Down the Rabbit Hole - Part 7: What Happens At Night...
It's just too much...
Alright, I know you all are upset with me... I'm sorry! I lost my flash drive when we moved and I JUST found it! I'm doing something special for you guys if you want me to. ONLY if you want it, I'll put Cat's POV in the next chapter. Let me know by commenting on whether or not you want it! So with no further delay... Thank you SO much for sticking with me... and here is Part 7: What Happens At Night....
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
*** "You want me to do what?" I asked the Carpenter
"Stand on your head." He said it like it was PERFECTLY normal
"How is this going to help me be ready for battle?!"
"Just do it."
Cat nodded in agreement to this strange man's order. My hair got in the mud below me. You should have been there to see what happened next, my hands slipped in the mud and I fell flat on my back. I couldn't breathe. Cat ran to my side. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
The carpenter just stood where he was... "Well, THAT didn't work out the way I wanted to."
"Yeah, ya think!?"
"Alice, calm down, please."
Just the way he talks calms me sometimes. I pulled a "cat" moment and just nodded. He laughed and shook his head.
"Are you crazy?" I asked as serious as possible.
"No. I'm trying to get you ready. Maybe we can go have some lunch in my place and try again. How do clams sound, maybe on some pasta with a garlic and oil sauce?"
"Yeah, that sounds really good actually." It reminded me of my favorite book, the Carpenter and the Walrus ate clams together. Funny.
Cat held the door for us both.
*** Lunch was interesting. No one really said anything. It was very awkward, sitting at the table covered in mud, wishing I could have rinsed off first. I wasn't sure if I'd rather be falling in the mud or sitting at that table in silence. I'm pretty sure the mud was better at this point.
"Excuse me. Where is the bathroom?" I asked.
"Down the hall on the right, you'll see it."
"Thank you"
Cat grabbed my wrist gently as I was walking past him and asked "Are you ok?". He never said too much. I hate that. Have I said that yet?
"Yeah, I'm alright." Instead of going to the bathroom I just went to the back door. I was beginning to REALLY think that may be I just needed to go home. How, I wasn't sure just yet.
"Hey." Cat, with his silence, sneaked out of the dining room and just sat next to me and stared in the same direction as me.
"How did you know I was out here."
He smiled. "I checked the bathroom."
I laughed a little and looked back where I was originally.
"Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yeah. Just thinking..." Cat was talking a lot more, maybe I can get his name out of him. He seemed really concerned, maybe I shouldn't...
"About?" OH there the talking went... one word.
"I just don't feel like I can do this. I don't think I'm the one you all need, for the battle. I just - I don't know."
"You are exactly who we're looking for. Trust me. We've seen girls fall in here that just weren't it. Look, let's go to the house for today and just take it easy. We'll come back and train tomorrow when you feel up to it ok?"
He was talking and I never wanted him to stop. It feels like I'm cracking his "Cheshire Cat" silence. It seems it's getting harder and harder for him to keep quiet around me. "Yeah, that sounds good. I should probably get my mind off things."
Cat nodded. "I'll go tell the Carpenter, I'm sure he'll understand." He did understand. He didn't want to push me to the point where I just said no, and quit. We were headed back to the house. It was pretty quiet, but Cat actually broke it this time. "Usually I'm the quiet one," he told me "But it seems like we've traded place, and the silence is killing me."
"Killing you!? Now you know how I feel." I laughed.
He just nodded.
"Hey now, don't be switching up on me, now!"
"It's getting harder and harder." He shook his head.
"To do what?"
"To be silent."
"Oh! Well, good for me." I wonder why he brought that up. I mean, I already knew, but I didn't think he wanted me to know. Oh, I shouldn't be worrying, I was supposed to be relaxing. I guess I can't really relax until we actually get "home"...
"So are you ever going answer my question?"
"Which one?"
"What is your REAL name?"
He laughed and shook his head, his usual response, and added "We'll see."
*** The day came and went. We pretty much just sat around the house quietly. I thought about home, and my reason for being here. I decided to stay and at least try. I asked about the "Seeing" thing from earlier and how the carpenter was holding nothing, cat told me that only eyes of someone who can handle all that is in Hearts, and will fight for their land, can see that. I still wasn't quite sure what that meant but I would find out in time. I was headed off to bed for now.
*** I woke up to a knock on my door. It was still dark outside, the moon shone through my window, and I was sure I was supposed to be asleep still, but I called to Cat, who was standing behind my door, waiting to come in. I heard him walk into the room, but I couldn't see him; until he stepped into the moonlight, that is. He was shirtless and insanely gorgeous. The beads of sweat on every perfect ab, reflected the moonlight. I didn't know he looked like this. He always wears baggy shirts, I can't tell.
"I, uh..." I couldn't speak, I was stunned, and a little embarrassed for him.
He looked down at himself and replied, "Oh, sorry, I could go change really quick."
I cleared my throat and regained my senses, "No, it's alright, why did you come in here?"
"Um, you were screaming at the top of your lungs, and I just wanted to make sure you were ok." He continued with a face full of worry as he sat down on my bed.
"I was?"
"Yes."
"Oh, I didn't know I did that. I'm really sorry."
"Are you ok?"
I shrugged my shoulders, and laid back down on my side. I truly didn't know what was wrong.
"Do you mind if I stay here for a little bit, to make sure you're ok? You've just been acting strangely and I'm worried about you."
"No. Go ahead... Thank you."
"Of course..." He laid down behind me putting one arm under my head and one around my waist. "It's Gabe, by the way."
"What is?"
"My name."
