Every Blood vessel pounded as if they were trying to escape his body; slowly the pain pried him out of the fogginess of darkness.

Sheets of paper turning over loudly continued to resound in the background.

“Mark Smith Hmmm, average height, average build..average average average” A distant voice mumbled barely audible over the sound of more papers turning. The sound did little to help marks head; with each new sound the more it seemed to make his head throb.

“Ugh, w-where am I?” Mark groaned, struggling to open his eyes through the pain.

“Where? That’s a good question. Ho-he, But where WILL you be is the question you should be asking.” A strange voice answered

“What?” Mark utterly confused as to the answer and even more so when he finally opened his eyes. A man, who sat on a chair which floated. While he read a book, was the only thing greeting him. Where ever he was he had no clue, nothing but black surrounded him. The man was an odd sight, dressed in a black silk cloak with a large matching top hat that suited his silver shoulder-length hair.

Looking up from his book, the man’s ruby eyes peered seemingly at his very soul. A large frightening smile began to come to his face.

“W-who are you? What’s going on?” Stammering mark asked the weird looking man, who reminded him of the mad hatter from his favorite book as a kid.

Holding up a finger to silent mark, the man started clicked his tongue while moving his finger back and forth. Rushing air bombarded mark. With no time to react, mark was pushed back onto a chair that suddenly had appeared behind him. Groans escaped his lips as he fought back against the invisible wall holding him down. Trying to yell did nothing even his very mouth would not move against this force. Fear replaced everything, his whole body shook. What in the world was going on?!, who was this weird mad hatter looking, dude.

“Better” The man watched the panic-stricken mark in front of him. Snapping his fingers a white teacup appeared floating in front of his face. Grabbing it the man took a sip and lowered it on his lap. Moving his index finger around the rim slowly, the man’s red eyes studied the young mark.

“Firstly, my name is too difficult for you, but this mad hatter name you keep calling me in your head” A large predatory smile showing his perfect teeth spread across his face before he took another sip of the tea and continued.

“I like this name, ho-he hum Dee, so you may call me that” Lifting his right hand the mad hatter held up two fingers. “Secondly, here is nowhere. We are just in a place where time and space cease to be but that isn’t important. It’s where you are going to be. Ho-he”

Beaming with delight as he finished the hatter sat back in his chair, his finger moving around the cup’s rim fastly. His eyes fixed on mark the whole time.

Groaning mark continued his fight against this invisible foe holding him down in his chair. His eyes full of fear and hate peered at this weird man. None of this made sense. Being at school than being in strange sand filled the place and now in some dark abyss with a maniac. What was going on? Why were his arms different before and now normal again? Why was he here? Who exactly was this mad hatter? And what’s this where you will be nonsense? All these questions circled his mind, lifting his arms with all his might he went back to fighting to break free.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Excellent, Fight ho-he Struggle ho-hum” The hatter jeered obviously amused by mark’s struggles. Sitting up he tossed his cup to the side where it disappeared after leaving his fingers. Leaning forward the hatter snapped his fingers summoning a large old looking leather brown book into his lap. Opening the cover a small cough escaped his lips. Drawing marks attention and the furry of his eyes once again.

“Now then, I shall tell you a story. Yes yes, stories, a valuable story to you anyways ho-hum listen and umm take notes?” The hatter smiled leaning forward, delighted to see his jeer had given marks eyes more anger to them. Putting his pale finger on the old dusty pages of the book, he began to read aloud a story called Mithweol and his children.

Mithweol and his children

Mithweol the greatest being in the land Vanderos had become bored. For neither, he nor his children in Vanderos grew old. Thus Mithweol created mortal beings in the world of Faye, to watch their mortal lives and cure his boredom. The first were the elves, wisest and most fair of his new children. Second were the dwarves, rash and great craftsman of stone. Third was the gnomes, small beings that tended and grew great things in Faye. Lastly and the most favorite of his new mortal children was that of men, their recklessness nature delighted Mithweol. Spending his days therefore after he watched his new children, forsaking all else. His immortal son Itheole once the favorite grew with jealousy of the mortal beings. One day Itheole stole items from his father, including the most beloved of the heavens the tools of creation. Itheole taking the items with him fled Vanderos and went to the world of Faye forsaking his immortal life. Using the items of creation, he created children of his own in secret. Thus Itheole driven by jealousy and hatred led his new children against his father’s beginning the war of the children. Mithweol watched with horror as Itheole and his kin waged war against first his eldest children the elves. The elves held back Itheole for many years but their brothers and sisters abandoned them leaving them to fight against Itheole alone. With no help, the elves abandoned the war fleeing into the high north leaving their brothers and sisters who abandoned them to fight against Itheole on their own. The other beings caring nothing about each other and the men who fought amongst themselves were in ruin as Itheole conquered almost all of Faye. It was then when Mithweol blessed upon a select few of his favorite children, the gift of wisdom and magic. With these men, dwarves and gnomes finally made an alliance fighting back against Itheoles kin. But Itheole was soon betrayed by one of his own children the Tholks who desired to rule all. They killed Itheole and began warring against all of itheoles children their brothers. Utter chaos ensued as itheole’s kin all fought each other, with this Mithweol’s children pushed back winning back their land of Faye. Itheoloes generals and his children all scattered, a man who had received the blessing from Mithweol sacrificed himself to build” the frown” mountains created by magic that split faye keeping most of itheoles followers and kin blocked from most of Mithweol’s. With this, the Great War ended and the hatred of the Tholkes and elves began.

*Thud*

Upon finishing his tale, hatter closed his large book with a resounding thud in the dark void. A small chuckle left his lips upon seeing the humans dumbfound expression.

Dumbfound was right, a maniac held him in a dark place and read him a fairytale? About things, he couldn’t understand. A tholk? What was that? And what did any of this do with him?

Tears welled up in his eyes, making it hard to see. He just wanted to go home and to end this nightmare.

A small smile appeared on the hatters face, he did not delight in this humans suffering but it was interesting to him, to say the least.

“You see Mark Smith, by luck a tholk found a heavenly item in Girdlehall. The reward was a human body.” Pausing, the hatter leaned in to clearly see the shock in marks eyes. “As I think you have guessed by now, It is your human body.”