Grasped in a girl's hand was a black straw doll, two fingers holding the piece of red cloth that was wrapped around it's neck before pulling it off.
"I hear and deliver the vengeance." The doll whispered in the wind as it flew from the pair of hands that gave its order, only to disappear before it could even touch the lowest cloud in the blood-red sky. It was going to go back to its master, to tell her the story of the one that must suffer.
The one that must go to Hell.
The girl just smiled.
-
Alice Pleasance Liddell walked home from school today, deciding that it was time for a bit of exercise—and some candy. Her favorite store was just down the road, so it was all fine with her. It wasn't as if she lived over a mountain, after all. Her parents made sure of that. They didn't want their little girl to suddenly disappear in the afternoon.
They had not known of the young man with green eyes or the fact that he had opened a brand new pastry shop and had now offered their pride and joy a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies; Alice's weakness, alongside a cup of lemon tea and a crumpet or two, just like they had back home.
Alice thought it was fine, it was safe, it was new. So she pondered; why wouldn't she not take her time in this new place?
It was then that everything went black.
-
"O Pitiful shadow cloaked in darkness."
It seemed to have been hours of torture—hours of rabbits saying that it was far too late for the little, blonde princess to run away, hours of a blood-lusting, self-proclaimed Queen of Hearts saying that it's off with her head, a fleshless finger pointing towards the helpless little girl as her two subordinates revealed what was behind the velveteen curtain, and hours of a tall, dark-haired man with a giant black top hat offering tea, which instead turned into six lances that stabbed her so many deep and painful times.
"Thy actions cause men pain and suffering."
It seemed to have been heart breaking to witness the same dark-haired man reveal that winning smile of his that she knew oh so well, both in her public life and private life, as she struggled to breathe with one of the sharpened harpoons pinning her throat against the wall, whilst the others simply crucified her whole body against that very damned wall.
"Thy hollow soul drowns in thy sins."
It seemed to have been the grim reaper when the dark-haired man walked over towards the crying, bleeding, dying girl, giving her a small kiss, and then saying—
"Goodnight, my sweet, sweet princess."
Just like he always said before she went to sleep.
"Would you like to see what death is like?"
And the film has ended.
-
It was then that Alice Pleasance Liddell woke up from the sudden dream turned nightmare, tears strolling down her soft, flushed cheeks—it was as if she cried as she slept, oddly enough. The strange thing was, Alice remembered she was just going home from school, neither sad nor bitter.
It was just a dream, she thought.
That was until she noticed that she wasn't on the quiet, dimly-lit walkway that gave her a guide to go home, where she knew she would be safe from whatever harmful thing came to her, like her supposed 'friends', her problems, her pains, and her mask; she never did tell the French teacher how she felt when the nymph made a move.
All the stores that the little lady passed by disappeared into oblivion, only to be replaced by the crying moans and screams of what sounded like the sinful souls of people being tortured—of people being killed by god knows what.
Alice wasn't too sure herself as she looked around the dark and dreary place of a site. There seemed to be a large mountain on the other side. Her curiosity asked her what that place was. Before she could say anything, though, she decided to look down.
It made Alice scream.
She screamed as if her life depended on it.
She screamed as she saw the different, marred body parts through the clear water, lying on the ground, the small lamps illuminating them—it was still alive, even. A finger twitched and a pair of lips moved, as if screaming for help from the passers by; screaming in agony from the pain it received as it was slowly swallowed by a pair of arms—a pair of rotting, old arms that grabbed it none too gently.
What was this place?
Why did it seem like she was in a horror movie?
Perhaps it was just a nightmare, thought the little girl as she closed her eyes and pinched herself on the cheek. It was an old tale passed on that should the dream pinch themselves, it would help the dreamer wake up. It always worked for Alice, waking her up from unwanted dreams like this—unwanted dreams where she usually cried, where then her parents, or lover, would come to ask what was wrong and hold her.
After a moment, she opened her eyes, awaiting for either the very walkway she was on to get back home, or in her bed, either tear-ridden or with awful bed hair.
Nay. Alice was still in wonderland.
"You can't go home."
Immediately, the little lost girl turned around to see someone with long black hair and a very unique, admittedly dark, dress with a few flowery decorations. She listlessly rowed the boat—yet she seemed so much younger than herself. Maybe around two or four years younger? It made Alice curious to who she was, and why she rowed the boat—
But it wasn't the time to wonder who she was. It was the time to worry where she was, what she was doing there, and why she wasn't in 'The Palace's Pastry Shop' with the young boy that offered her a fresh batch of cookies; why she felt as if she wasn't alive anymore and that she was going to a dark place where, like she heard, her soul would be trapped forever.
Alice wasn't sure.
It was just supposed to be another day walking home from school and another day of having some sweets before going home to have her tutorial session with Mr. Xaldin.
"And why not? I hardly think not telling ones parents is appropriate." Alice, crossing her arms, not liking this place at all. It gave her goose-bumps.
And when there were goose-bumps, the little British lass knew it wasn't good.
It was when Alice got an answer, however, that she was speechless.
"Because you're going to Hell."
Note; Watched Jigoku Shoujo too much.
KH © Disney + Square-Enix. Jigoku Shoujo © Aniplex.