March 2025 Talent Showcase
A Certain Degree Of Madness
by ajkarian
It took me almost all month to come up with a story to go with this month's theme. I had a couple of vague ideas about what I could go with. But then I thought it would be funny to do a spin on the Alice In Wonderland Tea Party and see where it goes.
I almost had Isellta be Alice, but Preyuna was too good of a match. As soon as I had her as Alice, the rest of the story just fell into place.
As I was writing the story, I was worried that it had the potential to become a much bigger story. I had no idea how I was going to wrap it up. I considered ending it with Isellta waking up and being all, "Wow. That was a weird dream." But that felt too cheap and easy. Then, as I got down to the last two paragraphs, I knew exactly how I wanted to end it. And I'm very happy with it.
For more A.J. Karian, check out their blog!
http://cosistories.wordpress.com
You can also explore the world and stories the featured characters come from at this website:
ambroseandelsie.wordpress.com
"Mustard? Mustard? MUSTARD??" Robin scoffed. "Let's not be silly here." He picked up an enormous lemon from the floor. "Now, lemon! Well! Lemon---" He bashed the lemon against the pocketwatch, much to Ambrose's horror. "Lemon is sweetness. Lemon is sourness. Lemon is the bestest."
"MY WATCH!" Ambrose roared.
Robin waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Tut. Tut. Tut. It'll all be better soon." The lemon splurted out juices everywhere as Robin kept banging it against the pocketwatch. "It just needs a cup of lemon juice and it will be as right and as bright as new."
Preyuna glared at the pocketwatch abuse going on. "Well, this is just nonsense."
Robin stopped and looked up at her with a big grin. "Not at all." He raised his finger in the air as if he were going to make a grand proclamation. "This is madness. For we are all a certain degree of mad here, don't you know?"
She lowered her glare to the lemon juiced timepiece. "Well, if I didn't know it before, I certainly know it now."
"Marvelous! Simply marvelous!"
Ambrose tried to snitch his watch while Robin was distracted.
Robin lightly swatted his hand. "Nuh-uh-uh. We aren't done here until the cuckoo sings his song."
"But he'll never sing his song. You're ruining his voice with wretched lemons!"
Robin gave that some consideration. "Ohhhhhhh! You're right!!" He took the whole lemon and put it into his mouth. "Ommm. Juicy."
Ambrose snatched his pocketwatch and gently cradled it. "Don't worry. When I get you home, I'll clean you up and get all of that awful lemon goo off of you."
Robin waggled his finger. "You're forgetting one thing. Time doesn't run on our side here. Time is allied with Mark Caten, which means that you'll never get home."
"That is preposterous." Preyuna said.
"No, it's mysterious." Robin shrugged. "No one knows why Time is on Mark Caten's side."
Ambrose picked up one of the table linens, dipped it into a teacup, and proceeded to wash off his pocketwatch. "Mark Caten obviously knows some sort of secret about Time and is using that secret to control Time."
"Obviously." Robin said.
Preyuna rose from her seat. "Then, I say we take Mark Caten down."
Ambrose and Robin stared at her in matching states of shock. "Take him down?" Ambrose said. "What do you mean?"
"You know perfectly well what I mean. Mark Caten needs to die."
Ambrose shook his head. "I would do it myself, of course. But have you seen the time? I'm terribly late! I must go. I've tarried here too long. Bye-bye!" He transformed into a white rabbit and quickly hopped away.
Preyuna fixed her gaze on Robin. "And what about you?"
Robin laughed and made a broad gesture with his arms. "I have a whole tea party to run. It can't very well run itself, you know. That would be silly. Tea serving itself and no one drinking it. Just silly!"
"Coward." She made that one word sound like a powerful condemnation. "Fine. Stay here with your silly tea party. I'll face Mark Caten myself."
"Oh? But he has a pet Jabberwocky protecting him. Trying to take Mark Caten down all by yourself is madness."
Preyuna smiled, but there was no warmth in it. It was a tundra of sleet and snow. "Well. You said it yourself. We are all a certain degree of mad here."
"MY WATCH!" Ambrose roared.
Robin waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Tut. Tut. Tut. It'll all be better soon." The lemon splurted out juices everywhere as Robin kept banging it against the pocketwatch. "It just needs a cup of lemon juice and it will be as right and as bright as new."
Preyuna glared at the pocketwatch abuse going on. "Well, this is just nonsense."
Robin stopped and looked up at her with a big grin. "Not at all." He raised his finger in the air as if he were going to make a grand proclamation. "This is madness. For we are all a certain degree of mad here, don't you know?"
She lowered her glare to the lemon juiced timepiece. "Well, if I didn't know it before, I certainly know it now."
"Marvelous! Simply marvelous!"
Ambrose tried to snitch his watch while Robin was distracted.
Robin lightly swatted his hand. "Nuh-uh-uh. We aren't done here until the cuckoo sings his song."
"But he'll never sing his song. You're ruining his voice with wretched lemons!"
Robin gave that some consideration. "Ohhhhhhh! You're right!!" He took the whole lemon and put it into his mouth. "Ommm. Juicy."
Ambrose snatched his pocketwatch and gently cradled it. "Don't worry. When I get you home, I'll clean you up and get all of that awful lemon goo off of you."
Robin waggled his finger. "You're forgetting one thing. Time doesn't run on our side here. Time is allied with Mark Caten, which means that you'll never get home."
"That is preposterous." Preyuna said.
"No, it's mysterious." Robin shrugged. "No one knows why Time is on Mark Caten's side."
Ambrose picked up one of the table linens, dipped it into a teacup, and proceeded to wash off his pocketwatch. "Mark Caten obviously knows some sort of secret about Time and is using that secret to control Time."
"Obviously." Robin said.
Preyuna rose from her seat. "Then, I say we take Mark Caten down."
Ambrose and Robin stared at her in matching states of shock. "Take him down?" Ambrose said. "What do you mean?"
"You know perfectly well what I mean. Mark Caten needs to die."
Ambrose shook his head. "I would do it myself, of course. But have you seen the time? I'm terribly late! I must go. I've tarried here too long. Bye-bye!" He transformed into a white rabbit and quickly hopped away.
Preyuna fixed her gaze on Robin. "And what about you?"
Robin laughed and made a broad gesture with his arms. "I have a whole tea party to run. It can't very well run itself, you know. That would be silly. Tea serving itself and no one drinking it. Just silly!"
"Coward." She made that one word sound like a powerful condemnation. "Fine. Stay here with your silly tea party. I'll face Mark Caten myself."
"Oh? But he has a pet Jabberwocky protecting him. Trying to take Mark Caten down all by yourself is madness."
Preyuna smiled, but there was no warmth in it. It was a tundra of sleet and snow. "Well. You said it yourself. We are all a certain degree of mad here."
Arisias Telling the Future
by Tesariel
So I just connected this with the madness prompt. This is a character of mine (Arisias), who is a prophet. And the thing that happens is that it is rumored humans are driven mad coming into the forest where Arisias tells the future, which is why many people dare not enter it at all. Sídhe which is what Arisias is, tend to be mysterious and sometimes quite eerie beings.
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