Disclaimer: I do not own Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll or any of it's characters. Now that that's out of the way it's on with the story!!!! _____________________________________________________________
Wonderland.
It was the first thought that popped into Alice's mind that morning.
She sat up, eyes popped open wide, startled by this new revelation spinning around her head. Wonderland came swooping back at her the way one might remember an old friend who they had forgot to write to; Alice was slightly embarrassed, a tad mystified and overall completely resolved to find a way back. Which of course, she reasoned, is just about the stupidest thing I can and have ever done.
She felt the diamond ring heavy on her finger and sighed guiltily. Okay, it's the second stupidest.
Alice threw aside the sheets on her bed and jumped up, ignoring the awful dizziness that accompanied the spontaneous action. It may be fine for one to think of the possibilities of arriving at a possibly figurative destination, whereas actually getting there was another thing entirely. Alice shook her head; how could she be sure the place was even real? It was perfectly plausible she had dreamt the whole thing up. Which is another perfectly valid reason for me not even to attempt looking for the place, Alice thought. It would also save her looking like an idiot if anyone had chanced to pass by.
Alice continued to plotter about the room, muttering to herself all the excellent reasons for her to ignore the burning desire inside of her:
'...much too dangerous...'
'...perfectly silly...'
'...isn't even real...'
'...ignore such nonsense...'
'...I am absolutely resolved to...'
Alice gritted her teeth together. Darn this curiosity. She had unconsciously picked up her warm, blue, button-down coat from the chair and was now peering down at it in astonishment. Had it jumped into her hands? She shook her head, as if trying to clear it. She knew all the muttering in the world could not stop her.
She shook her head again, shaking her hair about like a lion. "I often give myself very good advice-how unfortunate that I very seldom take it," she scolded herself.
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"Well, don't I feel perfectly silly."
Alice stood in the far-corner of the woods, surrounded by the tall trees that stretched towards the sky, casting eerie shadows across the mossy ground.
She was only a few metres away from a half-destroyed rabbit hole, eyeing it as if it were one of Cook's new creations.
She stood awkwardly, deliberating what to do next.
"Well, I suppose the first, most obvious option would for me to try to fit through that," she mused to herself aloud. The same look of wary scepticism took over her face as she stated this.
"The second option would be for me to go home and forget all about it."
Alice stood as still as a statue for a moment, as if seriously weighing her two options, before quickly concluding: "I'm in preference for home. I see no third option." She clapped her hands together with a judicial air, finalising her decision. She turned back towards the path, only to rock back on her heels. The path had been there, only a few moments ago.
She spun around, peering through the forest, trying to spot the temperamental path. Oh no, Alice groaned inwardly, don't tell me I'm lost.
As she scanned her surroundings, searching for some clue as to her whereabouts through the mossy pebbles and tall, lean ferns, she spied a flash of colour. Her muscles tensed.
It was there, beyond the odd-looking fern (it seemed to be shaped like a dancer; one foot aloft in the air, and arms wide and forbearing), and then it was gone. Alice blinked. She studied harder. Nothing moved. She relaxed a little, and let her shoulders down.
"You forgot option three," a low, monotone voice came from behind her. She spun around in shock, only to face never-ending forest.
"Hello?" Alice called out uncertainly. She considered how far she was from the house, and her chances of getting out of here alive.
"Hello."
Alice once again spun to face the voice, her head swimming with all the confusion of the situation.
This time she stood face to face with a...well, she had no idea what it was, actually.
"Uh, I didn't see you there," Alice's voice shook. She studied the creature's face – or rather, the mask that covered it. It was slightly sinister – a white cloth with no eye or mouth hole, just a small slit to allow the creature to breath. It seemed to be stitched to the creature's face with a thick, red string. She wondered if it could ever be removed.
"They usually don't," came the monotone reply. He – Alice presumed it was a male from the deep voice – seemed already bored with her.
