Good Advice
Prompt: Alice in Wonderland hurt/comfort
Warnings: None
Alice was distraught. Distraught in the true meaning of the word, rather than the usual, “oh dear, I seem to have misplaced my shoes” kind of distraught.
She wondered aimlessly, not even realizing she was walking, not realizing she was crying great, thick tears that fell onto her dress with a series of audible plunks, tears that left her face red and splotchy. Not that it mattered how she looked now anyway. She wasn’t pretty and she wasn’t charming or witty or lovable or… or… What else had he said to her?
“Don’t believe rubbish like that.”
The voice yanked her from her thoughts, and her breath caught painfully. She realized that she was out in the gardens, surrounded by trees and the smell of pine, and above her…
“Cheshire cat.”
“Yesss,” the cat purred. “And you really shouldn’t walk without looking where you’re going.”
“I’m perfectly capable of putting one foot in front of the other, thank you very much,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Her haughty response was lessened as her voice choked on another sob.
“Are you?” the cat asked, rolling onto its back and cocking its head at her lazily.
Alice rubbed at her face angrily to wipe off some of the tears. “What are you doing here anyway?”
The cat shrugged, which was not a typical thing for a cat to do, much less one who was upside down. “Why are any of us here?”
It then began to sing a bouncing little tune about the benefits of existentialism and salted crackers, which only irritated Alice more.
Stupid cat. She turned on her heel to march away.
The cat appeared just in front of her and startled her again, its nose just inches from her face. “I think you’re very pretty.”
She blinked at it once, taken aback. “You do?”
“Oh yes.” The cat dropped to the ground and rubbed against her ankles. “Although you do have snot running from your nose.”
She gasped and snatched for her handkerchief.
The cat laughed. She glared at it, but was unable to charge off again without treading on his tail.
“I find your company to be quite pleasant.”
“Really?”
“Really what?”
“Do you really find my company pleasant?”
“Yes, just not right now.”
She opened her mouth to give a vicious retort, the snapped it shut and growled in irritation, purposefully untangling herself from the little beast.
She made it three steps before it interrupted her again.
“Can you really put one foot in front of the other?” it asked.
“Obviously,” she snapped, turning to find the cat back up on a branch, already beginning to disappear.
“Then you should do that then.”
“What do you mean?”
“You should walk forward, without looking backwards and without tripping over brambles and roots.”
“You…” she trailed off, realizing that this was particularly straight forward for one of the Cheshire cat’s riddles, and even though he was always rather rude, this time it seemed as though he meant well. Maybe he was even trying to comfort her. It was a bit hard to tell.
“Would you wait for me?” she asked as the stripes down his back vanished.
“Where?”
“I don’t know.” It was a silly question really, and she was slightly embarrassed having even asked.
“Neither do I,” he said, his ears evaporating away. “But I do know that I always seem to be somewhere and when I am you are usually around.”
“What does that mean?”
The cat grinned, its mouth now its only remaining feature. “It means that I am always waiting for you to come by. Nothing thrills me more than seeing your scowling face.”
“If I need you, will you visit me again?” she called, hurrying her words and throwing them to the wind as the cat disappeared entirely.
“You’ll visit me.”
Its whisper faded to a laugh and then to the rustling of pine needles.
Alice sighed, straightened her back, and walked away.
Warnings: None
Alice was distraught. Distraught in the true meaning of the word, rather than the usual, “oh dear, I seem to have misplaced my shoes” kind of distraught.
She wondered aimlessly, not even realizing she was walking, not realizing she was crying great, thick tears that fell onto her dress with a series of audible plunks, tears that left her face red and splotchy. Not that it mattered how she looked now anyway. She wasn’t pretty and she wasn’t charming or witty or lovable or… or… What else had he said to her?
“Don’t believe rubbish like that.”
The voice yanked her from her thoughts, and her breath caught painfully. She realized that she was out in the gardens, surrounded by trees and the smell of pine, and above her…
“Cheshire cat.”
“Yesss,” the cat purred. “And you really shouldn’t walk without looking where you’re going.”
“I’m perfectly capable of putting one foot in front of the other, thank you very much,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Her haughty response was lessened as her voice choked on another sob.
“Are you?” the cat asked, rolling onto its back and cocking its head at her lazily.
Alice rubbed at her face angrily to wipe off some of the tears. “What are you doing here anyway?”
The cat shrugged, which was not a typical thing for a cat to do, much less one who was upside down. “Why are any of us here?”
It then began to sing a bouncing little tune about the benefits of existentialism and salted crackers, which only irritated Alice more.
Stupid cat. She turned on her heel to march away.
The cat appeared just in front of her and startled her again, its nose just inches from her face. “I think you’re very pretty.”
She blinked at it once, taken aback. “You do?”
“Oh yes.” The cat dropped to the ground and rubbed against her ankles. “Although you do have snot running from your nose.”
She gasped and snatched for her handkerchief.
The cat laughed. She glared at it, but was unable to charge off again without treading on his tail.
“I find your company to be quite pleasant.”
“Really?”
“Really what?”
“Do you really find my company pleasant?”
“Yes, just not right now.”
She opened her mouth to give a vicious retort, the snapped it shut and growled in irritation, purposefully untangling herself from the little beast.
She made it three steps before it interrupted her again.
“Can you really put one foot in front of the other?” it asked.
“Obviously,” she snapped, turning to find the cat back up on a branch, already beginning to disappear.
“Then you should do that then.”
“What do you mean?”
“You should walk forward, without looking backwards and without tripping over brambles and roots.”
“You…” she trailed off, realizing that this was particularly straight forward for one of the Cheshire cat’s riddles, and even though he was always rather rude, this time it seemed as though he meant well. Maybe he was even trying to comfort her. It was a bit hard to tell.
“Would you wait for me?” she asked as the stripes down his back vanished.
“Where?”
“I don’t know.” It was a silly question really, and she was slightly embarrassed having even asked.
“Neither do I,” he said, his ears evaporating away. “But I do know that I always seem to be somewhere and when I am you are usually around.”
“What does that mean?”
The cat grinned, its mouth now its only remaining feature. “It means that I am always waiting for you to come by. Nothing thrills me more than seeing your scowling face.”
“If I need you, will you visit me again?” she called, hurrying her words and throwing them to the wind as the cat disappeared entirely.
“You’ll visit me.”
Its whisper faded to a laugh and then to the rustling of pine needles.
Alice sighed, straightened her back, and walked away.