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"ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴡᴀɴᴅᴇʀ"
...

The White Rabbit had stayed true to his word. Alison woke up with their head resting on his lap, greeted by the sight of his sullen face.

They smiled but oddly the White Rabbit didn't return it. Alison frowned; Bunny wasn't the type to get upset that easily.

Their ears picked up the wails of sirens, the buzz of a dozen survey drones and the racket raised by impatient, hard-pressed humans.

"You did it, Bunny," Alison said, "you found me."

Tears slipped down, unbridled, unabashed from the corners of his puffy, red eyes. His brown curls lay unkempt over his furrowed forehead, messier than usual. Silent sobs shook his frame. As the tears streaked down his cheeks, Alison lifted a hand to wipe them off.

Their fingers passed through his cheek and dissipated into white particles, washed away by the winds like a sandcastle caught in the breaking crests of the waves. Their hand was a translucent blue auroral apparition, a faithful replica of their limb crafted from stardust and photons.

"I was late," he chanted. "I was late."

Chromium || A Little Match Girl Retelling Where stories live. Discover now