The decline of the White Rabbit or the true end of Alice in the Kingdom of Madness

"Once upon a time, in Paris..."

No, that's too common. I think, I will try something else.

"I was a simple human, living in a world full of human. Mortals like these characters would say... "

Do you think I'm too serious or that I am beginning this story like all the stories in the world? In fact, I have always wanted to be a character of a fairy tale like Humpty Dumpty. That huge wave which carried you away when you were a little kid, to me, this is the definition of the fairy tale, a wall between reality and fiction. Now, would you be able to read this story without turning around and feeling someone watching you?

I remembered that I had some homework. That was the first thing I thought at the moment of this meeting between me and my animal copy.

When I went to Paris, I had just returned from skiing in my mind with the desire to visit a museum - as for me, I don't want to criticize but it was the oddest museum in the world -the Paris Sewer Museum, the place where you have tunnels, a lot of tunnels. I lost the group, I was alone, helpless, uneasy, seeking the right way to return to them. Abruptly, I saw a light, like the sun but concentrated in a spark. It was harder and harder hard not to notice the eyes built to in the wall. They were laughing at me. I was mummified when I finally heard a sign of life near to my right side. He was here, in front of me, coming from an invisible burrow. His bushy tail, his protruding eyes looking at me, two large teeth, one of which was broken, he seemed to be hit by an unknown enemy. He smelled the scent of blood and medicine. Why me? His skin, real pink skin was torn letting me see his organs, his lungs were pounding like a prey trapped in a spider web. I was startle, I shrieked with all the power I had to intend to push back this hero of fairy tale: The White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. Finally, he crawled to get close to me, his pocket watch in his right paw and the other was only emptiness. He wanted introduce something, his mouth opening, and closing, spitting, swallowing, murmuring words in a completely foreign language for a regular human. Then, he held a piece of my jacket to narrate his story. It was my turn to relate what he said to me, with the greatest possible precision. I swear.

"If the White Rabbit came to Paris, it is with the firm conviction of avowing all of them in order not to be under the influence of the madness which reached Wonderland. Wonderland's atmosphere hasn't been the same since Alice's return on Earth. This country was into a devastated and infected country by a virus which was unknown: Tyranny and Desire's virus. This dreadful virus gives you cold sweats and transforms you into a brainless monster except the desire to be the best and urge to kill."

I was sitting on a clod next to some bones that were left here and I listening my speaker.

"It was a day that was to be like the others, in this industrialized, heartless country", began the White Rabbit.

My blood ran cold when I felt his breath reach my face. Despite the nice image that we had of the White Rabbit – he had only one ear up, the other left on the left side was shredded – he was flabbergasted.

"I had to see my friends", he murmured with a guttural voice, "In order to fight against this out of hand evil which was affecting more and more people".

His little voice turned into a wailing. I had to get close to him to hear what he said.

"Our Queen of Hearts had declared that she was Thumper because of her overpowering beauty." He told before spitting blood.

"I d…don't understand what y…you are saying, I thought she was…Different", I hesitated.

From what I knew, the Queen was an awful woman, with an incommensurate head compared to its small body and an unbearable character. It might be a misunderstanding between us. I did not understand the link between the virus and the Queen. But, I tried to make the links with my deduction and I translated what he said as best as I could. Suddenly, I wanted to throw up when I heard what followed.

"She was the first to become ill!" growled the Rabbit with his eyes half closed.

Then, his words became disjointed. All I understood was that he insisted on the fact that the Death is a distraction, an entertainment because it's entertaining to look for what the person thinks when she suffers, like a game. Life is short! This statement shocked me and made me jump out of my skin. He smiled mischievously. I was petrified. The White Rabbit picked several sheets out of his pocket, and showed me one of them. On it, I could read:

Name: Queen of Hearts

Height: 5.67 ft Weight: 207.23

Motive: madness, murder weapon: guillotine

From what was written, she did not die because of the virus. The King of Hearts accused her of killing Bambi's mother, because in her madness she had chimed to be Thumper and so wanted to have all the attention of Bambi for her. The famous catchphrase: "Off with his head!" was for once not used by her, but by the King of Hearts.

"When the Queen of Hearts died, the country was so quiet, the horrible bellowing of the Queen had finally disappeared. When this news was announced to everybody, lacking only the King to have the power" He explained.

