to see it.
Sia’s rhinestone collar! Yes!
I grabbed her pretty pink collar and wrapped it around my wrist, the way I’d seen Devon wear it, but as I did that a strange sensation came over me; I became all woozy and wobbly, I felt as if the shop’s reality was slipping into a Dali-esque world. I stumbled about and grabbed the tablecloth for support and once again brought everything crashing to the ground.
“Hey,” a voice called to me loud and clear. “Meeerrrow! Hey!”
“Sia?” I snatched the table cloth and pulled it out of the way. There, underneath the table, sat my dainty little kitten. I reached for her. She was real and purred like a tiny outboard.
“Sia, Sia.” I nuzzled her and held her close and she purred even more, which didn’t seem possible. “Oh, Sia, I don’t know what’s going on? I think I’m on a bad acid trip or something.” All around us the world looked like a dripping wet surreal painting, nothing had any structured form.
“No.” Sia said.
I held her away from me, stared hard into her beautiful blue eyes. “Yes,” I said right back to her. “I am on an acid trip. You’re talking. I’m convinced Maisie drugged me, and when I recover I’ll find myself lying on the floor of her shop with a big headache!” As I spoke to Sia a horrible sound filled the shop, almost as if someone was power-washing outside. I tried to make it stop by giving my head a shake.
“This is the Cheshire dimension. You entered when you put my collar on your wrist. Here, you can speak cat. ”
I put her on the table and stepped back. I tried to say something but couldn’t think of anything. I put my hands on my hips. “Ssspeak cat?” I stuttered and heard that horrible power washing sound again.
“You’re good, actually, almost no accent at all.” Sia assured me.
“But, but...what’s that horrible sound I hear every time I speak?”
“That horrible sound is you. Your echo in the real world sounds like a meowing cat. Pay no attention to it. You’ll learn to modulate.”
“But, Sia, you’re a kitten, yet you sound like an old woman.”
“I’m Cheshire. We all sound like old women because we’re wise. Jane, you need to go. You can’t stay here too long. You’ve drawn the attention of the society.”
“The society?”
“The Cheshire Society, but never mind I’ll have to explain another time. Run along.”
“Okay, yeah, I’d love to run along?”
“Remove my collar from your wrist.”
“But I want you back. Are you in danger?”
I struggled to take off the collar. I didn’t remember it being so tight when I put it on. I worked away at the clasp and needed to chew it a bit to wiggle it free. As I loosened the collar, and removed it, the shop stood solidly around me. I planned to quickly put the collar on Sia, but the sad looking little kitten faded from my view, and I found myself back in the shop without her.
But I wasn’t alone. The long, dark shadow of “another” stalker, one I’d noticed following me for the past few months now stood inside the shop. He cast a very long shadow, but that was all he was.
Early, I’d caught a glimpse of him because I noticed the sharp details of his clothes: the spaghetti western coat and gloves with the missing fingertips, the black toque stood out. The rest of him I’d describe as nothing more than a misty, dark fog.
I tried following the shadow all the way back to the man, but that became impossible. I’d follow it, and then it disappeared around a shelf, and reappeared in another direction. Then the eerie shadow disappeared completely.
I was alone.
What a day! Trapped in a tarot card, then a quick visit to a very weird Cheshire land to visit my kitty who is still stuck there, and finally a mysterious visit from the shadow-stalker. I was exhausted.
I picked up all the stuff I dropped, the box of cards, the table cloth, the candle which to my amazement was still lit. I put
Sia’s rhinestone collar! Yes!
I grabbed her pretty pink collar and wrapped it around my wrist, the way I’d seen Devon wear it, but as I did that a strange sensation came over me; I became all woozy and wobbly, I felt as if the shop’s reality was slipping into a Dali-esque world. I stumbled about and grabbed the tablecloth for support and once again brought everything crashing to the ground.
“Hey,” a voice called to me loud and clear. “Meeerrrow! Hey!”
“Sia?” I snatched the table cloth and pulled it out of the way. There, underneath the table, sat my dainty little kitten. I reached for her. She was real and purred like a tiny outboard.
“Sia, Sia.” I nuzzled her and held her close and she purred even more, which didn’t seem possible. “Oh, Sia, I don’t know what’s going on? I think I’m on a bad acid trip or something.” All around us the world looked like a dripping wet surreal painting, nothing had any structured form.
“No.” Sia said.
I held her away from me, stared hard into her beautiful blue eyes. “Yes,” I said right back to her. “I am on an acid trip. You’re talking. I’m convinced Maisie drugged me, and when I recover I’ll find myself lying on the floor of her shop with a big headache!” As I spoke to Sia a horrible sound filled the shop, almost as if someone was power-washing outside. I tried to make it stop by giving my head a shake.
“This is the Cheshire dimension. You entered when you put my collar on your wrist. Here, you can speak cat. ”
I put her on the table and stepped back. I tried to say something but couldn’t think of anything. I put my hands on my hips. “Ssspeak cat?” I stuttered and heard that horrible power washing sound again.
“You’re good, actually, almost no accent at all.” Sia assured me.
“But, but...what’s that horrible sound I hear every time I speak?”
“That horrible sound is you. Your echo in the real world sounds like a meowing cat. Pay no attention to it. You’ll learn to modulate.”
“But, Sia, you’re a kitten, yet you sound like an old woman.”
“I’m Cheshire. We all sound like old women because we’re wise. Jane, you need to go. You can’t stay here too long. You’ve drawn the attention of the society.”
“The society?”
“The Cheshire Society, but never mind I’ll have to explain another time. Run along.”
“Okay, yeah, I’d love to run along?”
“Remove my collar from your wrist.”
“But I want you back. Are you in danger?”
I struggled to take off the collar. I didn’t remember it being so tight when I put it on. I worked away at the clasp and needed to chew it a bit to wiggle it free. As I loosened the collar, and removed it, the shop stood solidly around me. I planned to quickly put the collar on Sia, but the sad looking little kitten faded from my view, and I found myself back in the shop without her.
But I wasn’t alone. The long, dark shadow of “another” stalker, one I’d noticed following me for the past few months now stood inside the shop. He cast a very long shadow, but that was all he was.
Early, I’d caught a glimpse of him because I noticed the sharp details of his clothes: the spaghetti western coat and gloves with the missing fingertips, the black toque stood out. The rest of him I’d describe as nothing more than a misty, dark fog.
I tried following the shadow all the way back to the man, but that became impossible. I’d follow it, and then it disappeared around a shelf, and reappeared in another direction. Then the eerie shadow disappeared completely.
I was alone.
What a day! Trapped in a tarot card, then a quick visit to a very weird Cheshire land to visit my kitty who is still stuck there, and finally a mysterious visit from the shadow-stalker. I was exhausted.
I picked up all the stuff I dropped, the box of cards, the table cloth, the candle which to my amazement was still lit. I put
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