Alister’s fall was abruptly halted when his feet ended up touching glass. He looked down at his feet, narrowed his eyes, and saw a room directly below him. He realized he was standing on top of a glass dome ceiling. Suddenly, cracks began to appear in the glass beneath Alister’s feet.

“Oh shit!” Alister ran for the dirt wall, but he wasn’t fast enough. The glass broke beneath his feet, and he fell down into the room.

The air was knocked out of Alister’s lungs as he landed with a hard thud on a black and white checkered marble floor. “Oof!”

With trembling arms, Alister pushed himself up off the floor while being mindful not to cut his hands on the broken glass that was scattered around him. He looked up just in time to see the White Rabbit open a tiny door, exit into what appeared to be another garden, and shut the door behind her.

“Hey! Wait! I just want to paint a quick portrait of you, White Rabbit!” Alister ran over and crouched down in front of the 15-inch high door. He tried the tiny, golden doorknob, but the door was locked. “Shit.”

Alister straightened, glanced around the room, and spotted a small, golden key sitting on a three-legged, glass table. Alister blinked and rubbed his eyes at the sight of it. He didn’t remember that table being there before. Alister walked over to the table, picked up the key and inspected it. “Well, even if this key works to open the door there’s no way I’ll be able to fit through,” Alister complained aloud to himself, and his shoulders slumped in disappointment. He really hated it when he let a good painting opportunity slip though his fingers.

“You’ll fit if you’re the right size,” a sultry female voice declared.

Alister spun around, and his eyes darted around the room fearfully. “W-Who said that?” He frowned when no one appeared to be inside the room with him.

“I did,” said the same purring voice.

“And who is ‘I’?” Alister questioned.

“I…am myself,” the voice continued in an airy manner.

“But…” Alister let out a frustrated huff. “Oh, never mind.”

“If you drink the magical potion that’s on the table you’ll be able to pass through the door,” the female voice told Alister helpfully.

“What potion?” Alister glanced at the glass table again, and this time sitting on its surface was a tiny, blue glass bottle that definitely hadn’t been there before. “The hell?” Alister walked over and picked up the bottle. A large tag had been tied around the bottle’s neck that read: ‘DRINK ME’. Alister’s eyebrow twitched. “Well, it’s not marked poison, but I’m still not stupid enough to drink from a bottle just because it says ‘DRINK ME’. That’s a good way to end up drugged, and in a bad porno film.” Alister shuddered at the unsettling thought.

The sound of giddy laughter filled the air. “It’s not a drug. It’s a shrinking potion. I promise it won’t harm you.”

“Oh, and I’m supposed to trust a disembodied voice?” Alister asked with a flippant wave of his hand.

“Would you trust a non-disembodied one?” the female voice purred.

Alister thought about it for a moment and shrugged carelessly. “I suppose.”

The first thing to appear out of thin air was a pair of lips painted with purple lipstick. The lips curled into a smile that widened until it was a toothy grin. The smiling lips hovered eerily in the air for a minute before the rest of the woman’s body slowly started to appear.

The woman had stunning, golden eyes with slit pupils, long, silky, purple hair, and tanned, golden-hued skin. She was wearing a frilly, purple Gothic Lolita style dress with the pattern of pink hearts on it, black and white striped stockings, and shiny, patent leather shoes. There was a thick, silver collar around the woman’s neck engraved with runes. The mysterious woman was floating in midair in a lazy, reclined position as if she were relaxing on a French settee.

“A woman!” Alister instantly began to panic, and took a step back. That’s when two furry, purple cat ears appeared on the top of the woman’s head, followed by a purple and pink striped tail that started to swish back and forth behind her. “No. Wait. A cat? A cat-woman? What are you?” Alister gave the cat-woman a wary look.

A dark shadow flickered over the cat-woman’s face, but it was gone so fast that Alister was sure he’d imagined it. “My race is known as the Cheshire Cat People. We are half-human half-cat. Demi-humans. We’re also known as being shifters. We can shift fully into cats. Big cats.” She smirked and there was a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

“So…you’re not human,” Alister questioned.

“Not entirely.” The cat-woman shook her head. “No.”

“Well, that’s…good.” Alister offered her a bright smile. “I might actually be able to trust you then. I happen to dislike humans.”