A smile stretched across my face, he really is worried about me. "Thanks for telling me."I felt so safe and protected in his arms that I fell
asleep instantaneously.
***When I woke up the next morning he wasn't next to me anymore, he wasn't in my room at all. Maybe it was just a dream...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
*** "You want me to do what?" I asked the Carpenter
"Stand on your head." He said it like it was PERFECTLY normal
"How is this going to help me be ready for battle?!"
"Just do it."
Cat nodded in agreement to this strange man's order. My hair got in the mud below me. You should have been there to see what happened next, my hands slipped in the mud and I fell flat on my back. I couldn't breathe. Cat ran to my side. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
The carpenter just stood where he was... "Well, THAT didn't work out the way I wanted to."
"Yeah, ya think!?"
"Alice, calm down, please."
Just the way he talks calms me sometimes. I pulled a "cat" moment and just nodded. He laughed and shook his head.
"Are you crazy?" I asked as serious as possible.
"No. I'm trying to get you ready. Maybe we can go have some lunch in my place and try again. How do clams sound, maybe on some pasta with a garlic and oil sauce?"
"Yeah, that sounds really good actually." It reminded me of my favorite book, the Carpenter and the Walrus ate clams together. Funny.
Cat held the door for us both.
*** Lunch was interesting. No one really said anything. It was very awkward, sitting at the table covered in mud, wishing I could have rinsed off first. I wasn't sure if I'd rather be falling in the mud or sitting at that table in silence. I'm pretty sure the mud was better at this point.
"Excuse me. Where is the bathroom?" I asked.
"Down the hall on the right, you'll see it."
"Thank you"
Cat grabbed my wrist gently as I was walking past him and asked "Are you ok?". He never said too much. I hate that. Have I said that yet?
"Yeah, I'm alright." Instead of going to the bathroom I just went to the back door. I was beginning to REALLY think that may be I just needed to go home. How, I wasn't sure just yet.
"Hey." Cat, with his silence, sneaked out of the dining room and just sat next to me and stared in the same direction as me.
"How did you know I was out here."
He smiled. "I checked the bathroom."
I laughed a little and looked back where I was originally.
"Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yeah. Just thinking..." Cat was talking a lot more, maybe I can get his name out of him. He seemed really concerned, maybe I shouldn't...
"About?" OH there the talking went... one word.
"I just don't feel like I can do this. I don't think I'm the one you all need, for the battle. I just - I don't know."
"You are exactly who we're looking for. Trust me. We've seen girls fall in here that just weren't it. Look, let's go to the house for today and just take it easy. We'll come back and train tomorrow when you feel up to it ok?"
He was talking and I never wanted him to stop. It feels like I'm cracking his "Cheshire Cat" silence. It seems it's getting harder and harder for him to keep quiet around me. "Yeah, that sounds good. I should probably get my mind off things."
Cat nodded. "I'll go tell the Carpenter, I'm sure he'll understand." He did understand. He didn't want to push me to the point where I just said no, and quit. We were headed back to the house. It was pretty quiet, but Cat actually broke it this time. "Usually I'm the quiet one," he told me "But it seems like we've traded place, and the silence is killing me."
"Killing you!? Now you know how I feel." I laughed.
He just nodded.
"Hey now, don't be switching up on me, now!"
"It's getting harder and harder." He shook his head.
"To do what?"
"To be silent."
"Oh! Well, good for me." I wonder why he brought that up. I mean, I already knew, but I didn't think he wanted me to know. Oh, I shouldn't be worrying, I was supposed to be relaxing. I guess I can't really relax until we actually get "home"...
"So are you ever going answer my question?"
"Which one?"
"What is your REAL name?"
He laughed and shook his head, his usual response, and added "We'll see."
*** The day came and went. We pretty much just sat around the house quietly. I thought about home, and my reason for being here. I decided to stay and at least try. I asked about the "Seeing" thing from earlier and how the carpenter was holding nothing, cat told me that only eyes of someone who can handle all that is in Hearts, and will fight for their land, can see that. I still wasn't quite sure what that meant but I would find out in time. I was headed off to bed for now.
*** I woke up to a knock on my door. It was still dark outside, the moon shone through my window, and I was sure I was supposed to be asleep still, but I called to Cat, who was standing behind my door, waiting to come in. I heard him walk into the room, but I couldn't see him; until he stepped into the moonlight, that is. He was shirtless and insanely gorgeous. The beads of sweat on every perfect ab, reflected the moonlight. I didn't know he looked like this. He always wears baggy shirts, I can't tell.
"I, uh..." I couldn't speak, I was stunned, and a little embarrassed for him.
He looked down at himself and replied, "Oh, sorry, I could go change really quick."
I cleared my throat and regained my senses, "No, it's alright, why did you come in here?"
"Um, you were screaming at the top of your lungs, and I just wanted to make sure you were ok." He continued with a face full of worry as he sat down on my bed.
"I was?"
"Yes."
"Oh, I didn't know I did that. I'm really sorry."
"Are you ok?"
I shrugged my shoulders, and laid back down on my side. I truly didn't know what was wrong.
"Do you mind if I stay here for a little bit, to make sure you're ok? You've just been acting strangely and I'm worried about you."
"No. Go ahead... Thank you."
"Of course..." He laid down behind me putting one arm under my head and one around my waist. "It's Gabe, by the way."
"What is?"
"My name."
A smile stretched across my face, he really is worried about me. "Thanks for telling me."I felt so safe and protected in his arms that I fell
asleep instantaneously.
***When I woke up the next morning he wasn't next to me anymore, he wasn't in my room at all. Maybe it was just a dream...
Post Comment | View Comments
