Return to Wonderland: Tala's Tale
A fanfic by Wicked Lady
Alice has grown old and now has her three grandchildren living with her in her home. Tala, the oldest of the three finds a tunnel to Wonderland and is about Granny's adventure.
"Gather round dairies, let Grandma tell you all a story before you go to bed." The elderly woman began to gather her two youngest grandchildren closer to the fire. The oldest stood indifferent by the door. "Tala, aren't you going to join us?"
"No thanks Grandma Alice, I have a book I need to read."
Alice shook her head causing her long white hair to tumble out of its loose hold. "You have all summer to read that book. Schoolwork can wait. I was going to tell the story about my journey to Wonderland!"
The indifferent teenager sighed. "No thanks Grandma Alice, I've heard that one a hundred times. I'm too old for that story."
"You can never be to old in Wonderland, it's timeless."
"No thank you," Tala crossed and hugged her grandmother. "You tell the runts the story if you want, I'm heading upstairs. I need to feed Malik. You know how he is."
Alice nodded and sat with the others.
Tala creped down the steps into her basement bedroom. In a large cage on the table next to Tala's oversized and fluffy bed sat a large, wrinkled, bald rat. He wasn't really bald, but he was called a bald rat because his fur barely qualified as fuzz. Malik eyed his mistress with black liquid pools of wisdom. "Feed me wench," he said in a squeak.
"My lord, my master, I do as you command." Tala crossed to the cage and removed the fat rat from his cage and set him on the bed. "I give you crackers and dried corn in hopes of your great ones forgiveness for being late with dinner."
Placing the food on the bed beside the rat, Tala turned to the full-length mirror in her corner. "It's funny, isn't it Malik. Grandma Alice really believes there's another world on the other side of that mirror. When I look at it, I see only me. There are no Hatters or oversized animals. My flowers can't speak and one must consume a large amount of food over a great length in time to change size. No matter how often she tells her story, it's the same. Am I wrong Malik? Is there a world I can't see because my reflection gets in the way?" Tala placed a hand on the mirror. The glass was solid. "Please tell me, Malik. I don't have answers."
The rat sniffed the corn in disgust. He squeaked and threw himself from the bed to the floor. Malik's small form slid behind the dresser. "Malik? Come back here!" Tala dropped to her knees and peeked under her dresser.
In the five years Tala and her two brothers had lived with their Grandma Alice, not once had Tala looked under her dresser; she never had need to. With the help of a key chain flashlight, Tala saw more then her rat under the dresser. She saw a most curious abnormality in the wall. The teen-aged girl coaxed the rat back into his cage and, when he was safe, pushed the dresser to the side. To Tala's fascination, there was a tunnel in the wall.
Who had dug it?
Why put a tunnel in the basement of a crazy lady's house?
How come there wasn't a draft?
Where did it lead?
All questions that could be answered by following the tunnel. Since the tunnel was rather small in size, Tala dropped once again to her hands and knees and began to crawl.