How about a bedtime story?

She waited and knocked again. She was aware as the seconds ticked by that her heart was beating faster she could feel it beginning to make her feel not and she knew that she shouldn't have come here. She turned away from the door as she heart a rustling noise behind her and a voice said ' You shouldn't be here, not now please go'. She turned to see an woman enveloped in a large black cloak who pushed past and made her way round to the rest of the cottage. Dorcas made to go after her but suddenly she heard the door begin to creak open.

The door creaked open and she looked up in horror because there was no face so then she heard a scuttle at her feet and saw that it was a raccoon that opened the door and peered at her with its beady eyes and sharp teeth. She jumped back in surprise bur fell into a small ditch which soaked her rear end...

The foul, cold muddy water. seeped into her clothes and fear squeezed her heart as the racoon jumped onto her chest, sniffed the air and asked her in a north country accent 'blimey, are you alright love?'

With a creepy feeling washing over her, she recognised the voice from way back in her past. The racoon sounded just like her old grandad.
'Grandad?' She asked.
'Ey up love, you'd better come in and get dry.'

Horrified, she always thought her grandad looked like a badger but here or here it was, speaking to her as if she was a relative of a beast. She ran from the ditch with her britches still soaking and found herself in a country town with a shop selling used clothing.

As the entered the store filled with rails of faded ball gowns and shelves laden with dusty bric a brac she felt as though she'd walked through a portal into another time.

An elderly woman emerged from a store room at the back of the shop. Through the scant light of the room Dorcas could see she was tall and striking in appearance with chiselled cheek bones and white haired piled on top of her head. Her clothes were Edwardian and her small, gold rimmed glasses hung on a beaded chain around her neck.

Then, breaking the unnatural silence where even the sound of the street outside had been suspended, the woman said "I've been expecting you".

'Maybe you can tell me then,' said Dorcas, 'what on Earth is going on?'

'I have no idea,' said the woman, who sounded uncannily like her mother. 'but I have just the dress for you.'

Dorcas watched as the woman pulled out the party dress she had worn for her 7th birthday party.

May I suggest that you ask GNHQ to put your game (story) in GAMES.
You will have more people playing.
To do this just report the thread to GNHQ and ask them to move it.

The woman showed Dorcas into a small bathroom and hung up the dress for her to change into.
After a hasty wash, Dorcas took the dress down from its hanger and put it on.
Amazingly, it fitted.

She surveyed herself in the mirror, her heart beating fast against the pink chiffon bodice of the dress. How could this be, how could it possibly still fit her she wondered as her mind was reluctantly drawn to that fateful birthday party.

It was hot in the tiny changing room and her head began to spin while all at once her reflection began to melt away. She placed her trembling hand on the glass and pressing firmly she was overcome with fear. In that moment she knew she must hold on to the present and not relive that awful day.

Dorcas screwed up her face and closed her eyes trying desperately to hang onto who she was now and not to slip back to that dreadful party in that spooky house with those strange scary children.

She hadn't realised what her friend Marigold was really like or who she really was when she put on the pink chiffon dress and trotted off to the party with her mother clutching the present that she thought Marigold would love.

The mirror slid underneath her like a raft or a magic carpet up into the air and above the roofs. Gripping the sides of the mirror, she recognised many familiar buildings, but instead of feeling frightened, she felt exhilarated.
Where was she going?

Dorcas looked down into the mirror which she was clutching ever so tightly and gazed at her reflection; wind-blown curls dancing in the blue sky above. It was so mesmorising that she laughed out loud, in joy, at the face laughing back at her.

Suddenly her joy turned to fright as she felt a sudden drop in altitude. "Is this really happening?" she wondered, trying to think very logically back at these nonsensical events. She closed her eyes tight and then blinked them open. She peered over the side of the mirror surprised to see boys playing rugby below her in a perfectly groomed field surrounded by many hay fields and cows. No one even looked up as she raced by. She felt hauntingly invisible to their world.

