Chapter 1

 I have always enjoyed the great outdoors. I love the games that I play there. Yes, I know all too well that I am far too old for such childish games, but they do delight me so! Forgive me my crazy speech and thoughts, dear me, I am in the middle of imagining myself as a young dame of old England back in the Victorian age! Which, as you can very well imagine, causes me to think and speak in long, drawn out, old English ways. Haha! It is ever so fun!

   "Alyssa Marie Sherie!" Uh-oh. Mother is calling me out of my little game. She has never taken delight in my musings.

   "Yes, mother?"

   "Get in here right now! Enough goofing off! You are far too old to keep pretending!"

   "Yes, mother."

   "Stop calling me mother. You have to get of that world of yours! Come back to reality and call me Mom again!" As I said, she hates it that I keep playing these games! I take a moment to recollect myself. Now I'm ready to be me.

   "Sorry, Mom. I was playing a Victorian age game. It is cool to be able to become someone else at times. Sometimes, life is just boring being myself. You know?"

   "Just be you. Everyone else is already taken."

   "But not if you make that person up!"

   "Alyssa..." Mom says in a warning tone.

   "I know what you meant, Mom. But everyone else CANT be taken if you are the one who makes it up. That person you make up is then you, or else they haven’t existed. Then, if they are part of you and you have to just be you, then doesn’t that mean you have two yous to be?" I press on. I know I'm pushing it, but I just can't help it.

   "Alyssa... you think too much. If you know what it was I meant, then why can't you just leave it at what I meant instead of confusing things even more?" I am silent. I don't know how. My mind is always reeling, analyzing, questioning, wondering, and answering. It's not something that I can help. Mom sighs. "Come in. It is time to eat dinner. And, please, Alyssa, for once, do not bring up your games. Do you think you can do that?" I give a nod.

 I do not think that Mom means for me to be quiet at supper, but I began a new game. This time, I am a servant. I have no right to speak unless spoken to. This way, I am not likely to bring up my game. Heehee. So far it’s working. Everything is being passed around. I don't have to ask for anything! Why haven't I noticed this before? I've always asked for whatever I want to be passed to me. Perhaps I've just been impatient. I think I will become a servant at every meal, then. Just to see. Koran, my brother, just passed me the gravy and Mom gives me a look. I look down at my plate. Servants don't look their masters in the eyes. "Alyssa, Why are you silent?" Well, I could simply ignore the answer. Then be in trouble. I could say because you don't want IT brought up. I could say because I'm imagining that I am a servant, so I am behaving like one. She said she didn't want ME to bring it up... so...

   "Because you didn't want me to talk about me pretending to be a Victorian age damsel," I settle on. She was, after all, the one who opened the very conversation that she forbade.

   "Alyssa, go to your room." Good thing I hid that bread roll just a minute ago. I obediently leave, as any good old servant would.

   "Yes, Ma'am," I say, just before I left the room.

 Being grounded to my room has never really proved effective with me. After all, I can always escape my punishment by the very means that put me here! I know Mom is trying hard to get me to grow up, but the truth of the matter is that I don’t WANT to grow up. Not yet! I enjoy the games far too much! I'm not ready for the responsibility that comes with age. Yes, I know time is running short.

Why don't I just imagine time running backwards? Then I can re-do everything! I can go back to being 7 again, when pretending to be other people used to amuse Mom and Dad. I miss those days.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Running, running, running,

Spinning around,

Flowers flow,

Ebsons bloom,

All around,

Sunny and cheery.

Clouds roll in,

Laughter stops,

No more shall I be Queen.

A Jabberwalk

Waltzes in,

Destroys my throne

And castle

We all scream,

Me and my subjects,

And suddenly I scream

On awakening!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I open my eyes, out of breath. My heart is racing. How on earth did I dream of that? Oh, horrid dreams! How I do loath thee! Finally stabilizing my breathing and heart pacing, it dawns on me that I dreamed of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Huh. I wonder why now? Not that it matters. The chances of sleep coming upon me once again are so slim; it's ridiculous to even try.

 I get up at last, putting on something warm. I am going for a walk. Yes, it is in the dark. No, I do not care. I am so glad that I live in the country, way out in the woods. There is so much for me to explore still yet. I've lived here all my life, I could never get lost. Still yet, things have been yet to be seen. This is not pretend. I do not pretend at night. My dreams do enough of that as it is and I do plenty during the day. Night is my resting point for deliberate pretending. All of the trees are looming above my head, illuminated by the light of the moon. Pin-pricks of jewels crown the night sky. I take a deep breath. Mmmm... The air smells of sweet pine. This is the way to relax. With crickets in the background.

