by E E Rawls
Alice went through first, marching with a hurried step before anyone else could.
Harrey elbowed Madnes. “Yikes, she’s never gonna forgive you.”
Madnes flashed Harrey a scowl before following through the arch portal and back into Oswick.
“WELL, IT’S ABOUT TIME!”
Mother Goose marched—or rather, waddled—toward the park bench where Madnes, Harrey and Cheshire sat waiting with Ugly Duckling. Her red-rimmed glasses glinted beneath her pristine white bonnet.
Harrey had to blink twice at the impeccably dressed goose—his first time seeing Wonderlanders on Earth, now that the trip had made him able to see; and he was gawking rudely.
Ugly dipped his head nervously, and it was with great slowness that he hopped down off the bench to meet his mother.
“I’ve been worried sick, waiting without hearing any news from you people!” Mother Goose hissed at them. Her wing caught Ugly and pulled him close. “Incompetent! Careless! I could have done a better job myself.”
Any bit of guilt he’d had for causing her worry vanished, and Madnes readied to snap back that maybe she should’ve gone and looked for him herself. But Cheshire’s paw on his wrist stopped him.
“We do apologize, Madam Mother Goose,” Cheshire soothed. “There were unforeseen circumstances which interfered with our contacting you. But I assure you that Ugly has been safe with us since we found him yesterday.”
“Hmph! I should hope so. But an excuse is no excuse for lazy work. And as for you,” she turned Ugly around to face her. “Running off like that, really! How many age wrinkles will I suffer now because of you?” she snapped. “Don’t think you’ll be stepping one foot out the door this month—you’re grounded! And I’ll not have you go anywhere without adult supervision from now on. Is that clear?”
Ugly hung his long neck and head miserably.
Madnes couldn’t stand it any longer. “He wouldn’t have run off if you weren’t such a strict, unpleasant person to be around!”
Harrey covered a gasp with both hands, and Cheshire’s furry eyebrows drew down. “Madnes—” he started.
But Madnes’s hand halted the cat. “No, it’s the truth, and we all know it. It’s about time someone told you, Mother Goose. Your behavior is what drove Ugly to run away. Can’t you see what you’re doing? Is this really how you want to raise him? Do you want Ugly to resent you when he grows up and leaves home? This is nothing but a recipe for a miserable family—one that won’t care about you when you’re old and gray and in need. So, think about that.”
Finished with his rant, Madnes wiped his forehead and prepared for the worst. Everybody was cringing. But he noticed the goose woman’s round eyes staring widely up at him over the glasses.
She gave a shake to Ugly’s shoulders and he sheepishly looked at her. “Is that how you see me, Ugly?” she asked.
Her son didn’t answer.
“But a mother should be strict, and she cannot always be a pleasant person because of it.”
“I know,” Ugly plucked up some courage to say. “B-but you could be more aware of my feelings and care a little. We never do anything fun together, either.” Sunlight caught on a tear.
“...Oh.” She released her hold on him. “I see... Well, it wasn’t my intention to be so...unaware. I’m just so busy making this place our home.” Was that a sniffle in Mother Goose’s beak? “Maybe we could spend some time together doing things outside of school and work. I suppose a child your age should have other gosling friends to play with, as well...” She straightened. “We’ll have to work on that.”
“Really?” Ugly brightened, then hopped up and hugged his wings around her.
“Oh, oh my.” Mother caught her balance, taken by surprise, then hugged him back lightly. She wasn’t an affectionate person by nature, but that was simply because she wasn’t used to it. “Perhaps I was never cut out for this mother job...but I’ll try and be more understanding, for you, Ugly.”
“Thank you, Mom!”
The group watched as the waterfowl mother and son waddled off, Harrey wiping at something in his eye. Madnes looked sidelong at him. “What? It’s eye sweat,” he insisted.
“Well, I’m glad that’s settled.” Cheshire propped his paws on hips. “Even if rather rash words were used.” He glanced up at Madnes pointedly.
“It had to be done. That’s what the Madness Solver job is, right? Resolving conflicts.” Madnes flashed a smile.
