Alison's Wonderland

Prologue

*****************************

December 21, 1902

Alice Wysor walked down the street of the little town. It was all new to her, for she had just moved here with her father. Her father was a merchant, and instead of leaving her alone so often, she came with him on his trips. Alice's mother passed away during child birth eighteen years before.

Alice observed the quaint little people going to and fro. It was a small town near the coast, so fish were big here, as was the smell of fish which she wasn't quite used to yet. She watched the way the people interacted together. Alice was always observant. She caught on quickly, and could tell a person's personality by observing them for just a few minutes.

Alice continued down the street to her new house. She noticed that the care free air of the people changed as they passed a small store. She stopped walking to analyze the crowd. It was a small book store. People would stare uneasily into the windows, and give the front door a wide berth as if one step too close would mean an instantaneous doom.

Alice was a curious girl, and sometimes it blocked out common sense. She went up to a man who hurried past the store.

"Excuse me sir!" she called.

The man stopped and smiled. "Where is your guide child? Such a fair maiden should not be walking alone." He cast a quick glance behind himself at the book store. "Especially in this part of town."

"Why does it seem as if every person is afraid of that small store. I myself enjoy the thrill of reading a good book, do people here not appreciate the art of words?"

The burly man let out a hearty chuckle. "Nay little one, quite a few of us enjoy to read, but there are stories of that store."

"Such as?" she pushed, yearning to learn more.

The man laughed again, this time nervously, glancing behind himself again. He leaned in close to young Alice's face. "You listen here miss. Questions like this can get you into much trouble, trouble honest workers like the most of us don't want. If you were smart, you would avoid the store like the rest of us."

With that, the man stepped away and hurried off down the street.

Alice, intrigued by the folk lore couldn't resist the magnetic pull the book store had on her. She crossed the street, feeling the eyes on her. She arrived at the front of the store. She stared at the door, thinking over what she was about to do.

Her pale hand wrapped around the cool metal of the doorknob, and pushed it open...

Warm air hit her face, the smell of cinnamon invading her nose. Alice surveyed her surroundings. There were tons of bookshelves filled to the breaking point with books. Nobody was around to tend to them.

"Hello?" Alice called out.

Alice peered behind the counter, taking in the intriguing books. They looked like journals, the language unfamiliar to Alice's eyes. Some of the leather bound books appeared extremely old while others appeared to be new.

Alice picked up ine of the books, and began to leaf through its contents.

"Hello," a smooth voice said from behind her.

The book fell from Alice hands. "Oh! I beg your pardon! I did not know that there was anybody in here and the actions of the town's people had me curious, and.... I am sorry sir."

The man laughed. He couldn't be much older than Alice, maybe one or two years. Alice was taken back by the beauty of the man. It made her feel so ordinary.