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karrenia_runeTitle: The Fortune Teller
Fandom: Alice in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass
general book series
Author: karrenia_rune
Rating: General Audiences
Words: 1,246
Summary: Mrs.Liddell engages a famous medium who specializes in the mystic arts and who
has promised that through her connection with the spirits will be able to find the missing Alice. This is a decision which Alice's governess, Eleanor finds much to disapprove of.
38/50 Table 1
Prompt:#49 fortune
Disclaimer: Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass belong to their original creator, Lewis Carroll or whomever owns his estate now. They are not mine and are only 'borrowed' for the purposes of the story. I claim only the words. Note: Mr. Keith Tippins is a character I created for a previous story "The Strange Case of the Disappearance Of,, but while this could be considered a companion piece to that one it is not necessary to have read it first before reading this one.
"The Fortune Teller" by karrenia
‘Honestly,” thought the governess. ‘If anyone had asked me I would not have had the foggiest where the Missus got the notion. But between you and me, I’d say that with the disappearance of poor little Alice, the dear was distraught.’
“Eleanor!” called Mrs. Liddell, come into the parlor!
Mrs. Liddell was dressed in a cream white dress with ruffles, at the hems, the sleeves, and the collar and everywhere else one could possibly place a ruffle with no rhyme or reason. Her had been bundled atop of her head in an elaborate coif and held in place with pearl and ivory inlaid pins.
“The séance will begin at dusk and I wish to ensure that everything go according to plan.”
Seated across from her from the blanket draped table on which sat a milky-white crystal ball was the famous, or some might even go so far to say, infamous Madame Isabella, who sat with her eyes closed, ostensibly communing with the spirits from beyond. Her own clothes were a darker rich plum color with long trailing sleeves and pearl buttons.
She blinked several times and seems to slowly return from whatever distant place in which she had been traveling.
Finally seeming to see her surroundings and those who were in the room with her, she said:
“There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of your philosophies, dear Horatio,” Indeed, do not concern yourself so much with stricture, in the spirit realm things happen with their own vim and vigor.”
“I, we shall make contact with Alice, if she is indeed on the other side. I should that nothing has happened to her!”
“Calm yourself,” Madame Isabella replied. “I will all be well.
Eleanor had been with the Liddell family since the older girl, Alicia had been born, and while she would never go so far as to tell her employers to their face; she did believe in no uncertain terms that this séance, a communing with the spirits, tarot card reading was all just a lot of supersites nonsense.
Privately she thought that even if the fellow, ‘oh, Yes, Mr. Keith Tippins, that was his name who had come to visit shortly after the news that Alice had disappearance, was a hack and someone just looking to take advantage of the situation. He, at least, had gone about it without resorting to the claptrap of the supernatural.’
Eleanor went over to the windows and drew the curtains closed so that no outside light could seep through, lighting the candles scattered around the room on the way. The when she received no indication from Mrs. Liddell to the contrary to remain in the parlor stepped into the adjoining hallway and pressed back to the wall.
Her rock-solid common sense told her that nothing untoward was going to happen. ‘Still, she thought, there’s nothing wrong with taking precautions. Who knows, she might make off with the missus’ jewelry, or when she departs in two days we will find the china missing or the silverware.’
The candlelight flickered and the shadows seem to leap all around as if restless to find a more permanent home, stirring the curtains and an unfelt sensation caused the milky white colors within the crystal ball to restless swirling.
Madame Isabella leant forward and placed her hands on the ball, cupping it gently. “Spirits from beyond, we seek your indulgence. One dear to us has vanished without a trace, and we would speak with her, wherever she may be, on the other side of town or the place in the Beyond.”
“Call your daughter,” she whispered to Mrs. Liddell. “If she is within the range of the spirits power, she will hear and know that we are searching for her.”
“Alice! Alice, can you hear me?”
Alice was drifting, as the water of the Pool of Tears held her body, buoyant as the bobbers she had once seen her father lob into the water of the fishing pond when she was younger and he had taken her out in a punt.
She felt calm, and peaceful and not as frantic as the first time she had come and gone through the pool, in fact, it was sort of an in-between place, and for some reason she did not feel as much inclination as she once had to move in one direction or another. In fact, she felt she could just stay and drift, drift, she could drift, forever.
At the precise moment when the drifting may have gone much longer than it should have, Alice heard a voice calling her name, there was both a kind of anxiousness in the voice, but a frantic love that Alice found familiar. Familiar in the way you recognize someone whom you have not seen in quite a long time but you gradually realize either by face or by name. “I’m here.”
