Alice could not believe her eyes as the trio entered the magnificent hallway that served as the entryway into the illustrious chocolate factory. The floor was a plush, velvety maroon fabric carpeting beneath her feet, and the walls were ornately tilled with what appeared to be bricks of chocolate, which all bore Williams's insignia. A grand chandelier hung above them, illuminating the foyer. It appeared to have been constructed mostly from an assortment of licorice ropes. The whole of it having the appearance of a glittering, braided rainbow. It cast rainbow rays all about the large foyer and made everything appear to be all the more magical. For as large and grandiose as the foyer was, with its glittering features and grand entryways, gay arches, and decore, Alice could not help but feel as though it had a rather empty feeling about it. For all of its grandeur, the space felt oddly hollow. Their footsteps echoed in the empty space, giving it an all the more abandoned feeling. Alice and William helped the old man to a chair that sat the closest to them in a neat row of seats that lined the long corridor leading out of the foyer and deeper into the marvelous and mysterious chocolate factory. "I will be fine, just fine; you both go on without me. I will wait here." The old man gruffed. "Oh, but father..." William started to say, seemingly quite put out, that his father had decided not to explore the factory fully. The old man simply waved a hand to him. "I feel Ill, William. I will be back another day and see all there is to see, but I am an old man, and I must rest for the moment." William nodded to the old man. He seemed hopeful that his father was still open to visiting another time. That is progress enough for now. Alice thought to herself as William turned to her with excitement and wonder burning in his eyes and a boisterous grin across his face. "Well, Alice, if it is just you and I, then will you accompany me?" He said as he offered her his elbow to take, and together, with their footsteps echoing throughout the grand candy foyer, they walked down the long chair-lined corridor, arm in arm, leaving the old man behind.
William opened the door for Alice, and they walked into a room together. Alice could hardly believe what she saw. The room looked as though it was entirely outdoors, only she was fairly certain that if she strained her eyes enough, she could just make out the mark of the ceiling above them. So tall and so wide was the room that the walls were completely invisible to her. No matter where her eyes landed, the room seemed to go on for eternity. Beneath her feet, there was grass. Or at least, what appeared to be grass, but she had never seen grass so green, or so glittery before. Around her rolled what appeared to be hills. There were striped and polka-dotted trees, multicolor bushes, and all manner of flora and fauna that appeared so completely removed from reality that Alice could not tell you what they were. "Welcome, Alice!" Came the voice of William from beside her. "To The Eat-able Room!" Alice blinked at him. "An Eat-able room?" She asked. "No, my dear, not An Eatable room, this is The Eatable room! The only one of its kind in existence! You see, my dear, everything in this room is eatable!" He grinned at her as he explained further. " The trees, the grass, the dirt, everything in this room is edible! Even I am edible, but that, my dear Alice, is called cannibalism and is frowned upon in most societies." Alice laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of this man as she marveled at his handiwork. She could hear the sound of a rushing waterfall. "This is beautiful." She whispered, taking in all of the confectionary scenery that surrounded her. "I am so very glad that you think so!" Said William excitedly. "This factory is my pride and joy, and this room, in particular, is its crowning jewel. Alice ran her hands over the bark of a tree that seemed to be made entirely out of milk chocolate, breaking a small piece off with her nail. Beneath the now wounded inch of bark oozed caramel sap. "Oh, Do try a piece! Don't be shy!" Said William from beside her. Eagerly watching her face, she lifted the chocolate morsel to her lips. She bit into it, and although she was unaware of exactly what her facial expressions relayed to him, Alice could see him light up with pure delight. The secret syrup surprise paled in comparison. William pulled a leaf from the tree and held it out to her, touching it to her lips. He did not move any closer to her than he had been before, but the intimate gesture made Alice aware of how close they were to each other. She opened her mouth to accept the leaf he was feeding her, trying desperately to ignore her heart's racing or the heat she felt rising in her cheeks. If William noticed, to his credit, he made no note of it. Alice swallowed and grinned. "This is so delightful! I want to try everything!" She laughed. William's large, dark eyes sparkled in response. "And you shall!" And with that, He took her by the hand and led her over the hills, laughing and picking what he believed to be the tastiest of treats along the way to feed to her. Perhaps it was the sheer volume of sugar that she was consuming, or perhaps it was the proximity to the handsome young chocolatier, but for a moment, as William held her hand in one of his own and brushed a flower against her lips with his other, Alice could have sworn she saw stars. It is the sugar. She thought. Definitely the sugar.
