Runaway To Neverland (A Neverland Novel).

Chapter Seven: MaryAlice Of London.

Author's Note:

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR DISNEY'S ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951) INCLUDED. If you haven't seen the movie and don't want to read spoilers, please skip the Author's Note.

   Word count of chapter: 884.

   I don't own the picture of Mary(Alice) Darling above. It's from Fan Casting and the rights go to Disney and whoever else!

   If you don't know from the title, this is a chapter on the fanon theory that Alice (from Alice In Wonderland) is George Darling's wife and Wendy, John and Michael Darling's mother, Mary! If anyone would care to remember, The White Rabbit mistakenly refers to Alice as Mary Ann. This gives me insight that perhaps Mary Ann was MaryAlice's mother and she'd secretly visited Wonderland as well and looked similar to Alice which is why he mistook her for her. This also makes me think Alice was her middle name and since her mother was Mary Ann, she was just Alice in childhood but Mary later. Hope this makes sense!

   Hit 68 reads! Thank y'all!

   All rights to Molly belong to my friend, A! 

   Original publication date: 7/14/2024.

   Enjoy!

I was trying to listen to Mother's story but my brothers, John and Michael were interrupting with too many questions.

   "What did she do!?" John, the elder, who was eight and a half, asked eagerly.

   Mother was telling us a tale about a young girl named Alice who hated books without pictures and met a white rabbit and followed him down a rabbit hole to a confusing and strange land called Wonderland.

   "You see, children, after the flowers got cross with her for being a weed, she ran away and right into..." she said, stopping to think.

   "A what!?" Michael, who was Four, asked.

   "A caterpillar!" she said.

   "A caterpillar?" I asked.

   "Yes, who turned into a butterfly" she said. "and flew away!"

   "Mother, is it my unbirthday, because it's not my birthday?" John asked.

   "Yes, it is! Yours, mine, Michael's, Wendy's and your father's! But they only celebrate unbirthdays in Wonderland!" she answered.

   "Why?" I asked.

   "Well Wendy, I don't actually know. Wonderland is a confusing place!"

   "MARY!" my father, who had just walked into the nursery and heard Mother's simply lovely story, yelled. "Please do tell me you're not stuffing their heads with more of that Wonderland nonsense!"

   Mother said Father is cynical. I asked her what that means and she simply said "Dear, it means he has forgotten how to dream and how to have fun and what a miserable life he leads." and then she asked the Three of us to promise her that we'd never turn out that way. She said he was being eaten alive by things that didn't matter, like dinner parties and how many rich people had accounts at his bank.

   "You might enjoy them as well, George dear!" she said to him.

   "Yes Father! They're simply lovely!" I said.

   "I seriously, seriously doubt it..." he said and left, shaking his head.

   I suppose I haven't properly introduced myself and Father says a good introduction is the first step to a good impression and a good impression is the first step to a good acquaintanceship. There's a lot more to it than that, but I haven't got the time.

   Anyway, my name is Wendy Moira Angela Darling. I'm eleven.

   "Goodnight Father!" John said politely.

   That was the thing: Father was strict about respect and politeness and formalness. Mother was fine with sillyness and asking too many questions. Father wasn't.

   "Anyway children, Alice finally made it to The Queen Of Hearts' castle and she finally made it out of Wonderland!" Mother said. "The end!"

   "Oh Mother, what a lovely story!" I said.

   "Yes! May we have another?" John asked.

   "No, it's well past your bedtime!" she answered.

   "Oh, but I'm not tired!" Michael protested.

   "Now children, I will tell you another tomorrow!"

   Then she picked up Michael and put him in his baby bed.

   John and I followed suit, putting ourselves to our own beds.

   "Mother, you do tell the best stories!" I said before she left.

   "Thank you, dear! Goodnight!" she answered.

   "Goodnight! I love you!" me and the boys answered. Once she left, the boys asked me for a story.

   "Tell us One about Christopher Robin! Fearless captain of The Lost Boys!" John said.

   "Okay, but you must be quiet!" I answered.

   They nodded.

   "Okay, once upon a time, there was a boy named Christopher Robin. He led a troupe of boys, who were orphans he'd rescued and brought to Neverland. They were known as The Lost Boys. Once a girl was taken to Neverland after her parents died. She stayed for a week but was taken home because she missed her baby sister. They ended up at their auntie's house, but were given up to an orphanage." I said.

   "Aw, that's awful!" Michael whined.

   "Shh!" John told him. "But yes, it is rather sad!"

   "It is! And it's a true story too! My friend Elizabeth knew the girl it happened to! Her name was Molly!" I explained. The boys were awestruck. "Okay, now go to sleep!"

   "Yes Wendy!" they echoed. "Goodnight!"

   "Night!" I answered.

   I watched the window until I fell asleep, wishing I would catch a glimpse of something. Christopher Robin, a Fairy or a Lost Boy. I wished for an adventure...