“Alice,” the voice called again. “If you can hear me, baby girl, you need to come home; come back to us. Please!”
“Mother?” Alice replied, this time the drifting began to slow down its rapid acceleration and
Alice discovered that she could actually stand up in the water, the pool’s water level only coming up to her knees. She began to slosh through it the spot where she remembered there being a door. “Don’t carry on so, mother. I’m coming.”
Meanwhile in the parlor of the Liddell house, Madame Isabella turned to her client and reported. “She’s coming home.”
**
In the back of her mind Eleanor thought, ‘This has gone on too long’ Just as this thought passed through her mind she could hear a tapping at the French doors near the windows where she had opened the curtains.
Once the doors were opened who, much to everyone’s surprise was standing there, but Alice herself.
Shivering and wet as if she had gotten into more than one puddle on her way home from wherever she had been, but still grinning that dopey grin. “Hi. I’m back. Did you miss me?”
Eleanor, although herself was full of questions , realized that for the girl’s well-being took precedence, immediately ushered Alice inside and into parlor, waiting long enough for the tearful and happy reunion between mother and daughter.
“Oh, happy day!” You are a sight for sore eyes, Alice dear. We have all been ever so anxious for your safe return.”
“Mother,” Alice gushed, her own eyes filling up with suspicious moisture and she sniffled and hugged her mother all the tighter, as much for relief as for warmth. She was cold and wet, and she could not remember quite what had happened between the transition between the world underground and the world above.
Eleanor cleared her throat, “Missus, I don’t mean to interrupt, but I think I should get the girl out of those wet clothes, and perhaps prepare her a posset of something warm to drink,” Eleanor thought for a bit, and then straight to bed.”
“Oh,” Mrs. Liddell replied. “Yes, yes, of course, Elaine. You’re right. What would I ever do without you? Alice, you heard, your governess. Mind you do everything she tells you to do. Promise?"
“Yes, yes, of course,” Alice replied, stealing a significant glance over her shoulder at Eleanor “I promise.”
Eleanor, reassured on that score, suddenly wondered whatever could be the meaning behind that glance, but quickly figured that tomorrow was another day, and right now she had other tasks that took precedence.
Fandom: Alice in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass
general book series
Author: karrenia_rune
Rating: General Audiences
Words: 1,246
Summary: Mrs.Liddell engages a famous medium who specializes in the mystic arts and who
has promised that through her connection with the spirits will be able to find the missing Alice. This is a decision which Alice's governess, Eleanor finds much to disapprove of.
38/50 Table 1
Prompt:#49 fortune
Disclaimer: Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass belong to their original creator, Lewis Carroll or whomever owns his estate now. They are not mine and are only 'borrowed' for the purposes of the story. I claim only the words. Note: Mr. Keith Tippins is a character I created for a previous story "The Strange Case of the Disappearance Of,, but while this could be considered a companion piece to that one it is not necessary to have read it first before reading this one.
"The Fortune Teller" by karrenia
‘Honestly,” thought the governess. ‘If anyone had asked me I would not have had the foggiest where the Missus got the notion. But between you and me, I’d say that with the disappearance of poor little Alice, the dear was distraught.’
“Eleanor!” called Mrs. Liddell, come into the parlor!
Mrs. Liddell was dressed in a cream white dress with ruffles, at the hems, the sleeves, and the collar and everywhere else one could possibly place a ruffle with no rhyme or reason. Her had been bundled atop of her head in an elaborate coif and held in place with pearl and ivory inlaid pins.
“The séance will begin at dusk and I wish to ensure that everything go according to plan.”
Seated across from her from the blanket draped table on which sat a milky-white crystal ball was the famous, or some might even go so far to say, infamous Madame Isabella, who sat with her eyes closed, ostensibly communing with the spirits from beyond. Her own clothes were a darker rich plum color with long trailing sleeves and pearl buttons.
She blinked several times and seems to slowly return from whatever distant place in which she had been traveling.
Finally seeming to see her surroundings and those who were in the room with her, she said:
“There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of your philosophies, dear Horatio,” Indeed, do not concern yourself so much with stricture, in the spirit realm things happen with their own vim and vigor.”
“I, we shall make contact with Alice, if she is indeed on the other side. I should that nothing has happened to her!”
“Calm yourself,” Madame Isabella replied. “I will all be well.
