WHIMSY WORLD
The glittering gold letters loomed high above, set into the enormous arch that marked the entrance of the theme park.
It seemed like the place had popped up out of nowhere, but suddenly everyone was talking about it. Commercials played almost constantly on the local TV stations and posters littered the streets.
Your ten year old brother Lucas was obsessed with the place and had pestered your mother non-stop when the news got out that it had opened. Within a week you were utterly sick of it.
Then you won the free tickets. They arrived with impeccable timing on the weekend before Lucas's birthday.
You didn't even remember entering any competition. Lucas must have done it under your name.
Now you and your family stood at the front gate. Tinny carnival music and the delighted shrieks of children echoed from within. You could already feel a headache brewing.
Lucas raced ahead, hopping up and down at the entrance and calling for the rest of you to hurry up.
Your mother smiled and shook her head. "He's going to wear himself out within the hour" she laughed.
Your younger sister Cleo laughed too. While she liked to dress like a goth and pretended to act mature, she was still only 13 years old and well within the target demographic of the park. She'd probably enjoy it here, even if she refused to admit it.
Then there was you. You'd argued with your mother earlier that morning that you didn't want to go, that there was nothing there for you. What's an 18 year old guy supposed to do at a cutesy kiddy theme park? She had simply responded that it was Lucas's birthday and she wanted it to be a family outing. You couldn't really argue with that.
As you made your way through the gate and entered the main plaza you were greeted by the park's signature attraction, the mascots. They resembled the suited characters you might see at Disney Land or similar parks, but their suits were much more sophisticated. The big glassy eyes moved and even blinked, and their oversized plush bodies didn't crease or wrinkle like fabric. They almost looked like characters from a children's TV show come to life.
A green dinosaur mascot approached your group and handed a a bright red balloon to your little brother. "Welcome to Whimsy World! Hope you have a magical day!" he announced. You couldn't help but notice the way his mouth moved perfectly in sync with his speech, and the oversized eyes on his costume seemed to look right at you. This park had impressive technology, at the very least.
As the dinosaur mascot turned to rejoin the crowd, a delighted Lucas ran off, yelling about all the rides he wanted to try.
"Lucas! Slow down!" your mother called out, following after him. Cleo chuckled sardonically and followed suit at a much more relaxed pace, leaving you all alone at the plaza.
You'd only just arrived and already you wanted it to be over. There was nothing for you to do here. You were too old to be entertained by the mascots and the park didn't even have anything cool like a roller coaster, only kiddy attractions like tea cup rides and a haunted house.
You felt a tap on your shoulder and turned around to see a white rabbit mascot in a sparkling purple waistcoat. He reached behind this back and then produced a golden envelope with a dramatic flourish, holding it out for you to accept. You hesitantly took the envelope and opened it, revealing a letter printed in fancy golden ink.
"LUCKY GUEST,
A MAGICAL, ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EXPERIENCE AWAITS YOU.
FOLLOW THE WHITE RABBIT."
As you looked up from the letter, you saw that the rabbit was grinning toothily and gesturing for you to follow. He winked with one of his bulging pink eyes. The effect was more than a little creepy, but seeing as you had apparently won some kind of prize you decided to follow him.
The rabbit mascot, swaying in tune to some unheard song, lead you down a narrow winding path out of the main plaza area that you wouldn't have noticed unless it was pointed out to you. Eventually the two of you reached a tiny alley in what appeared to be the backstage area. A dead end. The rabbit brought a finger up to his lips in a "Shh, it's a secret" gesture and knocked twice on the wall.
Strange machinery clinked and whirred behind the wall. You wondered what you were getting yourself into and considered turning around to leave, but suddenly the wall shot open and a set of thin mechanical arms reached out to grab you. Cold metal claws closed around your wrists, your ankles, your face. The last thing you saw as they yanked you into the dark passageway was the smiling face of the white rabbit as he gently waved goodbye.
Then only darkness.