He has to be coming out soon…any time now…his pocket watch is wrong, he's going to hop past complaining about how late he is any minute…

It was a rather peaceful day outside—the sun was steadily beating down on the field of flowers, and a small breeze rustled the plants every now and then. The only disturbance to the picturesque scene was the traces of sky blue that could be spotted among the white and yellow flower petals. Lying concealed among the plants was a child—although her relatives insisted that she could no longer be called such.

Her bright blue eyes were firmly focused upon a little hole in the ground with tufts of white fur scattered about the perimeter. Her slightly sun burnt hands were folded primly in front of her. It was certainly an odd sight to see, and would only get odder as the day went on.

Suddenly, Alice caught a flash of white out of the corner of her eye. "Aha!" She screamed as she immediately sprung up. "I see you, White Rabbit!"

"Alice…please, please stop saying things like that."

The voice was not the slightly nasal one of the Rabbit's, but rather the tired voice of Alice's elder sister, Lorina. Alice stopped searching for the Rabbit, but would not back down. "He's coming, Ina," she insisted. "Any time now. You can sit with me and wait, if you want. Just be quiet, and don't make any sudden mo—"

"Alice." Lorina's voice was firm. "I've told you time and time again that any rabbits that come around here aren't going to be carrying pocket watches or singing."

"One of them does, though," Alice pointed out. This did not make her sister feel any better. Lorina bent down to Alice's level, held her hands, and looked her firmly in the eye.

"There is no White Rabbit, Alice. There is no Wonderland, or singing flowers, or Chess Cat—"

"Cheshire Cat," Alice interrupted, and broke free of Lorina's grip.

"I beg your pardon?"

"It isn't the Chess Cat, it's the Cheshire Cat, and he truly does exist! He fades in and out whenever he pleases, and his smile is the last thing to go and the first thing to come. He's really very naughty and tricky, but I think he means well."

Now Lorina looked frightened. "Alice, you have to stop saying things like that," she whispered. "Nothing in this world can fade in and out at will, and cats don't smile."

"They do in Wonderland!"

"But there is no Wonderland!"

"Of course there is." The way she shook her head was so matter-of-fact, so chiding, that one almost believed her. "I've been there myself. And I'll take you with me this time to prove it!"

Lorina sighed. "Let's pretend for just a moment that there is a Wonderland, and—"

"Alright, but it won't be pretending."

"—and that you have been there before. How many times have you visited this place?"

"Once, but—"

"And how long ago was that?"

"Five years, but—"

"Then what makes you think you can get back?"

Alice was silent as she glared at her sister. "I can get back. And I'll prove it. I'll take you to see the singing flowers. I know you'll love them, their voices are so delightfully lovely…and then we'll visit the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, I believe, because they're very odd but very funny."

Lorina shook her head sadly at her younger sister. "Whatever you say, Alice." Then she switched to what was presumably her reason for coming all the way to the field where her sister was. "Mother wants you to come home for today. There's somebody here who wishes to see you."

Alice gasped in pleasure. "I bet it's the Cheshire Cat! He can take any form he wants as well, you know."

"Yes…I know, Alice…"

When Alice and Lorina entered the house, they were almost literally pushed into a side room by their mother.

"Alice, please, for the sake of us all, don't prattle on and on about Wonderland today," she said in a pleading voice. This was strangely out of character for the woman, who was usually strict and commanding with her children. Unfortunately, this did nothing to arouse Alice's suspicions.

"Whatever you say, Mother!" She said happily. After being carefully studied by both her mother and her sister, Alice was led into the drawing room. There was a man sitting on the sofa, but as soon as the ladies entered the room, he leapt up and bowed.

Alice's mother bowed her head in a greeting to the man. "Mr. Dodgson, may I present my daughters, Misses Alice and Lorina?"

"A pleasure to meet you both, I'm sure," Mr. Dodgson said politely. "I am very sorry for coming on such short notice, but I received a call and—" Here he broke off upon noticing the warning glance on the elder women's faces. "Well, in any case, I've come to visit Alice in particular. I'd love to have a chat with her."

Alice studied the man warily. "Why would you want to talk to me?" She inquired. "I've nothing to say to you."

Mr. Dodgson laughed. "Your father tells me that you have a very active imagination," he explained. "I happen to enjoy imaginative stories. I wondered if you might tell me one."

