In the midst of the Kansas prairies, a carriage traveled along the side of the road as it follows. A young girl stares at the grass fields through the window, blinking slowly as her eyes lazily glancing at the dull fields, seeing nothing but dead grass and gray skies like the world had become nothing.
"How much longer will we get there?" said Alice.
"Just a few more roads to cross, my dear; we will get to the city soon enough," Matilda replied.
Alice leans her head against the window, groaning at her sister's response. She puts a pout on her face as she crosses her arms.
Matilda puts her hand on her temples before talking, "Oh, do bother; even think that the waiting will be worth a while; you need to learn to be patient, you know."
"It's not worth wasting time on a long ride just sitting and waiting; at least give me something to do to keep me distracted."
"Like what? Follow more peculiar white rabbits and go places where you can lose your mind."
"Well, anything that interests me, at least."
Her sister let out a chuckle at her reply, taking a deep breath before speaking again.
"Alice, you cannot just go around and get lost just so you can entertain yourself; sometimes you can still find something interesting without having yourself to move an inch, like reading a book or how you imagine that wonderful wonderland of yours."
"Wonderland is real, Matilda. It is not just an imagination. I know it."
"Then how will you prove it was real?"
"When you notice I was gone, I really was in
wonderland at that time."
"But then I found you near the tree in the meadow, falling asleep. Surely it must have been a dream."
Silence crept on between them as Alice was speechless, not knowing what else to say to back up her reasoning. Now she looks below on the floor as the doubts started to drown her in sorrow.
Matilda took a deep breath before continuing their conversation. "I know reality can be harsh, but it does not mean you cannot deny the delight you have when you created that world in your head. It may help with what you are needing right now."
"I suppose so," Alice said as she breathed out before groggily leaning against the edge of the window. She looks at the fields again, memories of her adventures in wonderland replaying over and over. Talking about it with anyone with that response would make her feel lost, like being stuck in the maze where there is no
way out wherever she goes.
Looking at the view, her eyes faltered, but she was still determined to find anything that could pique her curiosity, even if all she sees is the desaturated field.
Then she saw a pair of blue birds flying over, chirping in harmony so that their melody soothed her ears, but as soon as the birds disappeared from her sight, A mysterious figure popped out of nowhere from the distance and landed on the long, dead grass safely.
Alice's eyes widen and her mouth left open at what she had witnessed. She moves closer to the edge of the window, putting her head outside to see clearly that her sister started to scold her and telling her to properly sit down. She didn't listen to her demand and continues to look to identify the mysterious figure.
It was a girl, around her age. Carrying a basket and a scruffy black little dog. As she stands up to the ground, she lets go of the dog. Her dress is worn out and she wears no shoes. She suddenly ran to someone, an elderly woman who hugged the girl and held her dearly like a precious treasure.
As soon as Alice continued to watch this moment, the carriage started to crash down, leaving Alice and her sister losing their balance and falling off of their seats.
The coachmen had to check around the carriage and saw one broken wheel where bits of wood were scattered on the ground. The cause of the damage was unknown.
Matilda glares at Alice, her brow furrowed and pouted, and Alice rolls her eyes, looking away from her glance.
"Don't look at me like that; I'm not that heavy to break it," Alice said.
"Well, you sure are heavy enough to drag us into trouble," her sister said back.
Then coachmen saw a piece of metal near the broken pieces that could have looked like the base of an axe without its blade. They approached the sisters for this matter, and they suggested finding help nearby to fix the wheel in order to continue their trip. So they left, leaving the two ladies to wait. Alice was still thinking of that mysterious girl, wondering what happened to her.
An hour later, the coaches came back with an elderly farmer named Henry Gale; they've arrived at the road where the carriage is. They've pointed to the broken wheel, asking if he can fix it.
"Oh, I just need to replace some broken spokes, though it'll take time for me to finish," Henry Gale
"We will pay you double if you can finish it today," Matilda said.
"Well, it's not good to rush things for someone old like me, but I assure you that this won't be long enough to wait for tomorrow."
The farmer started to repair the wheel; hours have past. Two figures in the distance approaching towards the carriage.
An elderly woman and the little girl were carrying baskets filled with food; the woman handed them out to Henry Gale and the people on the carriage. Those ladies are the same people that Alice saw earlier.
The little girl with pigtails named Dorothy Gale started to talk about the magical place called "Oz" and her journey there, telling all those odd people and creatures she met. The Coachmen couldn't help but giggle a bit listening to her story and then try to stifle grins and clear their throats, trying to be serious.
"I am terribly sorry about my niece," says the elderly woman revealed to be named Emily Gale, holding the girl on the shoulders. "She hasn't been the same after being gone since the cyclone arrived. I don't know how she managed to endure all that trouble, but I'm sure that her dreams gave her hope to wake up and come back to us."
"But it's not a dream, Aunt Em! Oz is real, and I've been there; I saw it in my own eyes," Dorothy exclaimed at her aunt's reply.
"My dear child, that Oz place of yours sounds like a make-believe story. There's no way you meet a live scarecrow, a man made out of tin, a talking lion, or any other strange things exists. Kansas may have been boring to you, but imagining friends and places won't make them real."
Dorothy's eyes glisten in tears, threatening to come out as she heard those words coming from her Aunt Em. "They are real! I'll prove it! Even Toto knows the truth!" she said as she carries the black dog and holds him. But everyone didn't listen and shift their focus to wait for Henry to repair the wheel.
Alice overheard this and knows how frustrating it is for people's disbelief in their adventures. She can sense Dorothy's distress as she sees her putting down the dog and slowly sitting herself near the log, facing below as she frowns.
Hearing her tales about Oz had intrigued Alice. Having to be in another world where the rules and customs are different than the world they lived in, meeting strange and peculiar people and creatures. Something that Alice wanted to talk about.
As she remembers what happened when she first saw her whirling down through the air from afar, she couldn't help but wonder that there is some truth in Dorothy's words.
Matilda handed Henry the pouch containing gold as payment now that the wheel has been repaired. The coachmen prepare their horses to drive the carriage. While the Gale family gathered their belongings before leaving for home.
Dorothy took the basket near the carriage. Looking up, she shared a glance towards the girl. Alice's eyes widen and she starts to move her head away from her gaze while fidgeting with her hands. But as she looked again in the corner of her eye, Alice notices her expression that doesn't look like she's offended nor excited, but rather a simple blank one. Dorothy tilts her head slightly, and then she blinks to look at her clearly.
"Dorothy! You better hurry up!" A shout from Aunt Em leaving with her Uncle Henry with their stuff.
"Coming, Aunt Em!" she shouted back. Dorothy glanced at Alice again and smiled. She waved her hand, whispering hello to her. Alice returned the gesture, slightly waving at her as she felt a blush on her cheeks.
The carriage is finally on the move, yet Alice still had her eyes focused on Dorothy until she finally joined her aunt and uncle in the distance.
"That girl reminds me awfully of you," her older sister remarked mockingly.
"I know," Alice said back, still looking at the window, smiling at the possibilities she had in mind.
She hopes to meet Dorothy again, share stories of their adventures and journeys from another world, and hopefully they will be each other's first source of support in believing that their own worlds are real.