Not Alice nor Wonderland

Epilogue

CHAPTER EIGHT

*TEN YEARS LATER*

Charlie was right when he said that my story was the 'greatest adventure in the whole world'... at least for now.

I stood in front of the TIMES Bookstore in New York City, waiting for my Publishing House Manager to arrive so we could cut the big red ribbon covering a shelf in the bookstore. It was the day where my book, D for Deer, Darling, & Diana,was going to be released for sale.

Throughout those last ten years, I have every bit of the memory of my dream still crystal clear in my head. Two years ago, when I graduated from college with honors in literature and creative writing, I decided to become a writer, with novels and poetry as my specialty.

"Di! Yoohoo!" Two high-pitched voices called out to me, and then two floral scented bodies clung to me. My best friends, Seph, who's an editor, and Belle, a painter who works at Manhattan's Artistries.

"We're glad we made it; we were worried we might be a little late," Belle puffed out, catching her breath.

"Yeah! You won't know how much I had to drag Belle with me all the way from the second block to here! Parking was so limited around the fourteen!" Seph explained. But she didn't seem to be so much out of breath as Belle was. Let's just say that Seph is the fittest of us all, being a sporty girl back in school days.

"I'm so happy you guys made it," I gushed, grabbing their gloved hands. "I can't wait for you guys to read this one."

"Yeah yeah, Diane. You keep saying that, even if you have told us countless times about that adventure of yours!" Seph rolled her eyes playfully.

I trained my eyes on her and made them into slits as slow as possible. "This is even better. With a few pictures from the great surrealist painter, Don Hagway." I watched Belle and her reaction from my side.

"Mr.Hagway? He was the one who illustrated for you?" Belle echoed, clearly in wonder.

"Mmhmm. So I'm sure that makes you want to read it, Belle," I gave her a thumbs-up and she returned me a nod.

"Oh alright, I will too. Let me see if your stories are really edited well!" Seph joked.

They separated from me as they went to queue in line, and that's when another human pushed me, not too gently.

"Sister! How have ya been?" Charlie almost had me at headlock. Being 16 years of age, the adolescence has finally taken its toll on him-- he was a half a foot taller than I was.

"Eh, Charles, get your hands off me!" I punched him on the shoulder. "You're gonna ruin my hair."

"That's our daughter!" Our parents marvelled, coming towards us. They enclosed me in a hug and Charlie squeezed himself in the middle.

"We could not have been any prouder of you, Diana," Mom said, as she wiped a stray tear on her face.

"Finally a published author," Dad patted me on the back.

"I missed you guys too," I laughed, hugging them again.

My manager arrived ten mintues later, and then we all set off with me leading them into the store. This is it, I thought. A new adventure begins for all of us, once everyone gets a hold of my book. I handled the pair of scissors and effortlessly snapped the red bow in two, revealing a shelf filled with my books.

Who knows, they might experience their own adventures too from reading my story.

Just like how I experienced mine from reading all about Alice and her adventures in Mr. Carroll's books.