The Fan Fiction story is based on Alice in Wonderland and how she deals with coming back to the normal world after leaving Wonderland and the idea of how mental health could affect her from getting back to normal.

 Alice was not a fool, nor a child, but her sister, Mathilda, still treated her like one, and when she said, ‘It was all a dream,’ Alice couldn’t help but cross her arms and stomp her feet.

 ‘A dream. Just a dream; how in the world could I have made it all up when I remember everything that happened in it!’ She exclaimed back frantically.

It wasn’t the first time that Alice’s recent adventures had been brought up, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. The land of fairy tale characters had brought enough attention to their family, and Mathilda had enough. ‘Alice, for goodness sake! I am fed up with the constant whisperings and looks we have got from people ever since you woke up from that imaginary land you have chatted non-stop about! You need to keep your mouth shut, or a man will shut it for you! You are starting to sound crazy!’

Looking up at her sister with a puzzled expression, Alice questioned herself. Falling seemed to be a constant habit of hers, at least it was in her sister’s eyes. It felt like years since she had mysteriously returned from Wonderland; Alice and her sister still came and sat at the same bank, ate the same roast beef finger sandwiches, and had the same cup of Earl Grey tea. Although it wasn’t quite the same as being at the Mad Hatter’s tea party, it brought her some familiarity and comfort.

 Going down the rabbit hole that day had broadened her horizons, and while her sister preferred to keep her head in a book, Alice wanted to see and read something more. If only she could find the rabbit hole again, then people might start taking her more seriously, and the days wouldn’t seem to repeat themselves.

Bringing herself back to reality, Alice realized that her sister had already started to walk home. Getting her things together, she hurried along, trying not to irritate Mathilda any further; there would be more time for that tomorrow.

***

Alice could feel the ground shaking furiously below her and tried to keep her feet balanced when she heard a familiar sound in the distance, ‘Off with his head!’ A smile filled her face as Alice recognized the voice ahead of her. While the Red Queen was not necessarily a good friend of hers, she could always rely on her, to tell the truth; maybe she could bring the Queen to see her family and show them that she wasn’t going mad. But at the same time, seeing the Queen in this unusual place must mean her mind is somewhat irrational, for only the most bonkers could come here.

She was at a standstill, for every time her feet would move, her body wouldn’t seem to follow. Alice needed help if she was ever going to get answers; all she needed to do was find the white rabbit, and then she would most certainly be on the right course. He would get her to where she wanted to go. She just had to watch out for a small waistcoat and white blur rushing around, and she could find her feet again.

The white rabbit would know what to do.

***

Waking up in her bed, Alice fell back into the land of realization and what seemed to be the normal world. Maybe her sister was right; perhaps it was all just a dream. She just had to think like she used to; she needed to think of ‘six very impossible things that she could do before breakfast,’ and then things wouldn’t just stay as a dream.

It took a while for Mathilda to pick out a book for the day; Alice consistently nagged her to hurry up, but rushing her was like rushing a seed to grow; it would take all the time needed. With the sandwiches packed and tea ready to go, they were finally set off to their regular spot on the bank.

Mathilda started to read her book, and Alice was free to wander off; she searched for hours for the white rabbit but to no avail. It was only when her sister started calling her in that she seemed to see something small and white jump behind a bush. She ran after what she hoped was the rabbit, ignoring the increasingly loud shouts from her sister. Alice was determined to find her friend to show Mathilda she wasn’t mad.

After some time, Mathilda stopped shouting, and she heard a fall. Running to try to catch up with the screams and fighting against the never-ending greenery around the bank did, Mathilda find her sister. She was lying motionless in a hole. Her eyes were closed, and her limbs lay against the dirt in an uncomfortable position.

Tears started streaming down Mathilda’s face. Alice’s uneaten sandwiches in her hand fell to the ground along with the medicine vial that came with it. Her sister had finally stopped falling.

It was falling down the hole of Wonderland that had caught up to Alice, as well as the madness that went with it.

This was written by our contributing writer, Shanai Besst.