Rei hissed after the Game Over words flashed on the screen. "Gaejasig!"

"Is that Korean for damnit?" Rally asked behind her.

Rei watched the scoreboard appear. She made two thousand points on her tenth try in Martian Blaster. Although first-person shooters were her favorite, she felt a little risky playing the difficult arcade game.

She sighed and placed the plastic laser gun back into its holster. "O ileon… How could I be terrible in this game when I can shoot my real gun?"

"I think you did pretty well. It could be a rigged game that wastes your credits."

Rei nodded. "Wanna try?"

Rally shrugged. "How about we find another game before hitting the road?"

Rei smiled a mischievous grin. "Why? So you can take me to your place quickly?"

"I can’t spend my entire paycheck here forever. But why don't you choose this time?"

Rei giggled. "I choose one last ride, and then we can call it a night."

"Fine by me." Rally held out his hand toward her.

Without hesitation, Rei took his hand and followed him out of the arcade building. Before they reached the ride district, a fat tall man bumped into Rei’s right shoulder.

"Hey!" Rei cried.

The middle-aged man spun toward her, raising his hands up. He has an oval body shape with red-brownish hair around his head, wearing a yellow plaid shirt and brown overalls. Somehow he looked more like a bear than a human. "My apologies. Are you lost?"

"No, we're heading for a ride," said Rally. "Who are you?"

The man grinned. "I am Mr.Dreams, the owner of Dreamland."

"Annyeonghaseyo! Nice to meet you," said Rei. "Why are you in a hurry?"

Mr.Dreams rubbed behind his head. "Oh, I only need to check on something. You said you're heading for a ride?"

"Yup," Rally answered.

"May I ask which ride?"

Rei shrugged. "We don't know yet."

The middle-aged man bit his lip until he smiled. “There is a new contraption here being built, but I am letting a few visitors experience it."

"What is it?"

"An Alice in Wonderland funhouse. Not a ride, but it is full of amazing special effects. Once you step inside, you will feel like it is real."

Rei widened her eyes with glitters around her cute pupils. "Wow!"

"You said it is still being built?" Rally asked.

Mr.Dreams nodded. "Yes, but fully functional. Think of it as a demo."

"Is it safe?" Rally asked.

"I guarantee it. If you can, I would like to hear about your experience in my office. It will help me make improvements if there are specific errors."

Rei looked around. "Where is your office?"

Mr.Dreams pointed his thumb back. "It is near the entrance. You can't miss it."

"What about the Wonderland funhouse?" Rally asked.

Mr.Dreams directed his finger past Rally's shoulder. "Far behind the roller coaster area. You will find the funhouse behind a yellow wooden fence. It will say do not enter, but the door isn't locked. You shouldn't have a problem getting inside."

From his back pocket, he pulled out two purple tickets. "These are the passes to the funhouse. The computer will scan them and let you in."

"Is the house run by a computer?" Rei asked.

"Yes, but it is advance enough to work on its own. It will monitor you in every room."

Rally took both the passes. "Well, thank you very much. You built an excellent park here."

Mr.Dreams smiled. "Thank you. My father actually built this place for the Humanimal community. Sadly he passed away last month."

Rei’s ears lowered. "Sorry to hear that."

"It's okay. However, I am lucky to inherit his park to give it a better future." He checked his watch. "Gotta run now. Enjoy the funhouse!"

After Mr.Dreams left, Rei checked her pass. "Are you sure you want to go to this funhouse? It isn't a ride."

Rally shrugged. "So. It's new. We should be the lucky ones to try it out."

Rei grinned. "Gwaenchanh-a."

*****

It didn't take Rei and Rally long to reach the yellow fence behind the ride distinct. Black painted words, "Do not enter," spread all over the fence. Rei could barely see the house's dark rooftop over the perimeter.

"This must be the place, but I don't see the door," said Rally, gazing around.

Rei activated her x-ray vision. While moving along the fence, she soon spotted a board that wasn't nailed with the other ones. "I think I found it."

She pulled the board from the fence and slid it to the left. Through the gap, two tall bushes stood, nearly covering the hidden path. Rei stepped through anyway, squeezing past the soft bushes.

On the other side, a two-story purple and black gothic house emerged from the shadows. Windows shimmered green, and a neon light sign gloomed over the doorway, titled, “Alice’s Wonderland House. Enter if you dare!”

Rei expected something like the Red Queen’s castle or the Mad Hatter’s house, surrounded by a beautiful rose bush garden. But not everything can be judged by its first appearance.

“That looks like a haunted house,” said Rally, standing Rei.

“Eung. It looks old, or broken down,” said Rei after her normal vision returned.

“If you want, we can turn back.”

Rei shook her head. “Aniyo. Aniyo. I think it will be rude if we ignore Mr.Dreams’s offer. If we find anything wrong, we will tell him.”

“Okay, I got your back, kitty.” Rally rubbed Rei’s hair.

She snickered as her cheeks blushed for a short time. She liked him calling her kitty. Somehow hearing it from his handsome voice sounded better than Luna.

They approached the door where a peek hole opened, revealing a camera lens.

“Place passes here,” said a male computer voice on the door.

Rei and Rally held up their passes toward the scanner. The camera lens shot two red beams at the passes and stopped.

“Welcome to Wonderland.” The door clicked and automatically opened.

Rei and Rally stepped inside, finding only an empty room without a second door.

Rally glared as he looked around. “Is this it?”

Behind them, the door slammed shut, leaving the couple in darkness. Something hissed beneath Rei’s feet, and she smelled an anise scent in the air.

Both Rei and Rally coughed before landing on the floor, next to each other. Rei crawled toward the door, but she passed out before she could reach it.