first_in_time | Zagreus Sits Inside Your Head (for Splendid

Barbara looked out at the view as Ian put the last of their things in the car. From the front door of the little Bed and Breakfast, she could see beautiful rolling hills for miles. The last of the morning was being chased away as the sun rose higher in the sky, thawing everything out. Even the cows seemed more active on one particular hill.

"I wish we could stay for a little longer," she sighed to Ian, turning her back on it all so that it might be easier to leave. Her arms folded, one hand still held on to the key they were yet to return. "I don't suppose your car has a secret time traveling device so we can spend an extra few weeks here?"

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From:

first_in_time

"Since we're following Alice in Wonderland, I'll shrink. If I eat too much, I'll be so small that I won't be able to reach the door's key upon the table and then we'll be in a great mess. So I'll drink and then you hand me the key."

Barbara sounded rather definite about that plan because in her mind it was a rather good plan, but a small voice spoke up from near Ian's shoe.

"So you think that will really work?" it said. Barbara rolled her eyes and kissed Ian's cheek for luck.

From:

splendid_roman

"I'm not sure it's a good idea to get separated," he said, but didn't stop her. He knew that if she was determined to do something she would do it.

He looked down at the owner of the small voice and eyed the caterpillar, wondering where it had found a mushroom in the library. "Do you know something we don't?"

"Lots of things," it said and puffed on its pipe.

From:

first_in_time

Barbara tsked and broke off a piece of the cake to eat. She was beginning g to see why Alice was so frustrated with Wonderland. Everyone gave half answers and spoke in riddles. Fun for the observer, perhaps but not so much as the main character. Or one of them, at least.

Once the piece of cake had slid down her throat and began to digest, Barbara felt a fizzing sensation in her stomach. The world around them seemed to jump around for a moment, like a fuzzy picture on a television set, before righting itself. Everything was the same except that Barbara was now so tall that she had to duck or else hit her head on the ceiling. She realised that she stood over both Ian and the caterpillar, and crossed her legs, holding her dress closer to her legs.

"And this is the part where I cry a small ocean?" she asked, sounding displeased. She couldn't hear the caterpillar's reply, being so tall, but she could hear a thunderous voice shouting in the distance. It sounded like a man's. Barbara couldn't make out what he was shouting.

From:

splendid_roman

"Barbara!" Had Ian not been so worried about Barbara growing he might have questioned the caterpillar more. "I knew you shouldn't have eaten it," he grumbled to himself.

She was, he thought, saying something, but it sounded rather like "Fee Fi Fo Fum" - or from a giant at any rate that it made Ian jump. Realising they couldn't communicate he stopped trying and looked around for a bottle of something Barbara could drink, but if there was one, he couldn't see it down here.

"In the book the cake made Alice grow," the caterpillar pointed out.

Ian was tempted to kick it off its mushroom. "Why don't you either help or leave?" he said to it, annoyed.

From:

first_in_time

"Why didn't you consider all of your options?" the caterpillar asked, as he blew a puff of smoke out of his nostrils and formed a figure of Barbara as a stomping giant. "And why eat something without asking what it does first?"

From:

splendid_roman

"At the moment all I'm considering is how to get Barbara back to her usual size." He was hardly going to go off somewhere and just leave her here.

The caterpillar was really annoying him now and he stepped closer so he loomed over it, brow furrowed. "Why don't you tell me where the 'drink me' bottle is?"

From:

first_in_time

With very intentional casualness, the caterpillar slowly sucked on his hookah and let the smoke curl out and away.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

From above, Barbara grumbled something. She possibly sounded impatient. Or hungry.

From:

splendid_roman

Ian made an annoyed sound and turned his back on the caterpillar. There had to be something here to make Barbara the right size again. The only thing on the table was a key, which was worth a try. He put it in the lock of the tiny door and peered through it. It looked like there was a forest on the other side. And just inside the doorway was a tiny bottle. If that was supposed to get Barbara back to her usual size he didn't see how - the whole thing fit into his palm. She probably wouldn't even be able to see it.

From:

first_in_time

Very carefully, Barbara began to kneel. She had to keep pausing to see where things were so that she didn't accidentally squash anyone or break any of the furniture. She bent down to try and look Ian in the eyes and ask: "what are we going to do?"

