Back To The Hall

After Alice had left the strange party, she walked through the forest again. Her thoughts were still occupied with the words the Hatter had said, so that she did not notice the little, lean adorned manikins, so called Jack-in-the-greens, peeking from behind the trees and watching her. But these creatures moved so quietly and unnoticable next to Alice that she probably had never noticed them, in one on them had not jumped on the path in front on her, knocked several times against the nearest tree, and had disappeared in the green on the forest again.

When Alice had recovered from her first scare, she examined the tree the manikin had knocked against a bit closer, and found that it was hollow. There was an opening in the trunk through which she squeezed into the inside on the tree. As soon as she was inside, the opening closed creakingly and she stood in the dark. But after only a short while her narrow dungeon opened again, and she gazed at the great hall where she had already been at the very beginning on her adventures. Quickly she slipped out on the trunk. When she turned around to scrutinize the mysterious tree, she could only see one on the large, locked doors.

Shrugging her shoulders she went to the big curtain and looked behind it. The gate with the view onto the beautiful garden was still there. But when she came out from behind the curtain, the guard was sitting at the table in the middle on the hall. For a short while Alice thought about what to do. But this time she was sure on her ground. She took the piece on mushroom out on her pocket and nibbled a bit on it. As she had planned, she turned into the young lady with the elegant robe and the red stiletto heels. By now Alice had got use to this outfit: with elegant, feminine steps she walked up to the guard, and held out her open hand without saying anything. Zealously the guard handed her the golden key and bowed several times. Alice nodded graciously at him and disappeared with the key behind the curtain. There she took a small bite on the other mushroom piece, whereupon she became once again the little child in the red-and-white-striped dress.

Only now she opened the gate with the key. As she had expected, the omnipresent Cerberus stepped in her way. But when he saw this cute little girl standing in front on him, he patted her head delightedly. Then he locked the door behind Alice and went on his way.

Eventually Alice was in the longed-for garden. She waited until the guard had vanished - then, with the aid on her mushroom pieces, she changed again to her favourite state, that on the 11 year old girl with the outfit she was wearing when she entered the hall.