Then, he gave me the second sheet, which this time was:

Name: King of Hearts

Height: 5.01 ft Weight: 189.59

Motive: Poisoning Weapon: Banana with roses

Just two days later, the King of Hearts got sick because of a banana with roses, which was obviously poisoned by the blood of one of the condemned, who dreamed of freedom and life.

"When the King died a few days after the Queen of Hearts, anarchy reigned over the kingdom, and the soldiers, the executioners, my friends and all the habitants were convicted in this vicious game, created without our knowledge. Yes, my dear, I said: this game. With the same question: who will be the next on the list of the undertaker? This is the game played by everybody in the dynasty just for fun. He revealed with a hint of malice in his dark eyes.

He seemed to have a few move sheets left, but he gave me another one, and this time it was:

Name: March Hare

Height: 3.28 ft Weight: 57.32

Motive: Afraid of madness Weapon: Drowning

"My dear friend, the March Hare, was going swimming in a muddy but refreshing pool, but committed suicide, unable to bear all the tension on his shoulders and all this violence around him."

An unhealthy air weighed on the tiny space where we were sitting. The next victim was the Hatter:

Name: Hatter

Height: 5.90 ft (with the hat) Weight: 165.34

Motive: Depression Weapon: fatal fall

The Mad Hatter who was still enjoying this game at tea time, became violently depressed on the death of March Hare. He decided, by the strength of his simple hat, to fly, fly high in the sky like a Dodo can. A dodo can't fly, that's what I told him, but to him continue was the best solution to believe what but let him continue he seemed really hopeless. He climbed a mountain -in order to jump from the top and so to fly- humming lullabies at the same time.

Ring around the Rosie

Ring-a-ring-a-roses,

A pocket full of posies;

Ashes! Ashes!

We all fall down.1

"He fell into the void while continuing his singing. His head smashed against a rock and we never found his precious hat." He continued slowly.

You are going to think: and what about him? Because, from the beginning, you have already discerned that the undertaker was the White Rabbit – so frail and as cute as we can imagine him? - Well, weep now as you discover the end of this story.

Suddenly, he changed expression, and said:

"And… Then it was the turn of my best friend" He showed me this precious sheet, where I could read:

Name: Cheshire Cat

Height: ? Weight: ?

Motive: Is he really dead? Weapon: Himself

So even if he was his best friend, he seemed not to know a lot of things about him, but maybe that's also why he was really worried.

In the case of the Cheshire Cat, his destiny was mapped out according to the undertaker. He was the next victim. And he was right. All the other surviving characters of our fairytale became zombies and so he had no choice but to face them. With all this death around him, he became more and madder, killed them, played football with their heads and drank their blood.

The next one was the sheet, but it was not the last one. When I saw it, the photograph reminded me of someone.

Name: Alice (Pregnant)

Height: 5.24 ft Weight: 108.02

Motive: Rescue Weapon: Sharp claws and teeth

I said to myself that I knew her; it was the little girl of the book, Alice! But in the picture she seemed more aged and besides that, pregnant.

"I panicked when I discovered Cheshire, my best friend, losing his mind; strangle a stranger because he didn't recognize her before killing her without pity. Alice did her best in order to save them from this madness, but in vain. She crossed the whole of France, from Normandy to the French Riviera, in vain. Moreover, she was pregnant, and so by killing Alice, he also killed her baby… But then, he saw me, still ravaged by madness, and chased me. And now I know that he's still after me." He explained to me.

Then, I saw a large shadow and a large mischievous smile of the Cat of Cheshire behind him. It was finished for him. He let the last sheet of paper fall on the floor.

Name: White Rabbit

Height: 3.93 ft Weight: 66

Motive: Traitor and Undertaker Weapon: Cheshire Cat

It was horrible. There was blood everywhere; the White Rabbit seemed to be already dead, but also dismembered. But it was not the most striking thing for me. The most striking thing was his eyes; full of madness, and of course, his smile… I decided to burn the cat alive to save my own life, I had no choice. I heard laugher when I watched him die.

You, dear reader, who took drugs when you were reading this and watching movies or cartoons, do you, wonder if your mind thinking that this story is true? And if I was also infected by the virus of Wonderland?

¹ Kate Greenaway's 1881