With the dizziness in her head leaving, Alice rubbed her eyes clear to better behold the dim and faintly lighted area around her, holding her precious Dinah protectively close within her arms...In a moment, another important item in her possession dropped with a soft tinkling sound onto the ground, catching Alice and Dinah's clouded attention by surprise. That lifesaving locket was then hit opened, emanating a radiant golden spotlight to aid Alice's poor vision...Soon, it was revealed a rather uniquely familiar scene to her...
What was once the MadHatter and Hare's Tea Party's lively gathering in Alice's memory now laid an empty table and pair of stool chairs with nothing on them to present to the disappointed girl. Alice could only see that the table and stools were broken into halves and filled with dust and dirt making her blinked back tears of nostalgia...She wondered and slumped onto the ground, with curious Dinah watching sadly and nudging her...
Alice petted Dinah and was about to sniff and sob again, when the locket slowly began to play her favourite childhood lullaby...Dinah bit and chewed off a patch of her handkerchief and climbed up onto Alice's heavy shoulder, pressing her bitten cloth against the girl's moistened cheek, touching Alice's overwhelmed heart immensely...
Alice quickly hugged Dinah tight, "Thanks so much for you, Dinah...Everything's changed here..."
The melodious tune of the lullaby offered a much treasured bittersweet comfort to the pair of devoted companions in the midst of a crestfallen piece of world around them...Listening and stirring up hope, Alice remembered Madam Guardian's words to her and held fast onto Dinah, patting her apron skirt clean and getting up from the ground. She turned to the pitiful sight of the abandoned table and chairs and decided...
"Dinah, we've got some work to do here!" Alice petted Dinah again and then stooped over to set down her loyal pet. She then approached the broken pieces of dining furniture and tried to picked them up one by one, bemusing Dinah...
Alice did rapid mental calculations and arranged the pieces neatly, "I just need a hammer and some nails..."
Dinah sneezed abruptly, only to notice colorful bubbles appearing and surrounding her...She sneezed again and annoyingly decided to chase after their source...
"Dinah, where're you going?" Alice continued to struggle a bit with her creative strategy and carpentry skills...In a moment, Dinah ended her chase when she found a shinning golden toolbox behind the trunk of an old oak tree and hurried back to let Alice know.
"Oh wow! You're marvelous, Dinah!" Alice quickly picked up their great find which has all she would need to fulfill her job.
The moment she began her work, the time hands on the locket started moving backwards. By the time Alice was done with her very first completed wooden box or container, they jumped for joy and delight. Dinah continued to wonder what Alice would be up to next...The girl quickly picked out a spade from the toolbox and attempted to pressed it down against the stiff "grass-less" ground under their feet.
"Hmmm...Hopefully, you're breakable..." Alice hit hard with the strong tip of the silvery metal spade...Dinah watched on with brimming anticipation...
Alice was able to succeed at the very moment the hands on the clock of the locket struck the 12th hour...The hard ground broke apart upon Alice's fervent effort and Dinah leapt happily about.
Alice stooped down and studied close, "Finally, healthy and life-giving soil, Dinah...Aren't we supposed to be glad!" Alice petted her precious pet despite her soil-filled palms...
Dinah "smiled" and beamed with pride at Alice's bright idea...Together, they picked up and gathered hands and paws full the significant source of life and placed them into Alice's newly-made wooden box container, filling up all its four corners...
"Now, what do we need next?" Alice teased Dinah, who tried to motion to her...
Alice understood Dinah's wisdom and took the spade once again, choosing spots after spots out of random on the ground to break and dig for some "priceless" signs of life - remnants of surviving "seeds."