The cat-woman’s expression brightened considerably. “Is that so? Oh, dear, where are my manners. I haven’t even introduced myself properly. My name is Katrina.”

“I’m Alister Kingsley.”

“The Alister Kingsley?” A keen glint came to Katrina’s glowing golden eyes. “The Artist?”

Alister gave her a quizzical look and tilted his head slightly. “Yes. I think so.”

“You don’t sound very sure,” Katrina pointed out, looking amused. This young man was fun to tease. “Anyways, Alister, if you drink that potion you’ll become the right size to be able to pass through the door.”

“Okay,” Alister said, popping the cork off the bottle and taking a swig.

“Wait! Don’t forget the-” Katrina slapped a hand to her forehead and groaned. “Bugger…”

Alister rapidly began to shrink in size until he was the perfect size to fit through the door. Katrina had been right. He quickly ran over to the door, grabbed the doorknob, and tried to turn it. Alister flushed in embarrassment when he realized he’d forgotten the key. Oops. “Uh…Katrina.” Alister looked up at the now enormous, floating cat-woman, and gave her a sheepish look. “Think you could do me a huge favor and bring me the key?”

“Sorry. No can do.” Katrina shook her head sadly even though she was still smiling. “My orders were quite clear. I can’t interfere with what you do. Only observe.”

Alister frowned. “Orders?”

Katrina tapped her chin in thought. “Although, I can advise you on how you can get the key. You see that cake sitting on the floor over there?”

“What cake?” Alister looked around and spotted a plate with a square-shaped piece of cake on it. He was pretty sure that cake hadn’t been sitting there before. It was just like…magic.

Alister walked over to the cake and peered down at it. It was decorated with icing that read: ‘EAT ME’. “Curiouser and curiouser…” Alister’s eye twitched again. “What is up with this crazy place and strange food and drink?”

Katrina let out a thoughtful hum. “It would only be strange if you were in a realm where it didn’t matter if you were the proper size as the occasion called for it.”

“The proper size?” Alister shook his head in bewilderment. “I’m guessing if I eat this, I’ll get big, right?”

“Well, yes, but be careful not to-” Katrina was saying.

Alister took a large bite and his body began to grow at a rapid rate. So rapid, in fact, that in seconds his head was pressing uncomfortably against the glass domed ceiling. “Ow.”

“Eat too much,” Katrina sighed, and shook her head. “You would think you would remember all this from all those other times,” she muttered the last to herself.

Alister frowned as he caught a small part of what she’d said. “What was that?”

“Oh, nothing,” Katrina said in a singsong voice. “Now, pick up the key and the potion this time. Then take a small sip of the potion to shrink yourself again.”

“Got it.” Alister grabbed the key, and carefully pocketed it. Then he picked up the potion bottle and took a sip. He started to shrink until he was only ten-inches-tall, and the perfect size to get through the fifteen-inch-high door.

Unable to contain his excitement, Alister ran over to the door, fished out the key, and quickly used it to open the door. Alister peered through the doorway into a lovely garden that was sure to provide him with lots of wonderful painting opportunities.

Alister was just about to step through the doorway when he remembered about Katrina, and he turned around. “Are you coming too?” He gave the cat-woman a hopeful look. The idea of being alone in such a strange place unnerved him.

A flash of surprise flickered across Katrina’s face, but then her expression became unreadable. “I’m afraid I can’t.”

Alister’s shoulders sagged in obvious disappointment. “Oh, well, thank you for all your help, Katrina. I really appreciate it.” He offered her a tremulous smile.

Katrina’s grin widened until Alister was able to see her pointed incisors. “You’re very welcome, Alister.”

Alister took a deep breath to steel his nerves before crossing the threshold and entering the garden. He jumped when he heard the door shut and lock behind him all on its own. “Curiouser and curiouser.”

***

Once the door closed behind Alister, sadness and guilt swam in Katrina’s golden eyes. She hoped Alister would be alright, but knew that it would be dangerous to let her treasonous emotions show on her face so quickly schooled her expression back into a more neutral one. Then Katrina floated over to peer into a six-foot-tall mirror with a golden frame. “King of Hearts. King of Hearts. King of Hearts.”