Cheshire just shook his head, speechless.
“The Runaway Ugly Duckling case is solved.” Madnes made a check motion in the air, checking it off. “Now, let me revel in this moment of peace before it fast fades away.”
“Aren’t you gonna investigate that Syn stuff and Oz?” Harrey interrupted, and Madnes let his head fall backwards, staring blankly up at the sky.
“Yes...the moment of peace fast fades away.”
Chapter 26:
Lurking Portal Problem
BEEP! BEEP!
Cheshire eyed the screen. Within the secret investigation room in his cottage, equipment there monitored both worlds and the linking portals. The sensors were picking up multiple signals now and beeping.
“The portals are quite active today. But why?” His cat eyes narrowed.
Pockets of space were forming across Wonderland—a great number of them.
He traced their destination, and they seemed to be connecting themselves to Oswick. It was normal for one or two pockets to form and then vanish, as Wonderland and Earth were closely linked by the portals. But this amount was off the scale! Only an interfering outside force could cause something so strange.
“This isn’t good... I need to investigate further, before things get out of hand.” He dashed for the door, shrugging on an overcoat and small hat. “I’d better get a message over to Madnes.”
A KNIFE thunked into a tree, off to the side from a nailed-up target. Cosmic Hunter shook his shaggy head, watching his nephew’s sad progress at knife-throwing.
“No, no, boy. Ya can’t hold it like that. Thing’s not a carrot. Hold the blade end flat between your fingers.”
“How am I supposed to know?” Madnes threw again, and missed.
A bird squawked angrily at him.
“Usin’ the power’s force is what saps your life away, which is why you need t’ strengthen your body. But I don’t think it helpin’ you memorize and learn stuff saps any. Rose was always learnin’ new stuff, and I’m sure that’s not what did her in.”
“What did, um, do her in?”
“Never found out, t’ be honest. I suspect it was somethin’ to do with Wonderland—some crisis that made her use up too much power,” said Cosmic. “All right, you watch me with that there power hidden inside yer noggin’, and let it memorize what I do.”
The knife flew from Uncle’s hand, spinning gracefully until the tip met with the target bullseye. He straightened in satisfaction, hands on belted hips. “Now, you let the power copy those motions,” he told him. “Let the power guide you, but don’t use it.”
“Guide, but don’t use.” Madnes stretched his arms, flexed his hands, and wiggled his fingers dramatically, as if summoning some mysterious force to awaken. He breathed in deeply. Then his eyes shot open. His arm drew back and he threw.
The blade veered off course, almost hitting a dog who lay watching; it yelped and dodged to the side.
“Whoops!” Madnes ran over to the mutt. “Ah, maybe you should move, Muttle, and not be so close to the target.”
The dog stared accusingly up at him through large eyes.
“Not be so close to the whole yard, either.” Cosmic smirked. Madnes glared his way. “You aren’t awakenin’ that power like you ought to, boy. What’s the matter? It has to be awake t’ guide you.”
“How should I know?” Madnes shot back. Was there any point to this training? Uncle believed that if he could defend himself, then the fairy power wouldn’t have to take over and protect him during rough situations. But would
it really lengthen his lifespan all that much?
“Hmm.” Cosmic stroked his stubble chin, and surmised, “There’s too much clutterin’ up yer mind—that’s what’s goin’ on here. Ya can’t train when your brain is off flyin’ in the clouds.”
He grabbed Madnes by the shoulders and steered him out the backyard gate. “I can’t have you killin’ my dog over a missin’ brain. Go out there n’ find it—don’t come back until you do.”
“But Mom grounded me for not coming home that night—” Madnes protested.
“I’ll deal with that. Now, off ya go!”
Cast out of the yard, Madnes trudged glumly down the street beyond the house, heading towards downtown. For a moment, he considered going over to Alice’s. He needed to talk with her.
He knew where his mind was: it was off thinking about her and worried if she was avoiding him on purpose. He hadn’t caught sight of her since the day they’d returned from Wonderland.
Madness felt a presence suddenly lurking behind him, and a finger tapped his shoulder.
