Once Upon A Now: Alice Through The Selfie-Cam

This way, That way

Alice ventured down the path, with no clear direction on where to go. "This way," Alice sang to herself, "This way, This way,"

Soon Alice suspected she was going in circles. "I swore I passed this tree," Alice told herself as she observed the tree. Even with a closer observation she didn't find an answer.

Alice picked up a few fallen leaves and ripped them to noticeable sizes, "If I drop these as I walk I could be sure if I've been going in circles."

After every three steps Alice dropped a strip of leaf. At about 12 minutes later (as you can see Alice couldn't really know the time since her watch stopped working some time ago) she found herself back at the same tree, with strips of leaves leading her down the same path.

Alice pondered for a second on how was it she was going in circles but hadn't seen the this way sign from when she first started the path. Alice soon concluded it disappeared as did the room with the talking doorknob.

Alice shook her head at the thought of everything that's happened so far, 'I sound mad, I sound awfully crazy,' she thought.

Alice heard rustling in the leaves, she could see a bright red tail pointing out from behind a large tree.

'I should ask the lizard for help,' thought Alice, 'I mean if doorknobs could talk, why couldn't a lizard'.

As Alice rushed over to the red tail, it disappeared deeper into the rows of trees. "Lizard! Oh lizard! Please wait for me!" Alice called out chasing the lizard.

Soon Alice found herself in what seemed like tall blades of grass. 'How odd,' she thought, 'a few moments ago I was small but average to wonderland, now I'm as small as a bug....'

"Maybe this isn't Wonderland anymore," Alice spoke aloud, "Isn't it funny though that Wonderland has been down here this whole time," Alice scoffed at the thought.

lost in thought, Alice bumped into a large mushroom, she had been looking everywhere but in front of her.

"Why, excuse you!" a caterpillar sitting on a mushroom yelled down to Alice, who was now on the floor.

"I'm, I'm sorry," Alice stammered out.

"Who. Are. You?" asked the caterpillar as Alice stood up and dusted the dirt off herself.

"Who are you?" Alice returned the question.

"Mr. Caterpillar," he said puffing out a cloud of smoke.

Alice waved the cloud away and continued, "Nice to meet you, I'm Alice."

"You remind me of the queen," the caterpillar spoke not making eye contact with Alice.

"The queen? Who is the queen?" Alice asked curious of who the royal could be.

"The Selfie Queen, she's a bitter woman, if you don't mind my honesty. Self-absorbed and obsessed with photos of herself," the caterpillar puffed out another cloud of smoke.

"A true Selfie Queen?" Alice laughed at the thought.

"I must be going, I need to make some changes, before I meet the queen for tea later on," the caterpillar winked at Alice.

"One more thing Mr. Caterpillar, is there any path I should take in particular?" Alice asked curious, looking both left and right.

"Do you fancy talking to daisies and daffodils?"

"Well, talking flowers do sound rather interesting," Alice replied as she thought of any questions she might have ever had for a flower.

"Or you can go the other way," he added, "I'll leave that way more of a mystery."

"Why, that is a very hard choice," Alice pondered to herself.

"I'll be late if I wait any longer, if you go left take a piece of mushroom, it'll help you grow," said the caterpillar as he climbed off the mushroom.

"Wait! Have you seen a lizard?" Alice asked remembering she had lost track of where the lizard had gone.

"I've seen plenty but bill is my favorite, I'd have to say," he replied before he disappeared into the grass.

'Bill,' Alice thought, 'its name is Bill.'

Alice still wasn't sure which path to follow.

'Maybe I can go down both. Say hi to the flowers and head back this way.'

Alice headed towards the flowers. She walked and walked until she heard a beautiful song being sang, "Petals, petals, stems and seeds. Petals are my flower beads."

Alice hummed along to the melody as she reached the talking flowers.

The flowers were too busy into their song to notice Alice had arrived, and not wanting to disturb their singing, Alice hummed to herself as they sang.

A young daffodil noticed Alice at the entrance of the garden, "Look, look, everyone a new flower."

Alice couldn't help but blush with embarrassment. The flowers had now stopped their song and turned to face Alice. Alice gave them a small smile as she gazed upon the variety of flowers in the garden.

"A new flower? How can that be?" a large sunflower asked wary of Alice's presence.

Alice tried to speak, but every time she opened her mouth another flower talked over her.

"I've seen many flowers in my day, as have we all," a rose spoke with many roses behind her agreeing, "but a walking flower isn't one I'm familiar with."

She must have been wisest of all the flowers for every other flower stood silent and looked at her willing to accept anything she had to say.

"Maybe she's a new type of flower, from the other side of Wonderland," a daisy called out.

Alice had already given up on speaking and let the flowers discuss between themselves on what 'flower' she was. It wasn't the first time people took it upon themselves to decide who she was before even getting to know her.

When Alice looked up, every flower was staring at her and the garden was silent. "Huh? Did you ask something?" Alice's whisper was almost mute.

"So what kind of flower are you?" asked the sunflower.

"Well, uhm, you see I'm no flower at all. Although, I have always wanted to be a flower child. But that was like 3 trends ago, besides not like it would make me a real flower. If I could be a flower, I'd probably be... actually I'm getting off topic, you don't even care what I would rather be but rather more concern with who I am. I'm a girl, a young woman. My name is Alice," Alice mumbled the last part seeing how bored the flowers had got from her ramble.

"A girl?! You're not a girl, you're a weed." the sunflower spoke.

"A weed! A weed! She'll kill us all!" all the flowers spoke at once in horror.

"I'm most certainly not a weed! I'm a girl!" Alice yelled out. But the flowers didn't listen, they shooed her out.

"Get out, shoo, weeds aren't welcomed!" the flowers yelled at Alice. As they hit her with their leaves.

"I'm a girl!" Alice yelled once more before stomping out the garden.

"How dare they send me off, 'she's a weed, a weed,'" Alice mocked the flowers as she made her way back to the mushroom. "Last time I stop and smell the flowers. They might smell sweet but their attitudes stink."

Alice sighed and pulled a piece of mushroom and took a bite, "Hopefully this way is better." Alice had no pockets, so she held the rest of the mushroom in her hand as she walked down the road.

As Alice walked things became average size. Alice looked around, "I can't tell if I'm growing or the world is shrinking."

Alice walked for what seemed liked hours. Humming the flower's song. When Alice looked to the right of her, she could see that red tail once more.

"Lizard, excuse me lizard!" Alice called out chasing the lizards tail behind a few bushes. Soon Alice found herself tumbling down a small hill.