by Lotus Rose
“I love your imagery,” Sleepy B encourages.
The witch says, “Since they’re so-called ‘phantoms’, they can’t harm each other, nor can they harm the male object of their ire, for that matter, but believe me, they would gladly kill you if you stepped in the circle. I’m afraid it wouldn’t be very bloody, though,” she says, twitching her head at the Cat.
The Cat says, “That’s okay. They’re my friends, and I don’t wish to see them bloodily dispatched—only enemies and creatures I’m not particularly close to.”
“Aww, you’re a sweetie pie,” Sleepy B says sarcastically.
“Am not,” the Cat mutters.
“He belongs to us,” hisses one of the circling females.
“Now, your goal,” the witch says, “is to climb that staircase in order to get to the top and to meet the creature, person, or being who is at the top. However, I must inform you that only jabberwocks can climb the stairs. Magic will stop any other creatures.”
“Why’s that?” Humpty says, sounding offended.
The witch shrugs her shoulders under her robe. “This is a jabberwocky realm. It can be a bit speciesist at times.”
“He belongs to us,” hisses a female jabberwock.
Sleepy B says, “What about a person who feels like they are a jabberwock on the inside, like moi?”
“Well you can certainly try it.”
“But we’ll have to get past those phantoms, right?” Sleepy B says. “I assume they’ll guard the stairs.”
“That is correct,” the witch says. “They’re circling their ex right now, but if you approach those stairs, they will attack you. The good news is that they won’t be able to go up the stairs to pursue you. Only one being has ever climbed those stairs before—the one who awaits you at the top.”
Humpty says, “Well how would we get back down and safely away, afterwards?”
“Don’t jump,” the Cat recommends.
“Trust me, there won’t be an issue,” the witch says. “Just focus on getting to the staircase.”
Humpty says, “Well we can’t fight them. We don’t have any weapons, and touching them will harm us.”
“Can they even be hit?” Jabby says. “They look very wispy, like ghosts.”
“Phantoms,” Sleepy B corrects.
The witch snickers—a very old, witchlike sound. “I have some further information, and a proposal, that could help you solve the problem of getting to the stairs...”
CHAPTER TEN
“OH, DO PLEASE INFORM us,” Sleepy B says to the witch.
“Look, but do not touch,” one of the phantoms hisses. Sleepy B assumes the phantom’s referring to her ex.
“The male jabberwock has a sword at his side. See there? In the scabbard,” the witch says. “Since you’re not one of the phantoms, any one of you may grab it and wield it. Just be careful not to touch the male himself, because that’ll harm you just like the females. The sword is the Sword of Commitment. It’ll destroy the phantoms with a mere touch...until they reform again, but it’ll give you time.”
“Destroys them with a mere touch?” the Cat says, sounding offended. “Am I to take it that means there shall be no rending of limbs, no bloodshed and gore?”
“That’s correct.”
“Preposterous!” the Cat says sulkily.
Jabby says, “What does it mean, that it’s a sword of commitment?”
“It’s like a concentration of the power of the bound jabberwock’s desire for commitment. The threat of commitment is the most powerful weapon that can be used against the phantoms.”
Humpty says, “Commitment isn’t so scary...if it’s with the right person.”
“Or jabberwock...” Sleepy B glances at Jabby, before looking away.
“I don’t know...” Jabby says. “I can see how a sword of commitment might be very fearsome indeed.”
“Are you afraid of commitment, Jabby?” Sleepy B says in a soft voice.
Jabby seems to be squirming for a moment. “As Humpty said, with the right girl monster, commitment could be a wonderful thing.”
“Oh,” Sleepy B says, “that’s a relief. I mean to say, I hope you find the right monster for you.” She looks down at the ground and mumbles, “You’re a wonderful monster. You deserve someone.”
“Why thank you, darling. But about the sword, we need to find a way to get to it.”
Humpty says, “We could try to draw them away from him, create some sort of distraction.”
“You can never have him,” one of the phantoms hisses.
