The Plain White Room (12 page)

Lepus squeezed his eyes open. He rolled over and looked over his bedroom, it was small, and there were clothes on the floor, but he didn’t mind. It was cosy, and he liked it.

He smiled, because this was the day Alice was back. Right in the middle of winter her exchange was over, she would be on a plane right now. Maybe smiling as well at the thought of being home, maybe thinking about him. It was the night of the town’s largest celebration, the Solstice Festival. Everyone throughout the town was hanging wreaths on their houses. Children sat on the front lawns of their family houses. Making lanterns from paper and candles.

The streets were closed, and soon they would flood with people. All walking with their lanterns in celebration, as was the tradition. Joy at the shortest day of the year and that summer was to start its meandering return.

But Lepus didn’t care about any of that. He was going to see Alice for the first time in a year.

Lepus jumped out of his bed and ran to his wardrobe. Swinging open the smooth oak wooden doors he breathed in the comforting scent. He pulled out his best suit and threw it on the bed, grabbing up his linen shirt and wrapping it around his body. He shifted and pulled and stood up tall. Straightening his back he walked to the other side of his bedroom and stared into his full-length mirror. He tugged on the bottom of his waistcoat and held his head high. Like a parrot puffing out its chest, he smiled, pleased with himself.
 

Lepus spun around and grabbed his cane. It was leaning against his bed and used it to pick up his top hat from above his wardrobe. He placed it on his head and then used his hand to prop it up from the back.

Stepping into his shoes, polished in readiness the night before, he strolled out the door and into the street. Lepus paused just outside of his house, just for a moment, and smiled.

Wrapping his scarf tighter and closer to his face to ward off the cold.

Lepus tapped his cane thrice on the cobbled stones. Spun it in the air then, propping himself up on his tippy toes, spun and started walking towards the town centre. When he got to the middle of town, most of the townsfolk had already crowded around the Goseck circle. Some were chanting. Most were buzzing with excited conversation. Children ran back and forth, scrambling to get in closer. Fire twirlers and acrobats danced around. Moving between the crowd up and down the street. Lepus didn’t care, though. He passed the gathering and walked to the bridge near the edge of town. Crowds of small children and parents milled here and there. Only Lepus walked with purpose. 

A smaller group of people were standing there. Some on the embankment for the small dried out creek some standing on the bridge. Lepus went and stood on the bridge just behind Alice’s family. Tipping his hat to Alice’s sisters as they waved without a word. They then turned back and stared back at the large dark hole which was a few feet from the bridge. The March Hare stood next to some of Alice’s other school friends closer to the hole.

Far away, but only moments away, Alice stood in a large tall room. Her large black trunk was resting next to her. She took a large deep breath smiling. Shaking with nervousness. She had loved her time in Real Munde
,
but thoughts of her family and friends raced through her head.

She shook as the four other exchange students in front of her shuffled forward.

The air in the room started to shift. A howling noise came from the large hole which sat in what looked like a large fireplace. Candles sitting on the mantle started to tremble and rock. Many went out from the wind which started to circle the room. A fat rat five feet tall stood to the side of the hole in a three piece suit. He stared down at the students. Making the five usually confident intellectual’s feel like children. “Are you ready?” The Rat bellowed, “You're all going different places so you’ll have to be fast. It will be in order, but you must be quick.” He started to shoutas the wind grew louder and louder. “When you see something familiar go as fast as you can.”

Alice looked up as the banisters started to creak and the walls almost seem to bend. Then with a crash, the wind seemed to change direction. They were all pushed back for an instant and then pulled forward with great force. As the hole started to suck air down, down, down. Mist filled the hole and then turned to a solid bright silvery mist. The air still felt like it was pulling them towards it. Alice saw an image appear through the mist, growing bigger. Before she could make out what it was the first person in the line jumped forward and disappeared. Then before she knew they had all jumped in, one by one, and it was only her. Standing alone with the rat, looking down his nose at her. She stared into the mist, the noise of the wind around her almost unbearable.

Her fingers almost grew white as she clutched the handle of her trunk. Then a small hole in the mist started to grow larger, and Alice saw through her town from high up. As the hole grew the image got clearer and closer, it pulled to the right and got closer to the bridge. Alice saw a flash of her mother’s face. “WELL!?” The rat screamed.