From:

splendid_roman

It was strange looking at Barbara so close and so big. And frustrating that he could tell she was saying something, but not make out the words. "Drink this," he said, holding out his hand, with the bottle in his palm. It was worth a try.

From:

first_in_time

Ian was mumbling something but Barbara couldn't make it out. He held out his hand and after a closer look, she noticed the little bottle. The only way she could pick it up was by pinching it between her thumb and forefinger.

"Is this the 'Drink Me' bottle?" she asked

From:

splendid_roman

"Yes," he said, reacting to her picking the bottle up, rather than what she said. "Try drinking it." He looked up at her earnestly, hoping she'd get the message.

From:

first_in_time

She watched Ian for a moment longer then glanced at the bottle. Assuming that it was for drinking, Barbara was faced with another problem: the lid.

Although she tried, Barbara couldn't get the lid off without damaging the bottle. She put it in the palm of her hand and with her other hand, mimed unscrewing the cap.

"Ian, it's too small for me to take the cap off. I need you to do it."

From:

splendid_roman

He worked that out from her mime, plucked the bottle from her hand and unscrewed the lid. Although this now meant he had to keep it upright or it would spill. He held it out to her gripping the very top of it and hoped there was enough space for her to take the bottom.

From:

first_in_time

Very, very carefully, Barbara took the bottom of the bottle and lifted it to her lips. With hands so big, there was no way she could control the flow of water and, in the blink of an eye, was no higher than Ian's knee.

She looked up at him and handed over the bottle, now with only a third in it. The look on her face hadn't changed much from 'immensely fed-up'.

From:

splendid_roman

"Too much," Ian said. Although he recognised that look he guessed that she still couldn't hear him, so could risk antagonising her. The only good thing was that the caterpillar had vanished he found when he looked for the cake.

Barbara must have dropped it when he grew, because he found it not far away. He brought it back to Barbara and broke off the smallest piece he could and held it out to her, his hand on the floor so she could reach it. "Don't eat it all at once."

From:

first_in_time

Barbara was about to eat the small piece when she decided to simply lick her finger instead. Rather than moving quickly, or reality blinking like a broken television set, Barbara slowly grew and stopped once she was her normal height again.

"I think that I shan't be eating cake again for quite some time," she told Ian and dusted off her hands.

From:

splendid_roman

"Probably a good idea not to eat anything here." But he smiled and hugged her, glad to see her at her proper size again. "I didn't like you so much as a giant."

From:

first_in_time

"But that was how the story went. Alice ate the cake and drank from the bottle to fit through the door," she reasoned, staying close to Ian. "I suppose that we could crawl through on our bellies. Have you got the key?"

From:

splendid_roman

"But we're not going through the story in order. The cheshire cat didn't come first." Although he held up the key he said, "I don't know if we'll fit." Barbara might, he thought, letting go of her a little to look at it, but he wasn't sure about himself. And he didn't like the idea of drinking the contents of the bottle either.

From:

first_in_time

"Then let's try and find another door," Barbara suggested and peered into the shadows of the library. Where they stood, the lights were bright enough to see clearly but the rest of the library was unlit and remained in darkness. "Do you have a match or a torch?"

From:

splendid_roman

"In the car." Which was just typical. "Let's go slowly and let our eyes adjust." Which would work as long as they didn't have to go too far.

Keeping hold of Barbara's hand, he started off back the way they'd come, since it seemed a bit more likely to have a door than any other direction. There was at least a little light to see by, but it didn't help in the shadows. However, a door ought to be big enough to see, even in the half-dark. Although Ian peered into all the corners, just in case.

He stopped suddenly as they passed a bookcase. "Barbara, this bookcase is bigger on one side than the other." He was sure he wasn't imagining it.

From:

first_in_time

"Now where have I heard something like that before?" she mumbled. "See if there's a trick switch behind one of the books or something like that."

From:

splendid_roman

He let go of Barbara's hand so he could pull on the books. It was on the second shelf of them that he found the switch and the shelf moved along to reveal a narrow door and a dark passage. There was, though, a sliver of light at the other end. "Shall we?" he said, looking back at Barbara.

From:

first_in_time

It was difficult to see what Ian had been doing in the dark, but the slither of light at least illuminated his shape.

"I don't see why not," she replied and lifted her hands to feel where either side of the passage was.