ONCE UPON A TIME, little Alice Liddell fell down the rabbit hole.
Once upon a time, little Alice Liddell visited a wondrously strange place she would then call Wonderland.
Once upon a time, little Alice Liddell woke up and realized that it was all just a dream.
And once upon a time, a not-so-little Alice Liddell returned to Wonderland—with a mind that's gone entirely bonkers and a will to drive the Wonderlanders into madness—and into madness they've certainly been driven.
As she watched her elder sister, Lorina, hang from a tree like a pendulum, Alice couldn't help but feel bile rising up her throat. She wanted to scream, but her lips felt as if it were sewn shut; her feet were frozen in place and her brain had seemed to stop working—so the only thing Alice could do was stare.
Lorina's eyes were still wide open, and what once were rosy cheeks were pale and even had a tinge of blue. Her body simply swayed from side to side, and suddenly, the warm sunshine that shone over the Liddell's lawn seemed a bit inappropriate at a sorrowful time like this.
For once, Alice hated sunshine.
When she finally regained her senses, the first thing Alice did was let tears spill down her cheeks like an overflowing sink. She wanted to call for their mother and tell her the terrible news, but all Alice did was weep at her beloved sister's death. Her eyes blurred and stung as if she were underwater, and that was when she noticed a note laying among the flowers that had somehow managed to grow under the shady tree.
Though reluctant at first, Alice made her way towards the piece of paper. She bent to pick it up, and as Alice unfolded the note, she spotted her name written on the top left corner of the page in Lorina's classical, loopy handwriting—and she knew immediately that the note was meant for her.
Dearest Alice, the note began.
I am sorry for leaving you, dear sister, but I could not stand it any longer. I caught William having an affair a couple of months ago, and he promised me that he wouldn't do it again. He begged for my forgiveness and even asked for my trust back. I was livid and hurt, but being the fool I am, I eventually did—after all, isn't that what relationships are all about? Trust upon each other?
Though both of us had managed to convince myself that he would stop, he never did. I couldn't bear the thought of filing a divorce, but the pain overwhelmed me and I wanted a way out—and it seems that I've found it.
Alice, I know you will do well without me. I've watched you grow for so many years now, but it feels as if it were only yesterday when you first said my name.
Do you remember that day by this very tree? When I was reading to you a tale of sorts and you drifted off, dreaming of a place you called Wonderland? Well, Alice, Wonderland seems to be an interesting place; I hope to visit it soon.
I'm sorry I had to commit such a horrifying deed here where many of our happy memories lay together. I'm sorry, I truly am—maybe someday you can find it in your heart to forgive this sister of yours who loves you very, very much. I'm not really gone, Alice, I hope you know that. I will always be in your heart and watch over you as an angel would. Take care, dear sister.
Love,
Lorina
At this point, the tears were falling at a more rapid rate. Her head was swarming with horrible thoughts, such as that of following her sister and straight into the supposedly imaginary world her mad mind's created.
But then she thought of an idea—
And oh dear, what an idea she's thought of—
She would spread her growing insanity to the innocent, little Wonderlanders.
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ALICE'S WORLD WENT DOWNHILL after Lorina's death.
Ever since that day, Alice hadn't really been herself—she's lost all appetite, never gave a care in what or who she does, and hallucinated quite frequently. Often, she got in trouble and was forced by her uptight mother to visit a psychiatrist as she believed that the passing of her sister had triggered something in her brain, something one couldn't quite pinpoint exactly but you'd know something was wrong with her anyway.
Alice started getting delusional, and she became even more deranged as the days passed. She blamed most of the world for Lorina's death, though her anger was still mostly directed at William, and, oddly enough, Wonderland. Gone were her rational thoughts and healthy look on life; what once was the sweet, little Alice Liddell had been replaced by someone so contemptuous and demented.
And then one day, everything was simply just too much.
Coming home from another one of the sessions with her psychiatrist, Alice felt like all the walls she's built have crumbled upon her, giving her a series of mixed emotions and feelings. As she opened the front door, Alice screamed a deafening scream and trudged towards the tree in her backyard where bittersweet memories were made.
Her body slumped against the thick trunk of the tree, she slid down and banged her head against the cold, hard ground, and the last she knew was that she was pulled under oblivion.
Suddenly, she felt the sensation of falling. Like a puppet whose strings have been cut, Alice fell through the air with her arms and legs flailing about before crashing right onto the ground without, miraculously enough, any broken bones or injuries.
