...
Alice shivered beside a dumpster, miserable and soaking wet from the rain. Her dress was muddy and torn. She must have looked quite a sight with her unkempt hair and chains still dangling from the shackles on her wrists. She rested her head on her knees and wept.
The entire city was in a panic and uproar from the day's events. The earthquake had done a lot of damage to parts of the city, and the great, unexplained cracks had the people scurrying to leave, while a military group was making itself known in the streets. Loud 'helicopters' had flown earlier, moving up to the cracks and having to come back down due to 'electrical interference' that got worse the closer they got. No word was received on what they saw, but rumor had it that a new 'dimension' could be seen through the cracks.
Alice heard this from people as she passed. She could piece together what the words were after a time, but the conclusion chilled her deeper than the rain she sat beneath: that 'dimension' was Wonderland. Something was happening there and it was spilling over to this place, wherever this was.
Could that Looking Glass be responsible? The events that led to her being here tumbled through her mind. She was kidnapped by someone who wanted her out of Wonderland, that was for sure. She was drugged to stay asleep and had dreamt about her family, until Reginald had come to save her. That hooded man had said that he was 'sending her back where she belonged.' Reginald must have broken the Looking glass and that's what pulled her in. Could the cracks be from that?
She had read about the Looking Glass while she worked at the bookstore, but legend had it that the Looking Glass was hidden away, due to some danger that it posed. There was something about it being a barrier between Wonderland and 'Otherland.' In all the books she read, nothing else was mentioned about it, but she concluded that the mirror was related somehow to the rabbit hole, therefore, they were the only two known portals between Wonderland and her world.
She made a mental stumble in her thoughts. She looked around. From the date she saw on the moving picture screen, a TV, she heard it called, it had been over a hundred years since she left home in 1865. Her family was long gone. Her sadness at the thought was profound. This was no longer *her* world.
Wheeled machines called 'cars' had replaced the horse-drawn carriage, and there were 'planes,' 'bullet trains' and 'jets' that moved people quickly from one place to another. There were a few bits of technology in Wonderland that were more modern than what she left in England, such as indoor plumbing, electricity, and telephones, but this place seemed to be so much more technologically advanced. People had 'cell phones' to call each other on, and 'computers' that connected to the 'internet.' The latter was, from what she gathered, the sole source of information in this world.
She had never in her life felt more alone and out of place, and that was saying much, since she had been to Wonderland. The number that the man had written on her badge was useless because she wasn't able to find a phone, the ones that she saw in the streets requiring a currency to operate. Oh, the stares she received when she asked to use someone's cell phone!
A low sob escaped her lips as she cried into her arms, propped on her knees. She wished wise, sensible Belle was here. She would know what to do. Her thoughts inevitably drifted to the Hatter…
Reginald laying in the mud, his waist coat barely seen beneath the layer of grey muck. He swung his arms and legs, making a mud angel. She couldn't help but laugh, seated as she was beside him, covered in nearly as much mud as he was.
"Rainy days are never a bad thing, Cricket," He said, suddenly serious. She looked at his face in surprise at the change. "Without rainy days, we wouldn't have such lovely mud fights, you and I."
Alice felt her heart bleed at the memory. Tears obscured her vision once again.
"Grandma, over here!" came a nearby shout. Alice looked up in alarm.
A young boy was standing in front of her, holding an umbrella over her head, brown-skinned hand reached out to her. Alice sniffled and hesitated, then reached out slowly to take it.
"We've been looking for you, Alice." The boy smiled, invitingly.
"Manners, Marcus," An older lady's voice boomed. "That's Miss Liddell you're speaking to."
Marcus pulled her to her feet and stood on his toes to make sure the umbrella didn't hit her on the head. "Ah, sorry, Miss Liddell." He said.
A tall, stately lady arrived, a broad smile breaking on her lightly wrinkled, friendly face. Her eyes were warm and welcoming.
