The First Trial

The new scenery resembled the neatly trimmed lawn where Cheshire hosted his tea party, but its organization differed. In the distance she could see stone pillars, a hedge maze, a forest, rolling hills, and a castle. Cheshire’s shadowy claw carefully plopped Lilith onto the ground, and the aura around her retracted itself back into him, releasing her from his grip. “The first game is a simple one.” With a wry smile, he extended his hand out to her, as if Lilith would clasp hers around his without question. Her face visibly grimaced at the thought; everything was too surreal. Normally she would take Alise’s hand into hers without hesitation, ready to face a new adventure together, but this manipulative, powerful creature who wore Alise’s visage seemed to purposefully taunt her. It was as if he knew much of their friendship. Lilith silently shook her head in protest; she would not appease his twisted humor.

Cheshire chuckled under his breath and allowed her brazen rejection; to him, it was all a game, and in the end he would be triumphant. He began walking toward the hedge maze and motioned for her to follow. As he walked ahead of her, Lilith balled her fists in frustration, but trailed behind him in silence.

The hedge maze’s walkways were narrow, only allowing two people of small size to walk alongside each other. As they traversed the maze, Cheshire’s gait regularly slowed to match Lilith’s fluctuating speed. He seemed determined to walk side by side even though she was obviously decreasing her footfalls to linger behind him. Eventually she resigned to walking shoulder to shoulder, a silent battle that Cheshire had won.

“Do you enjoy baking?”

Lilith’s face scrunched at the inquiry; it was completely unexpected and out of place, but she saw no harm in answering. “It’s not my area of expertise.” It was an understatement. While Lilith had many wonderful talents, baking was not one of them.

Still smiling wryly, he replied, “I see, then perhaps you will have a hard time with this.” Lilith’s eyes narrowed at the implications and only fully grasped his meaning after they rounded a hedge corner. The narrow walkway opened into a large space with one long stone table and five smaller tables, accompanied by five stone stoves. The five smaller tables seemed to have all the same equipment on them, and as they approached the large table, Lilith could see it held ingredients of all kinds. Everything was neatly labeled, but before she could inspect closer, the sound of a loud wail filled the air. Lilith turned to see an impossibly large-headed baby toy sitting in a high chair at one end of the stone patio where the shade from the hedge maze was the greatest. The baby wailed and cried. Lilith turned to where Cheshire had been, but he was nowhere in sight. With no one else around, Lilith sighed and walked up to the baby; she had no idea what to do. Its head made it impossible to pick up, so Lilith hoped she could soothe it with her voice.

“Don’t cry, little one,” she cooed, using the most calming and soothing voice possible.

The baby stopped crying and his brow rose significantly. “Don’t patronize me, blondie. Just because I look like this doesn’t mean I enjoy being treated like a baby.”

“O-oh!” she stammered, completely taken aback. “I’m sorry..I...” she cleared her throat, I thought he was a baby, but he isn’t? While I didn’t mean to offend…how was I supposed to know?? She regained her composure. “Why were you crying?”

The baby huffed angrily, but then his stomach grumbled loudly. From the gurgle of his gut and the reddening of his face, Lilith pieced it together.

“Could it be that you are hungry?”

He mumbled under his breath, but eventually responded with a “yes”.

“I see you’ve met Baby Baron,” Cheshire casually stated as he appeared behind Lilith, surprising both Lilith and Baby Baron.

Startled only for a moment, Lilith casually played it off, “Yes, I was just making his acquaintance.”

Baby Baron meekly nodded, barely making eye contact with Cheshire. From the difference in attitude, it was clear the amount of power Cheshire held over Dreamland’s “inhabitants”.

Cheshire smiled, still masked in Alise’s appearance.

“Welcome back”, Lilith stated sarcastically as she looked Cheshire over; he was wearing a different outfit.

