Gervic in Wonderland

[I-3] Alice's Evidence :: All a Dream

I. Alice's Evidence
All a Dream

Create a word search with key phrases from ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Can be no more than 20 phrases.

Alice's Evidence :: All a Dream WS  (E) A word search made for Wonderland #2315687 by GERVIC

and a short story for this prompt...

Lost in Wonderland

Gervic wasn't the kind of boy who normally got lost. He could navigate his hometown with ease, winding his way through familiar streets or even venturing into the unknown alleys with a sense of fearless exploration. But this wasn't home. It was a place of brightly painted houses that leaned at odd angles, where trees with squared-off branches grew in neat rows. Everything felt… out of place, like the world had been tilted ever so slightly.

That's when he saw it: a flash of pure white fur bolting across the cobblestones. A rabbit, yes, but not like any he'd seen before. This one wore a finely tailored waistcoat, complete with a gleaming pocket watch tucked beneath one paw.

"Goodness, I'm dreadfully late!" it exclaimed, glancing at the watch with a worried twitch of its nose.

Something about that scurrying, time-obsessed rabbit pricked at Gervic's innate sense of curiosity. Maybe it was the way it talked, or the strangely human way it held the watch. Before he could think twice, he was in pursuit, whispering, "Wait!"

The White Rabbit vanished with startling speed, disappearing not behind a bush but straight DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE, a dark, twisting tunnel vanishing into the very earth. Gervic, curiosity overcoming caution yet again, found himself tumbling down after it, the rush of air whipping past his ears.

When he finally landed, winded but unharmed, he was in a long, low hallway lined with countless doors. In the center stood a small glass table, and on it, a tiny golden key alongside a bottle marked 'DRINK ME,' and a cake labeled 'EAT ME'.

Gervic hesitated. His mother had always warned him against strange potions and mystery treats. However, a voice like velvet and smoke suddenly purred behind him, "CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER!"

Whirling around, Gervic saw a sight that defied all logic. A cat, a CHESHIRE CAT, was materializing out of thin air, its stripes appearing one by one before its wide grin stretched across its face. "Follow the directions," it suggested, its grin seeming to relocate to the ceiling, its body now hanging in midair, "If you wish to continue this adventure."

Gervic was never one to back down from a challenge, especially not one whispered by a disappearing cat. He took a cautious sip from the bottle and found himself shrinking until the key fit perfectly in his hand. A nibble of the cake then sent him shooting skyward, forcing him to duck to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe. Beyond that door lay a land that defied all sense and could only be called WONDERLAND.

Talking FLOWERS with faces like old gossipy aunts nodded sagely to each other, gossiping in their hushed floral tones. A caterpillar puffed languidly on a hookah, the smoke rising in rings that smelled suspiciously like bubblegum. And perched at the head of an impossibly long table, a MAD HATTER presided over a never-ending TEA PARTY. "Have some tea!" cried the March Hare, shoving a steaming cup at him just as a resounding trumpet blare echoed across the landscape.

"OFF WITH HER HEAD!" bellowed the QUEEN OF HEARTS, a monstrously large woman with a crown perched atop her crimson hair. Her face was a mask of fury as she towered over a cowering Knave of Hearts, accused of a most serious crime: "WHO STOLE THE TARTS?"

Gervic wasn't sure how, but he found himself entangled in the nonsensical trial, facing a jury of bewildered-looking playing cards and stammering through questions that made less sense with every answer. Just then, a feeling swept over him, a wave of woozy unreality. A cry seemed to tear itself from his very throat, "WE'RE ALL MAD HERE!". His hands stretched impossibly long, his legs growing comically short, and the ground tilted like the deck of a ship in a storm.

Then, with a jolt that sent his heart stuttering, Gervic was back in the sunlit street, solid cobblestone beneath his feet. He rubbed his eyes, unsure what was real and desperately wanting a cup of his auntie's boringly normal tea. But then, carried on the breeze, he heard a faint, echoing voice. "A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY to you!" it called. Gervic shivered, a delightful mix of excitement and a prickle of something almost magical washing over him. He looked around as though the Cheshire Cat might magically reappear, a wide grin on its face. Perhaps, after all, it was a bit of both.

WORD COUNT:
740 Words

GERVIC
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