Gemini Cricket
08-04-2006, 10:06 AM
MouseTrapped 2
by GC
Sarah stood high atop the Matterhorn. She could not possibly climb any higher than she did. She clutched a pulley that was attached to the wires that anchored themselves into the mountain itself. Her eyes went down the long stretch of cables that spanned Fantasyland, the castle and ended at a wooden tower in Frontierland.
With a snap, she gazed down at the robed madman that climbed the face of the Matterhorn using his own fingernails to cling to its surface. She had to do it now, he was coming up faster than she expected. She took a deep breath and dropped from the ledge. The red bishop grabbed her foot and pulled downwards.
She screamed.
---------
Sarah watched as Nathan, her father, boarded the train. Several creatures cloaked in black robes shoved him into one of the cars. The train screamed a high pitched sound that made Sarah wince. The train lurched forward and Nathan turned to look at his daughter.
“I’ll come for you, Sarah. Don’t worry.” He said.
‘Don’t ride the train.’ The boy had told her with such desperation that somehow she knew that her father’s promise was going to be harder than he expected.
“Such a brave soul.” The bishop laughed grasping Sarah’s shoulder.
“Trading himself for your freedom. I’ll admire that moment forever.” The bishop laughed at his sarcasm.
“What is to become of me?” Sarah asked.
“Oh, don’t look so melancholy. Many children would kill to be in a place such as this. They dream of it all their lives. Only to find out that it is…” He paused and scratched his chin. “…under new management.”
The bishop whipped around in a swirl of flowing cloth and headed toward the stairs leading away from the train station. “You may have full reign of the park, m’dear. But you can never leave. That’s the deal we made.”
“You told him you’d release me.” Sarah pointed at the bishop’s back. He paused as if knowing without turning what she was doing.
“No pointing, love. Two fingers, two fingers.” He said. “Consider yourself released in that you need not ride the train. You don’t want that, Sarah.”
With that the bishop disappeared encircled in flames.
Sarah sat on the steps and buried her head in her folded arms. ‘What now?’ She thought.
Before her next thought, a voice on a loudspeaker boomed across abandoned Main Street USA.
“The Disneyland Limited, now arriving from a trip around Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom…” A train screamed to a halt at the train station.
A hand touched her shoulder. A withered conductor with gray skin and rotting teeth grinned at her, “All aboard.” He hissed.
She leapt to her feet and hurried down the stairs. Before she knew it, she found herself at the hub in the middle of the park. Former flowers jutted like black fingers from the planters there and trees that were rotting reached from the soil like taloned hands. The Partners statue that she had seen in many of the books she had read was now nothing more than a melted metal mass. An outstretched hand was all that remained of the original sculpture; the rest was an obscure contemporary art piece.
It was then that she saw something too unbelievable to be true. Sleeping Beauty Castle was nothing more than a charred shell. A great fire had ignited the once beautiful centerpiece and weeds and mold covered its stately walls now. The only thing that remained, almost untouched it seemed, was the moat itself. Untouched and still the water sat reflecting the nightmare that the castle now was. She neared the edge of the moat and gazed in. The bridge leading to the heart of the castle still stood, but only barely.
“Watch.” She heard a voice say.
“Who’s there?” She asked spinning around. She found the owner of the voice once again sitting in a tree.
The boy attempted to climb higher.
“Come here.” She demanded pulling at his bare feet. The soles of his feet were black and cut. With a yank, the child fell from the tree like a rotten fruit. “Now then, I need your help. You know where they took my father and I want you to tell me where he is.”
“Watch.” He repeated.
“Watch what?” She asked.
“You must get it away from the rabbit.” He said.
“‘Away from the rabbit?’” She scratched her head. “You mean a pocket watch, don’t you?”
“Yes. Yes!” The boy said. “Come. Come with me, Alice.”
“But I’m not…” She began, but before she could finish, the boy was already climbing over a hill of fallen trees and several cracked white statues. The boy disappeared over the hill. Sarah sighed. “Well, I’m not climbing through that mess.” She planted her fists to her hips.
But seconds into her protest, a ghostly singing began. A woman’s voice, melodic but hauntingly several speeds too slow began to sing. A drawn out wail of sorts that ended in the two words, “I’m wishing.”
She then realized that she was not alone. Several children scrambled out from the rubble at the base of the castle. Each face was sunken in and soiled each hand trembling and white; their clothes were hanging from their bodies like Spanish Moss. They repeated the phrase the woman sang, “We’re wishing.”
The tune did not change their sullen expressions.
“For the one I love.” The woman sang. “To find me.”
“To find us.” The children responded.
“Today.”
“Today.” They said.
