23

 

   

“Aren’t they gonna be mad?” Alice asked nervously. We were walking along the road, leaving the rest of the team back at the diner, where they were cheering each other, drinking milkshakes, making out with the cheerleaders, and running back the details of the match to each other with exaggeration.

“Hey, I gave it my all. I made us win. I think they can let us be for a little while,” I said. I just wanted to walk with her, far from the madding crowd. To be with her was celebration enough. When my coach asked me after the match how I had overcome all the odds and won, I didn’t tell him the true answer. I didn’t tell him that I was channeling the strength and passion that Alice had instilled in me. I just told him that I kept my head down, practiced a lot, and it all finally paid off. That was good enough for him. The coach was happy with the trophy. My team was happy with the scholarship offers.

I was happy with Alice.

“You ever sometimes think about portals opening up and taking you somewhere magical?” Alice asked. She had her arm around my waist. My arm was over her shoulder.

“What kind of portal are we talking about? Narnia? Harry Potter? Lord of the Rings? Which dimension are we going in?” I asked.

“Well, let’s say, true to form, I get a portal that takes me to Wonderland. Will you come with me?”

“And get a chance to dine with the Mad Hatter? Drink tea with the Hare? Hells yes. I’ll even take the Vorpal blade and slay the Jabberwocky with it. Off with his head!”

Alice laughed aloud. “I had no idea you’d read the books.”

“Books? There are books as in plural?”

“Yes, dumbo, there’s a sequel called Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There,” she said, punching my waist playfully as we walked.

“I see. I see. So where would our Alice want to travel next?” I asked eagerly.

“Somewhere where she can be alone with you and have her way with you,” she said slyly, squeezing my butt.

“I have just the place in mind,” I said, leading her into the forest.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“We’re going somewhere where we can be as loud as we want and where we can stay for as long as we want. Our parents won’t knock at the door every five minutes, asking us what we’re doing. No prying neighbors to see what we’re up to,” I said.

“Ooh, I’m excited,” Alice said.

“Think of it as your own personal portal to a dimension of pleasure,” I said.

“Shut up, you’re making me horny,” Alice laughed.

Together, we headed deeper into the forest, walking beyond the limits of the town. I had once come across this place in my lone adventures. It was a Fire Watch tower on top of a hill opposite the Rapid Hills, well outside of the town. However, this Fire Watch tower had been long abandoned. No one used it, thanks to drone surveillance that allowed the forestry department to look over the forest from within the comforts of their cushy offices.

When I was single, I used to fantasize about bringing my girlfriend someday to the top of the tower and doing the things that boyfriends and girlfriends do when they’re alone. I never had a chance to bring anyone up there, until now.

“Brandon, we’re literally miles away from the town,” Alice said, her voice unsure. I could see the worry on her face. “Are we in danger? From the wolves?”

“The Howls? They haven’t even shown their faces ever since I beat them up. We’re safe. Besides, you’re with me,” I said confidently. “And you’ll be able to see the town when we reach where we’re going.”

Finally, after ten more minutes of climbing the forest trail, we reached the top of the hill where the beautiful, haunting tower lay in wait for us. At its foot was a shabby cottage, where the tower repairman used to live until the tower was decommissioned.

Alice laughed cheerfully as she saw the tower. Before I had a chance to explain the significance of this place to her, she raced to the stairs and began ascending the tower to the top.

I decided to show off a little, having just won a match and feeling pretty good about myself. I shifted and leaped, landing at the top of the tower’s cabin before Alice even had a chance to come halfway up.

“Show off!” she cackled from below.

Once she had reached the top, I shifted back and pulled her to the roof of the cabin.

“Look. You can see as far as the eye can see,” I said, waving my arm proudly.

“My, my, you weren’t kidding. Look! There’s the school. There’s the café you took me to on our first date. There’s the reservation. And look, so many lights. Is that all Rapid Falls?”

“A mile in that direction, that’s Illinois. Those lights you see in the distance come from Urbana and Champaign, two neighboring towns. Oh, and if you look in the opposite direction, that’s Indianapolis. It’s funny. You can never see that far in the city. The air is so clear here you can see as far as Lake Michigan,” I said, feeling rather content.

“I can’t even believe my eyes,” Alice whispered. “It’s like I’ve gone through the looking glass.”

After standing there for maybe half an hour, we jumped off the cabin’s roof and headed into the cabin itself. The interior was surprisingly well kept, even though it had been a long time since anyone had come up here.

“Well, Mr. Caufield, what do you have in mind?” Alice said seductively as she plopped on the bed, legs crossed, chest heaved up. She bit her lip as I came closer.

‘Whatever you desire, Ms. Hawkins,” I said, kneeling in front of her so I could kiss her.