Alice Pantyhose in Wonderland Ch. 08

Walking back into the lavish room, one hand holding Gwen, the other holding her swatted forehead, Alice set Gwen down on the table near the dessert cinnamon rolls that dripped heavy with sweet icing.

"Are you going to be okay here at this size while I'm gone?? When will I see you again? how are you going to get your powers back?" Alice sputtered out with a sudden curious concern that made her feel suddenly child like for not having enough sense to ask these questions before she spat out an enormous beanstalk that she was destined to reach the top of.

Running her left hand through the sweet cinnamon icing and licking it from the palm of her hand as she talked, Gwen looked up at Alice with a casual style and replied, "Yes, I'll be okay here at this size, you'll see me again when it is time to see me again, and if you aren't quick I'll be getting my powers back in no time as YOUR time to borrow them is almost up!"

"What!" Alice practically shrieked with new found panic.

"Yep," Gwen went on, letting her slippery little tongue take another sweet lick of the icing, "I'd say you have about one minute left."

"One minute!!!" Alice continued in stark disbelief. "So I should probably... um fly?"

"I would," Gwen said with another lick, "and you'd better haul ass too, tick tock.. I'm late I'm late!!" Gwen mocked the white rabbit that was only a dream from Alice's imagined past now.

"K! Thanks Gwen, I love you!" She planted a quick kiss on top of the little brunette head and "POOFED" to the open balcony.

Looking up, her blonde braid waggling at the top of her butt, Alice imagined Super Girl from comics she'd read in middle school, and with a slight bend to her pantyhose and tights covered knees, she leapt straight up, one balled up fist high in the air as she rocketed along the base of the enormous skyscraper of a beanstalk.

Sitting in the middle of the table, immobilized where she'd been kissed by Alice, Gwen stared blankly at the flying chips of granite as it skittered into the room followed by a slight burst of thunder and light dusting of smoke as Alice disappeared in a blink.

" I love you....? Well... we didn't see that coming did we Little Alice." was all she said to herself.

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The outcropped branches were as thick as a house and as long as city blocks as Alice flashed by in a blur pushing her abilities to their limit. She dodged every obstacle effortlessly as she thundered straight up the green behemoth. Every time a stalk was in her way she'd teleport through it with an instantaneous burst and then with a shuddering sonic boom that would make the entire stalk rattle, she'd go even faster into the sky.

It took about 30 seconds for her to see the cloud bank that was the ceiling of the beanstalk. Way up above her, the giant green stalk began to thin slightly and then abruptly, disappeared into the fluffy white cloud cover that spread out over the rest of the valley like a blanket in the sky.

Gritting her teeth with strain, wind buffeting her face, Alice poured on the power. Her entire field of vision began to blur and shake as vapor clouds began forming in front of her. She pushed so hard she was getting dizzy with the effort and then realized blue smoke coming off of her fist.

Opening her eyes slightly she could see what was beginning to happen. It wasn't the speed that was causing the smoke to appear it was the fact that she was losing her temporary abilities with every yard she climbed into the sky.

Looking down at where she'd come from, the beanstalk was a staggering giant to her now that paled near the ground as did the house it had grown up from that was scarcely a speck now. With a sudden rising fear and sense of mortality, Gwen turned her eyes back up ahead as she began begging for her powers to holdout. "c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!!!" she pleaded to herself as her eyebrows furrowed in effort.

Suddenly her body shook as she burst into blue smoke and reappeared almost instantly but she was moving suddenly slower despite her efforts. Another few seconds passed and the same thing happened. A puff of blue Jasmine smoke and then she slowed yet again. She was barely 100 feet from the top of the beanstalk now and was moving at a sluggish pace through the air that seemed to be working against her, as if trying to keep her from reaching the clouds.

Winding her way closer to the stalk, with the growing fear that she'd fall to her death if she lost her powers in mid flight, Alice "poofed" twice more and slowly, inexorably felt her powers dissipate altogether. Feeling like a marathon runner who'd hit the wall just a few feet from the finish line, Alice reached out her hands to the closest outcropped leaf that was thick and had winding spirals of grapevine like foliage underneath it, clutching it for dear life as the final plume of smoke withered off of her body like sand being blown off a sidewalk by a brisk breeze. Alice nearly cried out in fright as the world came back to her in a very mortal rush and gravity was now a deadly foe vice a happy annoyance.

