If there was one season in particular that really, really bugged Alicia, it was summer.
The hot, dry air; the shimmering heat waves and the barely-there breeze all served as foreboding signs in the morning of July that the day was going to be a long, slow, and incredibly hot one.
As she day-dreamed, sitting in her grandmother Alison's cottage, curled up in the armchair in the air-conditioned lounge room, she gazed out the window and over the pastures of the farmland her grandparents had cultivated for several decades, wondering. Of Wonderland.
How would the Hatter cope with the heat, she wondered. Would he take his tea cold, perhaps with a cube or two of ice? No doubt the March Hare would be shooing him out of the cottage for the afternoon, telling him to go get some decent sunlight on his skin so that March Hare could take the chance to get the cottage clean for once. Maybe the Hatter would go swimming in the forest pool, surrounded by the dancing dragonflies flitting everywhere, the pond algae and plants brushing their soft underwater tendrils through his dark, royal-blue hair that would glisten in the sunlight that dappled through the towering overhead trees. He'd bathe not only in the water but in the rays of sunlight, his fancy clothes and his sword abandoned by the waters edge. It was a lazy way to spend the afternoon, but Alicia found herself wishing that her grandparents had a lake nearby their property so that she might go swimming too, just as the Hatter did in her day-dream.
No doubt the Dormouse would be curled up somewhere cool and dark away from the heat of the day, probably in the Hatter's larder, or maybe in a patch of green, luscious grass somewhere. The White Rabbit would be running endless errands for the Queen, of course – there was no rest for the boy when it came to her Majesty's desires. Alicia felt a little sorry for the slip of a white-haired Rabbit. She could just imagine the Queen of Hearts demanding to be fanned, and the White Rabbit having to be one running around in search of a fan large enough to sate her Majesty.
Her mind wandered further. And what of Cheshire? Surely he'd be either sunning himself under a window, most likely somewhere in the Queen of Hearts palace, cheekily sprawled somewhere high-up where no one could reach him. Or maybe he'd be sunning himself on the tiles of the roof just beneath the windowsill of the young Red Queen, and she herself would be sitting by the window, enjoying the sun as she read a book or perhaps did some sewing. It wasn't often the Red Queen found time to relax, Alicia knew, but if there was a day in Wonderland where everyone was too busy to worry about her and leave her in peace, it was a scorching hot summers day like today.
She knew without a doubt that the Mock Turtle and the Gryphon would be spending their day running rings around the Queen's Royal Bodyguards, Tweedles' Dee and Dum. She smiled to herself as she imagined them pulling some sort of prank that the Gryphon had cooked up on the two short-tempered guards, then leading them on a grand chase through part of the Turgle Woods before hiding up a tree, leaving the two bodyguards flustered and confused. Perhaps they'd even rouse the dozy Cheshire to join them.
Of course, she thought, the Unicorn, stately and proud, would be grazing his way through the forest, rippling his coat to rid himself of pesky rocking-horseflies and the occasional twitter-bird. Maybe he'd cross paths with the swimming Hatter, perhaps they'd sit, feet and hooves dipped into the glimmering pool, and talk for an hour or two.
Where would Caterpillar be? No doubt, he'd be in his darkened, underground cave, surrounded by the moist, dripping cavern walls, the water droplets illuminated by the dozens of glowing blue mushrooms that grew there plentifully. He might even have lain off the smoking for a day; Alicia smiled to ponder, as the warmth from the smoke would probably dry his wrinkly old nose and antennae. His moths and butterfly maidens would flit around the caverns, or in the aboveground gardens, tending to the younger maidens, freshly hatched from their cocoons of dewy gloss and silk.
The Bandersnatch, most likely, would be sprawled out at Her Majesty's feet, tongue lolling and panting heavily in the summer heat, like a huge, overgrown and overly hairy dog. He'd stink of sweat and bad breath, but no matter how many times the Queen of Hearts would order his removal, he'd quite stubbornly refuse to be moved – he'd have found a cool little breeze that dared to sweep across the cobblestone floor amidst everyone's ankles.
How many others were there, she wondered to herself, gazing mindlessly across the fields. How many other creatures and people of the great land of Wonder would be trying to find some way to preoccupy themselves during the blasting waves of heat? Trying to stay cool, too lazy to do anything?
"Why don't you come find out for yourself…?"
