Miyuki-chan in the Tugley Wood (an old post no one EVER read)

[oteage]

The alarm actually went off at seven, carefully timed so that Miyuki had enough time to leisurely get dressed in the morning. Or at least it would if Miyuki would actually wake up at the alarm shrilling in her ear. Instead Miyuki rolls over and buried her head in her pillows. Miyuki finally drags herself up from the dregs of sleep by seven thirty, seven thirty one to be precise. Her little pink alarm clock had long since given up on trying to wake the girl and instead merely counted the minutes patiently.
“Wha- seven thirty?! I’m late again!” She cried as she scrambled out of bed and into her rumpled school uniform. She bypassed brushing her hair and simply wrapped her long chestnut locks into a loose knot, a suggestion from last months fashion magazine for bad hair days. She grabbed a piece of her dad’s toast as it popped out of the toaster, he wasn’t late, and she dashed out the door.
“I’m late. I’m late. I’m late.” She huffed the words out with every breath as she ran. The words were practically her mantra that helped keep her feet moving, no matter how tired she was. To her left the tall buildings gave way to trees and grass as she walked past the park. Definitely one of those days for the short cut, she turned and dashed up the gravel path without slowing down, cutting diagonally through the park let her out behind her school and if she was lucky she could get in the back door and into class before she was really late. The neatly kept gravel paths gave way to dirt and the trees around her grew thicker and closer together. The sunlight streamed down creating patches of dappled light, shifting as the wind moved through the trees. But Miyuki running down the forest path, chanting her mantra, was completely unaware of the changes around her. Gradually the path she was on grew smaller and smaller as the trees and grasses on the sides hedged in around Miyuki, and she was running on the soft forest grass ducking around trees, It was only when her foot slipped on the wet grass and sent Miyuki tumbling to the ground did she realize that something was very wrong. “Oh, no! Not again!”
She slowly stood up and turned around, the path was long since gone surrounding her was dark trees broken only intermittedly by beams of soft green light, After she turned around in a full circle there before her was an old wooden sign, nailed to a large gnarled oak. The words were faded and difficult to read, it took Miyuki some time to figure out what the sign was saying.
“ ‘Welcome to the Tulgey Wood.’ “ She read aloud. “Hmm, ‘Tulgey’ sounds foreign. Oh! What’s this?”
A crumpled piece of paper that she didn’t notice before was tacked to the sign, it was old and the writing just as faded as the sign. “ ‘Beware the Jabberwock, the Jub-jub Bird and the Frumious Bandersnach.’ How very strange!”
“You think so?” a soft voice asked from behind her, Miyuki nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned to see an exceedingly beautiful woman with flowing black hair and a dark robe. “We all thought it was very sensible.”
“We?” Miyuki asked, she had an increasingly bad feeling about this.
“Why, the other toves and myself of course.” The woman said.
“And what’s your name, child?” a soft voice asked in her ear. Miyuki let out a small shriek and jumped away from the voice in her ear. The forest around her erupted into giggles. The voice belonged to another tove, who was much like the first only with dark green hair. She stepped away from Miyuki and walked over to the first tove where she leaned her head on the other’s shoulder and looked at Miyuki expectantly.
“Well, um- I’m Miyuki.” She stammered as she looked around her at the other toves in the trees. There were a lot of them lounging in the dark tree branches, sleeping, dreaming, and even some of them, troubled by demons in their sleep. But, what on earth exactly were those toves where doing up in the trees.
“What a cute name!” The first tove exclaimed.
“For such a odd girl.” The second purred.
“Um- if you don’t mind, Ma’am.” Miyuki stammered and stepped away from the two toves. “If you could point the way out I’m already late for school you see.”
“Oh, why don’t you stay here with us instead.” The first tove suggested “I’m sure we could have lots of fun.”
“Oh, yes. Stay.” Said the second, she was echoed by a chorus of ‘stays’ from the treetops.
“I- uh can’t. Really.” Miyuki stammered backing up slowly, when the two toves stepped forward she turned and ran as fast as she could. It was only when her lungs burned and her legs were cramped and sore did she stop running to look around. She was still in the Tulgey Wood. But the trees here were thinner and she could see a clearing up ahead of her and she could hear someone singing. She walked forward almost dreading what weird, "WEIRD WEIRD WEIRD WEIRD!" Miyuki said aloud... things she was going to meet next.