“Excellent thinking,” the witch croaks. “I have devised a way for you to create your diversion. You see, in their current state, the phantoms are loathsome things, consumed with the most overwhelming emotions from their former lives—jealousy, possessiveness, envy. That’s why I believe this plan I’ve come up with shall be successful...”
“Oh, get on with it,” the Cat says. “What’s your brilliant plan?”
“The phantoms are horribly jealous and vindictive. Even though they are loathe to get into a relationship themselves, they get absolutely furious when they see other jabberwocks in a happy relationship, and in their current demented, fundamental form, I daresay they’d get outright murderous. I believe that if they were to see a happy couple, they’d become immediately overwhelmed with hatred, and would rush over and try to kill the—to them—despicable couple.”
“You can’t take him away,” hisses a phantom.
“Are you sure about that?” Humpty says to the witch. “They seem quite focused on him.”
The witch says, “Yes, I believe, that with a strong enough distraction, they’ll be blinded with envy. In their phantom state, they’re really very simple minded—they’re more like animals, driven by pure emotion.”
Jabby says, “What do you mean when you say, ‘strong distraction’?”
“I’m talking about a display so sickeningly lovey dovey, that they’ll rush over at top speed, consumed with the jealousy-fueled desire to tear you to shreds!”
“Holey moley,” Humpty mutters under his breath.
“Of course, the two of you shall be standing outside the circle, so they shan’t be able to touch you. With the phantoms thus distracted, you can snatch the sword.”
It’s not at all clear which of the teammates she’s referring to do each task, due to her lack of eye contact or pointing or anything.
Sleepy B says, “Excuse me for ‘nitpicking’, as you like to say, but who do you expect to play the role of the obnoxiously affectionate couple? It can’t be Jabby and me, because we’re not even the same species.”
“Ah, but you forget I’m a witch. I have the ability to make you appear as a female 11-year-old jabberwock, by removing your glamour.”
“I have a glamour on me?” Sleepy B says, confused.
“Never mind that. The point is, you’d be the equivalent of a human teenager, in jabberwock years. And I know you two are fond of each other—that’s why I selected you two, together, to face this challenge.”
“I guess I’m the odd man out,” Humpty says. “As usual.”
“No one shall ever take him away,” comes the hiss of a phantom, referring to the bound male jabberwock.
The witch says, “I suggest you two put on quite a lurid show, to enrage them as much as possible, so they don’t even think of looking over, as Humpty snatches the sword.”
“I’ll gladly do so,” Humpty says, “but do you truly suggest these two put on a ‘sickeningly affectionate’ show? Why, Sleepy B is only 11 years old! Oh, wait, now I remember...”
Sleepy B locks eyes with him and nods. “That’s right,” she says. “11-years-old is past the age of consent for jabberwocks. Jabberwocks mature more quickly than humans.”
A jabberwock hisses about the bound up jabberwock, “He will never stray, because he’s tied up.”
Humpty has a horrified expression on his face. “You two aren’t planning to get...to consensually engage in...you know...” He
looks, in a panic, back and forth between Jabby and Sleepy B.
Jabby and Sleepy B both look at each other.
Sleepy B is blushing furiously, “Well, maybe...” she mumbles.
“No!” Jabby says in an embarrassingly shrill voice. “We’re just friends, and besides, she’d still be a human, with just the appearance of a jabberwock, right?” He looks to the witch, who shakes her hidden, hooded head, says, “No she’ll be a real, 11-year-old jabberwock.”
Sleepy B muses, “So, theoretically, I truly could consent to—”
“Enough!” Jabby says. He glares down at Sleepy B. “You shall consent to only what I allow you to, understand?”
Sleepy B nods reluctantly, mutters, “Yes, master.”
“Oh, enough, Sleepy.” (“Our monster can never get away,” one of the phantoms hisses at the same time.) “You know I’m fond of you, but it won’t be necessary for us to go that far. I’m sure it’ll be enough for us to hug and cuddle as we normally do. Just witnessing our affection for each other is sure to throw them into a murderous tizzy.”
