Short stories | Through space | English & Dutch |

Little Alice (Rewriting Fairy Tale)

Little Alice stood in the doorway with her eyes wide open. Her parents were fighting in the kitchen, it was a lot of noise and a lot of words her parents wouldn't let her say. Each time she said those, she wouldn't get dessert. Dessert was a lovely little cake, her mom loved baking. Why would they be yelling those things at each other? They weren't getting cake in a long time.

Little Alice was small, but she wished she'd be even smaller now. She felt scared and trapped and would really rather be in a dream right now. In dreams everything is possible. She could go on a fun adventure, meet funny people. It would be so much more fun than being here.

Little Alice squeezed her eyes shut tightly. If she did it hard enough, surely she would fall asleep. She could go on her adventure, have a dessert, maybe. She would be back for tea time, surely her parents would have stopped yelling by then. Maybe she could ask her mom if she could have her parent's dessert. Since they had said all the bad words.

Little Alice flung her eyes open again. She looked down, she had dropped her stuffed animal right next to her feet. It was a white rabbit with a funny little jacket on. But now the rabbit stood upright. It seemed quite upset. She bend over to pick it up, but it hopped back into the garden, where she had come from. She was quite sure the rabbit was mumbling something. "Time!" It exclaimed. "Time! So late, late! Always late!" It hopped away, through the grass.

Little Alice quickly sprung down on the terrace and onto the grass, in pursuit of her rabbit, who was late. Did it have Dad's pocket watch? Maybe she could join it, wherever it was going. It seemed to be in a hurry to get there, so surely it must be a fun place to be. Her little feet took her quickly through her garden, over the little river she mustn't cross. But she had to go get her rabbit! Surely it would be okay then.

Little Alice stood still, looking around. Where did her rabbit go? It was quite rude of it to just leave her here, it didn't even invite her to come with it! "Alice!" She heard. Someone was calling her. Surely it was the rabbit! It did want her to come with it! Maybe it was coming from the water well. She hasted herself to the well, the one she mustn't get near to, and peeked over the ledge. "Alice!" She heard her name again, more urgent this time. Was she late, too?

Little Alice looked down, down into the well, to the bottom. There it was. She could see its little tail. And now that she was seeing better in the dark, there was indeed an adventure on the bottom! There, a table, with a tea pot and someone with a funny hat. They were having cakes, too. Surely she was welcome too, she hadn't said any bad words. She climbed onto the edge. She bent deeper, and deeper. "Alice!"

Too late, little Alice realised her name was being called from behind her, from her garden, and it wasn't her rabbit. But she was already tumbling down the rabbits well.