“OH,” Alice yelled snapping out of her trance and remembering what she needed to do. Leaping forward her trunk and dress swirled around her. She held on tight with both hands to the handle of the handle of the truck.

Alice started to tumble forwards and felt mud under her feet. She felt like she was bouncing up and down as the tunnel seemed to get narrower. She felt something solid against her back. She was sliding down a mudslide, and the mist had disappeared to blackness. With the trunk between her legs, she looked forward and saw a small light. Before she knew it, she went shooting out of the hole and tumbling, tumbling, tumbling. Finally slid through the mud and stopped. Blowing the hair out of her face she looked up to see all her friends around her.

“Woo!” someone yelled from the crowd. Alice stood up covered in mud. With as much grace as she could, she curtseyed. Finding it difficult to stand on one foot the other tucked behind her leg.

She wobbled praying the mud wouldn't slide out from beneath her.

The small group of people all applauded as Alice stood smiling in embarrassment. A tear of joy fell from her cheek as her mother rushed and hugged her. Lepus felt foolish looking around. What claim did he have to greet her amongst her big family? 

Did she even cherish their friendship as he did? She had so many. He smiled, not jealous but happy he had at least seen her return unscathed. He would see her again soon. Bowing his head, he slipped his top hat off and slipped away as the crowd surrounded her.

***

Lepus stood on the back porch of Alice’s parents’ house merely a fortnight later. Starting up at the stars. The sliding door behind him made a ‘click’. Then a ‘whoosh’ as Alice joined him outside.
 

“Hello,” she said, extending the ‘o’ and rubbing his back.

“Your drink my dear,” she said handing him a glass of wine and bobbing down in a curtsy.
 

“Thank you,” He said clutching it with both hands.

“Don’t worry,” She said rubbing his back. “They won’t bite, I swear.”

“I know, I know.” He said, still staring at the stars with his glass trembling in his hands.
 

“You know me; I just don’t do well. Ah” Lepus cleared his throat and faced Alice with a smile.

“Will we brave the wild indoors together?” She said taking his hand. He gave a reluctant chuckle and followed her as she went inside.
 

The main room was large and had a grand piano in it. To the left of the piano was a huge oak table. Laid out with cutlery and plates. The smell of garlic and onion wafted through the dining room. Alice and Lepus were joined by Alice’s father. He nodded at them and sat at the head of the table. “Evening,” he said sitting down. His voice gruff and deep but not jovial. He as a towering man. With a full beard. Even though Lepus was quite tall, Alice’s dad felt to Lepus as though he towered over him. He wore a big woollen coat, brown and fluffy.
 

“Foods up” Alice’s mother announced from the kitchen. Alice and Lepus sat down next to each other. The room had a warmth to it, and Lepus started to relax as Alice guided him to a seat. It started to feel more like home than his parents’ house ever had.
 

The house had been in the family for generations. It had more than enough space for the ever expanding family. The wooden walls were old but sturdy. Lepus loved the homeliness of it.
 

“Would you let your brother know dinner is ready Alice.” Alice’s mother said appearing at the doorway into the kitchen.
 

“Okay!” Alice said, a big grin on her face, jumping out of her chair. She ran to the end of the table and started stomping her foot as loud as she could. A sound come in response. What sounded like furniture being moved around and then a loud “clink”. Alice sat back down next to Lepus, still smiling.
 

“You’ll see,” she said with a smug look on her face. Then linking her arm around his. There was a rustle just outside the side door. Then Alice’s brother appeared standing just outside.
 

“His room is downstairs,” she said nestling her head on his shoulder.

Alice's sister opened her bedroom door which opened into the dining room.

She seemed to glide without pace; her white dress flowed all the way to the floor. She took a seat next to Lepus.
 

“Hello, good to see you again,” she said smiling and pulling her chair in.
 

Major Acana saluted his way out of her room, closing the door after himself. He walked with a limp and wall a heavy man, sturdy, and muscle but not quite as big as Alice’s father. His shiny boots made a clinking noise as he walked across the hardwood floors. As they must have had steel heels.
 

Alice’s brother sat across from Lepus. As Lepus had done, he squeezed his legs underneath the table as it was not made for tall people. Alice’s sister Lepus sat staring at his cutlery. Alice's hand rested on his knee, and she moved in close and kissed him on his cheek.
 

