Coming back

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Once again she was there, standing by the hole, hoping that this time things would be different. Thirteen years had already passed by, and although she tried many times, she had no success in passing through the portal to get back to Underland. Her body showed some marks from unfruitful attempts: scars, bruises, and a broken arm. Am I mad? Was it just a dream? She placed her hands on her forehead, frustrated. "Please, please, let me come back" she whispered to no one.

"Alice?" a little voice called from inside the hole.

"McTwisp? Is that you?" she said leaning against the edge of the hole.

Alice only had timefor a quick glance at the rabbit before she lost her balance and fell. This time her body did not hit the shallow bottom of the hole, but kept on falling, falling, falling, falling, and falling, until she landed with a hard bump on the ceiling of a familiar round room. As expected she suffered another fall, but this time she more than welcomed those inconvenient side-effects of the trip.

"McTwisp?" she called as soon as she could regain her balance and stand on her feet again. She saw the white rabbit passing through the tiny door of the room. "Wait! Please, wait for me!"

The rabbit turned back his head and showed her his watch. "You'd better hurry; there is no time to lose!" and he disappeared through the door.

Alice sighed, some things seem not to change at all... This time she was fully packed, she pushed a little wooden box carved with flower motifs through the door, which just fit the gap of the door. It seems this is my lucky day, after all. She smiled. She took the bottle from the table and drank from it. Quickly she became the size of a rabbit and easily crossed the door herself. However, the box became a burden too heavy to bear. She left it there for the time being, by the door, disguised among real flowers and grasses that covered the borders of Underland.

Before she knew it, she was running across the vegetation and among weird little animals that were now so familiar to her; she was home again. The land seemed to remain unchanged, though more colorful and alive than she could remember.

Her heart was beating fast. She wondered how herfriends would be by now. Would they recognize her after all those years? That thought made her heart sink. "McTwisp!" she called again. No one answered. The garden was silent apart from some roses that were staring at her and gossiping about who could be that girl who was madly shouting for the white rabbit. They even threw reproachful glances towards her. She ignored them and kept on going towards the 'the tea party place'.

The table was set for tea as always, but no one was there. She came closer and walked around the table, stopping next to the armchair where the Hatter used to sit. She let her hand rest on its back and let her thoughts take her to a distant time: the first time she was there. She was a child, amused and scared with all the madness of that place. Everything seemed so enormous and odd back then. She remembered having tea and cake with her friends, sitting on the right side of the Hatter. He poured tea intoher cup, holding the tea pot so high it amazed her that he didn't spill iteverywhere. She smiled at that thought.

"What brings you here, love?" a voice near her asked. "You are too late for tea."

"Cheshire!" she answered turning her head towards the voice.

The big-eyed cat  sat on the opposite chair across the table was staring at her. "Coming for me, love?" the smiling cat asked.

"It's me, Chess, Alice! Don't you remember me?" she asked, hoping that all those years had not changed her to the point of being taken for someone else.

"Alice? The Alice?"

"Of course, I am! Can't you recognize me?"

"Let me see." The cat evaporated from the place where it was sitting and reappeared hovering around her. "Hmmm, I could say you look like the right Alice, you know, but there are so many wrong Alices hanging around here that I couldn't affirm for sure. So, I prefer not get involved in those matters. I'd better take you to a specialist. I'll take you to the Hatter, and we shall see." By saying that, he evaporated again and reappeared on the path that led to the table. Alice followed him as fast as her tiny feet let her go.

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