Once Upon A Now: Alice Through The Selfie-Cam

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Alice ran through the long halls, in search of room 921. 'how is there even that many rooms to begin with,' Alice wondered.

She was now around room 916, she had lost the film-men and their queen around room 900.

'917

918

919'

"There she is!" yelled a film-men from down the hall.

"Off with her forehead!" the queen shouted.

"920,921!" Alice yelled out as she opened the large door and ran Inside.

The room was packed to the top with cameras. She locked the door and made her way through the room. All sorts of cameras now surrounded Alice. Polaroids, video cameras, even old flip phones. Alice shivered at the thought of flip phone selfies as she tossed it behind her.

'It has to be here' Alice thought to herself as she dug through the piles of cameras.

Alice was half across the room, having already gone through nearly 1,000 different cameras, when she could hear the Selfie Queen and her knights banging at the door.

"Off with her forehead! Off with her forehead!" the queen demanded behind the door.

"C'mon it has to be here somewhere!" Alice spoke with frustration, tossing cameras here and there. Alice made the room messier than before, if we should be honest.

Bang. Bang.

The knocks became louder as if they had been hitting it with something larger and heavier. "Knock the door down! Use all your force!" the Selfie Queen shouted.

Alice looked at the door, she could see it shake every time they hit the door. If Alice wasn't already going as fast as she could, she tripled her speed. She picked up the cameras by the handful tossing the rejected piles to the right of her.

Suddenly Alice could see a familiar silver logo, she moved two more cameras for a better view. "I found it! Oh, baby! I'm coming home!" Alice shouted in excitement as she tried to pull on the camera.

It did not release; the camera was stuck. But Alice refused to accept this and pulled as hard as she could. "I know those weekends at the gym have to-" plop! It came out as she continued, "been worth it!"

"your Majesty, we found the key!" a knight's voice spoke sounding much rather rushed.

'Okay, the red dragon said I must repeat everything as before,' Alice thought, 'and I better hurry.'

"First my hair," Alice recalled as she adjusted her hair.

The key turned the doorknob.

Alice looked behind her, the door was now being pushed open.

Alice lifted the camera facing her in the perfect angle. She smiled wide and clicked the shutter button.

"Now who's photobombing who?!" Alice laughed as the ground shook and her surrounding went pitch black.

Alice waited patiently for the next shake. A few moments passed and nothing happened, but Alice could hear her name being called from a far distance.

"Alice! Alice! Alice!" the faded voice became clear as Alice opened her eyes. Alice looked down and found her phone faced down on her chest. She looked to her left and blinked twice, hoping to make her vision clear. Her sister was staring back at her with worry.

"What-what happened?" Alice stammered.

"After lunch you said you weren't feeling good and you came to lie down," her sister informed her as Alice sat up in bed.

"I had the craziest dream, there were singing flowers and river penguins, and..." Alice stopped mid-ramble as she walked to her window.

"We should spend the day outside," Alice added mindlessly. At that moment, Alice swore she saw that beautiful red dragon flying in the clouds.

"Sounds lovely," her sister agreed picking up Alice's phone handing it to her.

Alice took the phone and tossed it on the bed, "I won't be needing that, let's enjoy the day, technology free." Alice pushed her sister out the room when she resisted.

"No phone? Who are you? and where is Alice?" Alice's sister asked stopping in her tracks.

"Sometimes we need break from technology, now let's go, the day can only get shorter!" Alice pushed her sister into the hall.

"You must be going mad," her sister laughed at Alice's sudden change of behavior.

Alice looked into her room one last time, "We're all a little mad here," Alice smiled as she closed the door.

The End