#cardbridge

“Alice! Alice, please, wait!”

No luck – she continued straight toward the lip of the roof, completely deaf to his pleas. Desperate, Victor darted forward and grabbed her hand, ready to pull her back –

The world flashed pink –

And suddenly, he was standing in the middle of bright blue sky.

Victor jerked to a stop, disorientation making him sway back and forth like one of those weighted toys shops guaranteed would not fall over. The maze of roofs and chimneys and drifting clouds of smoke had vanished so completely it was like they'd never been there at all. Instead, now he gazed out upon a world of white puffy clouds and brilliant sunshine, the air so sweet and clear Victor would swear he could see right to the edge of the universe. And all around him, swirling and spinning in an aerial dance, were – playing cards?

Indeed they were – all four suits from Ace to King, swooping through the sky like curiously flat birds. Here and there they gathered into larger groups – decks, Victor supposed – and constructed towering castles, with turrets and battlements and drawbridges and everything else a royal family could wish for. The pathway too was made of these friendly pieces of pasteboard – Clubs, mostly, though Victor could see Spades and Hearts as well down the line. He goggled at it all, jaw hanging open. It was – it was –

It was beautiful.

“I hate to tell you this, but you look rather like the fish your father cans.”

Victor started, then turned to see Alice watching him, an amused smirk on her lips. “But then again, I probably did too the first time I fell from the sky,” she continued, stepping closer. “Welcome to Cardbridge, Victor. Sorry to have pulled you in so abruptly – I warned you that I couldn’t control it.”

“No, it’s – it’s fine,” Victor whispered, his gaze going back to the cards whirling above him, pips gleaming in the friendly sun. “I'm sorry if I startled you – I was trying to get your attention, but. . .now I see why you didn't pay me any mind. This is – this is gorgeous.”

“Yes – which is a puzzle, actually,” Alice confessed, frowning. “I'm supposed to be on my way to Queensland – Caterpillar said I needed to discuss some things with its monarch. But after a brief detour through an appropriately fleshy dungeon. . .” She rocked on her heels, then offered him a smile. “Not that I mind putting off returning to that horror show. Especially if you're here for a visit.”

Victor nodded absently, still caught up in the acrobatics of the cards. "No wonder you call it Wonderland," he whispered, walking forward to get a better look (though making sure to keep a tight grip on Alice's hand). "There's no other word for it. Oh Alice, if only we could–"

Something nipped sharply at his ear at the same moment a sudden image of the rooftop appeared in his head. "Ow! What – Moonlight?"

His pet creeled, a worried sound. Victor couldn't see the flitt, but he could feel his weight on his shoulder. What a curious sensation. . . . And there was still that insistent view of the roof battering at his brain – a bit fractured, as if viewed partially through a kaleidoscope (like all of Moonlight's pictures), but nevertheless clearly showing the –

The edge of the roof. . .

Horrified, Victor reeled backward, teetering dangerously. Dear God – he'd grabbed Alice to stop her walking to her death, and then he turned around and nearly did the same himself! Now he understood how this place could be dangerous. He got his balance and turned to Alice with anxious eyes. "Alice, you can't go this way – you'll fall!"

"Oh, is that why you're here?" Alice patted his shoulder reassuringly, then pointed to the edge of the card. "I know there's a drop there, don't worry. I was going to jump before you oh-so-abruptly appeared."

"Jump? Across the roofs of London?"

"I've done it before. I can demonstrate if–" She glanced down at their joined hands. "That's not a good enough reason to let me go, is it?"