It was all a blur before the garden.
Garden, in this case, constituted a massive, sprawling courtyard. I recall sunlight before that point, but the courtyard had none-- the pine trees that stretched endlessly up to the sky blotted out all but slots of moonlight. I looked up: the trees distended endlessly, with an alien perspective that did not give the sense of an ending, but still I could see patches of sky. Occasionally, something glowed amidst the branches, but I ignored it. The glowing point was always a different colour.
I wandered aimlessly. Though I saw walls upon entering the courtyard, in actuality it had no end, and when I turned around I realized that the beginning had also vanished. Eventually I came to a clearing.
There, a table was set... no, not a table. More the suggestion of a table, with two chairs. The tablecloth was a dark violet, though sometimes it was black. The china was stark white against the dark backdrop: A teapot, two saucers set with dainty cups, and a tray of biscuits; which, for some reason, didn't seem anything like biscuits at all.
Most peculiarly, there was a man, or something shaped like a man seated in the left chair. He was dressed in pinstriped pants and a tailcoat, both about the same shade as the tablecloth. The coat had two rows of buttons, and silver embroidery along the hem. His shoes were wingtips, very shiny.
With one hand gloved in the same stark white as the china, he gestured at the righthand seat. I stood there staring at him for a good minute or two, trying to make out his face before realizing that he didn't have a face. He didn't really even have much of a head, the suggestion of a head perhaps, but the face was nothing but a yawning black void, loaning the distinct impression that he was either generating or sucking in everything around us.
I refused to sit with him. He stood, making to approach me, but I grabbed the tablecloth hastily and pulled it free. The tableware clattered into midair weightlessly and vanished when it was obscured by the cloth. The table and chairs disappeared as well, but the man was still there, standing stiffly in my way. The tablecloth disintegrated in my hand, becoming nothing instantly. A gloved hand gestured into the trees. I ran.
Half a mile, maybe more, maybe less... it was hard to tell with the illusion of vastness I gained from the endless trees, which all looked alike. I just ran. The glowing in the trees became more frequent, but increasingly less ambiguous. I realized that it was not just one light that changed colours, but a number of different coloured lights. I also noticed that they weren't affixed to the trees, instead they moved with me. I skidded to a halt, and stared up at them as they formed a circle around me. Finally, these strange ghost lights revealed themselves.
I refer to them as fairies, despite the lack of wings. Women, only about one or two feet tall. Their dainty dresses were made from enormous, gorgeous flower petals from all manner of plants. They had angelic faces with soft features. They drifted down from the branches to surround me, peering curiously at me. I looked around at all of them, in their myriad of colours, and came back to the tangerine one, with a dress made of roses. All at once the pretty faces of these creatures gained an edge of madness, and turned from being saintly to devilish. Long, wicked teeth began in their mouths, and they attacked me.
I was bitten over and over, my physical body felt it. There was no place they didn't bite. I started to run from them, blindly, shielding my face. This mad dash brought me to a gigantic, arching door. I tore the creatures from my body, throwing them to the ground, and went through, unaware that I had just put myself in a situation much worse than being eaten alive...
[Continued.]