World of the Whimsical

“Alice! Alice, where are you!?”

No response. I searched far and wide for her. I called her name out to the treetops. But, there was no sign of her. I couldn’t find her anywhere. This isn’t good.

To keep from panicking, I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. My body became a signal beacon, and I was able to scan the entire forest. Then, I found Alice; she was sitting on a large tree branch about a half-kilometer to my east.

I decided this would be a good opportunity to test any other powers I might have. I started running, but this time, I shifted all of my focus to a single point in my field of view. What I realized was that everything around me slowed down while I picked up speed. In short, I have super speed.

In no time at all, I caught up with Alice. She asked, “How did you find me?”

“A new ability I didn’t know I had,” I replied. “You feeling alright?”

Alice paused for a moment, then got up from the tree branch and walked up to me. “You are not Lahneus. You’re nothing like him, do you hear me?”

“It’s okay…”

“No! No, it’s not!” Alice started pacing around and fighting back tears. “It’s not…”

I gave Alice a firm hug, and she broke down sobbing. “Alice…it’s okay.” I held her chin up. “I’m sorry you had to sit through all of that. I get that the Oracle can be quite blunt – perhaps a little too blunt – but common courtesy goes a long way where I’m from. Part of me wishes I didn’t have to hear that, either.”

“Promise me, Simon.” Alice rested her hands on my shoulders. “Promise that you will never turn to the dark side. I have already lost so much – I can’t lose you, too.”

“I promise. I care too much about this world, and far too much about you.”

We embraced each other for a long time. It warmed my heart to see Alice smile. Poor thing – now, why did the Oracle feel the need to tell me that I was connected to this Lahneus guy? I get it, but I don’t get it at the same time. She’s right about one thing, though. I can’t keep running from my past and all the pain that comes from it.

I nearly jumped when someone suddenly shouted, “Greetings, lovebirds!”

“Excuse me!?” I shouted back, annoyed.

A man wearing a pastel-colored tuxedo and top hat waltzed up to us. The massive grin on his face triggered a visceral rage inside of me for some reason. I don’t know who this man is, but I couldn’t stand him already.

“Good day, sir,” said the man as he tipped his hat and bowed. “I am Sir Edward Mittens, Mayor of Enbridge.”

With a sigh, I responded, “I’m Simon, and this is Alice.”

“Well, Simon, today is a very special day for me and the people of Enbridge. We are celebrating the coming of Spring with our annual Woodland Festival. It will be full of color and music and, of course, joy! We hope to see you there!”

Sir Mittens walked away before I could respond. Alice was just as confused as I was. I know the man meant no harm, but this obviously wasn’t a good time to advertise that he’s throwing a party. I also found him quite obnoxious. He has an impeccable sense of style, though – I’ll give him that.

I turned to Alice and asked, “So, where to?”

“I know a place,” she replied. “Follow me!”

Alice took my hand and led me through the forest. Her crown of flowers starting glowing, attracting a flock of hummingbirds that would drink from them. I thought they were large bees at first and freaked out.

We eventually reached the location in question – a large pond with water so clear, you could drink from it. I dipped a finger in the water, and it was surprisingly warm. Meanwhile, Alice held her hands over her head and became immersed in light. Then, after a few seconds, her dress transformed into a swimsuit.

“No way!” I exclaimed. “That’s amazing! Let me try!”

Like Alice, I held my hands over my head, then closed my eyes and imagined myself wearing swim trunks. It took five seconds, but when I opened my eyes, I was truly astonished to find that it worked. I was now wearing swim trunks. Magic.

“You did it!” Alice cheered. “You truly are a fast learner!”

I chuckled a little. “Hey, I just saw you do it!”

Alice and I jumped into the water together. It was deeper than it looked, but I wasn’t complaining. In fact, I loved it.

We swam in the pond for a long time. By the time we dried off, it was almost sunset. Alice changed once again, but this time she opted for a blouse with a shin-length plaid skirt. She gave me a new outfit as well – a button-down, dark blue corduroys, and a matching bowtie.

“I look incredible,” I cooed. “You did great, Alice!”

Alice blushed and said, “Thank you.”

“So…we headed to the Woodland Festival?”

“Of course! It wouldn’t be good if we got stuck in the forest at night, would it?”

We both laughed, then began making our way to Enbridge. It wasn’t too far from where we were. We’d arrive before dusk.

The sun slowly sank below the horizon as we traveled to the village, and darkness fell upon the forest floor. I became extra vigilant. Anything could be prowling through these woods.

Alice started getting nervous as well; I felt her clutching my arm, and she was breathing more heavily. I assured her that everything would be okay, and we’d get to Enbridge safely. And sure enough, we did. Whew.