Alice looked around and recalled all the procedures in an instant: eat cake; turn big; get the keys; drink potion; turn small; proceed to the little door at the corner of the room—and that was exactly what she did.
She turned the key to open the door, and saw that Wonderland was exactly how it it looked like when she had left years ago—vibrant and strange, though oddly comforting.
Alice takes a deep breath in, and, as a way of exhaling, breathes out, "Hello, Wonderland." A menacing grin stretches across her face, making her look identical to the Cheshire Cat. "Did you miss me?"
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CORRUPTED WAS ALICE'S MIND.
As long as she keeps up the happy-go-lucky façade, though, not even the Wonderlanders would be able to tell that the Alice who once visited was not the same Alice—not exactly.
"Ah, Alice!" The Mad Hatter greeted, pouring tea into a cup from a remarkable height. "Came back for tea, haven't we?"
"Hello, Hatter." Alice replied, forcing a smile on her face. "How've you been?"
"Mad as his name implies," Dormouse sighed in an uninterested manner as he stirred his little cup of tea.
Alice wanted to point out that the Hatter wasn't even really mad, not really—all that he was was a tea-obsessed man—unlike her who's really had a taste of madness and loved it.
"Oh, I'm perfectly fine." The Mad Hatter said, waving away Dormouse's answer. "Now, Alice. Would you like a slice of cake to go with your tea?"
"No, thank you." She smiled overtly sweet. She took a seat on the head of the table and grinned maniacally.
It's time, she thought.
"So... Hatter, Dormouse... How has Wonderland been? Good? Anyone miss me?" Her grin stretched some more.
Dormouse looked at her funny, wondering about her obvious act, but shrugged it off nonetheless. Hatter remained unfazed and cried out all the happily.
"It's been great! The queen has established new rules for us Wonderlanders and everything has been improving ever since. We can't be anymore grateful."
New rule?
Interesting.
This might just work.
And...
Action.
Fat droplets of tears started falling down Alice's pale, subtle cheeks, her breathing becoming ragged and heavy. Hatter didn't seem to notice, though, until Alice started crying more heavily.
"My, Alice, what's happened? Why are you crying?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. "Did you run out of tea?"
"No, Hatter, it's not that..." Alice sniffled, but inside she was grinning like a maniac. "It's my sister, Lorina... She's gone! She took her!"
"Who, Alice? Who took her away?"
"The Queen of Hearts! I saw her with my own eyes! Oh, my poor sister!" Alice sobbed uncontrollably.
"That traitor! We trusted her!" Dormouse exclaimed, a genuine expression of shock on his face.
"She swore an oath in front of all of Wonderland! How can she do such a thing?" Hatter added, "We've to tell the other Wonderlanders! They deserve to know the kind of swindler that sits on the throne in front of them everyday."
As Hatter and Dormouse discussed their plans to overthrow the queen, Alice secretly giggled;
It's time for war.
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AS SOON AS The Queen of Hearts was arrested, Hatter approached her and snatched away the crown off her head.
A chorus of "Alice" started to ring out from amongst all of Wonderland, and the Hatter knelt in front of the queen-to-be and slowly rose to place the crown atop of her head.
"All hail Queen Alice!" He said, and the Wonderlanders cheered in triumph.
Alice smiled and gracefully curtsied. She breathed in the sickly sweet smell of death. Amongst the separate limbs and the sea of blood, right there on the battlefield, a new queen was crowned.
A wicked grin stretched across Alice's face; it was the kind of grin that showed victory and complete insanity, the kind of grin that would haunt you for years upon years to come, and a sense of euphoria rushed through Alice;
She had done it.
She had turned Wonderland into a devastating wasteland.
Alice then swore an oath—that she would rule Wonderland fair and justly—and as her first order, Alice pointed a bloody finger at the former Queen of Hearts.
"OFF WITH HER HEAD!"
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ONCE UPON A TIME, little Alice Liddell fell down the rabbit hole.
Once upon a time, little Alice Liddell visited a wondrously strange place she would then call Wonderland.
Once upon a time, little Alice Liddell woke up and realized that it was all just a dream.
And once upon a time, a not-so-little Alice Liddell returned to Wonderland—with a mind that's gone entirely bonkers and a will to drive the Wonderlanders into madness—and straight into madness they've plunged indeed.