"Mark called and told us you would call, but with all that's been going on, we got worried." She said, frowning at the muddy dress and chains. Dismay bloomed on her face. "Oh, Honey," she whispered. "You poor thing, lets hurry and get you home. Marcus, get the blankets out of the trunk and put the towels down. The girl is soaked to the bone!"
Marcus put the umbrella in Alice's hand and jogged down the alley to the car that was waiting there.
"Come, child, we can talk on the way. We've heard a lot about you." The lady grabbed her hand and gently led her forward. "I'm called Hattie, but you can call me Grandma."
Alice sniffled and murmured her thanks. She held the hand tighter and allowed herself to be led to the vehicle, even cracking a smile as Marcus bundled her in too many blankets and gently pushed her into the back seat of the car, stopping to make sure she was seat-belted and comfortable before closing the door and hopping into the front passenger seat. He looked back at her and laughed.
"She looks like a burrito!" He said, his laughter infectious.
Alice giggled and settled down, looking out the window as the car began to move. Warm and feeling safe for the first time in a long time, Alice drifted to sleep.
….
Alice walked up a familiar pathway and opened the small gate in the hedge. The long table was quiet and peaceful, no teakettles whistling, but placidly puffing steam instead. The Hatter was sitting in an armchair on the right, legs crossed, an elbow on the table and his chin in his hand. His orange coat and large hat hung nearby. He was dressed casually: white shirt rolled up at the sleeves, a buttoned vest, and black slacks. His hair was tied back neatly, only slightly mussed. He raised an eyebrow and gave a slow, lazy smile.
"You're late, Alice." He declared, eyes sparkling.
Alice laughed and stood stubbornly where she was. "How could I be late to my own dream? That's what this is, you know, just a dream."
Reginald stood and pulled out a chair next to him and waited politely for her to sit, pushing the chair back in after she got comfortable. "Of course we are. Dreaming, that is." He said calmly. He sat back down and pulled her saucer over to pour her a cup of tea.
She frowned a little. "How do you know we are?" She asked.
The man chuckled softly and gave the teacup a tender look. "Well I know I am. You're always in my dreams."
Alice felt the warmness in her belly flare up. She abandoned all pretense of politeness and propriety, relishing the freedom of being in a dream. She relaxed, gratefully accepting the saucer and cup from his hand and drank deeply, the scent of bergamot and orange peel teasing her nose. She smiled at her companion, no longer reserved.
Alice began to speak, telling him all about the strange place she landed in: the people, the technology, the wonders that seemingly defied all rational logic. She made him laugh with her blunder in the Alice-and-Hatter room. She told him about the strange man and woman she saw at the convention. He was watching her speak with an intensity so focused that she thought he had forgotten his tea.
"Are you even listening to what I'm saying?" She asked with a laugh.
"Every word, Cricket." He whispered, his reverent tone making her blush.
Flustered, she went back to her tea. "You're so serious, Reginald. This isn't like you."
"What? You don't think I can be serious sometimes?" He said, feigning hurt. His eyes sparkled mischievously above his pout.
"But you ARE the Mad Hatter, Reginald. It's your trademark. I didn't know you could stop being mad."
"Psh…" he said with a hint of sarcasm. "Duh, Alice. I'm always Mad. Aren't we all?" He poked at a radish on the table, which rolled away at his touch.
Alice watched the radish as it came to a rest against a teapot. Filing it away as just another facet of Wonderland, she was oddly relieved at the comforting strangeness. "Well you, Mr. Theophilus, are the maddest of the lot. That's why your seriousness is so unsettling."
Reginald's sight turned inward and his face became neutral. "I think you and Wonderland need a serious Hatter right now, don't you think?" He watched something invisible scamper across the table.
Alice searched for a distraction from the somber topic and noticed the teacup in his hand had frozen over, frost spilling out of the cup and into the saucer.
"Reginald," she gasped in alarm. "Your tea?"
