Mad Hatters Tea Party ... A Curious Dream

It had been a long time,
an age it seemed since the book had been picked up, loved and brought to life.
A light shroud of dust wrapped around it's spine and the pages were beginning to yellow and mottle. There had been at least one instance with a book worm.

 It was a day such as any other when the Hatter decided to slip between his story's pages and into the room.
There he saw a girl sat at a table reading.
"Alice!" he shouted excited

.
The girl paid no attention, so he shouted again.
"Alice!"
Again there was no reply.
The Hatter quickly slipped back between the pages and returned with a small bottle and a handful of the reddest berries.

He placed them where the girl would find them and scurried off into the garden chuckling to himself.
"Oh" said the girl out loud when she saw the tiny bottle and the delicious looking berries.
She ate a berry. Red currants, delicious, my favourite.
She soon ate them all.

"Oh do hurry up Alice" called a voice from the garden
The girl followed the voice down the path.

"Where are you, who are you?" questioned the girl.
Some how the garden seemed different. Almost as if it were watching her, listening and whispering.
She felt sure she heard the roses sssh each other when she walked past. And was absolutely certain that the moon daisies had giggled.What a curious day it is turning out, thought the girl.

When she reached the mock orange, she heard more voices.
"Hello.... is there somebody there?"  she asked.

She pushed her way through a gap in the hedge and what a surprise she got on the other side.
A tea party. The strangest she ever saw.

 "You took your time" said a mouse.
"Your late!" said a white rabbit.

"Three minutes and forty two seconds late, to be precise" continued the white rabbit tutting and tapping his pocket watch.
 "But"... replied the girl
"No but's my dear" exclaimed the mouse.

"Come along Alice, oh do sit down" giggled a lion.

"But I'm not Alice" said the girl accepting tea and an iced cake that was offered to to her.

 "No buts" said the mouse again.

 Then the whole crowd began to laugh and laugh until the rabbit spilled his drink.
"More tea anyone? " spluttered the Hatter.
 How very odd thought the girl.
"Don't think but drink tea" said the stone lady " Lavender or mint?"

"Mint please " replied the girl
But when she put the cup to her lips  she soon discovered that it was empty.

" Curry biscuit or sugar mouse?" offered the doll.

" Why is a raven like a writing desk?" asked the Hatter.

And they all began to laugh again.
"Silence" shouted the mouse.
The lion snorted and tried to suppress another giggle.
"More tea anyone" said the doll again.
The girl held out her cup and the Hatter  poured.

 However this time the cup was not empty but instead held a playing card. The queen of hearts.

 "Wait a minute...I know this story" announced the girl.
She looked at the book she hadn't realised she had brought with her.
Quite suddenly she felt so tired and her eyes so very heavy.

 She yawned and so did the lion.

Then there was a smell of old paper and the girl opened her eyes. She had fallen asleep and was resting her head on the book she had been reading.

 There on the table beside her was the fairy sized dish of redcurrants that her Mother had picked for her.

"Hmmm a curious dream indeed!" said the girl ...

********

Thanks for visiting.I hope you enjoyed this little tale.We had lots of fun doing it. A big thanks to my beautiful daughter for starring as the girl :) x and for my son for wearing the mask :) x  And more thanks again to Vanessa for organising it. :) x


I leave you with a bit more of Wonderland.