The Mock Turtle's Story

The first thing Yulhee saw when she opened her eyes was Kyungsoo’s face. He was hovering protectively over her, features twisted with concern. Muzzily, still feeling queasy, her lips faintly twitched upwards, and she murmured, “Hi.”

He let out a long breath, and then smiled softly at her. “Hi.”

For a moment, Yulhee simply basked in the feeling of Kyungsoo being so close to her: she could hear his breathing, see the messy strands of his hair falling over his eyes, notice the way his eyes crinkled when he looked at her. She felt safe and warm in this place… And then she heard raised voices, and everything came back to her in a sudden snap that made her clutch her forehead. The crown of flowers on her head hummed worriedly.

She sat up, seeing that she was on a heavy four-poster bed of cream sheets. Glancing about, she cottoned on to the fact that she must have been inside Luhan’s home, considering the delicate furniture carved with strange nature-related designs. Now she could hear the voices properly, and she recognized them immediately.

Kai. “You have brought humans into Wonderland without my permission! I could have your pretty head removed from between your shoulders, you understand? I wouldn’t like that at all. It would make me most upset.”

Luhan’s voice was sharp, none of the honeyed sweetness when he was trying to convince her. “They are guests within my domain, my King. You have no power here – to touch them would be most uncouth.”

“You attempt to stop me from my quest. Wonderland is dying, Luhan. My subjects are dying. Are you so foolish as to prevent our survival?”

“You have taken children since before Han Yulhee was even born, and nothing has changed. The decay grows faster. Come back to reason, Kai. Either we find another way, or we learn what becomes of creatures like us when we cease to exist.”

Something hard slammed into the door of the room. “They are in your home, aren’t they?”

“No,” Luhan said, voice growing silkier, “They are heading to the Western gateway with the White Rabbit. They refused my offer. Yulhee despises us. They wish to see Wonderland end.”

Kai gave a bitter laugh. “Sehun will have to answer for his failing to corner them in time.”

Footsteps sounded, as Yulhee and Kyungsoo looked at each other. Kyungsoo had positioned himself in such a way as to block her from view, and his grip on her tightened when the door opened. To her relief, it was only Luhan, brow knotted with concern. “Is she still ill?” he demanded. “You need to leave. Two friends of mine will bring you.”

Yulhee tried to get up, but her head and stomach swum again, and she felt like she might collapse again. Her stomach heaved, and Kyungsoo quickly pulled her over to a chamber pot, as Yulhee threw up bile. “I’ll carry her,” Kyungsoo said, and before Yulhee could argue, she was already being swung up and into his arms. Her head lolled against his shoulder momentarily as she fought to regain her bearings.

“Good enough,” Luhan said, waving a hand, “Follow me.”

With Yulhee still in his arms, Kyungsoo dashed after Luhan as he led them through the corridors towards a heavy oaken door. Through it, they went down a flight of stairs into a basement room, where Luhan revealed a whole set of doors – some small enough for mice, another big enough for an elephant. “Where is it, where is it?” he murmured, running his hands over his suit until he produced a key. Then he scurried from door to door as the locks squeaked and cried, until he found one with a silver keyhole.

The key fit and turned, and Luhan pointed down the darkened corridor. “My friends are waiting at the exit. They know all the ways in and out of Wonderland that Kai has never thought to guard or discover. Make haste. He will soon know I have deceived him.”

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo said shortly.

“Remember our promise,” Luhan returned, looking at the pale-faced Yulhee.

“As should you,” she fired back. He smiled at her, from one equal to another, who recognized when they had well met their match. Holding up his hand, he whispered a few words and a ball of silver light appeared between his fingertips, lifting up over Kyungsoo’s head. It was strong enough to illuminate a few metres in front of him, and wordlessly, Kyungsoo began to hurry down the corridor. “Kyungsoo, I need to tell you something,” she managed, once Luhan was out of sight, swallowed up by the darkness behind them.

“What is it?”

She told him everything: Lee Chul-soo, the End of the World, the children, and the deal she had struck with Luhan. When he was quiet, she at first was worried that he was angry she made a decision without consulting him, but he only said, “Yulhee, we’re in over our heads.”

“I know,” she murmured, as Kyungsoo began to climb up a flight of stairs. “But what choice do we have? I know it isn’t much to go on, but you heard Kai. He’ll know at once when we’ve entered Wonderland, and be waiting for us.”

They came out into a darkened stretch of grass. Bright lights illuminated patches around them, glittering balls filled with glowing fireflies that hung without strings in the air. In front of them was a huge maze made of towering hedges. “Hullo.”

Yulhee shrieked as Kyungsoo spun about madly. The creature that had spoken cackled. It was a young man with dark hair and a cat-like smile, his eyes yellow. His nails were sharp points, and emerging from his back were huge brown wings. He grinned at them, showing pointed teeth. Yulhee did not like the look of him at all. “What fun!” he said.

“Who are you?” Kyungsoo asked, pulling Yulhee tightly towards him.

“Chen,” the Gryphon said, “You the Duke’s friends? We said we’d help so long’s we getting food. Come on!”

“He said there were two of you,” Yulhee murmured, her head deciding that it wanted to be a boat again and making her feel absolutely nauseous. “I mean, I’m seeing two of you, but I don’t think it’s quite the same.”

“Oh, Tao!” Chen yelled, “He’s off tending to his sorrow you see, takes him a little time to get there.”

“What sorrow?”

“It’s all his fancy: he ain’t go no sorrow. Tao!”

A taller man emerged, with dark shadows under his puffy, red eyes. He seemed to sigh with every step, cow-like ears twitching. On his back was a turtle’s shell, and like the faun-girls, he had black fingernails. The Mock Turtle gave them a morose look as Chen flapped his wings, taking off through the maze. Within minutes, Yulhee could no longer see the entrance; Chen leading them through twists and turns, brambles catching at Kyungsoo’s arms. None of them spoke, the only sound being Tao’s long sighs.

“I wish he’d stop that,” Kyungsoo muttered to her.

“I can hear you,” Tao said testily, “Isn’t that just typical. Being ignored.”

“I don’t ignore you!” Chen r