Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland By Jonathan Green
“You’re late! Wake up!” Alice woke with a start and sat up, blinking in surprise and looking about her in bewilderment. It was a balmy summer’s afternoon and she was sitting beside a river, the long grass that had formed her bed dotted with daisies. The waters gurgled softly as they passed by on their way downstream. Something about the scene seemed very familiar. “Don’t just sit there! Get up! You’re late!” came the shrill voice again. The hot weather making her feel sleepy and dull-witted, Alice’s gaze followed the sound to its source. There, standing in the shade of a chestnut tree, was a white rabbit. But this wasn’t just any white rabbit. This particular rabbit was dressed in the manner of an English gentleman – jacket, waistcoat and all. The rabbit’s ears were a little threadbare, the stuffing poking out through holes worn in the skin, and as it tilted its head to one side to observe her with its glassy pink eyes, Alice thought she heard a grating of gears. Alice started to her feet, as it flashed through her mind that, once upon a time, she has seen something like this rabbit, wearing a waistcoat and carrying a pocket-watch, on some previous occasion. But there was no timepiece clutched in the rabbit’s paws this time. “Who are you to say I’m late when you are not even carrying a pocket-watch?” Alice asked, not one to be outdone by an animal that looked like nothing more than a taxidermist’s test subject. The rabbit said nothing, but simply unbuttoned its waistcoat, and Alice gasped as her former cockiness was consumed by gut-wrenching terror. Where the rabbit’s stomach should have been, a huge watch ticked – a clock large enough to fill the cavity from ribcage to pelvis – raw and ragged scrags of meat poking between the wire stitches that bound watch and rabbit together.
Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland © Jonathan Green, 2015
“How can I be late,” Alice asked the rabbit, “when I don’t even know what it is I’m late for?” She was suddenly aware of the wind having picked up, as scuds of cloud raced each other across the sky, a sky which had changed from sapphire blue to a seething, bloody claret colour. “You are needed in Wonderland,” the White Rabbit informed her, the twitching of its nose accompanied by a mechanical whirring sound. “Wonderland?” There was something familiar about that name, Alice was sure of it, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. “It’s the Queen of Hearts. The whole realm has suffered the ravages of her tyrannical reign, and if you thought things were bad before, they are considerably worse now. It’s a miracle I managed to escape her Tick-Tock Men.” “Before?” Alice whispered in a daze. “Tick-Tock Men?” “Yes, Tick-Tock Men! How else do you think I ended up like this?” the rabbit said, looking down at his stomach and the ticking timepiece embedded within what little flesh remained there. Alice stared at the creature in dumfounded amazement before finally finding her voice again. “Why are you telling me this? What do you expect me to do about it?” “Why?” gasped the rabbit, in incredulity. “We need you, Alice. Wonderland needs you.” “But what do you need me to do?” “We need you to kill the Queen, of course.” “Kill the Queen?” Alice echoed. “But why me?” The White Rabbit gave an exasperated sigh and took a deep breath, in an attempt to compose itself, before speaking again. “Because it’s your nightmare!”
Now turn to 1.
Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland © Jonathan Green, 2015
1 Alice stares at the rabbit unsure what to say, a dozen questions crowding her mind. Who is the Queen of Hearts? Who turned the White Rabbit into a walking timepiece? And how does he expect her to kill anyone? After all, she’s only eleven years-old. But before she can give voice to even one of them, the White Rabbit speaks again. “Come on, there’s not a moment to lose. The clock is ticking!” he says, looks pointedly at his clock-filled stomach cavity. And with that, he turns tail and scampers off across the meadow, through the long, wind-tugged grass. If you think Alice should set off in pursuit, turn to 6. If you think that following halfclockwork talking rabbits could never be considered wise, turn to 4.
2 An arm up in front of her face to shield her eyes from the force of the wind, Alice determinedly strides into the teeth of the rising gale as leaves and twigs whirl about her. A thorny branch suddenly whips past, catching her, leaving a deep gouge in the flesh of her exposed fore-arm, causing Alice to gasp in pain and surprise. (Take 1 point from Alice’s ENDURANCE score.) The rumble of thunder comes again, closer now and louder, only it’s not thunder, it is the sound of booming laughter. Looking up at the storm-wracked sky, Alice can see a hideous face forming amidst the clouds. It is that of an ugly woman, with a large pointed nose, wobbly double chins, and wearing a crown. And its glowering storm-cloud eyes are fixed on Alice. (Add 1 to Alice’s INSANITY score.) The wind is getting stronger all the time. Glancing after the White Rabbit, Alice is just in time to see it vanish down a rabbit-hole at the edge of the field. There is no other shelter within sight. If you think Alice should seek shelter inside the rabbit-hole, turn to 3. If you think she should stand strong in the face of the growing storm, turn to 5.
Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland © Jonathan Green, 2015
3 Reaching the rabbit-hole, without a second thought Alice throws herself into the dank earthy gloom. Turn to 7.
4 “Talking rabbits,” Alice says to herself. “Whatever next – frog footmen?” She turns and starts to walk away from the riverbank towards the path that she decides she must have followed here in the first place, even though she doesn’t remember doing so. But the rising wind has now become a gale, tugging at Alice’s hair and clothes, whipping her hair about her face, and the child fancies she can hear the rumble of thunder far off beyond the horizon. If you think Alice should chase after the rabbit after all, turn to 6. If not, turn to 2.
5 The wind whips waves across the surface of the river, shaking the willows’ whip-like fronds. The thunderous rumbling comes again as the face in the clouds starts to laugh. Alice is helpless in the face of the gale. The wind lifts her off her feet and she is tossed about like just another leaf in the storm. Sticks and branches whirl about her as the howling gale carries her across the field. She can see the rabbit-hole beneath her now. And then suddenly the wind drops as quickly as it arose and she is falling, plummeting towards the ground, the entrance to the burrow yawning beneath her like a gaping, earthy mouth. It is then that a spinning branch hits her on the head, knocking her senseless. Deduct 2 points from Alice’s ENDURANCE score and… You’ll have to back the Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland Kickstarter to find out what happens next.
Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland © Jonathan Green, 2015
6 Burning with curiosity, Alice runs off across the field after the rabbit. Just as she is starting to feel that she might actually be catching up with it, the creature disappears down a large rabbit-hole under a hedge. Stumbling to a halt, Alice peers down into the earthy darkness. This is all looking very familiar, but she can’t quite remember why. If she pulls away some of the turf from around the entrance, she should be able to squeeze inside the burrow, but such activity will doubtless make a mess of her dress, and what would nurse say? At her back, the wind continues to rise. If you think Alice should do this, and follow the White Rabbit underground, turn to 7. If you think crawling down rabbit-holes is not behaviour befitting a young lady, turn to 2.
7 Squeezing along the tunnel, Alice drags herself through the loamy dark, unable to see more than a foot in front of her face. There is no sign of the White Rabbit now. The further Alice wriggles along the tunnel, between probing roots and writhing worms, dangling from the roof of the burrow, the deeper the gloom becomes. Without any warning the tunnel dips suddenly downwards, so suddenly, in fact, that Alice doesn’t have a moment to think about stopping herself before she finds herself plunging headfirst down the damp throat of what is clearly a very deep well… To find out what happens next, back the Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland Kickstarter.
Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland © Jonathan Green, 2015