 I am approaching the edge of where I have explored before. I really should turn back... I take a glance behind me. It is still dark... no one will notice at least until the break of day... I walk steadfastly forward. What will I find this time? I see a thicket of bushes. Not that I can see well, but it seems as though they are forming a gate-like entrance to... what? I walk over to them to inspect. I pull the bushes apart to reveal what might lay hidden. On the ground, in the middle of the bushes, is a key. A key? I look around. There is no house. No flashlights. It is just me. I pick up the key. It is mine now. I almost back away from the thicket before I realize (which is this instant) that there is a cave just past it. Curiosity gets the best of me. I continue ever onward. My heart pounds and I'm full of excitement. Always into the cave and the entrance cannot be seen. I keep stumbling forward, quite determined to explore the extremities of the cave. I wish I had brought a flash light. Grrr... Oh, well.

 Something catches my eye. In the darkness of the cave, I do see something bright. I practically run towards it. If it is day time, surely I'll be missed. This discovery, though! It’s too sweet to be true! A cave?! With a mysterious light! I have to finish this exploration! The light grows bigger as I draw closer to it. It seems to have many colors in it... but the colors a swirling about so that I can't make it out... Ok. I know I'm not making this up. I don't think that I could make up something as odd as that. Granted, I have come up with some pretty wild stories, but nothing of this sort, to be sure.  Up close, the light is as big as me. I reach out to touch it, but it feels as smooth as glass. And as hard. What is it? I look around it. There is a rock at the foot of the light, to my right. Something is peculiar about this rock, too. I bend down for a closer look. It appears normal, but something is different about it and I can't put my finger on it. I pick it up and examine the other side of it. Nothing there out of the ordinary. I check out the bottom. There it is! There is a hole in it! And the peculiar part isn't the hole itself, per sae, but that the hole seems like it is made for a key! So much so that I almost think... I take the key I found out of my pocket. I'd have to be insane if I honestly thought this works. Resolutely I put the key in the hole. It fits...? How? I do the ridiculous: I turn the key. It turned!

 Wind pulls at me from the... glass light! Pulls me in! I scream. And scream. And scream. Wait. Why am I screaming? I'm already on the ground. I'm not hurt. Nothing happened to me. I look around to reassure myself. I'm wrong. I do not know where I am. This is not my home. The trees are too... colorful. The very aura of this place is different. And if I were still at home, I'd still be in the cave. Please tell me I'm dreaming! For once, I'm sure this isn't me doing the imagining! This is NOT my imagination! I could never really SEE what I pretended! And I wouldn't feel so lost and hopeless. Maybe if I pinch myself??? No. That means I'm definitely NOT dreaming. You can't think of that in a dream! Oh, great, I really am living in this place! Well, only one thing to do and that’s move and figure out where I am. I walk straight ahead of me. At one point or another, surely I'll find someone or something that will help me orient myself.

 Actually, now that I've pulled myself together, this is actually a kind of pleasant place. There are birds singing, it appears to be noon here already. It's actually much more pleasant. This thought catches me off guard. Should I just stay here forever and forget all about my home? No. The magic word there is HOME. No. I cannot leave that. Besides, my Mom and Dad, and Koran... they'd all miss me terribly so. Not that they'd ever believe me that this place exists... To think... This whole new world and time on our property. Does this mean that we are the ones that own it?

 Speaking of property, I see a house looming upon me. Or else I'm sneaking up to it. Whichever. Perhaps the owner of this house will be able to help me out! I race up to the front door and knock rapturously. The door swings wide open and the smell of heavenly tea drifts on the air. "Hello!" And a boy walks out. Vibrant red hair, sticking out at every end. Wearing a funny top hat that must be as old as he is. "Who is so pleasant so as to come and visit-" He stops short and looks me over. I must say, I am not quite accustomed to that. Then he looks me in the eyes. He has beautiful, vibrant green eyes. My heart beats quickly.

   "My name is Alyssa..." I say, almost at loss for words. I have never seen anyone as breath-taking as this boy. I smile. Suddenly, I realize that my hair is a mess and I must look atrocious.

   "My name doesn't matter. Everyone here calls me Hatter." He gives a crooked grin. I nearly sigh. I don't know why! Not necessarily the handsome type... but so captivating.

