Chapter 11

I have to get up. I don't wanna get up. I'm tired. My body wants to get moving. Ugh. I hate mornings. Hate the confusion of mind and body. I can't keep sleeping. I finally open my eyes. Two creatures are hovering over me. They are platypuses. I stare at them in confusion. What are they doing here? I look around and see tall hedges everywhere around a small garden. Spontaneously, I get up and walk towards the nearest hedge and feel it with my hand. It is as soft as it looks. I tilt my head in uffish thought-
"As in uffish thought he stood," I find myself whispering, "The Jabberwalk, with eyes of flame came whiffling through the tugley wood-" I stop short. The Jabberwalk! Trea! I look at this place in horror. How could I get so lost?! How could I wander so far off? March Hare did say those easily lost in thought has a hard time getting out of the mind maze. I must focus Trea and the Jabberwalk! Oh, my goodness, I can NOT believe that I actually allowed myself to forget either one! How did I lose track of them? Wow, can I ever forgive myself? How much time has passed? How long was I asleep? I must get out of the Mind Maze and find Trea!

Where do I even look? "The Jabberwalk with eyes of flame came whiffling through the tugley wood"... So that's where I'll go look. Tugley wood. right... Where IS tugley wood? Does that even exist down in Dimmerland? Oh, well. I'll get there some how, some way. Even if I don't know now. All I need to know is where I need to go (Tugley Wood), who I need to find (Trea), and what I must do (slay the Jabberwalk to free Trea). It sounds so clear cut. But I know it isn't. Not after what all Old Man Time-cross-Trea told me about the Jabberwalk. What will the Jabberwalk look like? What is it's weakness? What is it's strengths? Well... Old Man Time said that my greatest weakness is Trea... and that weakness is also my strength. I must use that to my advantage. Of course, doing so will be much easier once I know what the weaknesses of the Jabberwalk is. Only then can I slay the Jabberwalk with the Vorpol Sword.

Oh, great. The Vorpol Sword. Where did I have it last? It must be back with those Platypuses. I do not want to go back. That is the last thing in the world that I want to do now. That is one advantage to being the Mind Maze: It takes you were you think wheather you like it or not. Which means I will go back for the Vorpol Sword even though I don't like the idea. Which means I will have to deal with those stinking Platypuses again. Ugh, go figure. Ok, so... I gotta think of the Vorpol Sword. What does it look like? It has a chrome likeness to the body of the sword; Can't say silver because I don't know if that is actually what it is made of, not that it would surprise me if it were indeed silver. It also has a luminescent quality to the edges of the sword. Some irridescence to it, too. But what color does it actually have? I wanna say it ranges from reds to blues... Definately a unique quality there. Hmm... The handle of the Vorpol Sword is definately a leather. Not shoe leather, but more like a horse reign leather; soft from use.

My eyes travel downward to the ground. The Vorpol Sword is lying on the ground, in the grass. Interestingly, it is in a sword pouch, whatever those things are called. I want to say holster, but those are for guns, aren't they? I fit the pouch around my waist. It fits perfectly and snuggly. My hands are now free as the Vorpol Sword hangs down safely.

Now for Tugley Wood. I must find Trea. I must slay the Jabberwalky. "Twas Brillig and the slithy toves," I whisper in an effort to maintain my focus, "Did gyre and gimble in the wabe,
   "All mimsy were the borogroves,
      "And the mome raths outgrabe.

   "Beware the Jabberwalk, my son,
      "The Jaws that bite, the claws that catch.
   "Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
      "The frumious bandersnatch.

   "He took the Vorpol Sword in hand,
      "Long time the manxome foe he sought,
   "So rested he by the tumtum tree,
      "And stood awhile in thought.

   "As in uffish thought he stood,
      "The Jabberwalk, with eyes of flame,
   "Came whiffling through the Tugley Wood,
      "And burbled as it came.

   "One, two, one, two, through and through,
      "The Vorpol blade went snicker snack
   "He left it dead, and with its head,
      "He went gallumphing back.

   "And has thou slain the Jabberwalk?
      "Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
   "Oh, Frabjous day! Callooh, callay!
      "He chortled in his joy.

   "Twas brillig and the slithy toves,
      "Did gyre and gimble in the wabe,
   "All mimsy were the borogroves,
      "And the mome raths out grabe." I am silent for a minute, thinking carefully over the lines. Borogroves, mome raths, Jabberwalk with claws and jaws, jubjub bird, bandersnatch, Vorpol Sword, manxome foe, tumtum tree, eyes of flame, Tugley Wood, snicker snack, and Frabjous Day. I have already dealt with the bandersnatch. I have found the Vorpol Sword. Ok, so I still have yet to learn what nearly everything in that poem is. Mome Raths? Jubjub bird? Manxome foe? Borogroves? Stop it, Alyssa! Focus on the Jabberwalk. The poem tells me five things about the Jabberwalk: 1, it bites, 2, it catches, but it doesn't say how. 3, it has eyes of flame. So... Firey eyes? 4, it is in Tugley Wood. and 5, it whiffles and burbles. I Have no clue what either of those are. I have a vague idea, but I geuss I won't know until I contend with the beast, however it may appear to me.

