Alice

18. Prophecy

18. Prophecy

I had made up my mind. I would talk to Jack. I knew that Martha was right, and the Queen was wrong. Besides, standing up to the Queen of Hearts in the tea garden had given me even more confidence.

The next day, I dressed quickly and started out to find Jack. I searched the entire castle, without success. Then I decided to look outside, to see if the Queen was making him shovel snow again.

Instead, I found the Blue Caterpillar. He was leaning against a tree. Our willow tree. He puffed rings of smoke from his pipe, with a nonchalant look on his face.

"Alice....." the Caterpillar said with a bored tone. "What do you want?"

"I'm looking for Jack," I said.

"Are you looking for him, or are you looking for a part of yourself?" he asked.

I was very confused. "What?" I asked.

"What is the reason you're looking for him?"

"I-" I started.

"You're looking for him because you want him to forgive you. You want to be with him again. Metaphorically, you want him to give you back your heart."

I was about to snap at him, demand how he knew that, and say that all I wanted to do was talk to Jack. But then I realized that he was right. I wanted my heart back. I wanted to love again.

"They were right. You are wise," I told the Caterpillar in wonder.

"Of course I am," he replied.

I thought a moment. Then I said, "Sir, I heard that you made a prophecy about a girl from Above. Could you- Could you tell me what it said?"

He inhaled deeply into his pipe. Then he exhaled a lot of smoke. It shaped itself into a girl leaning over a ring of smoke, as if she were looking down a hole. A rabbit hole.

The Blue Caterpillar opened his mouth and spoke the prophecy in an eerie voice, almost like a loud whisper:

A young woman from the World Above

Will fall into this land.

As he spoke, the smoke-girl fell into the ring.

She will be small, innocent, nothing grand,

The little figure in the smoke had fallen onto an imaginary ground. She stood up and looked around.

This girl will see things beyond her wildest dreams,

The smoke girl was suddenly surrounded by unusual creatures: a man in an unusual top hat, a cat floating in the air, a mini caterpillar smoking a pipe.

From cats that smirk to an unassuming boy,

She will learn that not everything is what it seems.

But when she comes face-to-face with the tyrannical Queen-

All the other characters melted into a tall, mean-looking woman wearing a crown.

-this brave girl will meet her destiny.

She will bring down on the monarch Justice's hand

And a new sovereign shall rule the land.

The girl drew a sword and slashed threw the Queen, whom then dissolved. The victorious girl held up the crown.

But all shall not be well

For while the Evil One will have perished,

The noblest man will have also fell.

In the smoke, the girl knelt beside a man who lay on the ground.

The girl shall leave Wonderland in tears

And return to her world to conquer her fears.

A tear fell from the girl's cheek, and when it hit the ground, the image dissolved.

I realized that my mouth was open, and quickly snapped it shut. "Mr. Caterpillar, sir....... Is that about me?" I asked.

"What do you think?" His voice went back to its normal drawl.

"It is, isn't it?" Of course it was. The girl sounded just like me. If I had loaned closer at the smoke-girl, I was sure that she would've had my long, tangled blonde hair.

There were many things about the prophecy that scared me. One: I had to kill the Queen. Run her through with a sword, no less. That was the least of my worries. Two: I would be made Queen, but then let everyone down by leaving. That was pretty bad, too. But the worst of my fears was number three: Jack was going to die. He was "the noblest man" because he would help me overthrow the Queen, and he would get killed trying.

"How can I defeat her?" I asked, only expressing the least of my fears.

"Oh, you'll find a way," the caterpillar said.

"But-" I began.

Just then, there was a commotion behind me. I turned just in time to see three soldiers rushing towards me. Before I could react, two of them grabbed my arms.

"What the- Let go of me!" I cried. I struggled, but they were pretty strong for playing cards. "Hey! Let me go!"

"Miss Alice, you are under arrest," the Eight of Spades informed me.

"For what?!" I demanded.

"Theft."

"I didn't steal anything!" I cried.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say may be used against you," the Ten of Clubs said.

"I don't even know what was stolen!" I cried.

"The judge shall inform you of the full charges," the Seven of Diamonds told me.

"But- But-" I protested.

The Diamonds and Clubs started to drag me back inside the castle.

"Mr. Caterpillar! MR. CATERPILLAR!" I screamed. "Help me!" But the blue insect didn't move. He just stood there, smoking his pipe.

"It's part of your destiny, Alice," he called. "Whatever you do, don't get beheaded."