Alice knocked on the doors of 114 Samberset Avenue, waiting for someone to open up. She flattened her skirt and ran a hand through her hair.
Two years. Two whole years without seeing her mother and she was nervous. Staying at Penelope's house helped her with her addiction to alcohol, but it wasn't enough to fully cure the pain of leaving. Alice had spent two years staying at Penelope's house, away from everyone. Her mother and sister were so worried that they couldn't just leave her.
Alice knocked again, just incase nobody heard her the first time. In an instant, Helen, Alice's mother, opened the door and pulled Alice into a tight hug.
Alice chuckled and said, "Hello Mother. It's been a while." She wrapped her arms around her mother's shouldres and squeezed.
Helen released Alice from the embrace and kissed her cheeck. "I've missed you, my daughter. How was Penelope's house? I imagine it is bigger than it was when we visited her a few years ago."
Alice smiled. "Oh yes. It was nice and roomy, but it got lonely at times and I missed home. It is better to be here than over there. I already feel at home." Alice dropped her bag on the table in the hallway and walked back over to her mother. "I don't suppose you have tea, do you?"
Helen smiled and grabbed Alice's hand and steered her onto the terrace.
"... and she dropped the cat and screamed on the top of her lungs!" Alice laughed and her mother joined along.
"Oh that must have been wonderful! It is always fun to play a joke on someone else," countered Helen.
"Oh yes!" Alice looked at the woods and got a sudden falling feeling in her stomach. Seven years.
Seven years. Seven years.
The words kept repeating in her ears. She must not think of that place. That wonderful place with the talking flowers and disappearing cats and the wonderful, orange-haired hat- No! She shook her head. She mustn't think of the wonders of the world.
The rabbit hole was destroyed. Gone. Her over-protective sister filled it. The hole is gone and she will never be able to visit it again.
"So, sweetheart," Helen interupted Alice's thoughts. "How have you been?"
"What? Oh. I have been good! I told you, Penelope took great care of me over there!" Alice almost smiled.
"No, love. I mean how have you really been. I mean after the whole... uh... situation?" Helen stared intently at Alice.
"Oh. Well, I haven't been able to erase the memories. I know you don't believe about the rabbit hole, but I believe. I have been there and I've seen all of the creatures!" Alice sighed and wrapped her arms around her legs.
"Alice, sweetheart," Helen began, "...How do I put this? Well. It's not real. When you ran into the woods, you bumped your head really hard on a branch. You imagined that 'world'. For God's sake, Alice! You're twenty-five! You shouldn't be believing in fairytales at this age!"
"Mother... Don't..." Alice started getting tears in her eyes.
Helen felt sympathetic towards Alice for yelling at her and said, "Oh, love! Don't cry. I am sorry. You just returned from another country and this is how I treat you! How should I make things better? How about a party! A grand old party! Oh! I better start calling the families!"
Just as Alice was about to tell her mother that she didn't want a party, she walked away to go inside and left her outside on the terrace. Alice sighed and got up from her seat and walked to the front of the yard where she saw her old neighbors. They had aged and became old-looking. She felt horrible for leaving for two years.
Alice retreated inside and grabbed her hand bag from the table in the hall. As she passed the kitchen, she heard her mother on the phone with some other woman.
"Yes! Oh Alice will be so excited to dance with Jeremy! Oh yes! Yes, that is seven tonight."
Alice walked up the staircase and into her old bedroom. It smelled of mothballs and despair. She put her luggage on the queen-sized matress and began unpacking. This will be a long night.