 "Tugley Wood... Where am I going to find Tugley Wood?" I mutter to myself.
"It-"
   "AAAAHHH!!!!!!!" A cat is randomly in front of me!
   "Do not be alarmed, my dear," the cat says with a coy and gruff voice.
   "Oh, its you, Chess!"
   "Yes, Alyssa, it is me. I was going to say that it appears that you have made it out of the Mind Maze well and alive."
   "Of course I did! Was there any doubt that I would?"
   "Well, March Hare told us how easily distracted you were in conversations, so we didn't know how long you would take to get out of there."
   "I see," I say, my pride somewhat wounded. Such little faith in me! "March Hare has made it out of the Mind Maze?"
   "Yes, he is waiting for you at the square."
   "Tell him to meet me at Tugley Wood."
   "I do not think it a wise idea. You see, the Tweedles are there waiting with him. Under the Jub-"
   "The JubJub nest?! Are they idiots!? Where are they?! and hurry!" Chess leads, and I follow him, running. Oh, can they really be that stupid? The poem says to specifically beware of the JubJub bird! I don't know what on earth they are doing there, or why, but they are idiots to stand under its nest, of all places! So now, instead of rescuing Trea, I have to rescue the idiots that are supposed to be guiding me. Does any of this make sense? Oh, time, play a hand in this so that it is not too late to save Trea!

We come upon this place that looks like a giant light pole, with the lamp being a nest. How on earth- excuse me, in Dimmerland- am I supposed get way high up there to save the three idiots? I take off my Vorpol Sword belt and wrap it around the pole (or tree, or whatever it is), and wind the ends of the belt around my hands. And I climb. The belt goes up high, I pull up with my feet and arms. Hold myself in place with my feet and move the belt up higher. I just keep going. Pull, higher, pull, higher. I do not stop or look down. I focus on climbing. Who knew being a heroin took so much work? HA! A heroin. As if! I can't even get to Trea to save him! I have to stop to help idiots that are stupid enough to stand under a Jubjub's nest! My goodness.

  I finally reach the top. Finally. I peer inside and see March Hare and Tweedles. I look around the horizon for any sign of a bird that might be dangerous. All clear. I crawl inside the nest. "Alyssa!" they all three shout in unison. A piercing sound slices through the air.
   "Shh! We'll talk once you're safe!" I scold, restraining myself from calling them idiots. "Tweedledee, get on my back. I'm going to climb down to get you down. Dum, you are next." Dee gets on my back and I tenously climb out of the nest and back on to the pole. This is ridiculous. I hold on dearly to the Vorpol Sword belt. I slowly loosen the grip so that I may slide down. Not working. We slide down, but the belt doesnt. Great. I try to hold our wieght with my feet against the pole and move the belt up just a little bit. it moves an inch away from the pole. I pull it down as far as I dare to let it with out falling off. I hold on tightly again, and slide. I repeat this process several times. Ugh. I do NOT want to go back up there for Dum. Or March Hare. But I must.

So, I climb back up there. Again. "Alright, Dum, your turn now." He crawls onto my back and we go down the same way as Dee and I did. "Chess, keep an eye on these two for me, will you?" I don't wait for an answer. I climb back up. The piercing sound slices through the air again. I scan the horizon, holding on dearly to both the belt and the pole. I don't-
   "AAAUUGH!!!" Pain slices into my left arm. A bird passes from behind me, its right foot talons red. I have to keep climbing. I pull up again. Pain sears up my arm. I keep pushing and pulling. I must save March Hare. The bird- the JubJub bird- screaches again. I look for its position. It is aiming for my right. I turn to my left. Or try. I barely move an inch to the left. Its talons open up- "NOO!!!" - it caught my hand. "AUGH!!" Why can't I just shun the JubJub like I can the Bandersnatch? Ugh. I keep climbing. Faster this time. Is that possible? I do my best to ignore the searing pain in my arm and hand. I finally reach the top. The bird attacks again, but I'm directly under the nest. It is not going to get me. I'm too concealed. It passes me by. Without hesitating, I climb into the nest.
   "March Hare! Hurry!" I can't believe this. I climb down. This part should be easy. Er. Ok, here goes. I climb down, hanging by the belt as far as I can go. Not as far as I dare; farther. As far down as physically possible. I pull the belt down to my knees; totally not safe, but niether is the situation, in which case, the bird is flying at us now. "March Hare, do something to impare that bird!"
   "But what?" The bird screeches and closes space. Please, please, please... I drop the last inch the belt lets us. The bird barely scratches me. I climb down as fast as I can with March Hare on my back. The bird comes back towards us again, and it looks like it is impossible to miss us if I don't take some dire action now. I look down. Its dangerous, but not dangerous enough. I let one end of the belt go. "Alyssa, what are you-" We fall. I push him away from me so my weight is less likely to kill him.
   "AAUUGH!!!" we both shout, hitting the ground. I roll over onto my feet. "Chess! Help March Hare! To the woods over there! Boys! Hurry! Follow me!" I shout, running. I hope we out run that horrid bird.