She leaned back and shook her head. Making her hair dance back and forth as she took it up with her hands and tied it into a ponytail with a swift flick.
 

Alice looked back at Lepus and beamed, loving the way he was watching her.
 

Lepus tried to cross his legs as he often did when he was nervous but the dining table was too low for him to be able to. He loved the long large old bench he was sitting on in Alice's family home.
 

It was brown aged varnished, and he would often put his hand on it. It appealed to him because he felt like it was real, unlike most of the furniture he owned. New, shiny, fake Ikea furniture. He could never bring himself to buy something this beautiful, though. He was too practical and worried with how others viewed him. Everything he owned was purposeful and useful. He squirmed at his own foolishness. Knowing how often he disagreed with his own thoughts and anxieties frustrated him.
 

The sound of a distant hum interrupted his thoughts, like white noise. Static that became increasingly loud until he could no longer hear his thoughts. The room felt like it was drifting as he looked around at Alice’s family. They ate calmly, talking and every now and then laughing. All the while Lepus couldn’t hear a word they said, not even his own thoughts. He stared at Alice’s face, as she laughed and spoke with a hurried smile at her brothers and sisters. Silent with her mouth moving, then he could only see her and white all around. The whiteness engulfed her, and he saw nothing but white. Then like a crack, a question came, and the world, the table, chairs and sweet, the kind family appeared once more around him.

“Lepus, would you like a desert?"

"Um, I suppose," his head darted around at each of the family members. Searching their eyes, trying to determine if they intended to join him. "What.. oh what do you have?" as the words left his mouth he already regretted them. What a rude thing to ask. Oh why, oh why had she not asked someone else first so he could just copy their answer.

Alice’s mother smiled. The same smile he’d seen a thousand times before from Alice. That’s where it comes from then, he thought. “Well, let me think,” she cooed. “I think we have either, some Oranges, or Pears. Some Biscuits if you’d like.”

***

Lepus stood in front of the glowing liquid. The sword firmly dug into the soil next to him. He was mesmerized by its glowing shifting colours. The way it moved within itself without the wind or any other force. It rippled and twirled. There were none of the leftover trinkets around, nor the velvet strips. Just the liquid left at the bottom of the glass. Lepus grew tired, and there was no natural light in the cavern. He sat down in the dust, still gazing through the glass at the liquid. A smile started to creep across his face. Watching it was so pleasant and relaxing. His eyes started to grow heavy and droop. For a moment, he closed them and let the quiet slushing of the liquid turning over itself soothe him. However, he soon opened his eyes upon hearing a deep voice. He looked around, but there was nothing. He moved closer in and stared at the now red liquid.

Moving closer to it and peering deep into the patterns of the swirls, there were tiny specks of silver and gold. This time, the voice came clear. Deep and slow.

“Come to me,” it was the voice of a man. But it sounded strange. Sort of hollow and strained.

Lepus stood up and looked around frantically. No one was there.

He put his hand on the sword, but it gave him no comfort. He stood not moving, listening intently, but the voice made not another sound, no matter how long he waited. Soon his gaze drifted back to the liquid. He found himself dropping to his knees and crawling close to it once more.

Looking deeper and deeper into the cascading, spinning swirls. It was now a light yellow and Lepus was within reach of the glass. He felt a warmth coming from the liquid from this distance, and he started to close his eyes again. Considering curling up next to the glass cylinder. This time, when the voice came, he no longer cared.

“Closer my friend. Join us.” the voice said, pausing in between each word and speaking slow.

Another voice trickled in, also calling to him. It was clear to him now it was coming from the large vessel. The voices became many, but the first was the clearest. Then a loud roar filled the cavern from behind Lepus. He opened his eyes the liquid was a bright white, and his hand was an inch from touching it directly. Lepus stepped back, pulling his hand to his chest. From behind him, heavy steps thudded towards him, circling around the outside of the clearing. Turning to look, Lepus saw the dragon gracefully sulked, circling the shards. Lepus pulled the sword from the dirt, shaking with shock. The dragon bowed its head at Lepus, then continued to circle the pooled liquid.
 

