To Wonderland, Clementine!

Worlds Hurt

'Peck wandered about, following a path that didn't exist. He knew he was dreaming. This was how all dreams start.

But, if he knew he was dreaming, why didn't he wake up?

He felt his boots clacking against a hard, smooth road that he couldn't see. Everything around him was nothing but darkness, and when he stretched out his hand, he could clearly feel objects around him. Some objects were easy to identify: a tree, a shrub, a rock. Others took some getting used to" mushrooms and fuzzy birds. He shivered upon contacting the bird under his wing, especially when it moved. it felt somewhat slippery.

He turned back ahead, and saw something white. Not light, but, just smooth white. He expected it to grow and envelope him, but instead, he found it staying still as stone statues.

He continued walking toward it. it did not grow with his perspective. it simply stayed, and he wondered if he was getting anywhere at all.

Finally, he reached it...and walked right through.

A black smile carved through the white as he passed through it, as if it were nothing but air. Peck saw it appear right in front of his eyes, and felt a sense of familiarity: like an old friend he'd always known, but couldn't quite place.

The smile was still there when he walked out of the white wall, but this time, it was white against a black world.

And Peck blinked.

When he opened his eyes again, he was surrounded by color, coming in and out like yoyo's, like color switching with the scenes in a movie.

Every flash brought something different.

'Was that there before?' Peck asked himself. 'Of course it was not. It moved.' A voice in him replied, clear as day. It were suddenly as if a giant shrub moving from one place to another on it's own was an ordinary thing.

Peck turned around to find that smile on the face of a rabbit. It had a waistcoat and pocket watch. 'I'm late. I've been training you.' It cooed creepily. Peck felt no fear though. he just watched and listened, as if all this were normal.

Suddenly, he was surrounded by rabbits, morphing into other creatures. One was a mouse. A set of twins. A Swallow. 'We've been waiting for you.' They chorused. 'Where are you? Where are you? Where are you?'

Their voices seemed to get deeper as they approached Peck. And yet, Peck did not move. He felt no pain, no fear. It was all normal, somehow.

He was suddenly sitting on a mushroom, in front of another, larger mushroom, which opened up to reveal a large, blue caterpillar. He was fiddling with a pocket watch and a smoking pipe.

Peck opened his beak to say something, but nothing came out.

'Hello. Not hardly. Hello. Not hardly.' The caterpillar repeated this phrase over and over. His voice began to fade away...

Peck found himself suddenly falling down a black abyss, still hearing the voices, as they faded into white noise.

Like the remains of a nightmare, fading away...'

"Peck!" The woodpecker shot up in bed, panting, even though he felt for sure he wasn't having a nightmare. Toby and Sheriff Callie stood by his bed. "Peck." Callie put one paw on her hip. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Peck assured them, despite feeling oddly tired. He was certain he got plenty of sleep...

"You didn't show up to breakfast." Toby explained. "You coming?"

"Yeah." Peck suddenly gathered himself together. "Yeah, I'm coming. Just give me ten minutes." He shot around the room, his muscle memory working for him. He threw on his vest, checking to make sure his star was still pinned to it, and grabbed his hat, hopping into his boots at the same time.