“Ah yes, my tea-wear was inappropriate for the upcoming festivities. I must look my best as ruler of Dreamland.” He looked Lilith over as he spoke, “This nightgown will not do.” Before Lilith could respond with anything, her ankle-length flowing gown transformed into a knee-high blue dress, complete with a ruffle-trimmed white apron. “Better.” He mused to himself as he took a seat on the throne situated beside Baby Baron. “Now let us begin!”

With those simple words, four toys filtered into the same area and stood shoulder to shoulder with Lilith, who was standing face to face with Baby Baron. She bit her lip as she observed them slightly shaking beside her. These poor creatures aren’t here because they want to be…Before she got too caught up in thought, Cheshire’s words jarred her back to her current reality.

“Baby Baron is hungry, but he will only eat butter crumpets. There are two parts to this trial: the first will be a verbal test, and the second, a practical test.” He paused to build anticipation. “The question I ask has seven answers, and each of you will take turns until all seven answers are stated. If you get an answer wrong, you will forfeit the game and lose.” His smiling eye narrowed at Lilith, “but if you win this trial, you may continue onto the next one.”

Lilith took a deep breath; as silly as this all seemed, her freedom depended on winning. Cheshire pointed to the gryphon plush at the far left end of the line, “You there, what is an ingredient of butter crumpets?”

The gryphon’s feet fidgeted as he was too caught up in Cheshire’s menacing glare, stupefied completely. He meant to merely repeat the name, but the only word that filtered out was “butter.”

Cheshire’s eye lit up, “Yes, butter is an ingredient. Congratulations.”

The gryphon breathed a tremendous sigh of relief, but now it was the next toy’s turn. Lilith quickly noted that she was fifth in line, and she would need to have an answer as well.

The second toy, a rubber duck, quacked nervously, stuttering as he spoke. “F-f-flour.” He finally managed to say.

Again, Cheshire offered congratulations on a correct answer. It was now the third toy’s turn, and Lilith could feel a knot forming at the pit of her stomach. Come on, Lil, you watched Saccharine in the kitchen a few times…she makes bread, that’s close to crumpets, right? Ok, flour was obvious, but breads also use salt…salt and…

“Salt,” the turtle toy said to Lilith’s dismay.

Her eyes closed as she tried to visualize Saccharine’s baking station as the fourth toy’s turn started. The poor crocodile was nearly in tears as he thought to himself, wide-eyed, trying to think of an ingredient that wasn’t already stated. Taking his silence as ignorance, Cheshire added, “Anyone can peruse the table of ingredients if they are stuck, but a contestant can only use this lifeline once.” It was clear Cheshire was losing patience. But the crocodile quickly stated, “Milk!”

“Oh, tsk tsk, that is the wrong answer.”

The crocodile dropped to his knees and begged for Cheshire’s mercy, but his words held no weight. A black hole opened up underneath the sobbing toy, and it disappeared into it. Lilith watched as the other toys tried their best not to show how terrified they truly were.

“It’s your turn, Lilith.” Cheshire casually stated, as if nothing of note had transpired.

She could feel the arrogance in his voice, and it stoked her inner anger. She turned to the table and focused very hard. I know this; I just need to be reminded. She looked over many ingredients until one caught her eye. Yeast, that has to be one. Bread rises because of yeast. Her eyes traveled around until she saw eggs, hmmm, it could be eggs too. She was nearly at the end of the table and noticed the salt. While that was already mentioned…I remember Saccharine admitting something about sugar. She looked to the sugar; I think it’s needed too. But there is still another ingredient needed. Her sights rested on something she had passed over already but kept sticking out in her mind. I remember her using a fine white powder, but baking soda and baking powder look so similar….which is it? She pondered as she observed them both.

“Time’s up.” Cheshire called over, summoning her to stand before him. She complied and took her place last in line. After going over everything she had noted, she was most sure about one ingredient. “Yeast.”

His eye narrowed and, for a second, she doubted her answer; that brief moment of doubt pleased him. “Congratulations,” he finally said, “yeast is indeed another ingredient.”

