Wonderland

In a gentle boat she glided down the stream, humming to herself a song of passing. And in this boat did she glide through the rabbit hole into Wonderland. As she drifted along, humming to herself a song of passing, she saw a white rabbit guarding the door to Wonderland. The White Rabbit gave her his hand as she drifted near, carefully pulling her out of the gentle boat that brought her to this door. The gentle boat continued on without her, gliding towards some unknown destination, waiting for its next passenger. She waved goodbye to it and whispered, "Thank you," before following the White Rabbit through the door that openly welcomed her.

The White Rabbit gently guided her through the endless garden of green grass filled with bushes of roses and patches of every flower that existed, a family of deer here and there, gentle petals of butterflies fluttering by, birds swooping and gliding and chirping in the air, the luscious fruits that hang from their trees, and the humans that were walking and running and playing in this garden. She felt at peace in this Wonderland. She felt…at home. This was where she belonged. This was her home.

They met Tweedledee and Tweedledum as they passed by a water bird fountain. Tweedledee was a boy and Tweedledum was a girl. Tweedledum said, "Hi! We're twins! And we're seven years old!" She smiled sadly, and gave each of them a kiss on their head. She played with them for a while, and the White Rabbit agreed to give her a book to read to the children. She read to them the story of Rotkappchen. Tweedledee liked how the wolf ate everyone, and Tweedledum didn't like how the wolf ate everyone. They didn't seem disturbed one bit that Little Red Riding Hood ate her mother and drank her mother's blood.

After she read them the story, the White Rabbit said it was time to move on. She waved sadly to Tweedledee and Tweedledum and went on her way. They met the Mad Hatter next. The Mad Hatter was dressed in a tuxedo with a tall hat. He sat in a patio chair next to a bed of white roses. He had a cup of tea in his hand. He nodded a hello to the White Rabbit and swatted his hand to dismiss the White Rabbit. The White Rabbit nodded in response and gently tugged her along. She looked at the Mad Hatter and the Mad Hatter looked at her. She smiled and waved hello. The Mad Hatter nodded and squint his eyes. He was old.

"It's getting late," announced the White Rabbit, "so we're going this way." She looked at the path before her. "But there are still other people to meet," she protested. "You will meet them later," replied the White Rabbit. "You have to go see the Queen first." She quieted. "The Queen?" The White Rabbit nodded. "What should I do?" The White Rabbit kissed her hand. "Don't do anything." She nodded.

They went through a gate that shone like the moon but they walked across a path of roses as red as blood. The Queen stood before her, adorned in red and silver. The Queen beckoned her and shooed the White Rabbit away. "Come here, child," said the Queen. She slowly walked towards the Queen and stopped a few feet away from her. The Queen stepped down and embraced the girl. "Welcome home," said the Queen. "Welcome home."

And Alice replied, "I am home, Mother."