Chapter three - The storm

Alice looked out her window as the rain clouds began to form, all she could see was the big blue ocean, and black sky. Everything just looked so empty at night time. Especially on this boat. Not long now she thought, right before hearing a loud crack of thunder. It started raining and the waves picked up, rocking the boat un-conrolabley. Ouside her room Alice could hear men yelling to each other orders, and tips and how to keep the boat steady so as not to capsize, go too far off course or even worse, sink. Alice was scared, it was the first storm she'd ever witnessed on the boat, and she wasn't sure how to handle it. She went out of her room to ask if the men needed help with anything and was instantly covered with water as it splashed over the side of the boat and knocked her right down. "Alice!" James yelled out as he ran to pick her up, ducking whenever a wave would come over them, to avoid getting knocked over. He couldn't be much help if he too was on the floor "What are you doing out here?!" He screamed out over the rain "I came out to see if my help was needed with anything!" she called back, James was now right in front of her, though all of the comotion on deck still made it hard to hear, he picked Alice up, even though she was already standing by now, and carried her back to her room. He placed her down on the floor of her dressing room. She was soaking wet, her hair a mess and she was shivering like crazy. James removed his jacket and went to put it around her, but Alice stopped him. "We're in my dressing room, I have plenty of dry clothes in here" she explained when she noticed the confused look on his face, which then cleared up, "would you like me to wait behind that door?" he asked, pointing his head in the direction of the door which separated her room from the dressing room, "please" she replied.

Alice began to take off her wet clothes, lucky she wasn't wearing a corset or this may have proved much more difficult, what with the boat rocking and sending her falling to three sides of the room every minute. Before she was tossed back into the drawer she pulled something off the rack, not caring what it was and got to work trying to put it on, which again proved difficult. James heard a few bumps and groans, and a few ouches, he often called out "are you okay" but alice would just call back "fine!" She managed to put the dress on eventually, after having to take it off and put it on the right way, and decided that she should call James back in, until she caught a glance of herself in one of the mirrors it was a miricle she hadn't slammed into, and saw what she was wearing. It was the exact dress she wore on her last trip to Underland. She sat down on the floor of her dressing room, forgetting about James, and cried. Oh how I wish I was back in Underland! was the only thought running through her head at that moment, when the boat jolted rather quickly. She fell forward and started to roll, it was only a short distance to the other side but, there was a mirror, right in front of her! She was about to smash into it, and surely she would be injured if not killed from the combination of glass and a rocking ship! Seeing the mirror she just thought of Underland, hoping that maybe, that would be her last thought. She rolled quickly right into the mirror.

There was so noise. No shattering, no bang from the sound of impact, nothing, and Alice could suddenly feel a warm breeze on her face, which she wouldn't have detected had she have not just been in a storm and freezing. Eyes still closed she checked her head for any damage and felt that her hair wasn't soaking wet anymore How strange she thought. Slowly, she managed to open her eyes. She was in a garden, a beautiful garden, with lovely green grass and beautiful bright coloured flowers "I must be dreaming, the impact from falling into the mirror much have knocked me unconcious! Although, what a beautiful place to be until I wake up!" she said. Alice bent down to pick a gorgeous, big, red rose from the ground, she figured the flowers would smell as nice as they look. She had her hand clenched loosely around the stem and began to put more pressure on it, to pull it out with ease "and just what do you think you're doing!?" she heard an angry voice say. Letting go of the flower Alice stood upright to see who had said that, the entire garden was visible to her and yet she couldn't see a single person "down here Alice!" the voice called, Alice loooked down at the flower she had just tried to pick, and noticed that it was talking. "How do you know my name?" she asked it, rather scared, "oh don't tell me you've forgotton again! must we go through this every single time?" Then it suddenly hit her, where she was, the beautiful garden and talking flowers, somehow, she had made it back to Underland.

"How did I get here?" she thought outloud, the flower answered her anyway "I'm not sure, all I know is that one minute I was sleeping and the next I'm woken up by a large girl falling into my garden!" Alice giggled, remembering how mean the flowers could be sometimes, she sat up rather alert and quickly turned to where she had supposedly fallen, no flowers, good she hadn't killed anybody."Do you know how I can get out of this garden rose?" Alice asked, feeling quite rude at not knowing the flower's name, considering they had met twice before, but the rose didn't seem to notice... maybe that was her name, "of course, just walk straight out on that path" she pointed a leaf behind Alice, who turned around to see a dirt trail that she was sure had not been there before, ohwell, this is Underland she thought. Alice thanked Rose and turned to walk down the new found path.

She walked and walked for what felt to her like forever, did this path never end? She was starting to suspect that was the case. Tired from walking for hours she sat down in a small patch of grass just off the trail, Alice layed on that grass and just let her mind wander. Suprisingly enough, no matter what she thought it always lead back to the hatter in one way or another. She wasn't sure how long she layed there for, but after a while she felt something small touch her nose. Alice opened her eyes a little to see a small blue butterfly perched upon her nose. "Who are you?" he asked putting an emphasis on all three words. He knew exactly who she was, and she knew that he knew, "Absolem?" she asked, in order to confirm her suspicions "You are not Absolem, I am Absolem, stupid girl!" Yep, that's definately him alright. "Oh Absolem it's wonderful to see you again! How has Underland been treating you?" she was so excited to see her old friend. "Do not bore me with pointless questions. What would you really like to know, dear Alice?" Absolem always had a way of sounding wise, even when he was being quite rude, still, Alice felt inclined to answer his question "Will you take me to the castle? Or at least tell me the way?" she hoped so much that he would say yes, "very well child, follow me." she replied as he fluttered back the way Alice came.