Four brothers. Timeless.
It was different than being endless, because their existence was guaranteed as long as the earth continued its meandering rotation around the sun. When this ceased...then the concept of time would also be gone, and the Timeless would end just as the earth did.
There were many Timeless; the sisters of the oceans, the keepers of the continents, the spirits of the holidays...it goes on and on. But without a doubt, the most powerful were the four brothers who kept the seasons.
The eldest brother was William, the keeper of winter. He was a man with silver hair, and intense, light gray eyes. His skin was pale and unblemished, his features in sharp definition. Always, the presence of cold, piercing wind surrounded him. One could say he was the most responsible of them all, one could call him the sternest... But these things did not make him who he was; he had a deep love of his brothers, a comfortable camaraderie with the other Timeless. His heart was, despite all outer appearances, warm.
Frederick was the keeper of fall, and the youngest of the brothers. With a decidedly mild temperament, he always seemed to have his spirits up, if not in a good mood in general. Auburn hair and dark green eyes seemed enigmatic, but his intrinsic joy was infectious to those around him. With skin neither pale nor dark, skin that just was, it made sense that Frederick was just Frederick, and that's all there was to it.
The middling brothers were twins. They were almost opposites in nature.
Samuel was the keeper of spring, and his twin's senior. Prone to mood swings and unreasonable fits of sadness and anger, he was most certainly the most expressive of his brothers. Most often he switched between cautious optimism and melancholy. His hair was such a light brown as to almost be blonde, and his eyes were an unflinching hazel. There was a certain fragility to his gestures and features, and often times his brothers were rather over-protective, even Frederick who was younger.
Then his opposite, Simon, kept summer. Simon was over-flowing with life. Strawberry blonde hair and dancing blue eyes kept he and William as contenders for most handsome brother. While normally one would say Simon had merely average features, they were enhanced by his mischievous, joking nature. There was no doubt that despite Frederick's perpetual good mood, Simon was truly the happiest of them all.
Together, the four brothers kept the seasons across the world on track. Their actions and presence managed growing seasons and heralded the advent of holidays. Of all the Timeless, they were the most active, and upon closer inspection, the most powerful.
They were not endless, but they were indeed Timeless.
Down the Rabbit Hole, pt.1
Friday, December 4, 2015
It ticked and ticked and ticked. Always, incessant, monotonous, mocking.
It ticked and ticked and ticked, and it was driving him insane.
Haigha was far more resilient than they'd counted on. How many operations had been administered? But still, he wasn't any closer to insane than when they began. A little crazier, perhaps, but not insane, and the difference between the two was an important distinction at this juncture.
"Ticktockticktockticktock..." He had been rocking back and forth in his cubicle for days, repeating the same phrase over and over again. No, he wasn't insane, but this was evidence for his particular craziness. Ever since she had left, he had become obsessed with clocks.
Mary Ann stood a few feet behind her Master, hands clasped stiffly behind her back, shoulders down and posture straight. Though she was officially his housekeeper, she often performed many other services for her Master, and lover. She had learned the hard way that leaving him to his own devices led to scenes just like the one before her.
From the one way glass, she saw the slow break down of the hare before them. Surely Hatta could have done better by now? In her eyes, he was incompetent. He was far too mad to be inducing madness in others. Yet her Master still chose him for the job.
"It's necessary. We have to get back," her Master said, as if he could read her thoughts. "If he is intact when she returns, it will inevitably lead to the same conclusion as before. I won't let that happen."
Mary Ann said nothing, simply stood there in silence.
Ticktockticktockticktock...
Alice stood in front of her mirror, and grimaced.
Sometimes, her memories of Wonderland and that damned looking glass felt like a crazy, hazy dream. A fantastical story dreamed up one day in the summer heat with Dinah and her sister. Then she would feel the weight of the pocket watch against her chest, the rub of the chain around her neck, and the promise it contained. It had all been real.
Sometimes, she thought of the one she loved and lost. Most days, she attempted to be a normal woman, a difficult affair for her. Ever since the incident with the Red King and White Queen, her complexion had paled considerably. Before she left, they had said it was because her powers were now fully in effect, but she didn't feel powerful. After all, she had been married off to a jewel maker, but the nights were cold and lonely, and she didn't love him nor he her. Her younger sister had been married, but her marriage had been to a duke and the two had indeed fallen madly in love.
Sometimes, that made her very jealous.
"Alice!" An angry shout sounded up to the second floor.
