The pen lands somewhere underneath my table. In the midst of my trying to acquaint myself with this place, I ... might've noticed it rolling for a couple of seconds now.
Well, I noticed the book the girl was reading first. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass is one of my favourites.
"Sally Jackson," I reply. "And I did hear a little about the Bar's humour, though when someone told me that, I thought they were talking about the tender. Not the actual woodwork."
Oh, she's not Alice-of-Legend. Oysters don't even live that long.
She is, however, an Alice that has been to Wonderland. She has brought down the house of cards, so to speak, and helped the war to end the Queen of Hearts' reign.
"No, not really. Well, in my world, he goes by David...but in Wonderland---oh, haha, yeah, Louis Carroll didn't get everyone or everything quite right. And the artist should be strung up by his toes."
She rifles in her pocket and pulls out a picture of herself and Hatter together.
"He's cute," I say with a bright smile. And not really at all mad looking.
"So there is a Wonderland? And it's not quite like Lewis Carroll - wow, that's going to take a lot of readjusting. I used to read the book almost every year."
She smiles back. Sure he's a little mad, but...that comes with the territory, and is part of his charm. "Thanks," she answers. "He's great."
She nods slowly. "Well, Alice-Of-Legend was there like, a hundred and forty something years ago," she's not gotten more of the specifics out of Hatter yet. "And after that, the Queen built a casino. Started pulling people through the looking glass to drain them of their emotions to make 'teas'. Hatter ran a tea shop," she refrains from popping the 'p', like he likes to do. "And helped the resistance. I...ended up there, and helped."
That ... makes for a really great story, it occurs to me.
"Wow. That's not at all like the story Lewis Carroll wrote," I remark, though I'm still mightily impressed by this Alice's adventures in her own Wonderland.
"Is it bad that I kind of feel jealous you got to do something like that?"
She nods, "I know. I hadn't read it since I was ten before I came home. I've been reading it and making notes. It makes for interesting conversation and clarification with Hatter when I see him."
She laughs a little. "It was dangerous and crazy. We all nearly died about a half dozen times or so. And flying on mechanical flamingos is the most terrifying thing ever."
Well, I noticed the book the girl was reading first. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass is one of my favourites.
I lean forward to pick it up.
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That, and she hasn't been paying much attention to it. Not really.
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"I didn't know magical places could have slightly wonky table legs. But then, I don't exactly have a lot of experience with ... magical things."
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She offers a hand.
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"Sally Jackson," I reply. "And I did hear a little about the Bar's humour, though when someone told me that, I thought they were talking about the tender. Not the actual woodwork."
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Yeah, she did say 'Hatter'.
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I glance to where Alice had been sitting with her book. It doesn't cross my mind that they could be those very characters.
After all, stuff like that doesn't happen. And Alice's hair in the book had always been golden.
"Is that like ... a nickname?"
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She is, however, an Alice that has been to Wonderland. She has brought down the house of cards, so to speak, and helped the war to end the Queen of Hearts' reign.
"No, not really. Well, in my world, he goes by David...but in Wonderland---oh, haha, yeah, Louis Carroll didn't get everyone or everything quite right. And the artist should be strung up by his toes."
She rifles in her pocket and pulls out a picture of herself and Hatter together.
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"So there is a Wonderland? And it's not quite like Lewis Carroll - wow, that's going to take a lot of readjusting. I used to read the book almost every year."
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She nods slowly. "Well, Alice-Of-Legend was there like, a hundred and forty something years ago," she's not gotten more of the specifics out of Hatter yet. "And after that, the Queen built a casino. Started pulling people through the looking glass to drain them of their emotions to make 'teas'. Hatter ran a tea shop," she refrains from popping the 'p', like he likes to do. "And helped the resistance. I...ended up there, and helped."
Accidentally, of course.
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"Wow. That's not at all like the story Lewis Carroll wrote," I remark, though I'm still mightily impressed by this Alice's adventures in her own Wonderland.
"Is it bad that I kind of feel jealous you got to do something like that?"
(My life isn't all that exciting.)
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She nods, "I know. I hadn't read it since I was ten before I came home. I've been reading it and making notes. It makes for interesting conversation and clarification with Hatter when I see him."
She laughs a little. "It was dangerous and crazy. We all nearly died about a half dozen times or so. And flying on mechanical flamingos is the most terrifying thing ever."
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"Mechanical flamingos?" I repeat.
Instead of the flamingo-creatures used to play cricket with?
I'm starting to spot a couple of the comparisons and mentally jot them down.
(Casinos = cards
Tea (and shop) = the Tea Party)
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"Yeah. It was weird. They were...it's hard to explain. They're easy to shoot out of the air though..."
She knows from experience and lake water. Urgh.
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The expression on Alice's face tells me a little more about how she feels about them, that's for sure.
I nod, smiling sympathetically.
"Well, most grand adventures as far as I understand are pretty dangerous, aren't they?"
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She's not a fan of heights. Not at all.
She shrugs. "I guess. It worked out, though. I think I'm a lot different. But, that again...that's a grand adventure thing."
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