Alice and What Came After – The Extras
Disclaimer: Nothing except my shiny new copy of Alice on DVD! Yay!
Summary: Bits and pieces that didn't make it in the actual story.
Original Concept
I'd been watching "Alice" on TV the second time it aired. I missed a few bits so I rewatched it online. I let ideas brew in my head for a few days until around Christmas, when my grandmother passed away. When stressed, I like to write. So I used my Sony Reader (and e-book with some handy tools) and during car rides to functions and such, I scribbled down my ideas (hey, it was smaller than my notebook…)
Here's some of those first notes:
(Dec 24th, 2009)
Alice & Hatter get married after Sarah's birth. Sarah falls for one of Jack's sons in Wonderland. Sarah has Hatter's unruly hair. She learned defense from her mom. She's very close to Hatter. Never went to Wonderland with him.
(Dec 25th, 2009)
Damen is King - killed Jack, who escaped through the mirror to warn Alice
Hatter is to be killed - he spoke to Jack and begged him to warn Alice and destroy the mirror
Damen's brother leads resistance and finds Sarah after she falls through in search of her parents
(Dec 26th, 2009)
Alice is abducted - Sarah escapes but follows, intent on finding her dad.
Hatter is going mad under torture by the Drs. Dee & Dum & believes Sarah is Alice come to save him
Sarah's love for Jack's son helps her stay alive in this strange world
My next goal was to pick a title. Alternate titles included: Another Wonderland, Family Affair, and Prince of Hearts.
The actual title is an homage to the books by Carroll—Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There—at least I think those are the correct titles—I don't actually own a copy of the book.
Here's an early handwritten scene:
Hatter kept Wonderland alive by telling his daughter stories about his home. Stories that defied imagination.
Alice, too, kept Wonderland alive by passing on her tattered copy of Alice of Legend's adventures. She even got cats--Dinah, Snowdrop, and Kitty.
He missed his home at times, but overall, he was quite content with Alice and their daughter.
At least until after years of peace, Wonderland invaded again--this time taking him hostage.
Locked in a dungeon cell awaiting his execution, Hatter collected his thoughts, even as nonsense threatened his memories. All that mattered to Hatter was the safety of Alice and Sarah. Safety that didn't seem possible from what Drs. Dee and Dum told him.
His wife was to be executed and his daughter's fate was unknown--perhaps the King of Hearts didn't know she existed--but it was likely she would die alongside her mother.
Unless Jack took pity on Alice's daughter, all three Hatters would die.