OCTOBER 24th-"Her smile was a bit too wide, a bit too cheerful, considering the blood on the walls."

Her smile was a bit too wide, a bit too cheerful, considering the blood on the walls. Artistic crimson splashes adorned the otherwise bright white walls. The way she sat back down and started on dessert, it was clear the walls would remain that way.

Dinah sighed, it was going to be up to her to clean up her mother’s mess again. She put down her glass of milk, and went downstairs to get the bleach.

“Oh Din-Din, what’s that for?” Her mother exclaimed seeing Dinah come up with the bleach, and a bucket with a sponge inside.

“I don’t know, Mother. For fun.” Was Dinah’s curt reply, “I love pretending I’m your maid.”

“Attitude, my dear.” Her mother scolded, “We have a family reputation to withhold, and scowling is a no-no.” Her mother grinned widely again, two neat lines of straight pointed teeth gleamed at Dinah. The corner of her mother’s mouth had a speck of blood on it, making Dinah want to wince.

Instead Dinah rolled her eyes, prompting her mother to smile harder and break out in a delighted chuckle. “Dinah, honey, turn that frown upside down and disappear with me! Wheee!” Her mother cried happily. Then Dinah watched her mother’s body disappear, until nothing was left but her big smile. The smile spoke, “You know, you wouldn’t be so cranky if you ate proper food!” then made a kiss noise, and then also disappeared.

Dinah sighed again, and went to mix the bleach with water. She filled the bucket and started cleaning up the walls. It was so hard to get her mother to be serious, for even a second.

“The third one this week,” Dinah mumbled to herself between wipes, “Poor things didn’t stand a chance. Now I have to clean up the mess. Guess that’s what I get when my mother’s Wonderland’s dreaded Cheshire Cat.”