How Curious

Chapter @

We enter into an absolutely fantastical world, it's strangely beautiful. It looks like a larger than life garden, it's brown and tangled, with overgrown weeds on broken statues. We both jump at the sound of a sneeze and a large pig scurries past us. The flowers of the garden have the faces of judgemental older women. Dragonflies and horse flies seem to be taken literally in this world.

"Curiouser and curiouser." My sister says looking around equally as amazed as I am feeling. We both jump again as we hear another voice.

"I told you she's the right Alice." A rather large white rabbit in a waistcoat says to a group of similarly dressed creatures. The next creature to speak up is a female dormouse.

"I am not convinced." She stomps.

The Rabbit throws up his hands in exasperation. "How is that for gratitude? I've been up there for weeks trailing one Alice after the next! And I was almost eaten by other animals! Can you imagine? They go about entirely unclothed and they do their...shukm in public. I had to avert my eyes."

The human-like flowers study us with their still judgemental faces. "She doesn't look anything like herself, and you have led another one along with her."

The dormouse speaks up again waving her arms around in frustration, "That's because she's the wrong Alice!"

Next the pudgy pair of twins start arguing with each other about the matter. "And if she was, she might be."

"But if she isn't, she ain't."

"But if she were so, she would be."

"But she isn't. Nohow."

Alice and I watch the exchange glancing at each other awkwardly as they argue her existence. Alice decides to speak up. "How can I be the "wrong Alice" when it's my dream? And who are you, if I may ask." I glare at her as she says it's her dream. Then how are we both here? One of the twins shakes her hand.

"I'm Tweedleehe's Tweedledum."

"Contrariwise. I'mTweedledum he'sTweedledee." The other one says shaking my hand.

"We should consult Absolem. '' The well dressed dodo bird states.

"Exactly. Absolem will know who they are." One of the flowers nods along with the strange bird. The twins smiled and put their arms out to us to escort us to whoever they were talking about. Hopefully we can get some answers as well. The flowers quietly gossip about us as we pass by them.

"Who is this Absolem?" I ask anyone who will respond. Clearly they are more concerned with my sister than they are with me.

"He's wise. He's absolute." The rabbit looks back and nods to me.

"He's Absolem." The Tweedles nod and say at the same time. We enter into what looks like a forest of impossibly tall mushrooms surrounded by fog. Sitting on a red mushroom is a blue caterpillar, kind of like the one at the proposal.

"Who are you?" The caterpillar says. The White Rabbit pushes us toward him. '

"Absolem?" Alice asks.

"You're not Absolem. I'm Absolem. The question is...who are YOU?" Absolum blows smoke rings towards our faces, we both cough.

"Alice."

"Julien." We both answer at the same time, Alice waving the smoke away as she does.

"We shall see" He says in response.

"What do you mean by that? I ought to know who I am!" Alice basically shouts.

"Yes, you ought. Stupid girl-"