I ran from the room to a bush of white roses, close to the table and tried to cover myself. I needed to find something to wear, as I was a little too tall now. The purple dress would never fit me again, so I was trying to cover myself.
"Hello Alice," a soft voice called out and I turned to the voice.
The girl who stood there had blonde hair in two pigtails, ringlets fell to her shoulders and a small piece of hair ran over the right side of her face. Her head was adorned with what appeared to be the softest mouse ears with delicate pink middles. Her eyes were bright as she viewed me curiously. I noted that she was wearing a very nice yellow dress and pink gloves that matched her pink boots perfectly.
"Hello," I said simply and the girl/mouse smiled brightly.
"Alice, have you grown since the last time we met?" she asked.
"Em…I suppose," I mumbled, "may I ask who you are?"
"Who I am?" she asked as another woman joined her and the pair looked up at me, "why I am the Mouse."
"Lady Mouse," the woman said softly, "as your dodo maid, I prepared your tea."
"Oh, ever so cute," Mouse said softly, though she reminded me of another girl I knew.
"Are you alright?" the dodo maid asked me.
"I'm fine, Paula," I whispered but the name faded with that, "but I appeared to have grown far too tall to wear my old purple dress."
"Do not worry," the Dodo maid said softly as she went to the table, "have some eat me!"
I took the small piece of cake she gave me, not sure what to think. Should I eat it? The last eat me had gotten me in a peculiar situation. I looked down at the sliver of cake and decided to take my chances. I ate it quickly, and felt that odd sensation on my skin. I coughed before I started shrinking, stopping when I lost sight of the dodo maid.
"I bought a pretty blue dress for you, Alice," the Mouse said though I could no longer see her either.
I was hidden behind a bush of white roses when a hand shot out and within its grasp was a small parcel tied with pink string.
"Please, you must wear it! It's ever so cute!" Mouse said plainly.
"Don't worry, Lizzy," I replied but then the name faded like the others.
I pulled the string away from the parcel and viewed the dress. It was very pretty, a soft shade of blue that complimented my blonde hair. It had an underskirt and clean underwear which I put on quickly. I pulled the dress on over my head and found it fell to my knees. Among the dress was a pair of black and white tights. I pulled those on and a pair of black heels. Lady Mouse appeared then and smiled but shook her head.
"The dress is not so cute," she mumbled and looked over my shoulder, "make it smaller."
"Make it what?" I asked and looked to see the dodo maid had a pair of scissors.
She cut the dress to mid-thigh and then stitched a round of white lace around that, making it seem that the dress had always been that way. Lady Mouse put a small white apron around me and tied it off before grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the table and the water. Cakes similar to the ones I had seen in the room adorned the table, but I avoided them. I didn't want to lose this dress when I shrunk.
"Isn't it cute, Alice?" Lady Mouse asked me and I looked up at her, "what's that around your neck?"
I looked down and saw a small silver key wrapped around my throat with a black ribbon and a label stating 'Use Me' in the beautiful cursive. I hadn't seen it before…had I? Lady Mouse was looking at me with a smile on her face before the dodo maid placed a plate of 'Eat Me' in front of her.
Cakes in various shades of pink, reminding me of days where I hadn't been Alice. In my dream, I had been Lucy Michaelis, a friend to a girl who looked oddly similar to Lady Mouse. She pointed to a baby pink cake with a black butterfly and then a luminous pink cake with an even darker pink ribbon wrapped around it.
"Oh you arrived," Lady Mouse exclaimed, "I am grateful you can a spare a moment."
"I can always spare a moment for you, Lady Mouse," the person replied.
I looked to who she was speaking with, and gasped. Sebastian sat beside her, his bunny ears still attached to his head. However, instead of a tie, there was a bow of red silk and he had a pair of glasses on his face. He lifted a pink china cup to his lips and sipped it slowly before pulling out his pocket-watch to gaze at the time. A frown marked his face as he took Lady Mouse's hand and kissed it gently before standing.
"I fear my time is up and I must hurry," Sebastian said with a smile.
"Very well," Lady Mouse said.
Sebastian walked off and I stood to give chase. I had lost sight of him when I had been in that room, I couldn't lose him again. I got to Lady Mouse's chair when she grabbed my wrist to hold on tight. I looked over at her, seeing tears the size of marbles falling down her face.
"Must you leave?" she whispered, sounding more than upset, "we have barely spoken in such a long time. I miss you, Elena."
But that name faded like all the others and I returned to being Alice. Lady Mouse sobbed, and when she did, she reached out for Eat Me Cake and ate it whole.
"No," I begged as she let me go, tears still dripping down her face as she grew in size. I noticed her dress stayed intact while she grew taller than I had been. Tears dropped to surround me, forming puddles that turned to streams.
"I'm going to drown like before," I whispered but no memory surfaced and the statement only served to confuse me.
Tears increased the water level until it was at my waist and I begged Lady Mouse to stop crying.
"All of you keep leaving me!" she sobbed, "first Ciel and then you, Alice. I can't lose anyone else!"
I felt something touch my shoulder and I turned to see the dodo maid looking up at her lady. She handed me a bottle of Drink Me and I clutched it tight.
"She is ever so upset, maybe if you give her Drink Me, she might smile again," the dodo maid said simply.
The tears wrapped around my shoulders and then her sobs increased in pitch. I looked up at her, ready to tell her I would never leave her alone again, that I would always come back to her when I found myself immersed in the salty water. I was twisted and turned, no longer able to determine which way was up or which way was down. I pulled my hands closer to my chest through the current to hold the bottle tight. I opened my mouth to scream, and only inhaled water. My lungs protested to the invasion and a hand reached out to me, lifting me above the current and out of the water.
Their fingers acted as a pillow and their palm braced my back, and a soft breeze alerted to me how cold I was.
"Alice?" Lady Mouse asked as I coughed up water.
"Lady…Elizabeth," I whispered, "please…don't….cry."
"But now I am ever so tall and the boots I bought yesterday will never fit me now!" she started to cry again, "and they were ever so cute!"
"Don't worry," I whispered, feeling my voice growing stronger, "drink this."
I held up the vial to her and she took it carefully without crushing my hands in the process. She put it in her mouth and drank the liquid (as well as ate the bottle…but that's another story). I felt a wave come off her and she dropped me into the churning waters below as she returned to her normal size.
The water wrapped around me like a cool embrace, similar to one I had felt before as I sunk ever lower. I watched as bubbles escaped my mouth and I closed my eyes. At least I had helped Lady Mouse…before the very end….
Poor Alice, not sure what to do next. But worry not, the story will become clear soon. Alice did not earn such a beautiful soul by sitting by when others asked for help. Now excuse me, I must bring the Young Master his tea or he will be unbearable…