"Oh!" The girl's face lit up immediately. "In that case, I suppose I have plenty to say to you." She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up quizzically into the face of her mother.

"Actually, madam, I'd rather like to speak with Alice alone," Mr. Dodgson said quickly. "If you don't mind, that is."

"No…no, of course not," she replied, taking Lorina by the hand as she began to walk out the door. Just before she left, she gave Alice a meaningful glance. "Remember what I told you." Then she and Lorina left, leaving Alice alone with Mr. Dodgson.

"Please, take a seat," Mr. Dodgson told Alice as he gestured to the sofa. "I'd like this conversation to be as comfortable and casual as possible."

Despite her expanding unease, Alice allowed her curiosity to control her and sat down as she was told. "Mother doesn't like me to tell my stories to strangers," she said cautiously.

Mr. Dodgson winked at her as he sat down in an armchair across from her. "Your mother isn't in here, now, is she?" After clearing his throat, he continued. "Now, please share with me some of your stories."

Alice grinned and did as she was told. "Once upon a time, I was lying in a field of flowers when I saw a White Rabbit run by—"

"Excuse me, Alice, but don't you mean that you saw a White Rabbit hop by?" Mr. Dodgson interrupted.

"No, of course not. This wasn't an ordinary rabbit, you see. It was a White Rabbit, and he was late for something very important, so why would he waste time hopping?"

"I suppose that is a valid point. Please continue."

"Yes, well, as I was saying…I saw the Rabbit run by, and I was curious as to why he was running, so I got up and followed him. As I did this, I heard him singing—"

"I'm sorry, but you don't really mean that he was singing, do you?"

"Of course I really mean that he was singing. He was nervous about being late."

Mr. Dodgson studied Alice carefully. "Why have you put yourself into the story, Alice? You act as though this truly happened to you."

"Oh, but it did, Mr. Dodgson!" Alice exclaimed. "This was five years ago…to the day, actually. Five years ago exactly." She was momentarily silent in wonder. "Five years in which I've been trying and trying to get back to Wonderland…"

"Listen to me, Alice." Alice was surprised by the man's serious tone. "You did not see a rabbit running by, and you did not hear him sing. This is a story you made up as a child, and now that you're getting older, it's time to let go of it."

"I didn't make it up!" The girl insisted. "This all really happened to me. Every last bit of it did."

"No, Alice. There is no such thing as an unbirthday, nor is there a Queen of Hearts, nor a grinning cat. It is all in your head."

"But…I never told you anything about the Queen or the cat or the unbirthdays…"

"Your father told me. I am a doctor, Alice, a doctor who studies minds. This is how I know that you never really went to Wonderland."

"But I did!" Alice insisted with tears in her eyes. "I did go to Wonderland, I did get put on trial by the Queen, and I did have tea with the March Hare and the Mad Hatter!"

"Alice, if you do not admit that you made this all up, I shall be forced to take you away to a special hospital where we can study your mind more closely than this."

"I would be lying!" Alice screamed as she stood up. "I really did go to Wonderland! It's the truth! I'm telling the truth!"

Mr. Dodgson waved at the window, and then turned back to Alice. "This is your last chance, Alice. Tell the truth. Tell me that you never went to Wonderland."

"I DID GO TO WONDERLAND!" Immediately after screaming this, she started to turn and run out the door, but was stopped by two tall men who grabbed her and forced her into a white jacket with the zipper on the back and sleeves that connected to each other where the holes for her hands to come out should have been. "What are you doing to me?" She yelled. She tried to get herself out of the jacket, but found that she couldn't move her arms any way but up and down.

"I'm very sorry, Alice, but you'll have to come with us," Mr. Dodgson said sadly. "I wish it didn't have to be this way, but you leave me no choice."

"I'm telling the truth!" She screamed over and over as the men picked her up and carried her out of the drawing room. When she tried to kick them, they merely held her legs down so that her struggling was futile.

"Alice!" Alice looked over to see Lorina glaring at her as she simultaneously comforted their mother. "Why couldn't you have stopped lying?"

"Oh, my baby, my poor baby," their mother was sobbing in Lorina's arms.

"I went to Wonderland! I ate mushrooms that allowed me to grow bigger and smaller! I heard the tale of The Walrus and the Carpenter! I had a caucus race to dry myself! I played croquet with the Queen of Hearts! I'm telling the truth!"

These were the last words Alice's mother and sister heard her say.