In the center of a large marble platform was a golden sword buried point down into the stone. The gold hilt glinted in the sunlight, as her gaze traveled downward Miyuki noticed another odd creature sprawled on the steps leading up the platform. It was dressed simply in the Pope's robes, that began to shred at the arms, up. The creture looked like a large scaled, feathered, golden buird, with horses legs, from the knee's donw, he wore no shirt, and had a large second face on his stomach that streched up onto his chest, completely covering, any visible evidence a proper upper torso. Miyuki walked up to him, and said "Excuse me, but could you, by any chance direct me out of the forest, Sir?"
“Tut-tut, young lady, introductions first. You may be You, and I the pope, but that still does not excuse you from your ruddess, the nuse upon this fork will ensure that I am correct, am I not?.” The chided, just a little too loudly, brimming with it's insane bird like laughter, it picked up a large pitchfork with a nuse slid over the left most prong.
“Yes, of course. I’m sorry.” Miyuki bowed politely. “I’m Miyuki. And I appear-“
“One thing at a time.” It interrupted. “I am the Boro Grove. And you, my dear are trespassing. On me- in me.”
“I beg your pardon?” Miyuki asked. “I’m sorry to trespass, but you see I’m lost…”
“If you didn’t mean to trespass then shouldn’t you have gotten out of me yet?” the Boro Grove asked.
Miyuki frowned at this odd looking creture and tried again to get direction. “I’m sorry, but if you could tell me how to get out of the wood-“
“First get out of me. Go- shoo.” Making drunken little circles with It's hand that Miyuki thought might have been shooing motions.
“Fine!” frustrated Miyuki turned and stalked back the way she came. “All I wanted were some directions.”
“Oh, dear. Where are you going?” the Boro Grove called from behind her. “Come talk a bit now.”
“Oh, for heavens-“ Miyuki turned and started back towards the drunk creature. She had almost reached the clearing when the woman started shouting her to stop. “What now?!”
“Rude little girl.” The Boro Grove scolded “Introductions first. Would you want some stranger galumphing around inside of you?”
Miyuki stamped her foot “What do you mean?”
“You introduce yourself to the Boro Grove before stepping past the boros!” The Creature yelled in annoyance “Don’t you know any other Groves?”
“Well, I know groves are clumps of a type of tree, but I never had to introduce myself to one before.”
“Humph! Repression of local plantlife. What an uncivilized little barbarian you are.” The Boro Grove declared. “But since I’ve no one else to speak to in ages… Introduce yourself, and properly now. A young lady needs to be brought up polite.”
Miyuki rolled her eyes, but bowed just the same. “I am Miyuki, Sir"
“Please don’t call me ma'am it makes me feel old.” The Boro Grove said. “And do come in and have a seat. I’m tired of shouting to the ends of myself so you can hear me.” Miyuki looking slightly puzzled, begain to say "Sir, if you will pardon me, with all due respect, I didn't call you 'Ma'am', I called you --" "Oh but of course, of course you did.. You called me Ma'am I heard you! I'll have you know, I am a most prestigous person infact.." The creature paused for a second... Then suddenly the lower face's eye opened and the actual face of the creature closed it's eye's. "Ego Fum Papa.." -- "I am the pope dear child, the pope of this place, the tugley wood, Now please, if you will- introduce yourself and be on your way.. " Miyuki's face went through several different reactions, and then said "But I thought you wer-- " interrupting Miyuki, the creature blurted out in a schrill and almost unintellegable schreek "NEVER MIND! Get on with you STORY, c hhillD.,"
“Yes, thank you, thank you.” Miyuki bowed again before making her way back to the stone platform. The Boro Grove patted a clear spot next to Itself and Miyuki sat down.
“Now then. Since you seem to be lacking in common curtesy I shall take it upon myself to teach you.”
“As we have already establish when entering a grove one must introduce oneself, and before doing so one wait for an invitation to introduce, to then later enter.”
The Boro Grove paused and eyed Miyuki expectantly “Yes, Sir.” -- "I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!" retorted the creature.. Miyuki paniced, looking for the right words "Yes, ma' am?" - "Maybe there is some hope for you here, after all you seemed to have stopped talking backwards .. that's a start at least"
“Now also, when in a Grove, as a guest you have the right to expect a certain level of hospitality.”