He reaches and tickles under Sleepy B’s chin and she giggles and looks up at him, says, “Let’s just do this. Hopefully we can distract the phantoms enough that Humpty can sneak up on them with the sword and tear into them.”
“Indeed,” Humpty says. “It’s interesting that the old me would’ve been terrified, but I am hardly afraid at all. In fact, I’m eager to proceed, so please, witch, do your magic.”
“As you wish,” the witch says.
“We’ll never let him go,” hisses a phantom.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE WITCH SAYS TO SLEEPY B, “On second thought, I shall apply a glamour over you, because if I remove the glamour you already have, it shall burst your chainmail dress.”
“What glamour?” Sleepy B says, confused.
“Never mind, I shouldn’t confuse you.”
The witch raises her arms again—once again revealing no skin—mutters a bunch of unintelligible words, and motions toward Sleepy B.
Sleepy B transforms into a jabberwock with long blond hair, with no change of her height.
Sleepy B looks down at herself in astonishment mixed with annoyance. “Whoaaa. Now my outsides match the inside.” Her voice has shifted pitch, sounding more mature. “But why am I so short?”
“So you can keep your clothes on,” the witch says.
Jabby is staring at her with his mouth hanging open.
“What?” Sleepy B says. “Do you like what you see?”
Jabby nods excitedly. “Oh, yes, yes. Wow, Sleepy, you look so beautiful and fierce.”
With her brow ridge arched, she says, “And attractive?”
He looks away. “Well, err, yes, I suppose any other male jabberwock would definitely find you physically oh-so-attractive. But of course, I think of you as my friend, a human.”
“Phooey, Jabby, you realize we’re going to have to at least put on a show of being romantic to get a rise out of them.” She points at the phantoms. They’ve stopped circling, and are watching, whilst tilting their heads in curiousity.
The witch says, “You only have maybe ten minutes, so whatever you’re going to do, I suggest you do it now.”
Sleepy lightly taps Jabby’s arm with the back of her hand. “Come on you handsome devil, let’s go over there to draw them away.”
Jabby and Sleepy B walk to an area on the outside edge of the circle, as far from the bound jabberwock as they can manage while still being visible to the phantoms. Jabby kneels down.
The phantoms track their movements, staring at them, fixated, but don’t move from their spot around the bound jabberwock.
“I shall hug you now,” Sleepy B says.
“No, I shall hug you,” Jabby says back playfully.
He wraps his arms around her, and she wraps back.
“Mmmm,” she says.
“You’re so much fiercer looking than usual.”
“And sexier, right?”
“Errrr... But I still think of you as little Sleepy B.”
“Hey, you two!” hisses a phantom. “No hugging!”
Sleepy B says, “But if I wasn’t me, and you saw this body, you’d be attracted, right?”
Sounding uncomfortable, “Sure but, you are you...” He glances at the phantoms, under his breath he murmurs, “They’re not coming.”
“Come over here and stop us, you spotty tarts!” Sleepy B shouts.
But they don’t. One of them warns, “No public displays of affection!”
“You gonna stop us?” Sleepy B calls out.
“Don’t try us!” calls a phantom.
Sleepy B leans forward and whispers, “We’re gonna have to kiss, Jabby. Try to put some enthusiasm into it.”
“But— It feels yucky.”
Sleepy B’s heart is pounding hard in her chest. She’s sort of disappointed Jabby considers kissing her to be “yucky”, but she’s more excited that she finally has a chance to kiss him in a romantic way. Because—she’s admitted this to no one—she’s often fantasized about kissing Jabby in a romantic way, despite the difference in their species.
She says, “We have to kiss for the distraction, Jabby. Just close your eyes and imagine I really am this short, yet attractive 11-year-old jabberwock, okay?”
He nods and leans forward, tilts his head, and Sleepy B closes her eyes, and now they’re actually kissing! Sleepy B never thought this would happen, and now it is, and she feels like her heart is about to burst right out of her chest. And she is reveling in the feeling of Jabby’s arms wrapped around her—she feels like this is where she belongs.
She is only vaguely aware of a phantom calling out, “Hey, you two! Stop it!”
