Past: The Poison Garden, Alnwick, Northumberland, England
R eluctantly, Lewis entered the Poison Garden. Though it was a real place in the real world, it had a portal leading to Wonderland. In fact, the first breach from Wonderland to the real world had started here.
Lewis rubbed his eyes against the bluish darkness veiling the garden. It wasn’t night time, but the garden had always been dim and gloomy, filled with smoke spiraling like ghosts through the enormous trees. In truth, these weren’t trees. They were large mushrooms.
Looking up, he could see the sun at noon, so far away, trying its best to slither through the density of mushrooms and hookah smoke. The Poison Garden had always hosted the worst of Wonderland’s creatures. The Cheshire had been a recent addition.
But the Cheshire didn’t own this place, nor had he known of its secrets or inception. This place had been owned by one man only. One of the scariest in Wonderland. Not Mr. Jay, but the second best.
Carter Chrysalis Cocoon Pillar.
He liked to call it Mushroomland, which he later re-created all over the real world.
Carter Pillar, not only was he a devious existence of crap, but he made money from drugs. Mushrooms, to be precise.
He had sold it to the kids. He had watched his client suffer and die. And many times he had laughed at them, smoking his hookah. Whether he’d been an addict himself or not remains a mystery.
“Pillar,” Lewis whispered.
Not only was he scared and worried, but Lewis had been in pain for days now. This was earlier in the day before he reached out to the March to trust him with his secret about the Six Keys. Right now, he still had the secret in his head, and soon Carolus would rise and pull it out of his memories. Lewis needed to forget, and have enough time to pass it to the March.
It was a stupid plan. Unspecific and disjointed. It was executed on a whim. The pain and migraines in Lewis’ head prevented him from thinking correctly. All that occupied his mind was the possibility of Carolus rising and knowing about the Six Keys.
He had to pass them to the March and had to forget. To do it, he needed to eat a specific plant. No one sold such a plant but the devious Pillar.
A mushroom.