She was 20 feet from the clouds and could hardly bring herself to move as she clung against the side of the beanstalk using her branch as a plank lifeline she felt she couldn't ever let go of.

"Holy Shit, what was I thinking!" Alice berated herself as she shut her eyes tight in the whipping wind that was her only companion up this high. Looking straight ahead to the beanstalk and up above her, Alice tried to assess what she could do next as nausea churned in her stomach from fear. "God, I'm gonna puke.... Fuck me, this was a bad idea."

Not daring a look down as it would be the death of her, Alice still shaking, spread her pantyhose thighs and dug the heels of her leather boots into the foot wide branch and pushed herself along its length on her belly working towards the main stalk. After a few moments she'd moved up against the trunk of the beanstalk and used her arms to help pull her upright to a standing position, holding onto the bulky green wall in front of her for dear life. It was then she discovered that the surface was somewhat mossy, but stiff like a natural chain link fence that was a mesh along the entire skin of the stalk.

Dumbfounded by luck that her imagination would have made up such a forgiving climbing surface when she'd conjured it as a simple bean just minutes ago, Alice tested it with her weight as she cautioned a climb.

The surface held her weight flawlessly and was like a giant rock wall that she'd enjoyed scaling indoors at the gym down the block from her apartment. Pressing her chest and hips against the bean stalk Alice reached high, and with determination that grew inch by inch, she began to climb aiming for the next highest branch.

After a few minutes Alice reached the first branch and then with determined strength, she pushed her pantyhose legs farther and farther getting closer with every inch to the cover of clouds above her.

More minutes ticked by as the wind whistled past her, and it seemed as though time was intentionally mocking her with its slow progress. Digging in her toes on a protruding knot in the stalk she realized it was getting darker. No, not darker, she had entered the clouds. Holding on even tighter as she continued to climb with renewed vigor, she passed at least another 20 feet before she saw the clouds lighten above her.

The wind died off abruptly, and she was immersed in a damp mist that made her blouse cling moistly to her back and breasts. Feeling fatigue licking at her muscles as they started shaking slightly from the prolonged strain of going vertical for so long, Alice's head finally poked up above the clouds.

Pulling hard to climb higher, Alice was soon entirely out of the clouds and making her way around the girth of the trunk looking for someplace stable where she could rest. Seconds ticked by and she felt her limbs starting to give out from the strain of climbing for so long. Looking anxiously to the nearest branch that was a good 10 feet away, her heart began to race as her foot suddenly slipped and her hands gave out from the sudden demand of having to hold her entire body weight.

With a scream that would make a victim in a horror film scare with fright, Alice fell a good foot before landing with a gentle thud that threw her off balance sending her tumbling to the solid, cloud covered ground on her silky butt with an 'uupphff'.

Staggered at the fact she wasn't plummeting to her death, she sat there for a few seconds, trembling hands grasping solid earth below a soft billowy venire of clouds. Sitting up she tested the ground around her and noticed that the farther from the stalk the ground went the less clouds there were until she could see green grass and patches of brown Earth. Standing up, brushing the dust and dirt from her supple tan skirt and silky nylons, Alice began walking cautiously around the stalk, revealing more of the landscape that was an entire world here above the clouds.

Rounding a large branch that lay across the ground like a fallen log, Alice stood awestruck by what was before her. Verdant fields of wavering grass reached out in soft rolling hills that reflected sparkling twinkles of sunshine that was out in full force above the cloud cover. Looking farther still there was a wide dirt road at least 30 feet across that wound a lazy path to the most inconceivable thing ever. Sitting there as imposing as a mountain stood an enormous castle. Even from this distance Alice could tell it was gigantic. It was easily larger than 10 square city blocks in New York and the imposing gray stone was a flat imposing face that showed little details other than the occasional window and the dull red shingled roofing that added a slight touch of menace to the structure.

