J. Scott Savage - The Lost Wonderland Diaries

Chapter epigraphs from Lewis Carroll, The Annotated Alice (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000).

2020 J. Scott Savage

Illustrations by Kevin Keele

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Shadow Mountain, at permissions@shadowmountain.com. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of Shadow Mountain.

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All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Savage, J. Scott (Jeffrey Scott), 1963 author. The lost Wonderland diaries (Series) ; bk. 1

Title: The lost Wonderland diaries / J. Scott Savage.

Description: Salt Lake City : Shadow Mountain, [2020] | Series: The lost Wonderland diaries, book 1 | Audience: Grades 46. | Summary: When Celia and Tyrus discover the four lost diaries of Charles Dodgson (a.k.a. Lewis Carroll), they are pulled into Wonderland and must solve riddles and puzzles to stop the Queen of Hearts from opening a door and taking over our worldProvided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020010134 | ISBN 9781629727868 (hardback) | eISBN 978-1-62973-949-6 (eBook)

Subjects: CYAC: Characters in literatureFiction. | Imaginary placesFiction. | RiddlesFiction. | PuzzlesFiction. | Kings, queens, rulers, etc.Fiction. | DyslexiaFiction. | DiariesFiction.

Classification: LCC PZ7.S25897 Lo 2020 | DDC [Fic]dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020010134

Printed in the United States of America

Lake Book Manufacturing, Inc., Melrose Park, IL

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Cover illustration: Kevin Keele

Book design: Shadow Mountain

Art direction: Richard Erickson

Design: Sheryl Dickert Smith

Other Books by J. Scott Savage

Farworld series

Water Keep

Land Keep

Air Keep

Fire Keep

Mysteries of Cove series

Fires of Invention

Gears of Revolution

Embers of Destruction

Case File 13 series

Zombie Kid

Making the Team

Evil Twins

Curse of the Mummys Uncle

Contents

Chapter 1

The Right Time

Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!

Is it time?

Is it time?

Is it time?

The question bounced about the Rabbit family warren like a well-hit croquet ball.

Uncle Lop Rabbit tugged his greatcoat tightly around his shoulders, despite the weather being unseasonably warm, and held a single glass lens up to his eye to examine those around him with great scrutiny mixed with a dash of befuddlement. Ive heard the Arithma Sea is as purple as an eggplant and the schools of numbers are in a tizzy. It must be time.

Aunt Angora Rabbit squirmed in her corset and flicked one long ear. Ive heard its twice as purple as a plum. Creatures of enormous size and questionable integrity are rising from the depths. High time, Id say.

Past time, if you ask me, Cousin Lilac huffed. The queen has declared a quarantine over all of Wonderland. Shes locked the castle gates, and the Cards are seizing anyone trying to get in or out.

The Cards, whispered the rest of the family, twitching their noses and thumping their feet.

Have you heard about what happened to... you know who? asked Nephew Rex.

He was attacked by a beast, whispered one voice.

A monster, murmured another.

A demon.

A phantasm.

A fiend.

A hauntstrosity, Grandmother Sable said with a shiver. It got everyone at his house. And now...

Theyve gone madder than mad, Niece Satin said around a mouthful of carrot.

Its getting worse every day. The twins, Perlfee and Pannon, spoke in unison like always. Although they were well-known as the gossips of the family, it was universally recognized that what they said was almost always true. The gryphons turned savage in the middle of the last Lobster Quadrille and ate the entire class. Somethings been horrificating the Avians. Rabid beasts have been reported in the Duchesss woods.

The two of them pressed their heads together, long ears quivering, as though sharing information, then nodded in unison. Everyone is saying the end of Wonderland is near.

The end of Wonderland? Mother Marten squeaked.

Father Fauves applewood pipe fell out of his mouth, spreading hot ashes across his feet, but he barely noticed. The end of Wonderland.

The end of Wonderland.

The end of Wonderland.

The end of Wonderland.

It quickly turned into a chant, and the sound of thumping feet echoed for miles. The whole Rabbit family might have fled in a panic if Great-Great-Great-Grandfather Gotland Rabbit hadnt chosen that moment to shuffle out of his den in a checkered bathrobe and a worn pair of bunny slippers, which bore a striking resemblance to fussy Aunt Rhinelander.

Cant a rabbit nap in peace around here? he complained, rubbing the top of his bald head. Its bad enough that my bladder is bashful and my liver is laughable. Now I must put up with the ruckus of rambunctious relatives rioting above my room. Whats all this ruminating?

Its the end of Wonderland, shrilled Pika. No one was entirely sure how he was related, or if he was actually a member of the Rabbit family at all, but everyone nodded.

A run on underwear, you say? Grandfather Gotland asked with a scowl.

The end of Wonderland, Satin shouted, spraying bits of chewed carrot everywhere.

Grandfather Gotland flicked an orange sliver disdainfully from his robe. Why would anyone want to listen to a thunder band ?

For lettuce sake, Great-Great-Great-Grandmother Gabali Rabbit said. She lifted one of Gotlands floppy ears and yelled, The family thinks it might be the end of Wonderland. They. Want. To. Know. If. It. Is. Time.

Grandfather rubbed his ear. You dont have to shout. He twisted left and righthis spine cracking in at least a dozen placesthen tugged up the waistband of his pajamas. Bring out the clocks.

The clocks, the family murmured as a pair of well-muscled rabbits in matching uniforms turned to two large wooden doors that hadnt been opened for as long as any of them could remember.

It took the clock-keepers several minutes to figure out which of them had the key, and when they did, the lock was so rusty it refused to turn at first. But eventually it clicked, and the huge doors swung open with a squeak of rusty metal hinges.

A moment later, the rabbits rolled out a strange-looking contraption made of hundreds of differently shaped gears, dozens of springs, several pipes, numerous levers, and two large clock hands.

The Clock of Dithering, Uncle Lop whispered, studying it through his monocle.

Grandfather Gotland waggled his whiskers as the great mechanical clock was rolled up before him. I seem to recall... He reached for a lever with a red knob, but hesitated. Or was it? He began to twist a silver crank then shook his head. Thats not right.

After several minutes of starting and stopping, he finally grabbed the biggest handle he could find, closed his eyes, and tugged.

Springs sprung, gears whirled, pipes spewed clouds of smoke and whistled ear-piercing screeches. The two clock hands whirled until they were nothing but a blur before stopping abruptly with a loud double clonk-clonk .