Wonder[Phone]Land
Just in case you haven't heard about my first time to see Wonderland, let me explain it to you as if you were experiencing it with me...
Back when I lived above ground, I was having just another boring day spent daydreaming of something exciting. I have been playing on and off on my front lawn all week, and I am literally feeling like I'm dying of boredom. I'm dancing around like a fool to try to entertain myself, but nothing is working. But wait... What is that moving over there?
A rabbit! Awww, it's so cute! The first creature I've seen all day. I'm watching the rabbit really closely because it's moving so fast. It must be running from something. The rabbit is starting to come closer to me. Okay, I have to pet it!
The rabbit is now three feet away from me... Do I walk toward it? No... That'll scare it. Maybe it'll come toward me because I don't look intimidating. Wait, what's it doing? Why would a rabbit have a wallet? I must've really lost it now, it appears that this rabbit is looking at a funny-looking wallet, but I swear I just heard the rabbit say it's "in a hurry." Silly rabbit, a wallet doesn't tell time! I must really be losing it now. I clearly got way too lost in my daydream.
Now the rabbit's running again. I have to follow it! Anything is more exciting than what I've been doing. The rabbit's very fast, but I'm keeping up with it. There's nothing running after it, so why is it.... WOAHHHHH I'm falling!!!
I must've stepped right off a ledge into a hole! This hole must be far too big to be a rabbit hole. It's so dark and I can't see the bottom. What is this?! Shoot, my mom's going to kill me if she finds out I left the lawn. Once I get where I'm going I've got to head home. As I'm falling I'm just thinking to myself, "Stupid rabbit, I should've known it was going back to its home!" At least I had some excitement in my life for a few minutes. I wonder what I'll do when I get back home. I probably could help around the house, or paint some pictures or something. Hmm. Wait... When on earth will I land?! I'm pretty sure I've been in the air for miles among what seems like nothing but darkness!
Ow! Well, now I'm on ground again, but I'm very confused. Did I pass out? How long was I in the air? I look around and everything is still dark... Oh! But there's the rabbit! I've followed him this far. I guess I've got to keep following him. He's going so fast --- Oh gosh, now I lost him too. Where am I?
I'm looking around, trying to find a way back, and I see a lit hallway. "Thank God," I'm thinking to myself. That was fun while it lasted, but I've had enough. I'm in the hallway now but all I see are doors... I'm tugging on them with all of my might, but I cannot get any of them to budge. Great, now what?
I'm looking around and I see a table in the distance. I don't see anything on top of it, but the closer I get it seems like there has to be a purpose for the table. What do I have to lose? I'm walking over to it and I start to make out something rectangular sitting on top of it. OMG - it's probably the rabbit's wallet that he dropped! As I'm running over to the object, I see that half of it is covered by a note sitting on top of it. When I move the note over, I see that this object has a ton of buttons on the front and a small black square - it looks like a mini TV. What the heck is that? Hopefully the rabbit will come back for it and I'll get to follow him out of here!
I get to the table and there's a note that reads "Use Me" next to the object on the table. Uhh okay, I would follow directions but 1) it's not mine and 2) I don't even know what it is. I flip the note over, and there's a message. The note reads:
"Here lies a WonderPhone™. If you are receiving this, this means you now have a very powerful gift. Alice -- this one's for you. But you must follow these simple rules:
You may not tell anyone that you have a WonderPhone™;
WonderPhones™ cannot be seen by anyone that doesn't have one;
WonderPhones™ may be used for documenting: photographs, videos and notes;
Documents taken on WonderPhones™ may not be used or shown to anyone, unless in court;
Lastly, you must deny any use of a WonderPhones™ if it has been seen, no matter the circumstances.
Go ahead, press a couple buttons. It may be unfamiliar now, but the WonderPhone™ will soon become your most prized possession.
Sincerely, the Tech Master."
Wait... What? How does the "Tech Master" know my name? Tech as in technology... Or is Tech just his name? I'm examining the buttons on the unknown object - one is shaped like a cordless telephone I have at home, another is shaped like a... Home? The other buttons just have dots on them. As I begin to touch a couple of these buttons, the TV-like square lights up. The square keeps changing with each button I touch. What is this thing? I press the button that looks like a lock, and suddenly a curtain across from me flies up and reveals a tiny open door about fifteen inches high.
I quickly run over to the tiny door, get on my hands and knees, and lunge to see what's inside. Immediately I see the most beautiful scenery I could ever imagine. There are bright colors, dozens of flowers, green grass and what appears to be a hidden garden. Wow, this thing really is powerful! This must be the same object that the rabbit looked at before running off earlier! Maybe he has one too? The note said not to let anyone know I have this thing... But I saw the rabbit's. He must not follow rules very well. I guess I'm going to sit down behind the curtain and hide while I explore all the other cool stuff I'll be able to do with this WonderPhone™. I think I'll really get to liking this thing.
Author's Note
For my first story, I figured it'd be fitting to reinvent Alice's original entrance into Wonderland: Down the Rabbit Hole. Instead of being on a picnic with her sister, Alice is playing outside like young girls often do when they're little. In both the original and this version, Alice sees a rabbit that's in a hurry. In the original story, the rabbit pulls out a pocket watch before running off. In this modern version, the rabbit has a WonderPhone™ before Alice even knows what one is. This was a foreshadowing to the end of the story when Alice is given her on WonderPhone™ from the Tech Master.
In the original, Alice is anonymously given a key that perfectly fits into the fifteen inch door. After this, Alice receives a liquid to drink and a cake to eat which makes her small enough to fit through the door and see Wonderland. In my version, Alice's "key" to the imaginary door is her WonderPhone™. The WonderPhone™ gives her access to the door through technology, and once she plays with it she'll find out how to shrink to get through the door. In my next story, she'll have mastered her new technology and be ready to explore Wonderland with her new treasure!
"Down the Rabbit Hole." Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll (1865).