It's after midnight

* To get the full effect of this story, go to YouTube and play Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit."



The only light in the room came from the yellow lights of the jukebox. Abby heard her breath suck in. There was a single click and metallic ringing as the quarter rolled down the chute of the jukebox.

An eerie beat and chilling tones filled the air as a disembodied voice sang.

"One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all."

Abby's hands began to shake. Chills slithered down her spine and she sat rooted to the bar stool. The voice seemed to mock her as the beat pounded into her skull. The music was growing louder, the yellow light fading and brightening with the bass.

"Go ask Alice
When she's ten feet tall

And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you're going to fall."

Her heart was pounding so hard her skin ached. Tears sprang to her eyes and giggles bubbled in her throat. Her hand wrapped around her cell phone, but her skin was so slick it slid uselessly to the table. She glanced at the clock. It was 12:03.

As the song grew louder and the table shook with the beat, she heard it. It was tiny, but it was there. The sound of a metallic scrap. Grasping the table, she clutched the plastic knife from her unfinished pie in her hand.

"Who's there?" she shouted, her voice raspy and raw. "Who is it?"

Only the singer's haunting voice replied.

"Go ask Alice
I think she'll know."

"Who the hell is Alice?" she yelled, the plastic of the fork digging into her slick skin. "Who the hell are you?"

Another metallic scrape. Her eyes scanned the room, desperately clinging to any shred of light. She could see a few of the tables, a couple of the chairs. The light barely glinted off the clock and didn't even touch the windows. Wait a minute. She narrowed her eyes and leaned closer. There, by the counter with the napkins and sugar and ketchup. Was that a figure?

"My boyfriend is going to be here any minute!" she shouted, leaning forward and waving her knife. "I don't know who you are, but you better leave. I wouldn't want to be you," she warned, her voice squeaking at the end. Her hand shook and the blood throbbed in her ears with each beat of her heart. Was it her imagination, or was her heart in tune with the song.

The song. The stupid song. It had to be the song. She was just seeing things. She'd had too much sugar tonight. Her imagination was being overactive as usual. Exhaling shakily, Abby grabbed her phone and pushed a button. A blue glow filled the room, mixing with the yellow light of the jukebox.

Then Abby saw the figure in the dark. The music swelled. A mixture of a scream and a gasp burst from her lips.

"Who are you?" she stuttered. "What do you want?"

"When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy-dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards."

The singer's voice warbled into the night, the music swelling. The figure moved. Abby stared in horror, frozen to the spot. She tried to thrust her knife towards it as it came toward her, but it dropped from her hand.

"And the Red Queen's, "Off with her head." The singer seemed pleased, even amused as her menacing words bored into Abby's skull.

The figure came closer. Light flooded the diner and the song stopped mid-chorus. Abby's eyes widened and she screamed.

She should have never been in the diner after midnight.


*Remember, tomorrow the 7 things meme from Jen! Don't forget Invisible Friends--stay out of diners after midnight.