‘I’m late, I’m late. I’m late for a very important date.’ An adult Alice shrieked! Of course she meant with her destiny. Back in the days of her childhood she grew bored and restless and wandered off the straight and narrow track where she fell into a metaphorical rabbit hole. She fell until she could fall no more. Or so she thought at the time. At the bottom of the hole there was no door. No window of opportunity. After years of being trapped and lost in the darkness. Alice longed to feel the light on her skin, a fresh breeze that was ripe full of promise. She wanted the rays of the sun to leave glitter in her eyes and be blinded by possibility once again.
So the trapped adult Alice plotted and plotted and came up with a plan. She made a life changing decision to enter university; this would be the light at the end of her metaphorical tunnel and simultaneously be the rope ladder that would be flung down for her to climb up. With no A-levels and very poor GCSE’s this would be no easy task, but there was nothing else for it. So down in the metaphorical tunnel Alice completed an Access course. Suddenly Alice’s ballet pump shoes turned into towering glittery red stilettos. She clicked them three times. And nothing. Alice took off those heels and used them as picks to climb out of the rabbit hole. It took one year and a lot of hard graft. At the end of the climb Alice was dirty, sweaty and proud. She smelt the air and it has the scents of ripe fruit ready for picking. The light breeze tickled her pink skin, she tingled. The sun was out in full glory, it did not feel harsh but caressing, like a giant hug. And behold there was glitter in her eyes as bright as diamonds. But she did not want to stay still for long. After years of sitting still, she wanted to run, the run felt so lovely she broke out into a sprint. After all ‘I’m late, I’m late. I’m late for a very important date.’
Grown-up Alice left her home county of Cheshire to grow in a different sense. Alice wanted to finally walk tall after years of feeling tiny and insignificant so she packed her bags and set off for the bright lights of London. Those were the only lights strong enough to match those in her eyes, stars versus diamonds. In Alice’s first years the diamonds shone brilliantly, her eyes on the prize. In the second year the diamonds began to cloud. In her third year those precious stones were no more, stolen in the dead of night by a wicked witch who did not want Alice to shine. The wicked witch was the mirror image of Alice, but of course Alice did not know this. She no longer tried. ‘I’m tired’ she cried. Instead of growing she shrank. Tiny and alone she cried a river until the river became an ocean and Alice was so carried away by it she almost drowned. Luckily, or so she thought, she met her next door neighbour Hatter.
Now Hatter lived in a magical world all of her own. Her life was a perpetual tea party. She was rather good company with always a good tale to tell. She never wanted to be alone and often had lots of different characters round a long table to enjoy a feast. There were feasts of fish, and every other dish in between. The characters came from all corners of the world and they all brought their native dishes. The Mexican spiced lemon apple was Alice’s favourite. However everyone loved Hatter’s apple pie, which had deliciously buttery pastry that melted in the mouth. They talked way into the night. In summer there was a glorious picnic in the garden where Alice and Hatter played. Hatter knew Alice was tired, just like she. And said ‘after your long adventure, you must be thirsty, drink, there are plenty of refreshments’. Alice drank the magical potion that glided silkily down her throat and it numbed the pain Alice felt deep in her heart. Alice forgot and no longer cried ‘I’m late, I’m late. I’m late for a very important date.’
Alice’s world began to spin. She felt she was asleep as all was dark. But no. Alice was wide awake. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Down the rabbit hole, the metaphorical tunnel she could just make out her university third year mark on the paper she had screwed tight into her hand. Alice saw a window in the corner of her mind, it wasn’t a real window as she saw it showed the past but having no were else to go she climbed through. She had never been more late.
Once through, everything was distorted. She saw herself as a lost adolescent. Yet it could have been her now; only her geography had changed and she had gained more expensive bills. The adolescent Alice was with her friends, a group of lost boys. No matter how hard they tried growing up felt impossible. A hole too deep to climb. Their bodies grew older with the passing of time. Yet their lives never evolved. Their prospects seem to shrink before their eyes as their despair grew. Frozen in time. Nonchalant and devil-may-care attitudes of children who are already dead inside. Even Tinkerbell was dead. She had passed away in her sleep after a short and painful fight with pancreatic cancer. Grown-up Alice saw adolescent Alice morph into all the things she had said she would become, but never had: she was a police officer, a writer, a teacher, a business woman to name a few. Disheartened Alice watched Wendy fully grow, her life evolved beyond recognition. Gaining the things Alice still to this day does not have and longs for. A driving licence, a car, a child, a house, another child. Disgusted at herself for letting Wendy grow away from her, Alice smashed the glass.