The silvery surface of the mirror rippled for a moment before it stilled to reveal a spacious throne room. Seated upon a high-backed, gold and red throne was the King of Hearts a.k.a the Red King, Crimson.

As soon as Katrina’s gaze landed on Crimson her eyes literally turned into two pink hearts. The King of Hearts was very handsome, or at least Katrina thought so. He had chiseled, regal facial features including a square chin and a Roman nose. His skin was so pale that it reminded Katrina of white marble. Sitting on top of his short black hair was a golden crown decorated with glittering rubies that had been carved into the shape of hearts.

Crim was wearing a black, Victorian-style suit with the pattern of red hearts on it along with a red cravat. Sitting on his broad shoulders was a floor-length, red, velvet cape with a black and white fur trim. There was a haughty, dangerous air about Crim as he reclined languidly on his throne.

He reminded Katrina of a panther waiting to pounce on its next target. A pleasurable shiver raced up her spine at the thought. “Your Majesty-” Katrina began.

Crim waved his hand impatiently through the air. “Report.”

Katrina gulped. Crim’s dark, brooding eyes always seemed to be able to see straight through her, so she didn’t dare lie. “It is as you suspected, Your Majesty. Madeline sent the White Rabbit to bring Alister here to our realm. If he signs the magical contract before sunset he will become a contender in the tournament.”

Crim’s pale face slowly began to turn red out of fury. “So, Alister Kingsley is here in Wonderland, and he thinks he can challenge me?” Crim ground his back molars in irritation. “Well, we’ll just have to make sure Alister is eternally late for tea with Madeline.” A cruel, twisted smile spread across the King of Heart’s face. He gave Katrina an expectant look. “Which door did he pass through, Katrina?”

Katrina nibbled on her lower lip as she hesitated to respond.

A vein at Crim’s temple throbbed in response. “I order you to tell me where he went, Katrina!” the Red King growled impatiently.

Even though Crim had just given her a direct order Katrina still hesitated. Consequently, the magical control collar that she wore around her neck sent thousands of volts of electricity coursing into her body as it punished her for her disobedience. Katrina cried out and fell to the marble floor where she writhed in pain.

Crim watched the Cheshire Cat slave twitching in pain on the floor with a dispassionate look on his face. His expression turned irritated after a few minutes, however, and he waved his hand through the air. “Enough.”

The control collar immediately stopped shocking Katrina. She looked up at Crim, and her expression wasn’t what one might expect from someone who’d just been tortured. Instead, Katrina’s eyes were glazed and hooded with lust, she was panting for breath, and there was a wide smile on her face. “Oh, yes, please punish me more, my King!”

Crim rolled his eyes at her unseemly behavior and sighed. “You damned, masochistic cat. Tell me where Alister went or else…” Crim wracked his brain for an appropriate threat. Torturing Katrina never quite worked out the way he hoped. A sly smile curled his lips when an idea came to him. “I will never punish you again.”

Katrina pouted up at Crim. “Oh, alright, you win. Alister went through the fifteen-inch-high door into the garden of talking flowers.”

Crim grimaced. “Ah, yes, the White King’s garden. Unlike that idiot, I prefer my flowers and trees to be silent as the grave. The White King is even worse than you, Katrina. He has these plants that tie him up with their vines. For fun.” Crim sneered, his lip curling in disgust as he recalled the plants that protected the garden.

But then, a cunning glint came to the King of Heart’s coal-black eyes. “Perhaps, it’s not such a bad thing Alister chose to enter that particular garden. If I’m lucky those flesh-eating plants will finish him off for me.” A dark chuckle slipped past Crim’s lips at the savage thought, and he smiled sharply at Katrina. “Well done, Katrina.”

Katrina blinked at Crim in surprise and blushed prettily. “Thank you, My Love.”

Crim’s dark eyes flashed red for a moment. “That’s ‘Your Majesty’! Constrict!” The King of Hearts clenched his hand into a fist as he used one of the command spells on the magical collar around her neck to punish her audacious behavior.

The control collar began to constrict around Katrina’s neck like a snake. “Ahhh..oooo!” The Cheshire Cat slave’s cry of pain swiftly turned into a moan of pleasure.