Swish, swish, swish. Everything goes quiet. I quickly tuck my head under the crimson and orange vintage cotton comforter and lay my head down on the pillow that smells of dusty mothballs. Swish, swish, swish. I know that any minute, I’ll see a wrinkled hand with raised, blue-green veins mapping the fragile road to the heart grab the edge of the door and push it open. I remain as quiet and still as I’ve ever been, my eyes shut tight and the comforter over my head. Every now and then, I’ll sneak a peek by opening one eye halfway, but then I quickly shut it tight again. My heart is beating so fast that I think it’s going to burst through my chest and end up orbiting in outer space. I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared before.

Swish, swish, swish. I hear a creaking noise – that horror movie sound of rusting hinges and doors that stick. The swish, swish, swish comes to an abrupt halt, and I hear soft breathing on the other side of the door. I’m trying my hardest not to scream, and when a small “eek” of air pushes through my lips, I swiftly cup my mouth with my small, fat hand. Then, just as suddenly as it stopped – swish, swish, swish. Swish, swish, swish. I peek with one eye again, too scared to move, but excited at the same time. I can picture her holding her rosary with both hands, silently moving her knotted fingers from one hand-made Hail Mary to the next. If I listen closely, I can hear her whispering the familiar prayers of the rosary – the Glorious Mysteries.

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“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?”       ~Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland

Here in my world, you don’t have to worry about silliness and nonsense. Everything is nonsense. In my world, animals can talk and slippers are some of the scariest things around. Here in my world, you have the freedom to express yourself without consequence. Here in my world, you will encounter some unexpected twists and turns, and you may find yourself completely turned around, or even hopelessly lost. You may come across some exciting new things, meet some of the most interesting creatures you could ever imagine, and laugh so hard you will find yourself unable to continue reading due to the strange drops of water blocking your sight.

Throughout your journey, you will learn more and more about this unusual Cheshire Scribe and her peculiar ways. You might also learn something about yourself, and you may decide to stay awhile.

In the end, you will always find your way home by way of a bright, white, toothy grin and a mysterious floating purple striped finger pointing the way.  Unless, of course, you get your head chopped off first.

Because, you see, we’re all mad here.