She was in the field again, only this time, she noticed there was a cat by her side. It had slightly gray fur and had been chasing flying insects before noticing Alice, at which point it started meowing softly. It just seemed like any ordinary cat's sounds at first, but when Alice listened more closely, she noticed that it seemed as if the cat kept saying "Ra, ra" over and over again. The more it said it, the more anxious its' facial expression got. After a while came the most shocking thing of all: the cat said, almost as clearly as any human, "Rabbit's on the run!"

As shocked as Alice was, she managed to ask calmly, "Excuse me, but I don't know what you mean by that. What rabbit are you talking about?"'

"The white rabbit. He's once again late, which means another forty eight hours of disorder for Wonderland."

"Does that mean the disorder lasts for two days? Why is that?"

"A day in Wonderland lasts forty eight days: twenty four of light and another twenty four of almost complete darkness. Since the white rabbit is the queen's time keeper, how the days go depend on whether or not he gets back in time from the errands assigned to him by the queen."

"That doesn't make sense. It almost seems illogical."

"In Wonderland, logic often doesn't exist. Two plus two can suddenly make five, animals can walk with two legs or even one if things get very odd, human babies can start behaving like adults at six months, doing everything from writing letters and repairing houses to gambling and getting drunk. Yes, my dear, I know what you're thinking: it's not a pretty sight at all. And I'd be declared a renegade if the queen found out that I told you all this, but since we're not in Wonderland and the White Rabbit is far from sight, I have that freedom of speech that those in your land are so proud of."

"Are you talking about my whole world or England? In some parts of my world, like in England and Russia, people aren't allowed to say whatever they want. The people there call themselves Nazis, Communists, and Fascists. But in England, where I live, it's a democracy, so freedom of speech does exist there," Alice said with the tone of an obedient schoolgirl.

"I know what you're talking about. Certain factions in Wonderland have been researching the political ideologies of your world in secret, but I can't afford to get involved in them. I'm just an ordinary oppressed citizen…"

"Who are you?" someone shouted. They both looked up to see the White Rabbit looking at them with a stern expression. "You are not from Wonderland. Are you attempting to intrude?"

The cat looked at the rabbit and said in a panic, "Forgive the girl. She is innocent. She's never set foot in Wonderland and never intends to!"

"Lies! I saw this girl a while ago, looking as if she actually wanted to set foot on our land. Listen to me, child: if the queen were ever to find you, it'd be off with your head for you! No foreigner that's ever entered Wonderland has made it out without losing their sanity. If you want to avoid being the next victum of the queen's wrath, I strongly suggest you get out of here... Oh no! I'm late! You two are going to pay for this!"

The cat turned anxiously to Alice and said, "Alice, run!"

"How do you know my name?" Alice asked despite her panic.

"It doesn't matter! Just go! You're not safe in here."

"But I don't know how I..."

All of a sudden, Alice was back in her room. Clara was in bed fast asleep, the book placed beside the record player, and the sky was dark, without a single star in sight. It must have all been a dream, Alice thought, but unlike with most of her dreams, she could remember every detail of this one, from that anxious talking cat to the strange yet fierce White Rabbit. Not once had she thought she was dreaming, but wasn't that the way with most dreams? She tried to go back to sleep, but the voices of the cat and rabbit kept echoing in her mind, unwilling to go away. Alice didn't give one thought to the possiblity of madness, but she knew something wasn't quite right about that strange dream. Something that a young girl like her found it difficult to comprehend.