She sighed in relief; she had guessed correctly, and, although unfair, because of her being last in line, it was unlikely she would need to guess again. Unless, of course, the three before her guessed poorly. Her brief and subtle elation was shattered.

“Because you used that lifeline, you must pay the penalty.”

Lilith’s eyes grew wide. “You never mentioned a penalty.”

Cheshire leaned towards her, deepening his voice to sound even more ominous, “Did you ask?”

Her brow furrowed. Was this the end? “What is it, the penalty?”

He smiled but kept silent; he was enjoying the fear growing inside her. “You must guess another correct ingredient.”

Lilith took a deep breath; she wasn’t out of the woods yet. Nodding in compliance, she decided to answer one of the two: eggs or sugar. If not for Saccharine making such a big deal of her hatred of sugar, Lilith might have guessed “eggs”, but she went with her gut. “S,sugar.” Although she had determined to say it, she still found herself hesitant.

Cheshire laughed so long and hard, Lilith couldn’t tell which way she had guessed until he congratulated her again. Lilith balled her fist, trying not to show much emotion, but she was inwardly relieved. She had guessed two correctly, but now she was on guard; there was no telling what could happen.

It was the gryphon’s turn again, and he continued to fidget and finally settled on “oil”.

Cheshire’s finger dramatically wagged in the air, “Wrong!”

The gryphon’s face dropped as he tucked his limbs tightly to his body, already preparing for what was coming. And no sooner did his eyes scrunch closed did the same black portal swallowed him up into nothingness. Now there were only three.

The duck squawked, “E-eggs”, quickly, hoping to appease Cheshire, but again Cheshire shook his head. The rubber duck began haphazardly hopping away, but to no avail, the hole swallowed him up. Only two.

The turtle glanced at Lilith, almost as if he were saying goodbye as well. “Water,” was all he stated, quietly waiting for his fate.

Cheshire smiled and leaned in towards the turtle, toying with him.

Congratulations, you have guessed correctly.” He counted on his fingers, “Butter, flour, salt, yeast, sugar, water, and?” He turned to Lilith for the last ingredient.

Eggs had been wrong, so she was sure it was one of the white powders, but which? They looked the same to her. The only thing she could do was take a gamble. Fifty-fifty odds, which would she choose? Powder, soda, powder, soda, “Powder,” she accidentally said out loud. Once it was out, she had to correct herself quickly, “Baking. I mean, baking powder.” She sighed as her heart beat, racing against the silence that weighed down on her.

“Correct,” Cheshire grinned ear to ear. “Now it’s time for phase two: the making of the crumpets. The remaining contestants will gather the correct ingredients and take them to a station of their choosing.” He pointed to the five tables with stoves attached. “There you will mix the ingredients to create Baby Baron’s butter crumpets. Do not worry; the ingredients are enchanted, and as long as you place the approximate ratio of each ingredient, the order and manner in which you mix will not matter. Baby Baron will choose the winner himself in the form of a taste test.” Cheshire waved his hand in the air, “You may begin.”

The turtle and Lilith glanced at each other for a moment, silently wishing each other “good luck”, and then quickly went to collect their share of ingredients. Guessing which ingredients were easy compared to estimating the ratios. Lilith closed her eyes and remembered Saccharine’s countertop with bowls of all sized ratios of ingredients and, with a huge sigh, she grabbed a tray, measuring utensils, and bowls to scoop out her best guesstimations.

It’s made up mostly of flour, right? So I’d need the most of that. Cups are used mostly to measure the big dry stuff…so I’ll take a cup of flour. She saw how it looked in the bowl. Doesn’t look like much at all. She sighed and moved on. Everything else should be small, like these. She held up a collection of differently sized teaspoons. I’m not positive, but I’ll take the biggest portion for now. She scooped out a full tablespoon of salt, white sugar, baking powder, and yeast into small bowls. When she saw how they fit into the smaller bowls, she had a feeling it was too much, but continued anyway. They are butter crumpets, so I’ll take a whole stick of that…and…water is measured in wet cups…I really wish I had paid more attention to Saccharine’s baking.