The Hatter looked at his teacup and shrugged. "Oh, this? I'm not sure. I'll ask Queen Elsa one day." He dismissed it with a wave. "Its undrinkable anyhow." He looked away and became lost in his thoughts.
Alice felt herself begin to slip into despair as she felt the prickle in the back of her eyes. She looked up towards the string of lights overhead, fighting the urge to burst into tears.
Reginald put his ungloved hand over hers. "Oh my sweet, my Cricket, it will be okay. I won't give up. You shouldn't either." He looked earnestly into her eyes.
A belated attempt at propriety caused her to pull her hand away and make some space between them, her cheeks pink. Her attempt to pull herself together almost worked, but her vision blurred and the tears fell anyway.
"Oh, Reginald!" she moaned, "My family is gone. Everything I knew back there is gone." Her words faded into sobs.
Reginald removed a hand-kerchief from his waistcoat and offered it to her, reclaiming her hand and squeezing gently. "I'm sorry, dear Alice. If it makes you feel any better, my family is gone too."
She delicately sniffled and dabbed at her eyes with the kerchief. "But now I don't have a home to go to."
"Of course you do," He said, matter-of-factly. "Belle is taking care of it. You did leave it to her, after all."
Alice puzzled over his meaning for a second. Oh, the letter she wrote under duress. "No," She said quickly,"That's not what I meant."
"I know exactly what you meant, Cricket. I mean what I say, though. Your home is right where you left it: here in Wonderland."
Alice didn't argue. She sniffled and finished her tea in silence.
Reginald lifted his head and turned towards a sound she didn't hear. After a moment, he stood up, reaching for his coat and hat. "My apologies, my dear, but I have to leave now. Will you be here for tea tomorrow?"
Alice smiled with a touch of sadness. "Where else would I be?"
He hesitated, then grabbed her hand and kissed it quickly before she could stop him. "Stay strong, my Alice."
As he left, the dream melted away.
….
"Do you always cry in your sleep?" Marcus asked as Grandma smacked his arm.
Alice sniffled, mumbling apologies. She looked out the window at Grandma's home: a cheerful little cottage in a line of similar looking homes. The car had pulled up the driveway and into the garage. Alice watched in fascination as the garage door closed behind them.
"Come on inside and I'll find something dry for you to wear while I wash your dress." Grandma said. "I'll see what we can do about removing those chains while we're at it."
"Where'd you get those from, anyways?" Marcus asked. "Can I have them?"
"Not in my house, Marcus." Grandma said firmly, ending the topic.
Alice followed her inside and looked around the cozy home.
The rooms were sparsely decorated, but all about the house were photos of various people. One must have been Grandma on her wedding day, smiling beautifully next to a very handsome man in a suit. Marcus was in a few of them. The boy wasted no time pointing out his favorites and supplying her with all the names of the subjects. In a display cabinet was a faded china tea set and a few handmade dolls.
"That one is you." Marcus pointed at the blonde doll with the blue dress and white apron. "And that's the white rabbit!"
Grandma returned with a bundle and placed them in Alice's arms. "These are my grand-daughter's for when she visits. She wont mind you wearing them." She motioned towards an open bedroom. "Go on in there and change. There's the toilet and shower. Just let me know if you need anything."
Alice took a long, soothing shower and eyed the garments on the bed. There was a pair of blue jeans and a blue shirt that said "Rockstar" on it, along with a few undergarments. She removed her dirty, damp clothing and placed them into a plastic clothes-basket that Grandma had left for her.
She heard a solid 'clunk' as something other than clothing hit the basket. She reached into a pocket and pulled out the small book the man had given her back in the convention center, wrapped carefully in a clear plastic to protect it from the rain. She set it aside and finished dressing into the strange clothes. Feeling a little self-conscious, she put on the clothing and marveled at how comfortable they were.