Taking another few moments to soak it all in, resting on the large branch, Alice gave a final determined nod to herself, "Well I suppose there isn't a harp in the fields, and being powerless, wishing isn't going to get me there any faster." With long strides so that her legs rubbed together playfully, Alice set out along the road towards the castle wondering where in the hell she was going to find a magic harp.

Alice was absolutely tired by the time she reached the enormous castle. Having been shrunken recently and grown back to her regular size only to now be miniature again against this ziggurat of a fortress was a little disorienting. Finding a rock that was the size of a coffee table to her, but no bigger than a pebble in front of the massive double wooden doors, Alice took a seat to rest her legs. The trek along the road, combined with the climb she was weary from the trip and wanted to do nothing more than take a nap before trying to venture into the huge citadel to find a harp that could be anywhere amid the many level and thousands of square feet within.

Laying down on the rock that was warm and comforting, Alice resigned to let her eyes slip for just a moment as she regained her strength.

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Alice awoke sometime later to the trembling of the ground beneath her. Not sure how long she'd dozed, her head was a bit groggy, but she found renewed strength and dexterity to get off the rock and run to one side of the doors.

The trembling of the ground intensified but wasn't steady, rather it was as if something enormous were walking and the very ground shook from the weight of the massive being. No sooner had she gotten to one side of the door than she heard the loud click of heavy metal parts moving and grinding as the enormous handle nearly 40 feet above her twisted downwards. Another beat passed and one of the huge double doors swung open wide and a terrifying sight appeared.

Alice couldn't believe her eyes as the giant man, who was at least 80 feet tall, walked out of the castle with a huge bow and quiver of arrows slung over his back. His foot alone was as big as a semi truck as it stormed past Alice in shuddering steps that sent up a cloud of dust that fanned out in all directions. Alice felt utterly insignificant and petrified by the giant, but also was smart enough to realize the front door had been opened for her.

Seeing the giant continue past the threshold of the doorway, Alice swallowed her courage and darted as fast as her pantyhose legs would carry her towards the open door. Watching the giant as she ran, she saw him start to turn around to close the door, dust swirling all about as his enormous feet ground into the dirt.

Chugging faster and trying her best to keep her noise to a minimum, she barely ducked past the open doorway and inside out of sight before the giant turned fully around and slammed the huge eight-foot thick door shut with a huge boom that made Alice wince and cover her ears from the deafening sound.

A few moments later as the dust cleared and the huge footfalls of the giant, apparently off to do some hunting, died off into the distance, Alice wandered into the giant foyer of the castle noticing the enormity of the interior. It was as one would imagine a castle. Elaborate tapestries, giant pillars, huge blocks of stone supporting the walls, vaulted ceilings and furniture spaced here and there. Giant suits of armor and racks of spears and swords were littered randomly around corners and at intersections of hallways while a giant staircase led up to another level. Along the main floor was a living room, a dining room, an enormous kitchen, a den and several closets that were locked with huge iron keys in wooden doors. A giant fireplace, with a blaze that was as large as a two story home burning, lit the main room and dining room while torches spaced in sconces along the pillars, and chandeliers with dozens of candles, helped illuminate the rest of the manor.

In every room she entered she looked around for an enormous harp that would be on a desk or adorning a corner somewhere in a place of leisure. Coming to no avail, she wandered into the kitchen driven by hunger and a sudden whetted appetite generated by the lovely smelling bread that was hot and fresh on the counter.

Looking around at the table and chairs, the legs were as huge as tree trunks and they were all polished wood making any attempt to get up on top of the table or countertop in her slippery pantyhose a little bit of a challenge. Looking around she saw a few cupboards that were open under the sink as well as a pantry door that was slightly ajar.

Walking towards the open sink cupboard Alice froze instantly in her tracks when she saw a pair of red eyes peer out at her from the doorway. Unable to react in the middle of the floor and seeing the red beady glowing eyes on a level even with hers but much farther apart, Alice could only watch as they drew closer. Slowly a pink nose and a mud brown snout of coarse hair emerged that belonged to the head of a rat that was as big as a sedan.

Looking around as best she could without taking her eyes off the rat, Alice tried to make her mind focus on what to do.

"Oh, this is sooo not good," she muttered to herself as she began to sweat lightly. Trying to think of how to fight the rat, she realized that all she had was her adorable outfit of silk and leather to protect her, and the best options was probably to make a mad dash for the pantry door that looked big enough for her, but maybe not wide enough for the rat.

