It’s day 31 – the last day! – of the #TopsyTurvyBookTour over on Instagram! Yesterday our fearless gang reunited while running through a dangerous hedge maze next to the Overlook Hotel. Today the characters are turning the tables on the “Word Charmer” who cast the Topsy Turvy spell on them. Here we go…
(This is a derivative work based on T.L. Brown’s Door to Door.)
Tracy bolted upright.
What the –? Putting her hand to her mouth she hoped it was just a dream. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and dropped to the cold hardwood floor. She knew this room.
Sneaking into the hall, she cautiously crept down the stairs, skipping the steps she knew would creak. Reaching the landing at the bottom, she peered through the leaded glass of the pocket door. On the other side, an unhappy cast of characters stared back: Emily, Templeton, Tara, Jack, Anne, Rabbit, and Lucie. Two house cats dozed behind them. Thankfully she was spared Nisha and the Fringe. Tracy slid the door open.
Emily stood with her arms crossed. “Seriously, what were you thinking?”
“It was only for fun,” Tracy explained, holding out her hands. “It was an Instagram writing community challenge and –”
“How would you like to be booted into a Margaret Atwood book or…” Templeton squinted at Tracy. “Vinegar Hill?”
“NO!” Tracy cried.
“Exactly.” Templeton jabbed a finger at her. “I can send you there. I have the Topsy Turvy spell now.”
“You’re bluffing,” Tracy challenged.
“Try me.”
“Okay, that’s enough.” Anne’s voice raised. Everyone quieted. “Tracy, is the Topsy Turvy spell over?”
“Yes,” she sighed. “Can I go home now?”
“Alright,” Emily said. “But don’t do this again. You can go home through the pantry door.”
“Oh, allow me,” Templeton sneered, catching Tracy by the elbow and walking her into the kitchen. She shrugged off his grasp. He opened the door to the pantry and motioned for her to go through. “Trust me, this is the way home.”
“Templeton,” Tracy said as she picked an imaginary piece of lint off her shoulder. “I wrote you. I know better than to trust you.”
With that, she reached up and swiped the top hat from his head. As she jumped through the door – and past his outstretched hand – she shouted over her shoulder: “See you this fall in Doors Wide Open!”
…And there you have it! I hope you’ve enjoyed the #TopsyTurvyBookTour short stories!
To read ALL of the derivative stories in order here on my website, start with this post: Alice in Wonderland.
What’s this about?
In August 2021, I co-hosted a writing challenge on Instagram and dropped Emily Swift and crew into a story, a scene, a situation, etc. matching the “book of the day” prompt. In these posts you can read about Door to Door Paranormal Mystery Characters trying to make it through stories like: Dracula, Harry Potter, MacBeth, Murder on the Orient Express, Winnie the Pooh, Sherlock Holmes, Little Red Riding Hood, Jurassic Park, and many more!
If you ARE on Instagram, make sure you’re following me at https://www.instagram.com/WriterTracyBrown/. But if you’re not using Instagram, no worries, you can read all the posts on my blog list starting here with Alice in Wonderland, or on Facebook at Writer Tracy Brown. 🙂
Leave a Reply