Lepus rubbed his eyes, “I… I” he stuttered, trying to clear his mind of the voices and pick a question from the many he had to throw at the dragon. His head felt muddled and cloudy. As he did a chuckle came from behind him. He didn’t need to turn as the scorpion scurried in front of him. Also circling the clearing, but in the other direction, ensuring he did not come close to the dragon. It matched the dragon’s every movement, except that it moved much faster. With restless, erratic movements. Every now and again moving in the opposite direction and then back. It whirled its tail around above its body and snapped its claws.

Lepus got down on one knee hoping, if the scorpion and the dragon leapt at each other, he would be able to jump out of the way. He tightened his grip on the sword, holding it with both hands. Pointed at the scorpion’s lashing tail. Standing up on its two hind legs. The scorpion cackled.

“So then… what lies as this old thing been telling you sport?” Its voice was playful but mocking. It didn’t have much of an face. Just two beady eye buried beneath its shell. Black little things. The scorpion voice was full of personality, though. More than enough to make up for its lack of facial expressions. It was made that much more disconcerting because it didn’t have a face. All its words seemed like a lie told on behalf of the scorpion, although the noise came from its silky mouth. Its voice was certainly charming, though. If Lepus hadn't been trying to focus on its talons and tail, he would have been very relaxed around it.

“You seem like a clever chap,” it said, back on all legs, “I don’t think that sword much suits you. Bit old fashioned, swords, ey?”

“The crow!” Lepus barked, ignoring it’s chattering.

“Yes?” It said, moving its claws in front of its face, clamping them gently. “What of it?”

“Is it alive?” he said.

“You know… that bird isn’t all roses and sweets my chum, quite the vicious thing. Bit of a show I’ll bet she put on for you! This one!” it said waving its tail at the dragon, “Sent it to cosy up to you.

“Is it alive?” Lepus said with a flat commanding tone. He moved towards the scorpion. Both the scorpion and the dragon still circled back and forth.

“She’s a war criminal. I just think you should know, that’s all,” it said, widening its massive claws. “But I don’t know how she is. I was worried about you, my friend. I left her once you were out of her clutches. She might have flapped on her merry way. But don’t you think she should stand trial?! If you knew what she’d done, oh the things. Naughty girl. I hope the proper authorities found her; that’s all I’m saying. Seems fair you see. You seem like a chap with his head on right, hey? You’ve got a good handle on things. What’s right and wrong, don’t cha know.”

Lepus could almost hear the smirk in its voice, despite the slippery critters expressionless face. “Shut up, just shut up!” Lepus called out, “You’re lying, and I saw what you did! Your minions everywhere. What do you want!? Either of you! Where am I?!” Lepus yelled, pointing the sword at them respectively.

“Oh me oh my! So many questions, my wily friend. What a little detective you are! You must Miss come terribly, all you need to worry your head about is that you’ve helped return something stolen to its rightful owner. You've done a stand-up job bringing me back my sword. It’s very precious to me. A family heirloom! You shouldn’t have had to worry about all this silliness, I do apologize!” it said movingto take the sword.

“Back!” Lepus yelled getting to his feet.

“Now you wouldn’t threaten little old me? I came to meet you and get back my property.” The scorpion babbled moving back.

“Little? You’re huge, and I saw you kill someone! … something, you know what I mean.” He said.

“I do declare my dear friend how confusing you are. You return my lovely grandmother's sword but then wave it dangerously in my face! I saved you from your avian captor, and you scold me! I certainly hope you come with an instruction manual my boy!” with this the scorpion started laughing at his own wit and curled itself over and onto its back, just to demonstrate how funny a joke it was.

Lepus was tempted to thrust his sword into its exposed belly. But the things rambling had started to fuzzy his thoughts in the last few days. He had never been violent to anyone or anything before. Always thinking himself a pacifist but not thinking he would ever be tested on that point. Yet here he was picking up guns, arraying words, considering pre-emptively striking down this strange creature just because it seemed to have nasty creepy minions. He lowered the sword, recalling that none of its minions had wanted anything more than the sword. They just hadn't gone about it in a particularly polite or even sane way. They had, however, made it a priority not to hurt him. Even the spiders had only mocked him. Or were they, were they even teasing or was it the strangeness of their voices? Lepus struggled to remember. Werethe cockroaches going to eat him before the bird massacred them? With this thought the dragon swept past his face, its tail almost knowingly out of the way. It pinned the scorpion where it lay.

***