Alice loved Dinah. She loved stroking her cat's soft fur, and the funny purring sound she made when she was happy. Although Alice liked most animals, Dinah was her favorite. She was a fine hunter, clean, and gentle when playing with people. So Alice was indeed surprised when Dinah scratched her, between the back of her neck and shoulder. She scolded the cat, but forgave her when she licked the wound, which seemed to be her attempt to apologize and make it hurt less. It was odd though; Dinah had been acting rather aggressive these days, and seemed unable to swallow her food well. Alice's sister was a little worried and told Alice to stay away from the cat until she was sure. Sure of what exactly, Alice didn't have the faintest idea, but she knew her sister wouldn't be too happy to hear that Alice had been playing with the cat, so she didn't say a word.
Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice, 'without pictures or conversation?'
So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day was making her sleepy, or so she thought), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.
There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, 'Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!'; but when the Rabbit actually took a watch out of it's waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.
In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she would get out again.
The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.
Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to wonder what was going to happen next. First, she tried to look down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything; then she looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves; here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed; it was labelled `ORANGE MARMALADE', but to her great disappointment it was empty: she did not like to drop the jar for fear of killing somebody, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as she fell past it.
`Well!' thought Alice to herself, `after such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they'll all think me at home! Why, I wouldn't say anything about it, even if I fell off the top of the house!' (Which was very likely true.)
Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end! `I wonder how many miles I've fallen by this time?' she said aloud. `I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth. Let me see: that would be four thousand miles down, I think-' (for, you see, Alice had learnt several things of this sort in her lessons in the schoolroom, and though this was not a very good opportunity for showing off her knowledge, as there was no one to listen to her, still it was good practice to say it over) `-yes, that's about the right distance-but then I wonder what Latitude or Longitude I've got to?' (Alice had no idea what Latitude was, or Longitude either, but thought they were nice grand words to say.)
Presently she began again. `I wonder if I shall fall right through the earth! How funny it'll seem to come out among the people that walk with their heads downward! The Antipathies, I think-' (she was rather glad there was no one listening, this time, as it didn't sound at all the right word) `-but I shall have to ask them what the name of the country is, you know. Please, Ma'am, is this New Zealand or Australia?' (and she tried to curtsey as she spoke-fancy curtseying as you're falling through the air! Do you think you could manage it?) `And what an ignorant little girl she'll think me for asking! No, it'll never do to ask: perhaps I shall see it written up somewhere.'
Down, down, down. There was nothing else to do, so Alice soon began talking again. `Dinah'll miss me very much to-night, I should think! I hope they'll remember her saucer of milk at tea-time. Dinah my dear! I wish you were down here with me! There are no mice in the air, I'm afraid, but you might catch a bat, and that's very like a mouse, you know. But do cats eat bats, I wonder?' And here Alice began to get rather sleepy, and went on saying to herself, in a dreamy sort of way, `Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?' and sometimes, `Do bats eat cats?' for, you see, as she couldn't answer either question, it didn't much matter which way she put it. She felt that she was dozing off, and had just begun to dream that she was walking hand in hand with Dinah, and saying to her very earnestly, `Now, Dinah, tell me the truth: did you ever eat a bat?' when suddenly, thump! thump! down she came upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves, and the fall was over.
Alice heard a crack and her body exploded with pain. She lay there for a while, before she heard a sound like a storm, and a rushing breeze picked her up, carrying her after the White Rabbit, who she could see hurrying ahead.
After a while of being carried, the pain dulled. Alice was glad, for she was now free to run after the Rabbit. So she followed it, and oh, what an adventure she had. Listening to the Rat's tail (or was it tale? She wasn't sure), scaring poor Bill the lizard out of the chimney, the shrinking and growing, taking advice from a caterpillar, the odd baby that turned into a pig, the Chesire Cat, the mad tea party with the Hatter and March Hare,everything. Nothing made sense in this world with no water, which made everything all that much more wonderful. Even though she had not seen a drop of water yet, she was never thirsty, her mouth full of liquid. On her journey went, until she heard her sister's voice, 'Alice! Alice dear, please wake up!'
"Alice! Alice, wake up, please!" The girl cried, shaking her younger sister.
Alice seemed to have heard her and was rising back to consciousness when the doctor placed his hand on the elder's shoulder and quietly said, 'Let her be, it is best for her to not know.'
Through tears Lorita nodded and said in as soothing a voice as she could manage, 'Do not worry, Alice dear. What you see is real. Sleep for a while longer' Her younger sister heard, and smiled softly as she stayed in that world she was in.
The world that was a hallucination. The world that only Alice could see, for she was the only one the rabid cat Dinah had infected.
For days Lorita had been suspicious, but had not been sure. She had told Alice to stay away from that animal, but she hadn't listened. Now she had been infected, and while hallucinating had crawled through some hedges off the edge of a cliff, muttering something about rabbits wearing waistcoats. Lorita hadn't noticed her gone until she was at the edge of the cliff. And even as she carried her younger sister to the doctor, the child was still smiling through the pain, enchanted by what she saw. By the time the doctor had injected morphine into her to ease the pain, it was clear that the child was sunk deep in her hallucination. Lorita was glad of this, for her sister didn't hear her screaming at the doctor, refusing to accept that Alice's rabies were too late to be cured. But there was nothing that could be done. One shot, and Alice roamed forever in the Wonderland, where Time never passed and animals talked.
A world of madness.