Chapter 1
The Tumble
Alice's engagement party was rather boring, but then, everything was boring to her. Even the supposedly energetic dancing was dull.
"Anna?" She turned, her long brown hair swishing lightly and her green eyes flashing, to look at her best friend. The only bit of color at the party, and even then her dress was still a rather flat color of yellow. Her dark blond hair was done up with sparkling white pins though, and it made her friends' blue eyes shine.
"What are you thinking this time?"
"There's no color, Liza. It's all too white and grey for me."
"Then why didn't you wear something colorful. Blue would have been acceptable for the occasion."
"My mother set this out for me. Apparently it's the 'highest fashion' in Paris."
"Let me guess, you'd rather be wearing black."
"With a red scarf and jewelry."
"How did I know?"
"I haven't the slightest idea."
"It couldn't have to do with the fact that we've known each other since we were five, could it?"
"That might have something to do with it."
"Oh, look, there goes Alice off with Hamish's mother. Do you think she's being told how to take care of him with his weak stomach?"
"I have no doubt. Did you see –" Anna trailed off, then rubbed her eyes.
"The rabbit? You saw it too?"
"Yes. My question is did you see the waistcoat?"
The two of them looked at each other in disbelief. Hallucinations were not so uncommon. Shared hallucinations on the other hand usually meant that what they had seen wasn't a hallucination. They floated with the crowd towards the gazebo as their minds began to go into overdrive.
They watched absently as Hamish pulled Alice up into the gazebo and knelt onto one knee. His ghastly hair glinted, brittle, in the weak sunlight that managed to make its' way beneath the roof. Anna wondered briefly how such ginger hair could be so mundane.
"Alice Kingsley, will you be my wife?" he asked before giving a sudden practiced smile.
"Well, you're a Lord, and I don't want to be like Aunt Imogen," she glanced in the direction of the mad old woman at the back of the group, "Yes."
The courtyard broke out into bright, stuffy applause and Alice and Hamish began to circle among the guests, their white clothing blending easily with that of the other aristocracy.
Liza nudged Anna and pointed toward the hedges, where a rather dejected looking white rabbit was holding a drooping pocket watch. It began to hop forlornly off towards the forest.
"Come on, Anna! Let's follow it!" Liza bounded after the rabbit with unrivaled enthusiasm. Anna could do nothing but chase inelegantly after her, panting as she came up to her friend, who was crouching over a very large rabbit hole.
"Anna, look at it! I could probably fit in this thing! I wonder how deep it is." Liza leaned forward and promptly fell. Anna grasped helplessly at her friends' shoe and felt herself lose balance.
If Anna had been the swearing type, she would have made her mother very disappointed in that moment. As it was, she gasped and followed her friend down the rabbit hole.
It was like no rabbit hole she had ever seen. The depth, for one thing, was extraordinary. Add the multitude of objects that seemed to be suspended in the air they were currently falling through, and she knew that this was no ordinary rabbit hole.
Liza bounced off of a rather dusty bed , sending puffs of grey up into Anna's face. They continued dropping until they hit a structure of some kind and broke through the roof, hung upside down for a moment, and dropped, painfully, to the floor.
"This is unusual," murmured the momentarily stunned Liza.
"At least it is much more entertaining than the engagement party."
"Yes. Do you think this is a dream?"
Anna stood and brushed herself off before she reached down and pinched her friend, hard.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"You wanted to know it this was a dream."
"Sadist."
"Thank you."
Anna helped her friend up off the floor and they looked around. They were surrounded by doors of every shape and size. There were small doors, tall doors, doors with intricate engravings, doors shaped like hearts, and doors with no doorknob.
The only other thing of note about the room was a small glass table with a bottle sitting delicately on top of it next to an insignificant looking key.
Liza picked up the crystalline bottle carefully, twisting the tag around to reveal the words 'Drink Me' on the other side. She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a tiny sip while Anna picked the up the key to get a better look at it.
"Anna! Look at me! I'm short!"
Anna looked down from where she was examining the key, and down some more until she was looking at a pale pile of yellow silk with a miniature Liza sitting , wrapped in white cloth from her underskirt. She couldn't help but compare her friend to a slightly demented egg.
"Anna! Pass me the key! I want to try it in the door over there! The one that's my size!"
Anna smiled indulgently and passed the petit key to the petit Liza. Lisa immediately scampered over to the door and placed the key into the keyhole. She twisted it open with an excited cry and ran out into the exposed sunlight.
Panicking slightly, Anna grasped at the crystal bottle and took a hurried sip. She felt an intense itching for a moment as the ceiling grew farther away, then she tied a makeshift dress around herself and scrambled out the door after her energetic friend.
...
Thank you for reading my story, or at least attempting to. I appreciate any and all REVIEWS to my work, especially if you're telling me what I can fix. I hope you've enjoyed it so far.
Sincerely,
May-B-Madd