World of the Whimsical

Once we had calmed down, Alice and I continued our journey through the Gateway. We walked through this dark, cavernous tunnel until we reached a gate that was just as imposing. As I pushed the gate open, however, I was surprised to find that it was incredibly light. I was also nearly blown away an intense gust of wind.

Blinded by light and struggling to stand against the powerful gusts, I cried out for Alice. However, I received no response. The light became increasingly bright. The gusts became so strong that I could no longer stand. Then, everything suddenly came to a stop, and silence returned.

At this point, I was completely exhausted. Though, with all the energy I had left, I got back to my feet and trudged through the gate, my eyes still closed. I managed to take about twenty steps before passing out.

I eventually came to, and my eyes were blessed with the most magnificent sight. Rolling, grassy hills stretched for miles. Stars filled the night sky above. The air smelled fresh and was quite crisp on my skin.

“What is this place?” I whispered to myself.

I’ll admit, I became very emotional at that moment – I started shedding tears. What kind of fairytale world did I stumble into? Am I even supposed to be here? So many questions…

I started wandering around aimlessly until I saw Alice dancing at the top of a very large hill. She was now wearing a crown of flowers on her head. It was truly a sight to behold.

When Alice noticed me, she started waving. I waved back, then we ran towards each other. I’m surprised she saw me from so far away.

I was nearly knocked to the ground as Alice leapt into my arms. Her eyes glistened as she looked at me. There weren’t enough words to describe all of the emotions I experienced in such a short amount of time.

“Simon,” said Alice. “Thank you. I’m home.”

There are so many questions that have been left unanswered. However, I didn’t want to risk ruining the moment. I guess we’ll figure everything out tomorrow. Well, if that even exists here.

Alice suddenly whispered in my ear, “I bet you can’t catch me,” then took off running before I had the chance to react.

“Hey, Alice!” I shrieked. “Wait a minute! Where are you going!?” Her laughter echoed through the hills. I groaned and started chasing after her. “Alice! Come on, this isn’t funny!”

It was to Alice. She was genuinely enjoying this. Though, I began to find it fun myself. We spent at least fifteen minutes running around the hills.

I was faster than Alice, but she was somehow able to dodge me every time I got close. We ended up running until we only had enough energy to laugh as we walked up the hill. “Are you done?” I asked. Alice could only nod affirmatively. Poor thing.

As we lay down at the top of the hill and caught our breath, I started feeling sleepy. I thought it was just me, but I turned to Alice to find that she was already asleep. I don’t blame her; the grass underneath us was softer than a pillow. It also wasn’t full of ants.

As I slowly drifted to sleep, I looked up at the stars. It was quite beautiful, honestly. I could make out a few patterns and lines, but I didn’t know what they were or what they meant.

Then, I glanced at Alice. As extraordinary as it was to meet her, considering the circumstances, I couldn’t forget that I was in a completely different world. I also had to consider that we’d just met. There’s no way we could be an item already, right?

I was struggling to keep my eyes open now. All of this felt like a big fever dream. There’s no telling what’ll happen when I wake up. Alice could disappear. I could be back in my room, in that parking garage, or in a hospital bed.

Hopefully, neither of that happens. I’m starting to like it here. I want to keep exploring this world, and I certainly don’t want to leave Alice’s side.

I woke up in the morning. I could gaze at the rising sun without going blind. A gentle breeze wrapped around me. Thin clouds lingered close to the ground. That was the best sleep I’ve had in my life.

Just two feet from me was a random picnic basket, decorated with a golden bow. Upon opening it, there were two trays. Each one was also made of gold and had a heart engraved on their lids. I blushed, then looked over at Alice. She was still asleep.

I gently shook her until she woke up. She mumbled softly and slowly opened her eyes. I smiled and said, “Good morning!”

“Good morning, Simon!”

“So, uh, I woke up and found this random basket.” I moved the basket closer to us. It was quite heavy. “What’s in here, an all-you-can-eat buffet!?”

“Oh, goodie! Breakfast is here!”

“Breakfast!?”

It better be the biggest, best breakfast I’ve ever had! Honestly, it felt like that basket weighed two tons. I’m also very hungry.

Alice and I took our trays out of the basket and opened them. At first, I was expecting something exotic and weird, since this was a different world and all. What was inside the ray was far weirder than anything I could imagine.

It was a normal breakfast platter – two pancakes, fried eggs, and sausage links. This looked like something I’d order at IHOP, except the aroma alone made my mouth water. Though, food that simply smells good is one thing.

I took a small bite out of a pancake and immediately had an out-of-body experience. I couldn’t describe the taste – to say “it was good” would be a massive understatement. I just wish breakfast was this good every day.