Chapter 5
Return to Wonderland
By Courtney Erickson
I stepped through the doorway. Brilliant colors swirled all around me. I shut my eyes tightly. The colors were giving me a headache. I felt soft grass under my feet, and I smelled the aroma of roses and tulips. I opened my eyes.
It was the absolute, most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my entire life. I looked all around me. This was even more brilliant than the meadow. The grass was purple, almost like Arianna's eyes. Enormous, towering trees stood before me. Then again, I was currently only 3 inches tall right now. My head only went to the top of each blade of purple grass. There were flowers everywhere! Of all brilliant shades and types I had never seen before. They all had faces and had their eyes were closed. They looked unbelievably graceful. They swayed synchronized in the wind. All of them smiling, they hummed a tune in perfect harmony. It was just as beautiful as the sight of the land. So beautiful, it made tears come to my eyes.
"Oh, this is so truly wonderful!" I said smiling. At that moment, each flower opened their eyes abruptly. They stopped humming, they stopped swaying, and they looked directly at me. I felt…..afraid of these beautiful creatures.
"Alright ladies, move aside, coming through." A soft, sweet, and gentle voice said. It sounded as if it came from and angel. The flowers all parted to the sides and turned their heads away from me. I stood there, looking awfully plain next to them. And there she was. She stood there on her perfect and thin stem and looked at me. She was a white rose. The most beautiful of them all. Graceful drops of what seemed like dew decorated her petals, that shimmered and sparkled. Her eyes were a soft, pale shade of blue under long and beautiful eyelashes.
"Oh, my dear. You look terrified! Are you alright?" She said to me, in the most amazing, perfect tone.
"I-….I am very sorry to intrude on you…..but….I was told that I had to see the hatter." I said, pretending that I actually knew what I was talking about.
"Oh yes, yes ,yes my dear. You must be the brave and lovely Audrey, am I correct?" She asked me. She placed a leaf on my back and ushered me toward a comfy chair by a table with a lovely tea set out. I sat down, softly.
"Yes, I-…I am…" I said, still wondering why everyone knows my name.
"We have been waiting for you, darling. Alice hasn't returned in decades! It's absolutely dreadful!" She said, sipping her tea from very fine china.
"Yes,….I-I see…This is a very lovely bed of flowers. It's absolutely stunning." I said trying to be polite……that wasn't my best idea.
She stood furiously. Her petals flared out and her eyes changed from feminine, pale blue to infuriating red.
"We are most certainly NOT just flowers! We are so much more than that!" Her voice boomed powerfully, yet remained graceful. I was once again terrified. After she had calmed down, her eyes returned to pale blue and her petals relaxed and she sat down.
"I'm so sorry for that outburst sweetie, it's just we are not just flowers! We are the voices of Wonderland! We hum tunes and sing songs all day long for Wonderland. Our voices carry out through the entire land. Our music paints pictures. We add passion to this land ,and we had harmony to this land. We combine nature with music to form a symphony of peace. You do understand?" She said and sat down again. I relaxed also.
"Of course! I'm very sorry, it's just I've never been here before…." I said quietly.
"No worries, darling. To make up for my uh, "uncalled-for-outburst" I'd love to invite you to sing with us for a bit!" She said, clasping her hands together.
"Ugh! But Eleonora! We don't even know if she can sing! She will ruin the whole song." Pouted a nearby crimson red flower. The white rose's name must've been Eleonora then….
"Quiet, Fabala, we must be kind." She said scolding to the red flower. "Well then darling, would you mind singing a song for us then? Just to see what type of voice you have, pet." She said to me. Of course, I couldn't refuse, remembering how quickly she change emotions.
"Well, I do know this one song I sing in my voice lesson class. It's from a movie known as "The Phantom of the Opera." It really is a beautiful song." I said.
"Well, let's hear it then! The white rose known as Eleonora said. I stood up so I could have correct singing posture, I breathed deeply for a few seconds. I closed my eyes, I began to feel the emotion of the song "Think of me". Still with my eyes closed, I began to sing.
The notes poured out of my heart, just as they always had done. I let them flow through the air. They painted pictures in my head. Without this song, my mind was a black, velvet, canvas. Using inspiration as my paintbrush I painted a symphony of colors. I painted emotion, and love, and passion. I painted joy, and happiness. I painted longing, and yearning, and hoping. I painted music. I swayed with the music. I let the notes sweep my soul off my feet. I let it carry me anywhere in my mind. I allowed it in, I let it fill me like air. I let it pump through me like blood in my veins. I let the music consume me.
After the song had finished, I opened my eyes, and I saw Eleonora in tears. I blushed.
"That………was…….beautiful! So much passion, so much understanding! Such brilliant use of timing and dynamics!" She said wiping a tear from her eyes.
"Well….it was ok…." I said…lying.
"ok? It was magnificent! Oh please, darling join us in chorus!" She said to me. I nodded a yes. "We shall call you, "The Sparkling Diamond!" You will sing with us forever, in harmony, and peace." She said.
Oh, crap. I thought. I can't stay here forever!
"Um, I'm terribly sorry Eleonora, but…..I can't stay. I need to go…." I said, nervously….
"WHAT?! How dare you refuse an offer like this! You….y-you little weed!" She said, almost her face melting. Her eyes shifted to a shade of uninviting and cold black. The other flowers around her hissed and snarled at me.
To be continued………………………