The mirror slowed and slowed as it travelled lower and lower. Dorcas keenly inspected her surroundings now. Then straight ahead, she spied something familiar: Marigold's home, beyond the stone wall. Entering the farm from this direction was confusing because she had only arrived by the winding, hedge-lined road with her mum. From this new perspective, the farmhouse looked lovely.

Bumpity bump she tumbled as the mirror rolled sideways and dropped her ever so gently in the tall grass. With a puff of glitter it disappeared and a small wedge of an orange dropped in her lap. She wasn't hurt. She was thrilled! She grabbed the orange wedge and stood up, feeling a bit shaky from this chaos. "Well, then," she said, hastily pulling herself together and brushing the field grass from her pink dress.

Striding forward Forces was not frightened now she determined to enjoy this 'Alice' moment. Music was coming from a small in-house and she recognised the 'Listen with Mother' tune. Crossing the cobbles courtyard the smell baking reminded her that she was very hungry indeed. The door to the kitchen was open. Drives went inside and saw a tray of newly baked scones on the table. A small piece of paper next to them said 'Be careful'.

She picked up the note and read its warning over and over until slowly, surely, it all came flooding back. The warm, sweet smell of baking was no longer a comfort and the familiar tune which had once brought such joy was suddenly an impalpable menace.

In that moment Dorcas wanted to run but instead she moved to the wood panelled door at the back of the kitchen, beyond which she could now hear the faint refrain of children's laughter. She laid her hands on the large brass door knob and began to turn.

Dorcas opened the door and looked in. There were about twenty children seated at a very long table. All of them were wearing various animal masks. She realised with horror that, as they sat there, the children were turning into the animals represented by their masks. Their laughter was turning into grunts, squeals, roars and barks. They did not appear to notice Dorcas so she turned to go out of the room but the had closed behind her and now appeared to be locked.

There seemed to be no choice but to join this awful throng and at that moment Marigold, in a dog’s mask, joined her and handed her a cat mask, which Dorcas reluctantly put on, hating the strange smell of it. The party then moved out into the garden and Marigold told her they must now hunt for hidden gifts.
This seemed like an improvement and the gardens were so beautiful, stretching into the distance. Fountains and statues met her eye and a long laburnum arch seemed to call her forward, the long yellow flowers waving in the breeze.

As one by one the children, now half human half animal, ceased their chatter and turned to stare at her in a menacing manner. "You came back" said the one who was now had the head of a badger. The others sniggered and continued to stare.

Very frightened now Dorcas looked around for a way to escape. The door was locked and there were bars on the windows.

Dorcas became increasingly aware that she was sinking into the floor. "This is beyond weird" she thought to herself as the floor closed over her head. Her last sight of Marigold and the other animal children was of them all crowding round trying to grab her before she sank completely.

She landed quite gently into a strange room. Looking round the room she noticed a large chaise longue in one corner and she was very surprised to see her mother sitting there.

'You took your time,' said her mother.

'I got lost,' said Dorcas, 'and I'm now really tired. Can you read me a story so I can have a sleep?'

'Yes, come and sit here,' Mum patted the chaise longue and reached over to a pile of books.

Dorcas closed her eyes as her mother opened to book. 'Are you sitting comfortably?' she asked.

Dorcas nodded, waiting for the story to begin...

As she snuggled into her mother's soft apron, she felt safe and closed her eyes to listen. Her mother's soft voice began reading and Dorcas listened to everything. Her mother's voice faded and Dorcas heard an orchestra of sounds, a little mouse scratching in the cupboard, birds singing their songs to each other. She had a rush of scents, the supper simmering on the stove, perfume on her mother's wrists, her breath, her body odor. Dorcas was happy but her nose was a bit cold so she curled up and covered her face with her fluffy tail.

When she woke up Forces was sitting in a bright red poppy field. She got up and ran towards the sound of laughter and the delectable smell of a BBQ. As she ran down the hill through the poppies she saw a farm shop and a long line of cars. Thinking she hadn't brought her purse and bag with her she was delighted to find a small change purse in her pocket. As she joined the line of people wiring for the BB Q her mouth watering she heard a loud booming voice.

"I demand you to state your name, human-child !" roared the voice.