Madnes spun around, hands raised in a karate chop, and came face to face with a beaming grin. He lurched backwards. “Harrey, what the heck! Why do you have to freak me out like that?”
Harrey put on a mock hurt face. “My smile should make you happy. Your words have stabbed me through the heart!”
“Oh shut up.”
Harrey chuckled. “By the way! I’ve been seeing all sorts of strange things since after Wonderland. Weird critters running around—like those.” Madnes followed his point to a line of bananas lurking and waddling around a row of parked steam cars. “Walking bananas, and they’ve got weird little faces with ninja headbands.”
Madnes’s eyebrows lowered. “Ninja bananas. Yeah, don’t get too close to those. They’re evil. I know from experience.”
Harrey gave him an odd look. Then his face suddenly brightened, and he shielded his eyes with a hand from the sun’s hazy light. “Hey, it’s Alice! Wanna join us in being lazy bums today, Alice?” he hollered, waving his other hand.
‘Alice?’ Madnes turned in the direction Harrey waved and caught sight of short blonde hair disappearing behind the patch of trees beside a rundown building. Without a second thought, he dashed over to the spot.
He had to talk to her—now or never!
Entering the trees, his boots skidded across the dirt, and he called her name. Nothing but a few robins were there to hear him, though, their heads cocked sideways.
He turned about. “Alice...please, I just want to talk,” he implored to the silent tree trunks and dappled light. “This isn’t like you. You’re the one who’s always been there—the one who I could always talk to.”
He let his forehead rest against a tree and ran his fingers down the prickly bark. “Don’t tell me I’ve lost you...?”
A robin chirped and flapped away.
“Youuu!”
Madnes lifted his head at the call, and would have hoped it was Alice, if he hadn’t recognized the voice. He tensed and readied to run.
“I thought you had died—all of you!” Inspector Coolette approached, the last person he wanted to see right now.
The man marched toward him, single eye glaring fiercely. His appearance was unusually unkempt, as if he’d been in distress. “Nothing was left of you youngsters. I searched everywhere! The Sacred Pond’s entire facility had to be shut down while I searched! Where did you go? How were you not vaporized?”
“Ah, Inspector.” Madnes backed up, putting on a polite smile and looking for a way to escape. “We flew out. The flying bicycle, remember?”
Coolette paused and gave that a thought.
“Oh, were you worried about us? Is that why you look so...unkempt?”
Coolette’s cheeks colored. “W-worried?” He turned aside and cleared his throat. “I could charge you for unauthorized entry into the Sacred Pond, boy—the punishment of which can be extremely severe!” The wings on his eyepatch fluttered angrily. “However, since I am a lenient and fair person, I won’t do so. You are young. Hmph, but you must still suffer arrest and punishment for other charges.”
By now Harrey had caught up and stood behind Madnes’s shoulder. “Arrest?” he exclaimed.
Madnes grumbled under his breath. He didn’t want to do what he was about to do—he really didn’t—but desperate times called for desperate measures...
“Us? B-but we’re just teenagers.” Madnes donned a shy, innocent expression, cupping his hands together before him. “How could we have known it was illegal to fly over the compound?”
Harrey watched, in shock.
Coolette shifted uncomfortably. “Flying isn’t technically illegal...”
Yes, Madnes had him now. “It was just a little prank, a joke—we’re young, you know. But I didn’t mean for it to go so far.” He let his violet eyes plead up at the man like an innocent doe.
Back a ways, Harrey seemed both impressed and repulsed.
Coolette’s face twitched, struggling not to cave in under that pleading, hopeful gaze—a gaze that Madnes had learned to master as a child to manipulate adults.
“That’s—it’s—erm—” Coolette drew back. “I—I suppose I could, erm, just let you off with a warning...”
“Would you?” Madnes beamed like a happy lamb, and Coolette took a farther step back.
“I’ll still be watching you, though! Don’t you forget that, Hatter boy.” The inspector pointed, finger almost touching the tip of his nose. He turned on his heel then, stumbled, and marched out of the grove. “Always watching.”