   "Surely your name matters. Come, now, tell me. What is your name?"

   "..." he hesitates with his mouth open.  "Istrangelabutrea."

   "Sorry?"

   "My name is Istrangelabutrea." Oh. No wonder the just call him hatter.

   "Can I call you Trea instead?"

   "Can I call you Lyssie instead?" I laugh. One nick-name for another.

   "Sure. You can call me Lyssie."

   "Then you can call me Trea." we both smile. That's the first time anyone has ever called me Lyssie. I imagine the same goes for Trea. Already, we have reached a special level. Special names for each other. I will never let anyone else call me Lyssie. "So, Lyssie, What is it that you wanted?" I open my mouth to speak, but am cut short. "Come in, come in! Have some tea with me!"

   "Trea, I really should be going..." Trea looks at me in dismay.

   "But you've only just arrived!"

   "I know. I'm sorry. It's just that I'm lost; I don't know where I am. My mother and father and brother will be missing me if I don't go back."

   "If you can solve this riddle, you can go back."

   "Haha, I would love that! But riddle or no riddle, answered or unanswered, I must go back." I feel my smile fall. I've only just met Trea, but... I have to go... and I like him...

   "I can't allow you to do that."

   "But why ever not? Once I find out how to get out of here, I can then visit whenever I want, come and go as I please. And believe me, I'll come back. This place is far better than my imagination!" -so is the person I found here, I add in my head. Goodness, have really fallen for someone so quickly?!

"Fine. I will take you out of this place," Trea says w/ a sigh of... disappointment? I think putting too much into his words and actions. He steps out the door unexpectedly and... bumps into me because I didn't have time to back away. "Oh, sorry..." he mumbles. Trea then grabs my hand and leads me on the way back home. We go the way I came. I manage to free my hand-I'm not ready for that yet. Haha...

   "What is the name of this place, anyway?" I ask.

   "Some call it Underland. Some call it Miser-land. And some, me included, call it Wonderland. So take your pick."

   "Oh, that’s-wait. Did you say Wonderland?"

   "Yeah. Do you not like it?" I must have said that with a little more disgust than disbelief. Haha.

   "Well, it’s just that, Wonderland has always been more of a fictional story than anything else. It was written by this man named Lewis Carroll."

   "That's interesting. I wonder if there is any connection..." Trea drifts off in his thoughts.

   "There couldn't be any relationship between what is in those books and this place. After all, the Hatter in that book was too old," I say, making conversation.

   "There are many hatters."

   "Yes, but how many go by the name Hatter? Aren't you the only one who does, Trea?"

   "Umm... I'm not sure. I think there is one in particular."

   "Oh? Then what's his real name?"

   "Istrangelabutrea."

   "As in... you are the only one, then?"

   "..."

   "So... You know this Alice then? She is real?"

   "..."

   "Why are you so silent?"

   "Yes. I am the only one. Yes, I knew Alice. But I am afraid that she quite forgot me." Oh. Wow. Awful. He is THE Hatter. Not just nick-named Hatter. How old are the Alice books? Oh, that's terrible. He isn't my age.

   "Why are you sad, Lyssie?"

   "..." how old are you?

   "Lyssie?"

   "How old are you?" I finally ask. Completely risking everything in that question.

   "Haha! Is that all that is bothering you?" My cheeks burn. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to upset you. I am friends with time, so my age doesn't matter. I do not know how old I really am. But I'm about 18 years old right now." Oh, that's right! Here, time is a he. And He will do tricks with time for you if you wish and if you know him well enough. Huh. An ageless 18 year old. "If I wanted to, I could ask Time to make me 2 again. Likewise, I could also very easily make myself 82."

 "There's a wonderful concept! To be able to age as we please!"

   "Are you not able to do that where you and Alice are from?"

   "I thought she told you that already. At least I thought she did. It was in the book... but no. We cannot. It is impossible where we are from."

   "Oh, now that's a shame. Look, here. This is where I stop. I must remain here in Wonderland. But it seems to be Dimmerland with you leaving." The words are like a feather on my heart.

   "Before I go... Trea, will you promise me that you will stay 18 for me? I promise I will be back!"

   "Yes. I promise. Now go if you have to go. We don't want people missing you. Return tomorrow in your world? For me, tomorrow is always today and today is always yesterday. And yesterday is always tomorrow, since Time is on my side."

   "Haha, yes. I promise. I'll be back tomorrow." I smile and step thru the black void that leads back to Earth.