This was far too frightening for Sarah. She bounded over the hill. The children took no notice of her at all…
by GC
Sarah stood high atop the Matterhorn. She could not possibly climb any higher than she did. She clutched a pulley that was attached to the wires that anchored themselves into the mountain itself. Her eyes went down the long stretch of cables that spanned Fantasyland, the castle and ended at a wooden tower in Frontierland.
With a snap, she gazed down at the robed madman that climbed the face of the Matterhorn using his own fingernails to cling to its surface. She had to do it now, he was coming up faster than she expected. She took a deep breath and dropped from the ledge. The red bishop grabbed her foot and pulled downwards.
She screamed.
---------
Sarah watched as Nathan, her father, boarded the train. Several creatures cloaked in black robes shoved him into one of the cars. The train screamed a high pitched sound that made Sarah wince. The train lurched forward and Nathan turned to look at his daughter.
“I’ll come for you, Sarah. Don’t worry.” He said.
‘Don’t ride the train.’ The boy had told her with such desperation that somehow she knew that her father’s promise was going to be harder than he expected.
“Such a brave soul.” The bishop laughed grasping Sarah’s shoulder.
“Trading himself for your freedom. I’ll admire that moment forever.” The bishop laughed at his sarcasm.
“What is to become of me?” Sarah asked.
“Oh, don’t look so melancholy. Many children would kill to be in a place such as this. They dream of it all their lives. Only to find out that it is…” He paused and scratched his chin. “…under new management.”
The bishop whipped around in a swirl of flowing cloth and headed toward the stairs leading away from the train station. “You may have full reign of the park, m’dear. But you can never leave. That’s the deal we made.”
“You told him you’d release me.” Sarah pointed at the bishop’s back. He paused as if knowing without turning what she was doing.
“No pointing, love. Two fingers, two fingers.” He said. “Consider yourself released in that you need not ride the train. You don’t want that, Sarah.”
With that the bishop disappeared encircled in flames.
Sarah sat on the steps and buried her head in her folded arms. ‘What now?’ She thought.
Before her next thought, a voice on a loudspeaker boomed across abandoned Main Street USA.
“The Disneyland Limited, now arriving from a trip around Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom…” A train screamed to a halt at the train station.
A hand touched her shoulder. A withered conductor with gray skin and rotting teeth grinned at her, “All aboard.” He hissed.
She leapt to her feet and hurried down the stairs. Before she knew it, she found herself at the hub in the middle of the park. Former flowers jutted like black fingers from the planters there and trees that were rotting reached from the soil like taloned hands. The Partners statue that she had seen in many of the books she had read was now nothing more than a melted metal mass. An outstretched hand was all that remained of the original sculpture; the rest was an obscure contemporary art piece.
It was then that she saw something too unbelievable to be true. Sleeping Beauty Castle was nothing more than a charred shell. A great fire had ignited the once beautiful centerpiece and weeds and mold covered its stately walls now. The only thing that remained, almost untouched it seemed, was the moat itself. Untouched and still the water sat reflecting the nightmare that the castle now was. She neared the edge of the moat and gazed in. The bridge leading to the heart of the castle still stood, but only barely.
“Watch.” She heard a voice say.
“Who’s there?” She asked spinning around. She found the owner of the voice once again sitting in a tree.
The boy attempted to climb higher.
“Come here.” She demanded pulling at his bare feet. The soles of his feet were black and cut. With a yank, the child fell from the tree like a rotten fruit. “Now then, I need your help. You know where they took my father and I want you to tell me where he is.”
“Watch.” He repeated.
“Watch what?” She asked.
“You must get it away from the rabbit.” He said.
“‘Away from the rabbit?’” She scratched her head. “You mean a pocket watch, don’t you?”
“Yes. Yes!” The boy said. “Come. Come with me, Alice.”
“But I’m not…” She began, but before she could finish, the boy was already climbing over a hill of fallen trees and several cracked white statues. The boy disappeared over the hill. Sarah sighed. “Well, I’m not climbing through that mess.” She planted her fists to her hips.
But seconds into her protest, a ghostly singing began. A woman’s voice, melodic but hauntingly several speeds too slow began to sing. A drawn out wail of sorts that ended in the two words, “I’m wishing.”
She then realized that she was not alone. Several children scrambled out from the rubble at the base of the castle. Each face was sunken in and soiled each hand trembling and white; their clothes were hanging from their bodies like Spanish Moss. They repeated the phrase the woman sang, “We’re wishing.”
The tune did not change their sullen expressions.
“For the one I love.” The woman sang. “To find me.”
“To find us.” The children responded.
“Today.”
“Today.” They said.
This was far too frightening for Sarah. She bounded over the hill. The children took no notice of her at all…