"A moment, dearest." Alice sighed. Straightening her hair, she readjusted her resigned posture to a proper lady's form, and carefully made her way down the narrow stairs.
At the bottom of the stairs, her husband stared at her with angry, clouded eyes. The stranger on the threshold had yet to look at her, and Alice wondered who on earth it could possibly be.
"We have a visitor. He says he knows you."
"Oh?" Alice frowned. She couldn't think of any local man who would come disturb her husband by calling on her. His expression let her know that he would want to beat her later, but like always, she would stay his hand. She wasn't going to tolerate such vile behavior in a husband, despite their mutual dislike for one another.
"Set us up some tea, would you?"
"Yes, dear."
In the kitchen, she mused to herself, "who could that man have been? He refused to let me take a good look at him."
With everything prepared, she moved into the parlor, but when she saw who their visitor was, she nearly dropped the tray.
The White Knight, Geoff, stood by the mantle, his eyes fixated on the portrait of Alice and her husband that had been done shortly after their marriage. There was a look of distaste on his features, visible revulsion. However, when he heard her entry and saw her, he smiled.
After returning home from her time in Wonderland, she had eventually calculated that he had to have been in his 30s. Now he stood before her in his 50s. Time had not made him any less handsome, but it had indeed aged him. The joyful smile he gave lessened the age of his face, making him look young again, like so many years ago.
"Alice, m'lady, so good to see you once more," he greeted formally. Quickly, he took the tea tray from her, and balancing it on one hand, stooped to grasp her hand and bestow a kiss on the back of it. Blush heated her cheeks, and she knew her husband had to be glaring at her.
"W-what are you doing here?" It wasn't often that Alice had difficulty finding words, but this was an unprecedented situation.
"A way has been devised to return you home." He said it so matter-of-factly. Home. It was, wasn't it? She was supposedly the true inheritor of the kingdom, owning the considerable power the position came with. She had only left because she couldn't bear to leave her mother and sister without even the faintest goodbye. Her love had helped her find a way back home, even though he knew it meant he may never see her again. That was love. It killed her to leave him, but she had to. She hadn't thought it possible to return. Could she? Truly?
"How?" She asked breathlessly. Her husband scowled.
"Alice!" He thundered. "What manner of nonsense is this?!" He staggered backward as the sharp tip of a sword was suddenly prodding his throat.
"Take care how you address her, sir. I would be rather put out to cut you down." By his tone, she knew he was lying. He would be rather pleased to kill her husband.
"You've yet to answer my question," she said softly.
"The rabbit, m'lady. He can open a gate."
She sucked in a breath. So the rabbit was back to his old machinations, was he? She had never disliked him, in fact she had become rather fond of him near the end, but she knew better than to trust his motivations when she wasn't around to monitor him.
"What do I have to do?"
"Just continue what you're doing now; stand there and look pretty."
Her husband spluttered angrily, but his loud words merely faded to background noise as Alice thought of her home.
"Is he alright?" Alice knew Geoff would immediately know who she meant.
"I...I'm not sure," he admitted, a bit ashamedly. "No one has seen him for a while now."
"Oh."
The silence turned to one of sadness as they waited. Then, the floor began to cave in, right in the center, but in a perfect circle. Once it had formed, well away from the three in the parlor who had stepped to the edges of the room, Alice peered down. It was the same as before! The rabbit tunnel seemed to go on forever and ever into darkness.
"After you," Geoff gestured. Alice nodded.
Then she took the leap.
When the gate finished opening, the rabbit sighed deeply. He went limp, slumping back in his chair, and relaxed.
It took a toll, coordinating and opening gates, and rarely did the right circumstances come together for such an event. The denizens of Wonderland were lucky. They needed their Alice, lest the magic of the kingdom die.
Mary Ann began to rub his shoulders soothingly.
Being the last Guide was such a busy way of living. He controlled the traffic to and from Wonderland, and when Alice had first arrived, he led her through the journey meant to ultimately prove her power over Wonderland. Resting his chin upon one furred hand, he closed his eyes.
"My dear..." He said softly.
"Hmmm?"
"Do you think our guest has been sufficiently broken?"
For the briefest second, Mary Ann's hands paused as she mulled over his question, then they went back to stroking his shoulders. "Yes. The hatter finally found the way to break him. He should be no trouble at all."
"Good," he sighed in relief.