Eleanor had been with the Liddell family since the older girl, Alicia had been born, and while she would never go so far as to tell her employers to their face; she did believe in no uncertain terms that this séance, a communing with the spirits, tarot card reading was all just a lot of supersites nonsense.
Privately she thought that even if the fellow, ‘oh, Yes, Mr. Keith Tippins, that was his name who had come to visit shortly after the news that Alice had disappearance, was a hack and someone just looking to take advantage of the situation. He, at least, had gone about it without resorting to the claptrap of the supernatural.’
Eleanor went over to the windows and drew the curtains closed so that no outside light could seep through, lighting the candles scattered around the room on the way. The when she received no indication from Mrs. Liddell to the contrary to remain in the parlor stepped into the adjoining hallway and pressed back to the wall.
Her rock-solid common sense told her that nothing untoward was going to happen. ‘Still, she thought, there’s nothing wrong with taking precautions. Who knows, she might make off with the missus’ jewelry, or when she departs in two days we will find the china missing or the silverware.’
The candlelight flickered and the shadows seem to leap all around as if restless to find a more permanent home, stirring the curtains and an unfelt sensation caused the milky white colors within the crystal ball to restless swirling.
Madame Isabella leant forward and placed her hands on the ball, cupping it gently. “Spirits from beyond, we seek your indulgence. One dear to us has vanished without a trace, and we would speak with her, wherever she may be, on the other side of town or the place in the Beyond.”
“Call your daughter,” she whispered to Mrs. Liddell. “If she is within the range of the spirits power, she will hear and know that we are searching for her.”
“Alice! Alice, can you hear me?”
Alice was drifting, as the water of the Pool of Tears held her body, buoyant as the bobbers she had once seen her father lob into the water of the fishing pond when she was younger and he had taken her out in a punt.
She felt calm, and peaceful and not as frantic as the first time she had come and gone through the pool, in fact, it was sort of an in-between place, and for some reason she did not feel as much inclination as she once had to move in one direction or another. In fact, she felt she could just stay and drift, drift, she could drift, forever.
At the precise moment when the drifting may have gone much longer than it should have, Alice heard a voice calling her name, there was both a kind of anxiousness in the voice, but a frantic love that Alice found familiar. Familiar in the way you recognize someone whom you have not seen in quite a long time but you gradually realize either by face or by name. “I’m here.”
“Alice,” the voice called again. “If you can hear me, baby girl, you need to come home; come back to us. Please!”
“Mother?” Alice replied, this time the drifting began to slow down its rapid acceleration and
Alice discovered that she could actually stand up in the water, the pool’s water level only coming up to her knees. She began to slosh through it the spot where she remembered there being a door. “Don’t carry on so, mother. I’m coming.”
Meanwhile in the parlor of the Liddell house, Madame Isabella turned to her client and reported. “She’s coming home.”
**
In the back of her mind Eleanor thought, ‘This has gone on too long’ Just as this thought passed through her mind she could hear a tapping at the French doors near the windows where she had opened the curtains.
Once the doors were opened who, much to everyone’s surprise was standing there, but Alice herself.
Shivering and wet as if she had gotten into more than one puddle on her way home from wherever she had been, but still grinning that dopey grin. “Hi. I’m back. Did you miss me?”
Eleanor, although herself was full of questions , realized that for the girl’s well-being took precedence, immediately ushered Alice inside and into parlor, waiting long enough for the tearful and happy reunion between mother and daughter.
“Oh, happy day!” You are a sight for sore eyes, Alice dear. We have all been ever so anxious for your safe return.”
“Mother,” Alice gushed, her own eyes filling up with suspicious moisture and she sniffled and hugged her mother all the tighter, as much for relief as for warmth. She was cold and wet, and she could not remember quite what had happened between the transition between the world underground and the world above.
Eleanor cleared her throat, “Missus, I don’t mean to interrupt, but I think I should get the girl out of those wet clothes, and perhaps prepare her a posset of something warm to drink,” Eleanor thought for a bit, and then straight to bed.”
“Oh,” Mrs. Liddell replied. “Yes, yes, of course, Elaine. You’re right. What would I ever do without you? Alice, you heard, your governess. Mind you do everything she tells you to do. Promise?"
“Yes, yes, of course,” Alice replied, stealing a significant glance over her shoulder at Eleanor “I promise.”
Eleanor, reassured on that score, suddenly wondered whatever could be the meaning behind that glance, but quickly figured that tomorrow was another day, and right now she had other tasks that took precedence.
