Emma sighed and closed the cover, stroking the gold letters. Alice in Wonderland has been her favourite book since it was given to her last Christmas. She loved the magical place and all the characters inside, even the Queen of Hearts. Emma believed the woman was just misunderstood; all she needed was for someone to show her a bit of kindness.
How Emma wished she could see the enchanted place for herself, to sit at the Mad Hatters tea party and chase the White Rabbit through the forest.
Footsteps bounced through Emma’s walls. She scrambled under her covers and switched off her flashlight and placed it under her pillow with the book. She just managed to squeeze her eyes shut as her mother opened the door.
“Emma your supposed to be asleep” Emma’s mother lectured.
How did she know I wasn’t asleep? Emma wondered.
“I am asleep…I mean I was until you walked in” Emma protested. Her mother raised an eyebrow. She walked over to Emma’s bed and fished her torch from under the pillow.
“Sure you were” Her mother grinned.
“Come on, enough reading, time to get some sleep” she took the torch and book from Emma and placed it on the dresser. Emma burrowed further under the covers and raised the blanket to her chin. Her mother knelt beside her and kissed her forehead.
“Good night sweet heart” she whispered.
“Mum, can you sing for me?” Emma requested.
“Come on Em you need your rest, and so do I”
“Please mum. Just one song, then I’ll go to bed I promise”
“Oh alright, but as soon as I’m done I want your eyes closed and stay that way until morning”
“Ok”
Little one it’s time to say goodnight
The stars are out, shining and bright
But just remember, if you wake up in fright
I’ll hold you in my arms, safe and tight
Goodnight little one, tomorrow will being anew
Let all of your most joyful dreams come true
But even when nightmares come, and happy thoughts are few
Just remember that I love you
“Goodnight Emma, sleep well”
“Night mum”
***
When Emma awoke the next morning, she didn’t get up straight away. She lingered in her bed, trying to hold on to the blissful dream she had. She had dreamed that she was in Wonderland, strolling among the talking flowers and listening to Tweetledumb and Tweetledee rambling on about preposterous nonsense. It was a lovely dream but that wasn’t enough for Emma anymore, she wanted to see Wonderland for herself.
Well why not? She thought. It can’t be that difficult to find, I just have to find the White Rabbit. Yes, I shall go to Wonderland and I shall have as much fun as Alice.
Emma heard a tiny voice telling her that Alice actually found Wonderland bizarre and spent most of the book trying to get back home, which ended in the Queen of Hearts trying to behead her, but she put that out of her mind. She won’t be as clueless as Alice was; she knows where everything is and how everything works.