Suddenly the rat, nose and whiskers twitching, had enough information to know Alice would make a tasty snack and began to charge the distance in between them with a high pitched scree noise that was piercing to Alice's ears. Turning immediately and huffing for all she was worth, it seemed like an unimaginable distance to the pantry in the short time she had.

Not giving up without trying she ran faster and faster, pumping her arms and striding wide with her nylon covered legs in true track team fashion. She could feel the ground tremble more and more as the bucking rat bounded closer and closer with each scurrying leap. She heard another scree noise from the rat as it nearly had her, and then Alice heard an odd thunk like someone staking a post in soft earth followed by a shrill cry from the rat that turned into a wailing knell.

Glancing over her shoulder to look as she hauled ass, she saw the rat writhing and convulsing on the kitchen floor with a crochet hook that had been fashioned into a spear, sticking out of the rat's neck. Turning back around she ran straight into the arms of a person who was remarkably her size, though cloaked in dark clothing.

Immediately trying to fight her way free as the arms held her securely, Alice shouted "Let go of me!!" before a hand that was soft and smelled like vanilla clamped over her mouth followed by a shushing noise.

"It's okay," said the female voice softly with a whisper "I'm not going to hurt you, but we need to get to cover quickly."

Taking a step back as the stranger's hands loosened their grip on her arm and mouth, Alice looked into the hooded darkness and asked, "who are you? What do you want with me."

Pulling back the hood, Alice was instantly enamored with the woman in front of her. She had long brunette hair the color of stained oak that shone with brilliance in the candle light of the castle. Her eyes were a deep liquid chocolate brown color and her face was as beautiful as ever she could imagine.

"My name is Jacqueline and right now a thank you would suffice," she said as she ran to the rat and pulled the bloody spear free from its dead body. "You don't just wander into a giant's house and make yourself to home."

"Sorry... I'm new here....uh... th.. thank you!!" Alice said a bit awkwardly under the gaze of Jacqueline's penetrating brown eyes. "I'm Alice," she followed up after a second remembering her manners albeit a little delayed.

"Alice??? Your name is Alice?? Oh God you just made my week sweet heart" Jacqueline said with a glint of joy in her eyes. "I'll make this real simple for you, Alice, come with me if you want to live. We need to get out of sight before Olaf returns from his daily hunt," Jacqueline replied.

"Olaf?" Alice replied with a sneer. "Who's..."

"He's the patron of this fine establishment," Jacqueline embellished with a fake British Accent. "He's also the giant who eats humans if he can find them, and trust me, with his nose he'll find you easily," Jacqueline continued. "It's amazing he didn't find you at the door. He eats all the time and never seems to get enough meat. Now enough questions! Come ON!!" she finished. Grabbing Alice's hand she pulled fiercely, nearly setting her off balance as she drew Alice to the large pantry door.

A few seconds later they were inside the pantry next to high shelves of canned foods ranging from beans to soups and jarred vegetables and pickled eggs. Keeping up the speedy pace, Jacqueline ran with Alice to the back of the wall where she pushed aside a wooden wedge as tall as she was that had a nail stuck through it from the back.

"Quick inside," Jacqueline insisted with a hushed whisper and a shove that sent Alice into the dark space. Following behind Alice, Jacqueline quickly gave a tug at the nail, pulling the wall cork effectively into place, and sealing them in darkness, save for a small beam of light that shone against the wall several dozen feet above them.

With a sound like a cork being pulled out from a wine bottle Alice could see suddenly due to a faint yellow light below her. Looking down she saw Jacqueline holding an unstopped bottle that held a phosphorescent liquid that reminded Alice of yellow glow sticks. Reaching behind her back Jacqueline produced a foot long stick with cloth wrapped around one end and handed it to Alice to hold while she poured the sour smelling fluid onto the cloth.

Seeing Alice wrinkle her nose, Jacqueline simply replied "firefly phosphorescent". As soon as it soaked into the cloth, the improvised torch gave off immediate light to the area allowing Alice to see she was in between a wooden pantry and a stone castle wall.