Dreams in Wonderland Why did I have to name that wisp of a stray dog TOTO?? It was the beginning of the most unbelievable adventure. Unbelievable trouble I would call it, but who am I to change the meaning of long words? Toto was wet and hungry when I found him under the old two-wheel wagon in Mr. Dampsey's stable. All I could see was a pair of burning eyes ogling me suspiciously and a big ugly cut on one ear. The ear was actually torn and gave the poor thing a terrible look. It took a while to gain his trust, but gee, when he came out, he was all over me. I took him to Mama Holster, because there is no one in a hundred miles around that can fix wounded animals like Mama Holster. She wanted to know if I'm going to keep that poor bastard, for she said she ain't goin' to waste her precious ointment on a stray. So, would YOU have said you're not keeping him? I said yes, he'll be mine from that day on, and when she said I must name him I said Toto, and that was it. Toto's ear remained in its half version. Didn't hurt his hearing none. He followed me everywhere and became a laughingstock to my friends. Even when well fed, he was still a tiny dog, but he barked in a shrieking high pitch that could bring the sheriff running. This was how I came to be Toto's owner. Oh, I forgot to say, my name is Kevin. I'm 13 and live around the corner from Dampsey's stable, in the attic of the Guns and Roses Saloon. No, you don't have to raise a brow and say it ain't a proper place for a boy to live in. I'll have you know that it's clean, well aired and if not for the big heart of Miss Annabelle, I would have lived in the streets. Where are my parents you ask? Well, as long as I can remember, I've been asking the same question. I must have had parents at some stage of my life, but they chose to dump me and vanished like a rabbit into its hole. I think I don't need them any more, for I've got a good name, Kevin Horseshoe, I have a place to stay and I've got Toto. The horseshoe that was found on me is still with me. I'm kind of used to having it under my pillow when I go to sleep. Everything started one cloudy morning, when the winds were blowing hard. I decided to stay in my attic, play with Toto and work on my painting. Christmas was only a week away and I was busy preparing a special picture for Miss Annabelle. I sat at the small table and got out the packet of crayons I've bought from Joshua's General store. He was really nice when I came with my hard saved pennies to buy the crayons and found I was 3 pennies short. He said I must bring them another time and added a couple of drawing sheets for me to do my painting on. I thought I'll draw for Miss Annabelle the world she was always talking about, a place of wonders and miracles, where people will be dressed up nicely and the ladies will be respected and rich. Yes, she'll keep it by her bed and will look at it every night before going to sleep. Ok. This is now what brought Toto and me into the heart of the Trouble... You want to hear about it, don't you? When I started to color-in the picture, I didn't notice at first that the crayons I was using gave out a different color to what they were supposed to. I wanted Miss Annabelle's dress to be bright red, like the red velvet draperies she had in her drawing room, but each time I used the red crayon, the color came out blue like the sky. Strange things were going on