“Yes, Ma' am.” The Boro Grove turned aground and picked up a small ceramic cup, which she proceeded to fill with clock oil from the open bottle in her hand. She handed it to Miyuki who eyed the liquid dubiously. Miyuki remembered only too well what the food & drink in Wonderland did to her.
“And it is also expected that you accept such hospitality as is given.”
“Yes, Ma' am.” Miyuki sighed, her face slowly began to grimace, gripping the cup, she lifted it to her lips and took a sip of the oil. Thankfully, nothing happened.
“Now. Tell me, my dear, what is a little school girl doing all by yourself in this Wood?”
“Well, Ma' am, I’m lost you see. I was trying to take a shortcut to school but found myself in the Tulgey Wood.”
“Shortcuts often have ways of turning into longcuts.” The Boro Grove observed sagely, Miyuki flinched as one of it's eye's pupals shrank quickly and remained small for quite some time afterwards, attempting to now and then, change it's size again, mocing all over the different ways it could possibly bother Miyuki, while talking to the easily offended creature.
“Yes, Ma' am.” Miyuki couldn’t argue with that one. “So, if perhaps you know a way out of the woods I could be on my way.”
“I’m afaid I don’t. I’m rather ‘rooted’ to this spot of oil here, you see.” Miyuki nodded, it made sense that if she was the grove she could go no further out then the furthest boro. The Boro Grove thought for a bit, tapping her finger against her chin and only missing one for every five taps. “But it is dangerous out there, so take the vorpal blade. You shouldn’t be wandering around alone and unarmed.”
“Thankyou for the offer Ma' am, but I’m afraid I don’t know how to wield a sword.” Miyuki said.
“Oh, silly girl. You don’t wield that sword, it wields you. No go on and pull it out. You should get going soon least the darkness catch you in these woods.”
“Umm, yes, Ma' am.” Unsure of what else to do Miyuki walked up the marble steps to the sword. Closer to it she could pick out details of the blade. It was a beautifully made katana with a golden pommel and guard, the hilt itself was wrapped in gold silk and the steel blade looked new and sharp. And it was pushed almost up to the guard in the white marble. Miyuki reached down and grasped the hilt with one hand. It was warm to the touch and the silk was soft. She tugged on it lightly but the sword remained held fast by the stone.
“C’mon girl! Pull!” the Boro Grove shouted encouragement at her. Miyuki pulled harder and harder but the stubborn thing wouldn’t move. Finally, she knelt down before it and with both hands pulled up bracing herself with her knees. Slowly the sword slid free of the stone. Miyuki sat there panting while the Boro Grove cheered. “See, girl. I knew you could do it!”
Miyuki grinned at the Thing “Yes, Ma' am.”
“Now you should get going.” The Boro Grove said, she stood and pointed “If it helps most people leave that way.” Pointing in different directions with it's two arms and looking down, with the face on the head, and up with the face on the torso...
“Yes, thank you sensai.” Miyuki bowed and left, she wasn't sure which way she should go, untill she steped out of her previous area, she came apon a large section of pattern like grass, the a compass rose of tulips.. Around the compass rose were five rings of lady bugs marching in circles, each in the opiset direction of the other riing, they sang an odd song "Which Direction will you go, there's no mortal way to know. Hither & tither, or two and fro.. Walk quickly now, before we turn again, and the land changes faces and it's exits are repainteded... which way, this way, that way, here, you will never leave, untill the way is clear..." Miyuki, looking puzzled still, walked over the ladybug parades, and steped into the center of the compass rose of tulips. "Is there any one here who can tell me the way out of this wood?" and as soon as she asked, the letter "E" and an arrow supposedly pointing east, changed color, as well, the tree's above it, opened up to shed light on the now purple and green tulips.. "I guess this means I should walk east... oh well, why not, huh?" looking down, she noticed that her school uniform was gone, in replace was a dress almost identical to the one Alice would have worn, black english shoe's and all. "And WHY am I wearing this STUPID dress?! -remember Miyuki, talking to yourself this much isn't good, --I know, but i'm lonley, and I --whao!" *THUMP* "I can see that this is the reason I try not to wear high-heals," - standing up, and brushing herself off, she continued to try and walk again...