Madnes winked and gave a salute, then faced Harrey wearily. “And I hope I never have to humiliate myself like that ever again, as long as I live.”
“Agreed. That was brutal.” Harrey made a show of rubbing his eyes, as if his eyeballs had been seared by the shocking image. “Say, wasn’t Alice just here?”
Madnes glanced to the side and tucked his hands in his pants pockets, moving past Harrey and returning to the street.
Harrey followed with a shrug.
Munch, krunch.
“Hey, there’s some weirdo on the sidewalk,” said Harrey. “Dude, those clothes look awful on him.”
“Ignore him. I’ve had enough of weirdoes for the past few days.”
But Harrey continued to stare. “There’s something familiar about his face, too.”
“What?” Madnes craned his neck. The weirdo munched lazily at a head of lettuce in one hand and stared dreamily up at nothing; a breeze whisked his thick purple mop of hair.
“Pelur, here? Oh no.” Madnes let his footsteps drag him towards the knight, who was dressed in tattered pants, a thick belt and leather vest.
Pelur’s face brightened, coming back to reality at the sight of his highly esteemed comrade. “Sir Madnes!”
“What went wrong this time? And please don’t tell me it’s another waterfowl causing trouble...”
Pelur cocked his head. “No,” he drawled. “I’d say it’s more cat than waterfowl.” Madnes raised an eyebrow. “There are problems with the portals. Cheshire wants you to wait here and keep an eye peeled on things, and also to work on any cases that pop up.”
Madnes resisted the urge to chew his nail and instead pressed his thumb to his lip in thought, ignoring the crunch munch of lettuce. “Alone on my own again, huh? Why do I feel like this is a bad sign...”
Chapter 27:
The Cursed Forest
RAIN PATTERED THE STREETS, and three small figures huddled under a large cardboard box, taking shelter from the wet and cold.
“Where are we going to live now?” a young boy asked, auburn hair plastered damp around his face.
“Anywhere is better than that orphanage.” The young brunette glowered out at the rain, her lips pressed thin. “I’m tired of being bullied and worked like a slave.”
Someone’s stomach growled.
The third kid shook his head of ash-gray curls. “We’ll find a place, Nico, Drisel. Don’t worry,” he tried to rea
ssure them.
“Don’t worry? Ever since we ran away last week, we’ve had nothing but boxes and culverts to live in.” Nico frowned at him, and then at the rain. “You talk as if a home is so easy to come by,” he growled under his breath.
Ash didn’t reply.
“I’m cold...” The girl rubbed at her bare arms, as if doing so long enough might drive the cool moisture out of the air. Ash curled an arm around her shoulders—body heat was the only source of warmth he could offer.
“We’ll find a place, Drisel,” he told her, and she closed her tired eyes. “God won’t abandon us; we just gotta keep searching.”
Nico shifted and turned away from them, anger and hurt burning inside his chest until a weary sleep engulfed him.
KAW, KAW!
Nico jolted awake at the crow’s cry.
The rain had stopped, and early dawn made scattered puddles glow like eerie mirrors beyond their box shelter. He shifted, and saw his companions were still sleeping. Without a sound, he crept out into the cool early air still heavy with moisture. He hugged his arms around himself, his sleeves worn thin.
A crow cawed from its perch on a chimney of one of the houses lining the alley. The black bird stared down at him, its eyes strangely gray.
“Home!” said the crow, before it flapped and flew from the alley.
Did that bird just speak?
On an impulse Nico ran after it, following as the crow glided past streets and away from the edge of town, over a path cut through woods and farmland. The path opened onto a bare field, and there, at the edge, rose a forest.
Nico halted. This place was different from other forests, though he couldn’t say how just by looking at it—more of a feeling in the air and a scent on the breeze. Mist curled around the dark edges; trees and foliage rose thickly like a barrier.
He stood at a distance, watching.
Kaw! With a flash of black feathers, a young man appeared off to his left, wrapped in a black frock coat. “Home,” spoke the mysterious older boy. “That is what you are looking for, yes?”
