Continuation....
Up to this point Alice and Dorothy had not even bothered to look around them as they walked. Their main goal was to get to the Mad Hatter in one piece. Now that they felt as though they were in a million pieces, they stopped to gaze at everything. They rolled around in the grass and waved to the little caterpillar that was making his long voyage to a very specific branch, where he would end his baby life. They waded in the river and scooped up bubbles, blowing them off into the distance. They mostly looked at each other. Each girl having a manic smile on her face, their eyes as big as the saucers their tea had been served on. They sat in the lotus position trying to shout, but only managing a whisper. Their cheeks were flushed and a glow surrounded them. I know all of this because, I followed them. They had yet to even reach a peek and I am here to tell you how their lives changed.
*
"A-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-l-i-c-e, Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, are you there, are you?"
"Hmm? Hey! Do you ever wonder?"
"Wonder about what dearest?"
"Life, living, lived"
"Always and forever, love"
"I love you, Dorothy"
"Do you remember when we used to sing… sha la la la la la la la la la de da"
....The conversation continued in this fashion for what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes. Dorothy slowly unfolded her legs and began to walk toward a very old, wise tree. Alice laid back tried to find faces in the clouds. After reaching an upper most branch, that could sufficiently support her weight, Dorothy reached into her pocket and took out her pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Alice began to point to giant pieces of rain filled cotton and shout out names.
As Dorothy breathed out puffs of smoke they picked themselves apart in tiny spider webs. Up and Up, until they attached themselves to the tree and shivered. A minuscule, neon blue and green spider came out and loving touched Dorothy’s cheek, whispering into her ear.
“I shall catch you the biggest dragonfly. We will pull her wings apart and fashion you into a fairy. “
Choked with tears, partly from the beauty of the spider and partly from her kindness, Dorothy began to cry at the very instant the rain began to fall. Alice came running over and pulled herself up next to Dorothy. They sat in the tree, arms around each other’s shuddering shoulders. Looking over the forest they threw their heads back and sampled the rain. It was a warm delicate rain, the kind with the giant drops that seem to float over your body and burst only when they’ve hovered for a few seconds.
Dorothy looked over and the spider and her smoky web had vanished. Beauty, you see, only appears when you least expect it and disappears just as quickly. You have to pay attention or you’ll never see it. Right then Dorothy and Alice were immersed in the beauty of the scene they gazed upon. The clouds only covered a small section of the sky and the sun was peeking through another. They decided to have a contest. Who would see the rainbow first? And there it was, lightly caressing the sky slightly in front but, also above them. They pointed and giggled and stared in awe and then climbed down from the tree. The rain had stopped and they decided to go walking.
"Dorothy, do you enjoy riddles?"
"Only ones that I can solve", she responded with a coy smile painting her face.
"Would you like to hear one?"
"Very much so"
Alice thought for a moment, trying to remember the exact wording. "If you break me, I will not stop working. If you can touch me, my work is done. If you lose me, you must find me with a ring soon after. What am I?"
*
"Tell me you ungodly beast of a girl!"
They were running along a small path in the forest, Alice a slight bit ahead of Dorothy, laughing. The sun was coming very close to setting and the drugs had finally taken full effect. Everything whizzed past them in a flash of color and chatter. Their Laughs echoed through the canopy and the animals looked down at them, either glowering or smirking.
"Never you fool, have you no imagination. Break it apart. Use your brain"
"My brain is in no state for your silly games. Tell me now or suffer."
"STOP!"
With that Alice halted in the middle of the path and stood gaping at the giant field before them. The sun was set and the fireflies had taken over.
"Dorothy, Dorothy, the sky is exploding!"
"Stop with your nonsense and tell... oooohhhh."
And yes, the sky was in fact exploding. Each little burst of light was magnified times a thousand and lasted much longer than it should have.
"It’s a heart, Dorothy, a human heart and I feel as though mine is about to explode right along with the field"
"I should have known. Damn it all. Sit down and we’ll rest."