The Real Wonderland » Places

         Victor Conrad had come home after a long meeting in the Scientific Discoveries Association. He had attempted to propose his new invention that isolate the black holes in outer space so that we may be able to determine how long it will be until earth is sucked into one of them. However, when he was to show his PowerPoint slide about the black holes, he indeed saw holes, but rather rabbit holes. Adelaide Conrad, his sixteen year old sister, had undoubtedly replaced his PowerPoint slide with her own information gatherings on her favorite book of all time, “Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll. Victor’s face was beet red as he flipped slide by slide of different depictions of Mr. Carroll’s fantasies: the illusion of a paradise called wonderland, a big smile from the Cheshire cat, the puffs from the smoking caterpillar, and the white rabbit that Alice chases down the rabbit hole to enter the delirium. Mr. Conrad was the laughing stock of the Scientific Discoveries Association and the president decided Victor had to learn to get serious with science and take a leave of absence from the community for until the association can see he has come up with a serious brand new idea.

Now home with his uncle, Richard Conrad, and his aunt Josephine Conrad, Victor decided not to face anyone while walking angrily to his study. He did not intend to answer his aunt’s “Hello Victor, how did it go with the Scientific Discoveries Association meeting?” nor did he want to answer the stern face of his uncle who can suspect only failure for Victor as always. Rather, Victor slammed the door shut behind him and locked it, not wanting any disturbance. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for ten minutes until another uproar in the house occurred, with a defiant Adelaide shouting, “But I don’t want to grow up! Wonderland is a real place and I’ll only grow up if it means it will get me closer to finding it!” Victor tried to ignore the fighting of his sister and relatives with a disapproving nod sighing, “Silly girl. Wonderland is only a work of fiction by a mad man. You cannot possibly hope to find it.”
Suddenly, Victor’s door opened abruptly with Adelaide rushing to hug her brother and hiding from her relatives.
“Now you listen here Adelaide,” Uncle Richie started, “you’re sixteen years old and many years too old to be indulging yourself in fantasy like Wonderland. Wonderland is just a story, a myth, that’s all!”

“But uncle, I know I’m getting close to discovering a way to enter Wonderland! You’ll see, I will prove it!” Adelaide asserted to her uncle. “Oh Victor, don’t you believe me? We used to play together about Wonderland and we used to believe in it together! I’m sure with your scientific expertise you can help me locate Wonderland in a heartbeat!”

“Victor, do not encourage the girl. She is mad enough as it is. Tell her to get back down to reality!” his uncle commanded him.
“Victor, look I have data for you to analyze! I prepared these sketches, records of white rabbit sightings, unusual changes in weather, anything that might help!” Adelaide said while giving Victor a file containing much of her work. She then looked on to Victor using her angelic eyes that made Victor feel a bit sorry for her and asked, “Won’t you help me brother?”

Victor did not want to disappoint her, but he knew that Wonderland was just a made up place and decided he had to correct her as the older brother.

“Addie, I’m sorry but…Wonderland just doesn’t exist. This data is very objective and there is no statistical significance to any of this. I’m sorry but I can’t help you.”

Adelaide’s eyes started watering and her lips quivered, trying to hold back her crying. She then opened her eyes wide with rage directed to the whole family and shouted, “Wonderland is REAL! And if you won’t believe me, then I’ll just run away until I find it!”

Adelaide then ran out of the room and out of the house into the fields, with her long white dress flowing behind her. Without saying a word to his uncle or aunt, Victor took chase after Adelaide shouting, “Addie! Addie, wait! Please, try to understand!” Little did he know that he would be running towards a nightmarish world, that would taint the image Addie had in her imaginative pure mind.