She turned and waved goodbye to the Boro Grove. She set at a steady pace East and hoped she would get home soon. It was bad enough that she missed school again today but she really didn’t want to be stuck in this strange world forever. She noticed the forest around her getting darker, the shadows deepening as she walked and creeping up around her. She had to slow down for fear that she would trip and fall. Soon it was so dark that she was forced to use the vorpal blade like a blind-man’s cane to feel her way forward. She was debating on just giving up to wait until dawn so that she could see and to rest she was tired. Right when she decided to do just that the ground before he opened up and she tumbled down in open air. It was a relatively short fall. Short compared to some of the others she had in Wonderland. She had landed an a cold shallow spring the vorpal sword in the water just under her hand. She marveled that she didn’t cut herself with it in the fall. She blinked at her hand, she could see! Looking around her breath was taken away by the beauty of the scene spread before her. Stars in the night sky where shimmering in a multitude of colors. Their light was reflected in the water of the wide stream that skipped over rocks and reeds. The dark trees surrounding her only seemed to frame the light and give it focus. But one tree in particular caught her eye. The tree was so massive that the stream had to alter it’s course and skirt around it’s roots, it looked sort of like a large oak but she got closer she saw that the tree was covered in roses in full bloom. Miyuki stood staring at the sight before her, vorpal sword hanging loose in her grip.
“I see you like my tum-tum tree.” Another odd voice purred.
Miyuki jumped and tightened her grip on the sword. “Who’s there?”
“Just harmless little me. Harmless little Jabberwock.” The voice said, echoing like many different people talking together and Miyuki could see something like snakes twisting and moving in the darkness. Miyuki found herself making her way cautiously to the dry bank, with more grace and skill then she normally exhibited. “And who might you be, little morsel?”
“I’m-I’m Miyuki.” She stammered watching the glowing eyes with the fascination of a bird caught by a snake.
“Well, tasty little Miyuki, what are you going to do with that manxome sword?”
“P-p-protect myself.”
“Are you in danger, little treat?” The Jabberwock moved out of the shadows to stand in front of Miyuki. The odd voice was now evidently cause by the seven heads speaking the same sentence, slowly openning each of it's head's eye's, all of the eye's were a deep pitch black, with hard crimson and scarlet scales, and black feathers covering it's body in some places. Depicting the image of a seven headed dragon, and a horse. "Quickly now, come here so I can eat you up, like the snack that you are!" The Jabberwock shot a long snake like head towards Miyuki, it's large snake jaws openning, with a foul and unpleasent stench and visible decay and green siliva dripping down, destorying the floor and other objects in it's path..
Miyuki tried to lean away from the Jabberwock and wished the blade would start working. Miyuki fell backwards trying to avoid the continous attacks. The Jabberwock lunged forward and the tip of the blade, slid along It's thick scales, and came to rest between the two of the seven necks, reaching down with one of the heads, it picked up the blade and tossed it to the corver, leaning forward it took aim and said "I think I will eat your head first.. yum," Miyuki jerkered her head back and squeezed her eyes shut. She could hear the head launch forward, and she turned to open her eye's, and the dream ended before the snake reached it's reward.
The alarm actually went off at seven, carefully timed so that Miyuki had enough time to leisurely get dressed in the morning. Or at least it would if Miyuki would actually wake up at the alarm shrilling in her ear. Instead Miyuki rolls over and buried her head in her pillows. Miyuki finally drags herself up from the dregs of sleep by seven thirty, seven thirty one to be precise. Her little pink alarm clock had long since given up on trying to wake the girl and instead merely counted the minutes patiently.
“Wha- seven thirty?! I’m late again!” She cried as she scrambled out of bed and into her rumpled school uniform. She bypassed brushing her hair and simply wrapped her long chestnut locks into a loose knot, a suggestion from last months fashion magazine for bad hair days. She grabbed a piece of her dad’s toast as it popped out of the toaster, he wasn’t late, and she dashed out the door.
“I’m late. I’m late. I’m late.” She huffed the words out with every breath as she ran. The words were practically her mantra that helped keep her feet moving, no matter how tired she was. To her left the tall buildings gave way to trees and grass as she walked past the park. Definitely one of those days for the short cut, she turned and dashed up the gravel path without slowing down, missing the old wooden sign nailed to a tree. “Welcome to the Tulgey Wood.”
No End
The Jabberwocky
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did grye and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogroves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought-
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And hast thou slain the Jaberwock?
Come to my arms, by beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did grye and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogroves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
© enshi-kun