and jerked his head back to where I was facing the wall. I look back and can see depth now- it's really a forest; I reach my hand out again, this time it touches a tree.

  “Don’t always trust your eyes," Hatter was looking forward to the path ahead. I shook my hand, trying to trust my other senses. I decided it was best to start petting between Houdini’s ears to ground me, that IS a sense I will never forget. That’s so weird, it looks like we’re in the middle of the forest, but the rustle of leaves and the smell of fall hung in the air. The smell of grass, flowers and mildew on wet stones was long gone. There really is sight unseen at play here, it feels like a beautiful autumn day but there is no sunlight above us. Only perpetual twilight.

  I was trying to focus on the task at hand, one step in front of the other. I’m still so angry. Glancing at Frankie, she seemed content in the crook of Hatter’s arm. She seemed interested in where we were headed, unlike Houdini who was currently digging at my arm. How could this happen? It made me think of my father. This is something he would chalk up to the family curse- I’m sure of it. I know I blamed myself for years thinking I killed my first pet, my friend; but it was just the works of some Seer? My world had stopped.

  This world does seem like something a crazy person made up after taking some shrooms though if I’m being honest. I chuckled softly; my anger subsiding for the moment. This is no time to lose my head, right? We are here now... well now what? We had been walking in silence for a moment but I couldn’t wait any longer. “Hatter... what is going to happen next?” I stopped walking. I needed to know what trials were coming, and what exactly were they going to cost me? Possibly us?

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.