Alright, so technically, he wasn't the last Guide. His cousin was a Guide as well, but the destruction of his mental faculties meant he would be unable to control his power. Power that was greater than the rabbit's own, and aggravated him to no end.
Their Alice would not leave again, the white rabbit made sure of that.
It ticked and ticked and ticked, and it was driving him insane.
Haigha was far more resilient than they'd counted on. How many operations had been administered? But still, he wasn't any closer to insane than when they began. A little crazier, perhaps, but not insane, and the difference between the two was an important distinction at this juncture.
"Ticktockticktockticktock..." He had been rocking back and forth in his cubicle for days, repeating the same phrase over and over again. No, he wasn't insane, but this was evidence for his particular craziness. Ever since she had left, he had become obsessed with clocks.
Mary Ann stood a few feet behind her Master, hands clasped stiffly behind her back, shoulders down and posture straight. Though she was officially his housekeeper, she often performed many other services for her Master, and lover. She had learned the hard way that leaving him to his own devices led to scenes just like the one before her.
From the one way glass, she saw the slow break down of the hare before them. Surely Hatta could have done better by now? In her eyes, he was incompetent. He was far too mad to be inducing madness in others. Yet her Master still chose him for the job.
"It's necessary. We have to get back," her Master said, as if he could read her thoughts. "If he is intact when she returns, it will inevitably lead to the same conclusion as before. I won't let that happen."
Mary Ann said nothing, simply stood there in silence.
Ticktockticktockticktock...
Alice stood in front of her mirror, and grimaced.
Sometimes, her memories of Wonderland and that damned looking glass felt like a crazy, hazy dream. A fantastical story dreamed up one day in the summer heat with Dinah and her sister. Then she would feel the weight of the pocket watch against her chest, the rub of the chain around her neck, and the promise it contained. It had all been real.
Sometimes, she thought of the one she loved and lost. Most days, she attempted to be a normal woman, a difficult affair for her. Ever since the incident with the Red King and White Queen, her complexion had paled considerably. Before she left, they had said it was because her powers were now fully in effect, but she didn't feel powerful. After all, she had been married off to a jewel maker, but the nights were cold and lonely, and she didn't love him nor he her. Her younger sister had been married, but her marriage had been to a duke and the two had indeed fallen madly in love.
Sometimes, that made her very jealous.
"Alice!" An angry shout sounded up to the second floor.
"A moment, dearest." Alice sighed. Straightening her hair, she readjusted her resigned posture to a proper lady's form, and carefully made her way down the narrow stairs.
At the bottom of the stairs, her husband stared at her with angry, clouded eyes. The stranger on the threshold had yet to look at her, and Alice wondered who on earth it could possibly be.
"We have a visitor. He says he knows you."
"Oh?" Alice frowned. She couldn't think of any local man who would come disturb her husband by calling on her. His expression let her know that he would want to beat her later, but like always, she would stay his hand. She wasn't going to tolerate such vile behavior in a husband, despite their mutual dislike for one another.
"Set us up some tea, would you?"
"Yes, dear."
In the kitchen, she mused to herself, "who could that man have been? He refused to let me take a good look at him."
With everything prepared, she moved into the parlor, but when she saw who their visitor was, she nearly dropped the tray.
The White Knight, Geoff, stood by the mantle, his eyes fixated on the portrait of Alice and her husband that had been done shortly after their marriage. There was a look of distaste on his features, visible revulsion. However, when he heard her entry and saw her, he smiled.
After returning home from her time in Wonderland, she had eventually calculated that he had to have been in his 30s. Now he stood before her in his 50s. Time had not made him any less handsome, but it had indeed aged him. The joyful smile he gave lessened the age of his face, making him look young again, like so many years ago.
"Alice, m'lady, so good to see you once more," he greeted formally. Quickly, he took the tea tray from her, and balancing it on one hand, stooped to grasp her hand and bestow a kiss on the back of it. Blush heated her cheeks, and she knew her husband had to be glaring at her.
"W-what are you doing here?" It wasn't often that Alice had difficulty finding words, but this was an unprecedented situation.
"A way has been devised to return you home." He said it so matter-of-factly. Home. It was, wasn't it? She was supposedly the true inheritor of the kingdom, owning the considerable power the position came with. She had only left because she couldn't bear to leave her mother and sister without even the faintest goodbye. Her love had helped her find a way back home, even though he knew it meant he may never see her again. That was love. It killed her to leave him, but she had to. She hadn't thought it possible to return. Could she? Truly?
