Stories that I read early in life have walked me through thick and thin. Providing many useful messages to future selves. One of those tales is called Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
I hope to walk you through the story from my perspective. We begin by going Down the Rabbit Hole
A little girl sitting beside her sister on a river bank sees a white rabbit hurrying past. That sounds quite natural but the rabbit has a waistcoat and is consulting his watch!
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| Illustration by John Tenniel |
Alice follows the rabbit and falls down a rabbit hole. The fall seems to last forever - the feeling we have when we are about to drop off to sleep. In fact, I suppose we are to assume that little Alice has drowsed off in the pleasant heat of the day. And all that follows is but a dream. This is a good tactic to draw us into the story, to make us suspend belief so that we can expect almost anything.
And the adventures that Alice has when she falls down the rabbit hole are absurd and beyond all belief.
Before she reaches the bottom, she sees things on either side of the tunnel she's tumbling down: maps and bottles and bookshelves too. Though the fall is long, Alice talks to herself - a habit I'm sure many of us do to while away the time. Or has the habit gone since we talk on the phone to others all day long?
Upon landing she is faced with many passages and many doors. Which to choose? Is this not what we perpetually face?
Of course, in the marvellous insanity of the story, she finds a key! And so do we though there are few humble enough to confess to that serendipity in life.
Sure enough, Alice also finds a hidden door that the key opens.
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| AnnaliseArt |
Inside, she finds a Drink Me bottle.
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| Illustration by John Tenniel |
And that makes her very small. Which makes her rather sad as she can't reach things. But then she also finds an Eat Me cake - what will it do?
To find out, wait for my take on Chapter 2: The Pool of Tears ...