She took a cup of water and chose the station farthest away from Cheshire. She had felt his eye on her the entire time she chose her ratios. When she looked for the turtle, he was still at the table, slowly gathering his portions. Well, slow and steady, as they say, she mused as she placed the bowls around her mixing area. I will need to take this slowly as well, thank goodness I know what crumpets taste like…and look like. Being a routine invitee to Alise’s tea parties, she had been introduced to many fun types of tea accompaniments, crumpets being a regular one . I think I need to add to taste, starting with the flour. She took a large mixing bowl and added the entire cup of flour. Ok, so what next? She nervously stared at her bowls of dry ingredients. Hmm, yeast…is the last thing I’ll add, I don’t think that adds flavor. Um, baking powder too…so that leaves salt, sugar, and butter. Her face scrunched, how does this make a crumpet?!? There’s nothing here!?!?! She tugged at her hair in frustration. Keep it cool, Lil, unless Cheshire’s tricking us, these are the correct ingredients.

Sighing her frustrations away, she inspected the sizes of the measuring spoons, willing herself to remember what Saccharine usually used. She took two spoons from the lot; I’m sure it was one of these sizes. She about burned a hole through the spoons until she settled on one. I’ll add the salt. She took a half-teaspoon of salt and added it to the flour. And, thankfully, because of Saccharine’s ranting about all things sugar, Lilith knew to use a similar portion of sugar. She mixed them all together. Well, I think it should be wet before I can taste it. She poured some water and began mixing, but after mixing everything, it was still too doughy. Nervously she mixed in a little more water, then a little more until she thought it looked right. Now, the powder and the yeast. She stared at them both until she added a half teaspoon of each, then taste her mixture.

Briefly, she looked up to where the turtle was and saw him also fretting over the portions of his ingredients. Her brow furrowed as she wondered if he even knew what crumpets tasted like, but it was no time to hesitate. As sad as the plight of Dreamland’s inhabitants was, she needed to win in order to escape. Refocusing, Lilith dabbed the batter, scooping a small portion, and brought it to her mouth. She sighed; it didn’t really taste like anything. She kneaded a little more powder and yeast in and tried again. Still, there wasn’t much of a difference that she could tell. Her brow knitted, but she had to continue. Maybe I just need to bake it. She looked around at the array of pans and trays, then realized there was no oven attached to the stove. Hmm, how do I bake these then? She remembered Alise’s crumpets were in the shape of cat heads and Lilith had always assumed it was done with a cookie cutter. I thought I needed to roll out this dough and use a cutter, but if these are my tools then…perhaps it’s more like a griddle cake! Something clicked in her mind. While she had minor talent for baking, she knew how to fry griddle cakes. Her eyes shone with newfound confidence.

She found a flat pan and five round metal rings; she was now sure of what she needed to do. If they are like griddle cakes, then the mix needs to be soupier so I can pour it into the rings for their shapes. Lilith went back to her mixture and added enough water for it to resemble a griddle cake mix instead of cookie dough. She buttered the pan and the rings; they are called butter crumpets after all! Heating the stove, she placed the pan on the burner and waited for it to reach an appropriate temperature. Then she arranged the rings on the pan so that they all fit. Using a large spoon, she scooped out the soggy batter and poured it into the rings, then she waited for them to cook through. I should take the rings off and flip them now. She watched as the crumpet batter cooked and large pores began forming. Oh, they look like crumpets! Maybe this won’t be so bad after all. Lilith flipped them and prepared a plate so she could let the crumpets cool and adorn them with even more butter.