"How?" She asked breathlessly. Her husband scowled.
"Alice!" He thundered. "What manner of nonsense is this?!" He staggered backward as the sharp tip of a sword was suddenly prodding his throat.
"Take care how you address her, sir. I would be rather put out to cut you down." By his tone, she knew he was lying. He would be rather pleased to kill her husband.
"You've yet to answer my question," she said softly.
"The rabbit, m'lady. He can open a gate."
She sucked in a breath. So the rabbit was back to his old machinations, was he? She had never disliked him, in fact she had become rather fond of him near the end, but she knew better than to trust his motivations when she wasn't around to monitor him.
"What do I have to do?"
"Just continue what you're doing now; stand there and look pretty."
Her husband spluttered angrily, but his loud words merely faded to background noise as Alice thought of her home.
"Is he alright?" Alice knew Geoff would immediately know who she meant.
"I...I'm not sure," he admitted, a bit ashamedly. "No one has seen him for a while now."
"Oh."
The silence turned to one of sadness as they waited. Then, the floor began to cave in, right in the center, but in a perfect circle. Once it had formed, well away from the three in the parlor who had stepped to the edges of the room, Alice peered down. It was the same as before! The rabbit tunnel seemed to go on forever and ever into darkness.
"After you," Geoff gestured. Alice nodded.
Then she took the leap.
When the gate finished opening, the rabbit sighed deeply. He went limp, slumping back in his chair, and relaxed.
It took a toll, coordinating and opening gates, and rarely did the right circumstances come together for such an event. The denizens of Wonderland were lucky. They needed their Alice, lest the magic of the kingdom die.
Mary Ann began to rub his shoulders soothingly.
Being the last Guide was such a busy way of living. He controlled the traffic to and from Wonderland, and when Alice had first arrived, he led her through the journey meant to ultimately prove her power over Wonderland. Resting his chin upon one furred hand, he closed his eyes.
"My dear..." He said softly.
"Hmmm?"
"Do you think our guest has been sufficiently broken?"
For the briefest second, Mary Ann's hands paused as she mulled over his question, then they went back to stroking his shoulders. "Yes. The hatter finally found the way to break him. He should be no trouble at all."
"Good," he sighed in relief.
Alright, so technically, he wasn't the last Guide. His cousin was a Guide as well, but the destruction of his mental faculties meant he would be unable to control his power. Power that was greater than the rabbit's own, and aggravated him to no end.
Their Alice would not leave again, the white rabbit made sure of that.
A Ghost Girl's Shoe
Thursday, December 3, 2015
It took several days for anyone to notice.
She wasn't particularly disliked by anyone, but she had gotten used to a status of "invisible" a long time ago.
The first to notice was her English teacher. His star student's grades were suddenly dropping with no explanation, and then he checked the attendance: she hadn't been there in a week, a week with two essays due, and no explanation of her absence. Her other teachers looked at their own records, but it was more of the same. Their best student was slipping with no explanation but for not being in class for a week. The principal was alerted.
A phone call to the parents did nothing to assuage the school's concerns. The parents were surprised to hear this, and ventured into their daughter's room for the first time in seven years. It wasn't that they didn't care, but they didn't always have time for her - she had long ago become self-sufficient, used to making her own meals and doing the chores of the house, not that her parents would ever admit such a thing. Her room was in pristine condition but for the building layer of dust. The police were notified.
General unease had invaded the police department. A girl had gone missing and her parents hadn't noticed! At first, it seemed a standard runaway case, at least until they discovered she had perfect grades and test scores, had just aced her SAT and ACT. There was no obvious reason for her disappearance, no incriminating evidence on her computer or in her room.
Then he found the shoe.
Detective Monroe gingerly held the size 8 1/2 black high-top sneaker. Carefully turning it over in the light, he detected blood smudges and smears. The whole thing was a stroke of luck he had difficulty fathoming. The only reason he was here on the forest service road was to speak with some park rangers. No one thought it could be foul play,t here was no reason to think so, and so it was assumed she had gotten lost. He had meant to arrange a search party with the rangers, but after leaving his truck, had tripped over the shoe. The blood on it, the size, the oddity of the placement... It seemed it must be the missing girl's. This certainly hadn't been left by a bear or mountain lion, they didn't leave perfectly preserved shoes behind. It wasn't dirty as if dragged through the dirt, it wasn't torn or ripped up. No, this shoe had been knocked off of her foot, and left behind. Maybe the abductor hadn't noticed. Or maybe they hadn't cared.