Took Alicia a moment, and then she shook herself. She turned to the voice, and saw, seated comfortably in her grandmothers favourite rocking hair, was the Hatter. His long, dark hair was swept up and away from his face with a soft leather thong, loose strands falling over his face, his fringe sweeping over one eye; the other, visible orb sparkling with promise.
"Come, little Alicia," the tall dandy of a man stood, unfolding himself and placing his favourite hat back upon his head. "Come, and let's have a swim in the pond, let's have tea with a few ice cubes thrown in. Let's race across the plains at dusk astride the fleetest of the creatures – let's sit with our toes dipped in the shallows of the great cascading waterfall at the Worlds Edge to watch the sun go down."
She was almost too hot and bothered to move, but the Hatter's tempting invitation sounded so very lovely…with a happy sigh, she allowed herself to sink lower in the armchair, chin resting atop her folded arms, smiling vaguely into the distance.
"…Alicia?"
It wasn't the Hatter's voice – she looked up to see her grandmother, Alison, standing there, a bottle of sunscreen in her hand.
"Y-yes?"
"You were miles away, dear," the wrinkles on Alison's face crinkled as she smiled fondly at her granddaughter. "I was just asking if you wanted to come for a swim with us; the Johnson's down the road called, and invited us to go for a swim in the lake that runs down by the fence. Whatever were you thinking of that you didn't hear me, child?"
Alicia blinked – she hadn't realized how heavy the heat of the lazy day had made her eyelids feel; she'd almost been asleep. No wonder she was daydreaming of seeing the Hatter standing in the living room in front of her.
"I…I don't know, grandmother," she sighed, sinking back down. "I think…maybe I'd just like to have a sleep. Erm…I was…daydreaming."
Alison leant down and stroked her hair – many times, when Alicia had been much younger, she'd been embarrassed when her grandmother had made such a gesture. Now, though, she didn't mind so much.
"All right, dear." She dropped a kiss onto Alicia's head. "I'll let you get back to dreaming about him then."
Grandmother Alison was almost out the door when Alicia had finally realized what she'd said, and she bolted upright.
"What?!"
Her grandmothers laughter rang through the hallway – Alicia could hear the sounds of a car engine being started out in the driveway as Alison poked her head back through.
"I heard you say his name, little one, like he was standing right in front of you." She said, her eyes kind. "I remember when I used to daydream of what he'd like to do on a sunny summer's day too."
Alicia relaxed – she'd almost forgotten about the Liddell Heritage, as her grandmother liked to call it.
"Oh, of course. Um, grandmother?"
"Yes, darling?"
"What was his favourite thing to do?"
Alison considered for a moment, before seeming to remember something from long ago, a fond smile on her wizened old face.
"Drinking tea with a few ice cubes thrown in, and swimming in the forest pool amid the dancing dragonflies," she said softly, her eyes growing distant as she recalled the memory. "Yes. Yes, it's definitely something he loved the most."
With that, she left, and as Alicia heard the car start off down the driveway, taking her grandparents away from the cottage, she felt herself relaxing back down, a yawn surprising her as there was a tap on her shoulder. She lifted one lazy eyelid to see that beautiful glittering orb of wonder, marked by the tattoo that once upon a time had scared her. But now, she saw the Hatter's tattoo as a symbol of his strength. It made her proud that he'd choose to bear it and have it seen.
"So, little Alicia," he said quietly, his long locks of stray blue hair tickling past her ear. "Coming…?"
She smiled, nodded, and let sleep take her by the hand as she left the air-conditioned living room behind. When she next opened her eyes, her hand was held by long, slender pale fingers – a hand which belonged to the handsome Hatter standing tall at her side. And as she looked around, she smiled. She was in Wonderland once more.
Fin.
It's really hard to get out of my head what I see of Wonderland – either in my art or in my writing. There's rays of sunlight dappling a dense foliage of the greenery on the forest floor, shimmering ponds, great dust trails left by riders on the dirt plains at dusks…flagstones in the courtyards and polished marble floors in the Palace…urgh it's all there in my head. But it's harder to convey on paper. Sorry guys ;A; it's summer here and I HATE it. But it's good for one thing – writing lazy little stories like these.
Welcome to Alive in Wonderland, folks. You can find drawings of these lovely characters on deviantART on my profile, if you can find them buried under all of the ponies.
-Mercy.