"I don't suppose you could tell me how to find my way back to the main town, would you?" Alice asked hopefully, not quite sure why she was asking this sinister creature for directions, as if it might have been the local milkman. For all she knew, it might not have plans for her to make her way out of here alive.
"The main town? Are you serious?" If the creature's eyebrow was visible, Alice could have sworn it was raised. She could almost see a faint ripple in the cloth above his brow. "Are you blind, lady? The path is right behind you."
Alice turned slightly, and to her astonishment, found herself practically standing on the first brick of a bright yellow path, leading off into deeper forest. She turned back to...it...and called it's already retreating figure.
"Hey! Hey, this isn't the way I came," panic grew in her voice, "I don't understand....can you tell me where exactly am I?"
He trotted back reluctantly. "Wonderland; where else?" He turned to leave for the second time.
"Wait! I still don't understand. I don't remember ever, well, getting here. How is that possible?"
The creatures features, as hidden as they were, were held amazingly neutral .The face barely seemed to move behind the mask. "It isn't possible. That's how you're here."
Alice grimaced. She had always imagined it would end up something like this. "So- I didn't fall down any porthole, no strange doors, and no secret passageways?"
The creature snorted – the first sign of any real emotion it had made throughout the whole conversation. "Falling down an inconvenient space where earth should be isn't the only way to get to Wonderland."
Alice blushed vehemently. "Er...right." Without wasting any more precious time, the creature turned around abruptly and walked back within the trees, a small shimmer, and then it was gone.
Alice held her head for a moment. Whether she was checking her temperature, or keeping it from rolling off, she had no idea. She felt queer; as if the world had been turned upside-down on its head. Which, in reality, probably had.
"Oh my," Alice murmured. She had no idea of what to do now. She had come searching for this place, but never dreamt she would actually find it. "Perhaps I'm not giving myself enough credit," she mused aloud.
Her thoughts went back to home, and lingered by the puzzling question of how she would get back. She thought of her Father and Mother, what would happen if they noticed her absence? How long would it take before they acted? Perhaps, she thought, time will slow down up there. Maybe a few days here would be mere hours – or maybe even minutes – back home. She considered her last visit to Wonderland. It took the length of a nap for what seemed like days to pass in Wonderland. She considered this, twirling her hands together nervously.
"Well, now that I'm here, I might as well make the most of it." With this declaration Alice set off on the path the – thing – had so graciously pointed out. Within the blink of an eye, she had disappeared around the bend as if on a brisk, morning walk.
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The creature waited within the mass of trees till he was certain she was gone. He heard her footsteps drift away into silence, and peeked out from beneath a fern.
"She's gone," he announced in the same low, monotone drawl.
Now two other same, masked creatures emerged stealthily from their hiding places. Their appearance was intimidating; both in their physique and their menacing masks. If it had not been their massively muscled bodies, you might have thought their movements to be cat-like. The three gathered together, watching the space where the young woman had stood only a few moments ago.
The first (the one who had spoken to Alice) cleared his throat and was the first to break the long silence.
"Her majesty will be most impressed."
The other two masks nodded in agreement. After another long pause the second spoke (who could easily be confused with any of its companions. So we shall distinguish him with his number: Two).
"You should have just taken her then. It would save us a lot of trouble." His voice was the same monotone of number One, if not a pitch or two lower.
"I agree," agreed Three, repeating his favourite line. His voice was the deepest; it grumbled through the forest in echoes.
"That would not do. We were given strict orders to wait for her-well, orders! We will lose far more than our heads if we do not obey." One commanded the authority, broadening his shoulders against his two companions.
Two and Three shuddered, the same thought passing through their heads. Three unconsciously touched his mask. "We better obey then," he concluded, his booming voice child-like and vulnerable as he thought of the Queen.
The three masked creatures then got down on all fours and sniffed after Alice's trail. Their muscles twisted every which-way as they stalked down the trail. From a distance, anyone would have sworn they were hunting cats.