Excitedly she slopped butter all over them, took one in her hand, and put it in her mouth. She began chewing, and to her surprise, it tasted like a crumpet. I can’t believe I made a crumpet all by myself! Alise and Saccharine would be so proud of me! She smiled at this small triumph, but then she remembered where she was and why she was doing this. Her face became somber as she watched the turtle making a mess of his recipe. Lilith looked at Cheshire, who was visibly growing impatient. I can’t let it end like this…I know my life depends on this, but I just can’t watch this go on...and he never said I couldn’t help another contestant. Just as she was about to rush to the turtle’s aid, Cheshire playfully spoke. “Tiiiiiime’s up!”

Lilith whirled back towards Cheshire just as he lifted his arm, creating a portal under the turtle. By the time Lilith’s sight fell back on the turtle’s station, he was already gone. Angrily she sniped, “You never mentioned a time limit, that’s not fair!”

Cheshire smiled as his eye narrowed, “Did you ask?”

There was a pattern forming, and Lilith understood that she would have to ask the proper questions in order to get all the answers.

“Besides, you should be pleased that you are the last remaining contestant. Unless your treats are horrible, you are a shoo-in to win.”

Lilith couldn’t deny that she was desperate to win, but the means still disgusted her. She grabbed her plated crumpets and hastily walked towards Baby Baron, only stopping when she was a step away from him. With no words, still wearing a scowl, she presented him with her crumpets. A little intimidated by her countenance, Baby Baron silently bit into the first crumpet, chewing slowly. Giving no indication of whether they pleased him, he took another from the plate and ate it slowly, savoring the flavor. Lilith was too angry to be scared about his assessment, and what did it matter? There was no one else to beat her. She already knew that they tasted like a crumpet, maybe not the most scrumptious crumpet, but edible enough. Only after Baby Baron had finished them all did he turn to Cheshire and nod.

Cheshire smiled wickedly, “Congratulations, Lilith, you’ve won your first trial.”

There was no sign of gladness in her; she simply stared at Cheshire, trying to find the right questions to ask. Finally, she spoke, “How many trials must I play before I find Alise?

He chuckled, “As many as it takes.”

“And how many trials can I lose?” She asked immediately.

His eye narrowed, very pleased at her question, “Three. If you lose three games, then you can no longer open new areas of Dreamland to search for Alise in.”

Lilith’s gaze glazed over; she realized just how sly he was. She should have asked what all the rules were before agreeing to play his game, though she truly had no option. “So let me get this straight, by winning a game then a new place in Dreamland opens up to me?”

Cheshire nodded and pointed towards a newly formed door that appeared in the hedge to the left of them. “Because you won this game, you can now enter a completely new area to look for Alise’s slumbering spot. If you had lost here, you could only search the garden.”

She sighed; this was getting more complicated by the minute. “So, if I lose three games, then I’ll no longer be able to progress to new areas and will only be able to search the areas I’ve already opened?”

Cheshire nodded as she dejectedly pieced things together. Wanting to spice up his entertainment, he posed her a question: “Where do you think Alise might be?”

Lilith didn’t know how to answer that—Alise could be anywhere. Seeing that she was not reaching his desired conclusion, he continued. “When I first created this scape, you saw many things. Do you remember what they were? Where might be the most obvious place for Alise to be slumbering at?

It was then Lilith remembered seeing a castle, but she was already doubtful of his hints. Why would Alise be slumbering in the most obvious place? Unless it would be difficult to get to. Not sure, she gave the answer he was hinting at. “The castle in the distance.”

He smiled, “Yes. You have a few more games before you can enter the castle. Come, Lilith, it’s time for a new trial to begin.” Before standing to lead Lilith through the door, he looked at Baby Baron, extending his hand towards him.

Baby Baron pleaded, “But I was good, please don’t send me back there!”

Wearing an ominous smile, Cheshire simply shrugged, allowing the portal to swallow him up too. Lilith bit her lip to keep from saying anything—it wasn’t the time. She had no power in this place and could only go along. Perhaps once she found Alise, they could help these poor creatures.