After all, a whole week before her parents noticed, and on accident.
He pulled an evidence bag from his truck and carefully enclosed the shoe. Then, he called it in and headed back to the station. This screamed of something foul.
There was a line for entering in evidence. He took a seat in one of the old, brown department chairs, and waited. Sitting slightly forward, legs apart, he rested his forearms on the top of his thighs and took a close look at the shoe in the bag.
Was she scared? He wondered if she knew how long it would take for her absence to be noted. He wondered about the girl who seemed to be a ghost in her own life. Did she know her abductor? Did she think no one would find her? Where was she?
He wondered who she was as a person. Though the evidence of her life indicated a quiet, no-nonsense type, the few friends of hers they had managed to track down were adamant that she was funny, smart, loyal, and could be trusted with any secret. When asked why they hadn't noticed her disappearance, the shame was evident on their faces. If she had called for assistance, they would have dropped everything and come to her air, but she hadn't. They were too caught up in their own lives to notice.
Was she sassing her abductor now with back talk and wit belaying her teenage status? Was she gagged and bound?
His turn at the window came. As he handed over the paperwork and shoe with a strange reluctance, one last question came to mind:
Was she even still alive?
She wasn't particularly disliked by anyone, but she had gotten used to a status of "invisible" a long time ago.
The first to notice was her English teacher. His star student's grades were suddenly dropping with no explanation, and then he checked the attendance: she hadn't been there in a week, a week with two essays due, and no explanation of her absence. Her other teachers looked at their own records, but it was more of the same. Their best student was slipping with no explanation but for not being in class for a week. The principal was alerted.
A phone call to the parents did nothing to assuage the school's concerns. The parents were surprised to hear this, and ventured into their daughter's room for the first time in seven years. It wasn't that they didn't care, but they didn't always have time for her - she had long ago become self-sufficient, used to making her own meals and doing the chores of the house, not that her parents would ever admit such a thing. Her room was in pristine condition but for the building layer of dust. The police were notified.
General unease had invaded the police department. A girl had gone missing and her parents hadn't noticed! At first, it seemed a standard runaway case, at least until they discovered she had perfect grades and test scores, had just aced her SAT and ACT. There was no obvious reason for her disappearance, no incriminating evidence on her computer or in her room.
Then he found the shoe.
Detective Monroe gingerly held the size 8 1/2 black high-top sneaker. Carefully turning it over in the light, he detected blood smudges and smears. The whole thing was a stroke of luck he had difficulty fathoming. The only reason he was here on the forest service road was to speak with some park rangers. No one thought it could be foul play,t here was no reason to think so, and so it was assumed she had gotten lost. He had meant to arrange a search party with the rangers, but after leaving his truck, had tripped over the shoe. The blood on it, the size, the oddity of the placement... It seemed it must be the missing girl's. This certainly hadn't been left by a bear or mountain lion, they didn't leave perfectly preserved shoes behind. It wasn't dirty as if dragged through the dirt, it wasn't torn or ripped up. No, this shoe had been knocked off of her foot, and left behind. Maybe the abductor hadn't noticed. Or maybe they hadn't cared.
After all, a whole week before her parents noticed, and on accident.
He pulled an evidence bag from his truck and carefully enclosed the shoe. Then, he called it in and headed back to the station. This screamed of something foul.
There was a line for entering in evidence. He took a seat in one of the old, brown department chairs, and waited. Sitting slightly forward, legs apart, he rested his forearms on the top of his thighs and took a close look at the shoe in the bag.
Was she scared? He wondered if she knew how long it would take for her absence to be noted. He wondered about the girl who seemed to be a ghost in her own life. Did she know her abductor? Did she think no one would find her? Where was she?
He wondered who she was as a person. Though the evidence of her life indicated a quiet, no-nonsense type, the few friends of hers they had managed to track down were adamant that she was funny, smart, loyal, and could be trusted with any secret. When asked why they hadn't noticed her disappearance, the shame was evident on their faces. If she had called for assistance, they would have dropped everything and come to her air, but she hadn't. They were too caught up in their own lives to notice.
Was she sassing her abductor now with back talk and wit belaying her teenage status? Was she gagged and bound?
His turn at the window came. As he handed over the paperwork and shoe with a strange reluctance, one last question came to mind:
Was she even still alive?
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