Alice was back in the present. At the bottom of the rabbit hole, further down than she had ever been before. What looked like Wendy was sitting beside her, she had a pearly crown upon her head, she was above Alice, a Queen. A Queen of hearts all wrapped-up in love. She left to play a grown-up game Alice did not understand. However Alice was not alone. A prince was beside her. Sadly he could not rescue her, as he was down the hole himself. She might have to rescue him, or they might have to rescue each other. They both cried ‘I’m late, I’m late. I’m late for a very important date.’ But were both determined and ready for the climb.
So the trapped adult Alice plotted and plotted and came up with a plan. She made a life changing decision to enter university; this would be the light at the end of her metaphorical tunnel and simultaneously be the rope ladder that would be flung down for her to climb up. With no A-levels and very poor GCSE’s this would be no easy task, but there was nothing else for it. So down in the metaphorical tunnel Alice completed an Access course. Suddenly Alice’s ballet pump shoes turned into towering glittery red stilettos. She clicked them three times. And nothing. Alice took off those heels and used them as picks to climb out of the rabbit hole. It took one year and a lot of hard graft. At the end of the climb Alice was dirty, sweaty and proud. She smelt the air and it has the scents of ripe fruit ready for picking. The light breeze tickled her pink skin, she tingled. The sun was out in full glory, it did not feel harsh but caressing, like a giant hug. And behold there was glitter in her eyes as bright as diamonds. But she did not want to stay still for long. After years of sitting still, she wanted to run, the run felt so lovely she broke out into a sprint. After all ‘I’m late, I’m late. I’m late for a very important date.’
Grown-up Alice left her home county of Cheshire to grow in a different sense. Alice wanted to finally walk tall after years of feeling tiny and insignificant so she packed her bags and set off for the bright lights of London. Those were the only lights strong enough to match those in her eyes, stars versus diamonds. In Alice’s first years the diamonds shone brilliantly, her eyes on the prize. In the second year the diamonds began to cloud. In her third year those precious stones were no more, stolen in the dead of night by a wicked witch who did not want Alice to shine. The wicked witch was the mirror image of Alice, but of course Alice did not know this. She no longer tried. ‘I’m tired’ she cried. Instead of growing she shrank. Tiny and alone she cried a river until the river became an ocean and Alice was so carried away by it she almost drowned. Luckily, or so she thought, she met her next door neighbour Hatter.
Now Hatter lived in a magical world all of her own. Her life was a perpetual tea party. She was rather good company with always a good tale to tell. She never wanted to be alone and often had lots of different characters round a long table to enjoy a feast. There were feasts of fish, and every other dish in between. The characters came from all corners of the world and they all brought their native dishes. The Mexican spiced lemon apple was Alice’s favourite. However everyone loved Hatter’s apple pie, which had deliciously buttery pastry that melted in the mouth. They talked way into the night. In summer there was a glorious picnic in the garden where Alice and Hatter played. Hatter knew Alice was tired, just like she. And said ‘after your long adventure, you must be thirsty, drink, there are plenty of refreshments’. Alice drank the magical potion that glided silkily down her throat and it numbed the pain Alice felt deep in her heart. Alice forgot and no longer cried ‘I’m late, I’m late. I’m late for a very important date.’
Alice’s world began to spin. She felt she was asleep as all was dark. But no. Alice was wide awake. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Down the rabbit hole, the metaphorical tunnel she could just make out her university third year mark on the paper she had screwed tight into her hand. Alice saw a window in the corner of her mind, it wasn’t a real window as she saw it showed the past but having no were else to go she climbed through. She had never been more late.
Once through, everything was distorted. She saw herself as a lost adolescent. Yet it could have been her now; only her geography had changed and she had gained more expensive bills. The adolescent Alice was with her friends, a group of lost boys. No matter how hard they tried growing up felt impossible. A hole too deep to climb. Their bodies grew older with the passing of time. Yet their lives never evolved. Their prospects seem to shrink before their eyes as their despair grew. Frozen in time. Nonchalant and devil-may-care attitudes of children who are already dead inside. Even Tinkerbell was dead. She had passed away in her sleep after a short and painful fight with pancreatic cancer. Grown-up Alice saw adolescent Alice morph into all the things she had said she would become, but never had: she was a police officer, a writer, a teacher, a business woman to name a few. Disheartened Alice watched Wendy fully grow, her life evolved beyond recognition. Gaining the things Alice still to this day does not have and longs for. A driving licence, a car, a child, a house, another child. Disgusted at herself for letting Wendy grow away from her, Alice smashed the glass.
Alice was back in the present. At the bottom of the rabbit hole, further down than she had ever been before. What looked like Wendy was sitting beside her, she had a pearly crown upon her head, she was above Alice, a Queen. A Queen of hearts all wrapped-up in love. She left to play a grown-up game Alice did not understand. However Alice was not alone. A prince was beside her. Sadly he could not rescue her, as he was down the hole himself. She might have to rescue him, or they might have to rescue each other. They both cried ‘I’m late, I’m late. I’m late for a very important date.’ But were both determined and ready for the climb.
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