Her Name is Alice

Chapter One

"Are you positive this is what you want? You don't have enough money for a two way trip so you better make up your mind right now or you'll be stuck at that school for a year."

Alice wrapped her arms around her mother's slim waist, hugging her tightly. Esme White always worried too much for her own good; she still saw Alice as a fragile little girl she needed to protect.

"Don't worry, Momma, I want to do this." Her reassurances did little to satisfy her mother.

"Do you even know what time you're to disembark? It would be awful if you missed your stop." She nervously fixed a strand of rebellious honey-dew hair that never stayed in place no matter what Alice did to it.

"The train leaves at precisely eleven o'clock and I will arrive at the station at five."

Unfortunately, this was a lie. Alice had no idea what time she was supposed to get off the train. All she knew was hers was the very last stop. Esme lightly touched the tips of her gloved fingers to her daughter's fair cheek affectionately.

"I expect a lengthy letter every week while you're away. I want to know everything about your studies and the people you meet; dont leave out a single detail. And promise me you'll come home for the holidays?"

Alice opened her mouth to make the promise but was interrupted by the shrill scream of the train's whistle sounding throughout the station. She pecked her mother's cheek and hurried after the dwindling crowd of men and women boarding the great metal snake. A tall, black-haired porter took her two suitcases and helped her step onto the train with the assistance of his large white-gloved hand.

Alice scanned the car for an empty seat and found one at the very back. She hurried over, grateful for the privacy. A minute later, the train chugged to life; moving faster and faster every second until the beautiful green countryside of Alice's home was just a dull blur outside her window.

The same handsome young porter brought her a cup of steaming tea, but then quickly disappeared before she could thank him. Intrigued by the delicate china, Alice set the tea cup and saucer on the empty seat opposite hers and pulled out the leather journal her mother had given her for her birthday the day before.

Alice quite enjoyed drawing simple everyday objects but what she loved most was sketching unsuspecting strangers and then writing a funny story about what she imagined their life to be. However, she fell deeply asleep after her first drawing of the empty teacup and did not wake for some time.

As the hours passed, the sky grew more ominous and a storm seemed to be brewing in the far off mountains like a bad stew. Alice woke with a start at the sound of a woman shouting hysterically.

"Bat! Bat! There's a bat on the train!"

The frantic woman's husband tried to calm his wife but she refused to sit still, declaring loudly that the bat had flown into her hair. Alice smiled when she saw that the 'bat' was actually a very small brown bird flying harmlessly about the car above the heads of the concerned passengers.

When the little bird landed on an unsuspecting gentleman's hat and began to preen itself, Alice recognized it to be the same bird from her childhood that she had healed with her special lullaby and blue light. With her smile growing at the sight of her old friend, she held out her forefinger and whistled softly, sensing that it would come if she called to it.

The sparrow immediately flitted from the man's gray hat to land on her delicate finger. It turned its head, peering at her with a beady black eye.

"Well, hello there, little bird, it's been a very long time since we last met. How did you manage to find your way so far from home?"

The sparrow flapped its wings as if to say it, obviously, flew.

"I see. Unfortunately, I do not think you are very welcome in the front of the car. If you would prefer it, you may stay here with me and I'll see if I can smuggle you some crackers to eat. It's always better to make a long trip on a full stomach, not that I'd know."

And the little bird did stay with Alice for the rest of the trip. It either rested on her shoulder or the top of her head, seemingly to watch the world outside the window whiz by. When Alice curled up on her side and fell asleep again, the sparrow kept a watchful eye on the disembarking passengers until there were only two left in their car: Alice and a gloomy looking girl dressed all in black a few seats from Alice's seat.

She never looked up from her greased, black shoes and she never talked to anyone, not even to ask for a cup of tea. Her face was hidden behind a curtain of dark brown hair that must have hung nearly to her hips, it was so long. Only when the last passenger exited the train did she risk a glance up at the bird.
"Not long now."