Opening her blurry eyes, Alice propped herself up on an elbow trying to shake the small wave of nausea that swept through her stomach. Sitting up on her knees, she rubbed her eyes in earnest trying to get her vision to clear. When she lowered her hands she noticed things beginning to come into focus. The white nothingness she had fallen through was gone and replaced with a silver-gray room bore of stone and metal. Her eyes, finally able to focus, revealed the room she was in for the first time.
The room was large, approximately 30 feet across and at least twice that in height. The room was shaped like an octagon, with elaborate gray marble pillars partitioning each wall. The floor was a lovely marble pattern of white and black stone that showed some age with small cracks and chips. Each wall had a silver mirror of different sizes and adornment ranging from one foot in height to 10 feet high. In the center of the room stood an amazing statue made of gleaming polished gold that was an amalgam of shapes, scenes and women. It was almost like a totem pole with the scenes molded one on top of the other. The pole itself stretched from the floor all the way up to the darkened ceiling showing odd shapes and sculptures along its length.
Standing up to look around the room, Alice noticed a run in her black pantyhose. "Great" she muttered to herself, remembering how much trouble she'd gone through to smuggle them out of the office. She was also without shoes. Somewhere along the plummet to this place, the voyage had gobbled up her heels and she was now in her stocking feet. "Pity... I got those shoes on sale" she muttered again.
It was warm here, too. Having run through the snow for the better part of the last 25 minutes, Alice's warm pea coat and scarf were now making her unbearably hot. Doffing her cold weather attire she dropped it on the floor and continued examining her surroundings in her white satin blouse and black skirt. Thankfully the heat was also drying her snow dampened blonde hair
Walking towards one of the mirrors, she instinctively composed her appearance straightening her blouse buttons and her nylons. Reaching out cautiously to touch one of the mirrors, Alice heard a liquid sound like running water. Looking down, a teardrop, that looked poured out of pure mercury, seethed out from the mirror's shiny surface to form an antique copper doorknob with a keyhole.
Bewildered, Alice tried the door only to find it locked. Pursing up her lips in disappointment, she looked to the other silver mirror frames. One by one, she walked around the room to each wall, and every time she was met with the same disappointment. All the doors were as unique and different as their frames. One was wrought black iron, one was an elegantly engraved silver handle, one had a wooden knob and several others were a conglomeration of door handles from ages past. The one thing in common was they were all locked. Frustrated, confused and scared Alice started to cry softly with short sniffles and sobs.
"Alice," a voice whispered.
Turning with a start, wiping away tears, she didn't see anyone around. The voice had sounded as if it had been sung by many voices combined into one.
"Alice," the soft voice beckoned again.
This time Alice believed it came from the statue in the center of the room. Walking around to the face side of the statue she saw the form of a beautiful woman wearing nothing but embossed golden stockings that had roses etched along the tops. Her right arm was strangely outstretched forming a cupped hand. She was about the same size as Alice with long golden sculpted hair that melded around her voluptuous form into other shapes of wolves, pirate ships, and beautiful flowers towards the floor.
"Alice," the voice said again, though this time the lips moved and the golden eyes opened to stare at her. Jumping back two feet with a cry, Alice covered her mouth in disbelief, tears welling up slightly. How could a statue come to life and talk? "Allliicccceeeeeee," the voice drawled out soothingly, the eyes looking down at her cupped hand.
Following her gaze, the last of her sobbing done, Alice saw the golden fingertips begin to ebb the same mercury silver liquid that she saw in the mirrors. As it poured down into the statue's palm, the small droplets swirled each other like balls on a roulette wheel before massing and forming into a three-inch silver key.
Realizing what it was, Alice reached out and plucked the key apprehensively. Instead of being wet and intangible, the key was as solid as steel. Running to the mirrors again, Alice used the key on every lock possible, but several times the key was too big, or entirely too small. Looking down at the foot-high silver mirror that had a platinum colored handle, Alice knelt down and tried the key. With a click the door handle opened and the mirror swung, as if on hinges, to reveal a marvelous land full of amazing colors and unbelievable landscapes stretching off into the blue and rose colored sky.
Sadly, try as she might, Alice discovered she was entirely too big to squeeze through the small portal. Lying down on the stone floor and trying to wedge through the door, she was met with futility as her silky, slippery pantyhose legs bore no traction on the slick stone.
Withdrawing from the tiny portal, the mirror closed shut by itself and spat out the key with a tiny clink as it landed near her nylon coated knees. Picking up the key, Alice frowned. Not hardly as easy as she would have thought. "Seriously who makes doors entirely too small for entirely too large of a person to fit through?" Alice asked the unseen architect of this odd room.
Looking at the key, and then back at the beautiful golden statue, Alice got an idea. Walking around to face the golden stocking legged statue woman with pirates in her hair, she looked into the open eyes that were still staring down at its hand. "Excuse me statue, but how do I get through the door?" Nothing happened.
'Fantastic,' she thought, it's a one trick pony. It spits out a key and leaves you stranded with runs in your pantyhose, without shoes, in a room full of mirror doors that won't open except the smallest one that you couldn't squeeze a hobbit through. She huffed loudly with a small chuckle. How funny. Only moments ago she was afraid of the talking statue and now expected it to bail her out of this puzzle.
"The key," it suddenly replied, still looking down, in a voice that was like velvet and rose petals. Following its gaze to the outstretched hand, Alice replaced the key where she had found it.
"I used the key to open the door, but it's too small to fit through, or rather I'm too large to fit through it," Alice replied pleadingly. "How do I get through the door?"
"Kiss me," the woman said, her penetrating eyes coming up to gaze into Alice's sea-blue eyes.
Stepping back apprehensively, Alice stared at the statue. Its face seemed to glimmer as if more fluid and soft. "You mean if I kiss you, I'll get out of this room?" Alice asked.