Chapter 4
I tumbled through thin air for longer than I ever thought one could fall through a spinning hat. It wasn't like I spent enough time jumping through hats to have good knowledge on it, but still, it was completely remarkable to me and at the same time, perfectly strange. A rabbit hole was one thing; but traveling to another land through a hat, that was still more unusual. I looked down to see the ground fast approaching and I braced my feet for when they would meet the cold marble, but to my surprise, they stopped just before they hit the ground and I floated just above the ground before gracefully landing.
Jefferson landed next to me and grinned. "Having fun?"
I nodded and giggled. "What next?"
He looked at me with half surprise at my giddiness and half curious amusement. "That door over there," he gestured to one of the colored doors.
I ran over to the purple door that he had pointed at and gingerly turned the knob. Bright sunlight flooded the room and I walked through the door.
All around me were tall trees filled with newly orange and red leaves of autumn. Beams of sunshine filtered through the trees and painted the ground in light. I stared wide eyed at the scene around me and exclaimed delightedly to Jefferson how beautiful it was.
Again, he smiled with half curious amusement and took a deep breath of the fresh air around us.
He turned to me and held out his hand, asking, "Ready to continue with our adventure?" He said the last word with joking emphasis.
I playfully took his hand and skipped down the path through the woods, swinging our hands back and forth. We walked through the woods, climbing over fallen branches and hopping on stepping stones through bubbling creeks.
"This is so fun!" I beamed.
"There's plenty of woods like this one near where Grace and I live, if you want to stay with us."
"Who's Grace?" I asked in surprise. This was the first time I had heard the name.
"Grace is my daughter."
"You have a daughter?"
He nodded 'yes' and looked taken aback that I was so surprised.
I tried to neutralize and dismiss my expression as casually as possible, but inside, I was feeling anything but uncaring about the new piece of information I had learned. The fact that, Jefferson, handsome, audacious and dashing Jefferson, had a daughter was something that made me feel- admittedly immature- disappointment, disappointment that churned in my stomach. In my mind, I liked the idea of being his only companion and friend, the only one he relied on and needed, as I was in Wonderland. There was something remarkably romantic about the notion to me, silly and naive as I was.
We continued the walk in relatively subdued silence. I was sure that Jefferson noticed my change in mood, but he tactfully chose to say nothing about it. By this time, I turned over the newly learned fact in my mind so many times that I effectively caused myself to feel thoroughly crestfallen. I was too disappointed to even ask about his wife because I disliked the idea of being a third wheel, a burden, to his family.
Finally, after much walking and awkward silence, a small cottage in a clearing came into view.
Jefferson pulled out a key from his pocket and opened the thick, rustic, wooden door at the front of the house.
The moment we entered the house, Jefferson was greeted by a light voice filled with joy calling out 'papa'!
A small, blonde haired girl ran to Jefferson's open arms and embraced him.
"You're back! You're back!"
I looked on from where I was standing, feeling very much like an outsider. Observing the girl's appearance, I noticed her worn out dress and disheveled, tangled hair and guessed that she had no mother to take care of her. I was filled with a sudden sense of pity for the girl as I recalled how as a child, I had been far more fortunate, growing up well cared for by two parents and an older sister who were all happy to attend to my every need and assure that I had not a worry in the world.
Jefferson turned to me and addressed the young girl who stood as his side. "Grace, this is Alice Kingsleigh. She might be staying with us for a little while."
Grace looked at me as if she were making a study of my character. I wondered what she saw behind my plain appearance; my wavy blonde hair and short stature. I hoped she saw a friend. There was the uncomfortable silence of strangers meeting.
I smiled encouragingly. "Hello Grace, it's nice to meet you," I said. Noticing the small bunny doll she clutched in her arms, I remarked to her about how I had met a talking rabbit and promised to tell her the story. This brought a smile to her face and I was glad of the break in the awkwardness.
I looked around myself at the humble little cottage. It certainly wasn't anything like Wonderland, but I had decided to stay. This would be home, for now at least. At that moment, I didn't know how short of a time 'for now' would be.
A/N: Again, hope you enjoyed the chapter! Chapter 5 will feature some more Enchanted Forest characters. Thanks for reading; a new chapter will be coming soon!
-sevenimpossiblethings
