After what felt like looooong hours had passed, Alice was getting more and more desperate, and, worse, out of strength too. Groaning, Alice's sluggish thoughts turned to considerate a more tragic demise. Poor child sitting in a bench... However shall this one break? With a start, and still with a slow mind, Alice feasted her eyes in a man with loose dark charcoal like hair, with purple eyes, ears pointed as an elf, and decorated with a silver hop and studs that got smaller as it progresses on the ear. My, my, still with a clear mind? It proclaimed, kicking a dark eyebrow up. With so much sighing, one would think that you were trying to blow all the air away!, it continued, chuckling at the end. Poor Alices eyes got so big, that compared to an animal, she would appear a fly! "Who are you?", she asked, sitting up straight and up against the wall. You know, the man continued, It is always darkest before the dawn. Alice frowned, and the man simply smiled, stretching his already thin lips. The man seemed... off.

Suddenly, Alice blinked and realized the man was sitting across from her, in another plank, with a foot dandling, swinging riskily over the sharp spikes. The simplest outfit, really, black pants, black shoes and a white tunic with black and purple borders on the sleeves. "Who are you? How did you get here?" Chuckling, the man simply answered: All in due time, little one. Cooking his head, he carried on, I must say, I cannot understand your willingness to say here, sure, it is quiet and calm, but two hours and a half seems a tad... exaggerated, wouldn't you say? She had been in this hell for only two hours and a half? Certainly, the man Must be joking. Starting to feel slightly agitated she retorted: "Why do you simply assume I Want to be here? I've been trying to get out of this dammed hole fo S!", with this outburst she sat on her knees, feeling the need to strangle the man across her. Blinking leisurely, the man replied while shrugging: Mou, how can that be? If you wanted to get out, the exit is quite simple: you're sitting in it. Blink Blink ... Sitting?...

With a severe left eyebrow twitching, she asked incredulous: "Do you not see what's under us?" Such a young one you are, little one. Is it not true that not everything silver shines? "Silver? You mean gold, right? And quit calling me little! If it's so obvious, why haven't I found it yet?" ChuckleI believe that is a rhetorical question, ne? Look closer and better. Grin

Looking down, all Alice saw was a spike filled "floor" and the few flowers that accompanied it, here and there. "I'm sitting on it?", she asked the mad purple eyed man. All he did was nod, swinging his feet.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Alice considered if she was still sleeping and didn't realise it. Her thoughts returned to the right track: the possible way out. Sitting? The planks only offered support, and behind her was only a wall of dirt, she had checked. Wheels turning, she once again looked at the floor and noticed that, although it was close, it had enough space for a human to be "standing". Could it be? Seeing as she was still kneeling, she crawled a bit backwards, her feet flat to the wall, Alice peaked underneath the planks and, to her surprise, a hole, big enough for her to sit in it, was there. When she got to her knees again, heart soaring with happiness, the man was gone.

Now, how was she going to reach her freedom? It had an exit, because a breeze was felt.

Huuum... Side? Looking through the right, it wasn't very far away... Maybe, just maybe, she could reach it? Biting her lip, she thought about the probability of reaching it, and being able to actually get In. Well, through the side may not be possible, but if she broke two planks, leaving one in the middle for her to hold on onto! But... was it going to withstand weight? Sweat dropping, Alice thought about the ridiculous scene she was going to do. Or. She could leave two planks on Each side of the hole, and lower herself into the hole, and since it look big enough for her to sit, she could turn to crawl through it...

This was rather worrisome; she hadn't been in a mess like this, ever. And now, here she was with only a sandwich and few other cookies, in a live or die situation. Ok, let's do this. Alice stood with one foot in each of the side planks, turned, bag in her back, she brought her left foot down, in an attempt to break the plank, with no such luck at the first time, but was, after a few times, able to final crack and break it.

Big Breath "Ok, now for the hard part." She knelt, and carefully set her right foot and leg in, and sliding a bit more inside, she quickly manoeuvred her left foot in too, making her sit sideways, and using her right hand, she slides inside, and, with both hands now, she quickly completely slides inside the hole.

...

Sliding in a swift speed, Alice feared for her life: "Aaaaaaaaaaah!"

The tunnel came to a sudden halt, over throwing her into a lake whose water came out of another hole beneath the one Alice just fell from. The impact sent her underwater, making her feel slightly panicked at the sudden lack of air, reacting by kicking her legs and swinging her arms, she quickly brought herself to the surface with a gasp. Coughing, Alice starts making her way to the shore. Crawling over onto the dry earth, she stood on all four, still gasping for air. She was soaked to the bone, - the water on the bottom was colder, but at least the surface was warmer -; her hair was glued to her form, as well as her dress and jacket. Her feet felt like it was still underwater and her backpack... damn it, she really didn't want to find a fish in there.

Slightly trembling, she got up, wringing water out of her hair in the process, and trying to squeeze some out of her dress as well. Sigh "Now what am I going to do?", she muttered. Hearing squishes from her drenched backpack, Alice once again sighed, undoing the clasp, and started looking at the damages. Now moaning, Alice brought a hand to her face in exasperation: it was rendered utterly and completely useless.

In the distance, one could hear sounds of what seemed like bird singing and chirping, as well as the sound of a few leaves being moved, either by the wind or by Something moving. A breezed swooped by, making wrap her arms around herself. What had she gotten into this time?

Looking around with suspicion, Alice decided that she needed to move on before anything else moved to where she was. Even after wringing most of her clothes, she was still slightly dripping, leaving a sense of frustration. Thankfully, the weather warmed up a bit, even though a cold breeze still swooped by a few times.

"At least, the Queen arrives…" *Grin* "However will she react to her lost domain? He he…"