Chapter I
As it Began
In which Alice discovers a whole new world
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Alice had to admit that it had been a simply lovely day.
It was early summer and the air was full of life.
She and her sisters had spent the morning playing on the riverbank, collecting bright leaves and sweet-scented flowers to press later in the day.
They had been having such an exciting time, running through the lush grass and laughing in delight at each new discovery that they had made.
In the afternoon they had played in the garden and, as evening drew in, they moved their games indoors until it was time to put their heads down for the night.
Now Alice was wrapped up comfortably in bed watching the kitten playing at the foot of the sheets.
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In equal measure, Alice observed, the young cat would either sharpen her claws on the covers, worry her own tail or pounce on Alice’s ankles.
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After a while the kitten grew tired of this game and she made her way up the bed to snuggle in Alice’s arms.
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‘It must be lovely to be a kitten,’ thought Alice, as she watched the furry form play with the lace trim on her nightdress.
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‘No school lessons to learn and you can play every day, whenever you want to,’ she sighed, more to herself than to the young cat.
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The kitten said nothing but slipped under the covers and started to make her way back down towards the end of the bed.
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‘Oh Kitty,’ said Alice, as she felt the wriggling cat push past her legs, ‘you are so naughty not settling down to sleep for the night.’
The kitten ignored her and burrowed all the harder until she reached Alice’s feet.
Alice watched the writhing lump in the bed as it came to a stop.
‘Whatever are you doing under there?’ she asked, as she stifled a yawn.
The kitten made a half turn under the covers and started playing with Alice’s toes.
‘Chasing imaginary mice, no doubt,’ Alice continued, in a sleepy voice.
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‘Only you won’t find any down there, I am sure,’ she added hopefully.
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‘At least, I mean that I hope that you don’t ... or do I mean that I am sure that I hope that you don’t?’ for by now, Alice was quite tired and her thoughts were starting to take on a life of their own.
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‘Imagine, for instance, what you might find down there if you really went looking,’ she said to herself, as she pulled the covers over her head and peered into the darkness. ‘There might be a whole different world down there for all we know!
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‘Maybe I should take just a little peek,’ said Alice, in a mischievous fashion. ‘Then I will go straight home and tell everyone about the simply marvellous things that exist down there.’
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She took another look.
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The darkness certainly looked inviting.
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Not at all like being caught in the woods after dark or waking up at night from a bad dream.
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It was quite ...
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To be continued next week