But Jabby and Sleepy B don’t stop. Instead they kiss more passionately.
“Stop it! Stop it!” shouts a phantom. “How dare you!”
Sleepy B hears the shuffling of gravel—hopefully they’re approaching.
“If we can’t have romance, you can’t have any,” says a phantom.
Sleepy B kisses more passionately, grabbing the back of Jabby’s head and she realizes she’s panting.
“How dare you be happy together!” shouts a phantom, very close now.
“Yes, if we can’t be happy in a relationship, you can’t be,” says another.
But Sleepy B is paying them no heed as she continues to passionately kiss this monster of her heart’s desire, and now she revels as she feels him slipping her tongue—they’re French kissing.
“Oi!” shouts a very close phantom. “You think you’re so much better because you’re outside the circle? Step inside, cowards!”
“Yeah,” says another. “You think you’re sooo much better because you’re not attached to your resentments! Showoffs! We’ll show you!”
Sleepy B keeps French kissing Jabby, as a few seconds later, she hears a whoosh of something slicing through air, followed by another whoosh and another.
Sleepy B’s eyes pop open as another whoosh sounds at the same time as an angry screech from a phantom.
She turns just in time to watch Humpty swing the sword through the wispy body of one of the two remaining phantoms. Its body is cut through like smoke, before its body wisps apart.
Humpty turns toward the remaining phantom, who hisses like a serpent, takes a few running steps toward Humpty, before launching herself at him in a ferocious leap. Humpty strikes her clean through, and the phantom dissipates and simply drifts apart. The sword fades and disappears soon after.
Humpty grins at them. “Like shooting fish in a barrel. They were just staring at you like sitting ducks!”
“Which were they?” the Cat says. “Fish or ducks?”
Ignoring him, Humpty says, “Come on, before they reform!”
They follow him over to the base of the column, where the witch is waiting.
Humpty says, “You say humans are barred from climbing the stairs.”
“Quite, but don’t take my word for it. The magic blockin
g spell won’t harm you, as long as you don’t slam into it.”
Jabby and Sleepy B shyly exchange glances—their eyes lock a few moments too long.
Jabby gives Sleepy B a nod and tentatively steps onto the first step, then up a few more.
“I’ll try next,” Humpty says, and presses out with his hand, but his hand stops in midair over the tip of the first step. “It’s like touching a piece of glass. I guess I’ll stay here with Sleepy B, outside the circle, of course.”
“Oh no,” Sleepy B says. “I look like a jabberwock on the outside, and feel like one on the inside, so these stairs have absolutely no valid reason for preventing me from climbing them.” She gives a look to Humpty, who steps aside, and she defiantly marches up a few steps. “There. You see?” she says and gives a beaming, fangy smile. “Wait here for us, Humpty. Are you coming?” she says to the witch.
“Yes,” the Cat says.
“No,” the witch says.
So Jabby and Sleepy B make their way up the stairs, with the Cat gliding along a few feet outside the column, seemingly unaffected by the blocking spell.
CHAPTER TWELVE
PARTWAY UP THE STAIRCASE, Jabby says, “You’ve reverted back to little girl form.”
“Oh, bugger,” Sleepy B mutters. “Have I truly?” She looks down to see her arm is human-colored again. “Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.”
“Quite.”
After more walking, Jabby peeks over the edge of the flat top of the column. He ducks back down and whispers, “There’s a female jabberwock sitting in a chair. She looks asleep.”
“Well let’s talk to her.”
“Okay, but you stay quiet, okay, sweety? Jabberwocks tend not to like little girls.”
“I’m not little,” she whispers. “But I’ll be quiet. Let’s go.”
They climb the remaining steps and find themselves upon the smooth and slippery flat surface, a roughly circular area of about thirty feet diameter. A young adult female jabberwock sits in the center, seated in a tall-backed chair carved roughly from stone, but still retaining many of the natural spikes and rough edges of a natural formation. Her eyes are closed, as she sits perfectly still, not even acknowledging Jabby and Sleepy’s arrival.
