Wonderland

i Go through the small door.

"This is definitely not New York City," I said to myself as I looked around. I panned around my phone to get a good look at everything. There were four paths and each of them was a different season. The path through what looked like spring seemed most intriguing to me. Grandmother Alice always had a beautiful garden at her house in London. It seemed like a good choice, and reminded me of her garden. I always thought of myself as a very reasonable person when it came time to make a decision.

There were flowers of every kind and color here. As I put my phone back into my pocket a rocking horse with what appeared to be dragonfly wings flew around my head. The rocking horsefly neighed like a horse instead of buzzing like the flies back in New York City. I snapped a picture and a short video in SnapChat to try to send later. I continued to put my phone up as I heard a faint "You're late. Oh goodness. My, my you're late!" I looked around and around until I saw just a glimpse of the White Rabbit up ahead on the trail. I chased after him once again up the trail. Soon I had lost sight of him with no clue in which direction he went after the glimpse. So, I continued to walk down the path some more when I heard music. I followed the sound just off the path until I saw a swarm of butterflies flying around a jade hookah with purple smoke coming out the pipe.

Press play on the video to listen to while reading for this next part of the story.

off to the side of the

butterflies was one large white butterfly that appeared to be watching the others play and dance in the smoke. I carefully pulled out my phone to take a picture of the butterfly party, hoping not to disturb them. As I put my phone back into my pocket I heard a lady say, "And who are you? Taking pictures of my soiree?"

I looked around to see who might have said that, but I did not see anyone. "Little girl! I said who are you?" said the voice once more.

"I am sorry but I don't know who asked," I replied still looking for who might have asked.

"Over here," said the white butterfly flapping her wings violently to get my attention. "I said, 'WHO ARE YOU?!'" She now sounded very annoyed.

"Oh hello there! I am Ali, well, Alice but I prefer Ali. It is nice to meet you. What is your name?" I replied excitedly to the butterfly.

"My name is Margaret Absolute. My father told our people of a story about an Alice, but you couldn't be her. She was brave and stood up against the Queen of Hearts. She definitely did not walk around taking pictures of a soiree she was not invited to," said the white butterfly Margaret.

"I am deeply sorry. I did not mean to intrude," I said. "I was chasing a white rabbit in a waistcoat when I heard the music and I had to see what was happening. Do you know..."

"He is a worry-wort and his watch is broken that he keeps time with. There is a party later at the Hatter's. Are you going there uninvited also?" Margaret said harshly as she interrupted me.

"I am sorry, but who? And do you know where I am at? This place is so beautiful like a dream," I asked Margaret.

"THE HATTER! She throws all the best parties you know," Margaret replied as if I should have known who she was. "Oh, yes, it is beautiful here in Wonderland," she said matter of factually as she gazed back over to the other butterflies dancing in the purple smoke.

"Did you say Wonderland?" I asked, confused, starting to pull out my phone to try to call my Grandmother Alice.

"Yes, darling. Wonderland. Where else would you be?" Margaret replied starting to become annoyed with me once more.

"if this is wonderland,

then all of Grandmother Alice's stories were true," I thought to myself starting to panic.

"Look, here come the Tweedle sisters with their cat Charles. He is a Cheshire and has a few marvelous tricks. You should have him show the tricks to you," said Margaret sounding pleased to have me leave her little butterfly soiree.

"Wait. Before I leave, can you tell me how to return to my normal size? I am not used to being fifteen inches tall," I asked desperately trying not to sound panicked.

"And what is wrong with being fifteen inches tall? I think that is a wonderful height. A tad tall for my taste but still wonderful," Margaret replied ready for me to be out of her presence.

"Please! I will feel much more comfortable in a strange land if I was my normal size," I pleaded with Margaret to help me.

"Fine. Go up to the jade hookah. Inhale two puffs from one of the pipes to return to your normal size. The right side will make you grow taller and the left side will make you grow smaller." Margaret said as she started to fly away, "Oh Tweedles! How wonderful it is for you to finally show up!"

I walked up to the hookah wondering how I was supposed to tell the right from the left pipe when they looked the same from the front and the back. A small yellow-as-pure-butter butterfly landed on one of the pipes. I took it as a sign to choose that one and took two deep breaths.

Nothing happened. I began to walk towards where Margret was flying at and talking to the Tweedle sisters. My head began to feel fuzzy as I reached where they are standing. Margret seems so much smaller now. I must be my normal size again.

[Read on]

Images:

banner multicolored petal flower Photo by JR Korpa on Unsplash

garden path Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

GIF Woman Huh Gif from Tenor

two girls in stripe shirts Photo by Grizzly Hn on Unsplash

smiling cat Photo by Ben Rogers on his Blog

YouTube video cocktail party 1940's music

Bibliography:

Based off of Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland published in 1865

Authors note:

In Lewis Carroll's version Alice is only given one path. Carroll's Alice thinks that she gives herself good advice but rarely followed it. I decided to make Ali a good decision-maker when given choices, because I do not always make a decision quickly and then go with it. I took the rocking horsefly from Walt Disney's animated film Alice in Wonderland from 1951. Be sure and play the YouTube video to listen to the music playing at the butterfly soiree as you read this part of the story. In Carroll's version Alice meets a blue caterpillar and he repeatedly ask, "Who are you?" The caterpillar becomes annoyed with Alice then turns into a butterfly before flying away. Alice asked him how to to become larger than three inches tall, he thinks is a reasonable height since he is also three inches tall. Which he yells back at Alice that the mushroom he was sitting on had one side that will make her grow larger and the other side will make her grow smaller. Alice then continues on her way alone on the path. I wanted to tie in Ali's Grandmother Alice here for her adventures in Wonderland, like in Disney's film Alice Through the Looking Glass 2016, where everyone is asking Alice if she is "The Alice?" when she returns to Underland.

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