She returned to the book, unwrapping it and running a hand over the hard surface. The first page was filled with sketches of faces, some of people she had seen in Wonderland. On the next page, Reginald grinned his mischievous bucktoothed smile at her. She stared in fascination at the accuracy of the sketch. There were similar drawings of him on the next few pages, some with a different drawing style that was no less accurate. She swallowed the ache that filled her chest. In this one, he was working in his shop, a few pins between his lips, brow furrowed and mouth set in concentration as he applied the finishing touches on a large ladies' hat. She had never seen him work, she realized. She closed her eyes, overwhelmed. She would have to come back to this later.
She heard a pot clunking against a counter and rose from the bed. She opened the door and peeked out. Grandma was cooking something that smelled amazing. Alice followed the scent and found herself in a lovely kitchen with a large table in the middle. Grandma turned and exclaimed her approval.
"It all fits! Thank Goodness!" She cried. "You look like you feel much better, too! Well… except for those chains, that is." She tsked under her breath. "I sent Marcus over to the neighbors for a hacksaw or something. He should be back any minute." She returned to the stove.
Alice sat down at the table and stared at the clock on the wall. A white rabbit was being chased around the clock face by a cat. Alice smiled at the thought of the terrified little page being chased by her sweet kitten, Dinah. The smile faded. Dinah would be long gone by now. Another thought crossed her mind.
"Grandma Hattie," she said, suddenly shifting in her seat, "Please, can you tell me how you all know who I am?"
Grandma looked over her shoulder at her and smiled. "You're famous around here, love. They've made movies about you."
"Movies?" She asked, trying out the word in her mouth.
"I'll show you after dinner." Grandma chuckled. "We'll watch Alice in Wonderland, and you can borrow the book if you want."
Alice perked up at the mention of a book, her confusion temporarily forgotten. "Oh, thank you! That would be lovely."
A book about her? Who wrote it? She wondered.
Marcus arrived with an armload of tools and they got to work removing the shackles. Grandma cried out with dismay at her raw skin as the shackle fell away and brought out a salve for the inflamed skin. Alice spoke about her ordeal, noting that the two did not seem surprised at all to hear about her coming from another world.
Her own family would have her institutionalized.
"You've had one heck of a day." Grandma breathed. Marcus nodded, eyes wide.
Alice could barely hide her relief as the last shackle fell off. Grandma applied the salve and quickly rose to wash her hands at the sink, directing Marcus to set the table.
"Once you get some food in you, you'll feel so much better, you'll see." She smiled.
After the last of the dishes were washed, dried, and put away, the three of them settled down on a large couch to watch the movie, as promised. Alice could hardly believe her eyes as she watched her younger self make her way across Wonderland. She gasped at the tweetle twins and their antics, hiding her face in embarrassment over the destroying of the White Rabbit's home. Later, she nearly exploded with laughter at the Mad Hatter depicted on the screen.
"What's so funny, child?" Grandma laughed.
"Reginald! He looks nothing like that!" Alice snorted. "Although, that man on the screen looks like how I described him to a friend!" She faded into a fit of giggles.
"Lewis Carroll?" Marcus asked with a grin.
"Yes, that was his author's name." Alice smiled, her giggles fading as she looked at the boy. "Wait, how did you know?"
"That's who wrote the book! Alice's Adventures in Wonderland!" Marcus exclaimed happily.
"He wrote it? He wrote this?" Alice stared at the screen in fascination. "I thought he was just listening to my stories just to be kind!"
"Nope, he wrote it all down and people still read and watch it today." Grandma smiled.
"That's fascinating…" Alice breathed. "I can't wait to see the look on Reginald's face when—" she paused, letting the words fade in the air.
Grandma and Marcus peered at her worriedly as she began to tear up.
"I… I miss him." She said, surprise coloring her words. "I miss him more than I could say." She felt her eyes overflow.
"Let's save the rest of the movie until tomorrow. You need to rest." Grandma decided. Alice nodded and hurriedly wiped away her tears. They made their way to the room. Grandma gave her a hug and made sure she had enough blankets and pillows before turning off the light.
Alice laid in the darkness and let the tears flow. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
She barely finished the thought before falling asleep.
….