[ WP ] or [ EU ] Alice dreams every night about the rabbit hole she never went down .

It was there again, the rabbit hole which ruled my dreams. Try as I might, I can never get to it. Every step I take pushed it a little farther away, a secret just out of reach. *Tick, Tick. * A ringing tick marked the rhythm of my walk. My heart pounded faster. *Tick, Tick. * It was the same tick I ’ d heard from the strange rabbit on that cool, Fall afternoon. Almost like the sound of a clock. But that was absurd, a rabbit with a clock? I must have been mad. Why would a rabbit need to tell time? 
 
 The hole stopped its retreat. Adrenaline surging, I ran to it hurriedly. *Tick… Tick…* The ticks slowed down. Suddenly, my legs were pushing through some invisible lake, their progress slowed. *Tick…* I couldn ’ t breathe; the urge to run spurs me onward, but I ’ m frozen in whatever trapped me. Only a few more meters and I could find out what ’ s down the rabbit hole. I struggled in vain before snapping back to reality in a cold sweat. 
 
 “ Oh, rats! ” It was the closest I ’ d been to seeing down the rabbit hole. *Tick. Tick. * The clock? Surely, my mind was playing tricks on me. *Tick. Tick. * There it was again, but this time accompanied by the sound of a quiet thump, and a small voice, “ Oh, so very late. Maybe too late. ” Fear invaded my entirety. Sneakily, I made my way out of the bed and towards the door, grabbing a heavy book on the way. *Tick. Tick. * I forced the door open. 
 
 “ AHHHHH! ” Despite the shock evident in the rabbit ’ s scream, there was no matching the surprise I felt. A look of uncertainty colored the rabbit ’ s face before he dashed around the corner of the hall and out of view. Recomposing myself quickly, I chased after him. This must have been a dream, so I intended to explore it. 
 It was raining out. The sound of each drop splashing against the cobblestone street helped to hide the hurried sounds of the rabbit, but I was too fast. The stones scraped my feet, and grime squeezed between my toes. My chest felt heavy, and my knees hurt from running. I was very tired for being in a dream. The rabbit darted into a shrub, then into the woods. I followed unwaveringly. 
 
 I heard the rabbit up ahead, “ Go back, Alice, it ’ s too late! ” There was no way I could turn back, he just didn ’ t want me to get to the rabbit hole. My nightgown was soon torn by thorns and stained by numerous cuts before I burst into a clearing, finding the rabbit. He was slowing now, looking for something in particular. After getting his bearings, he darted towards a tree next to a stream, and disappeared. I knew where we were. My dreams were always from the other side, but I ’ d been in this field plenty of times. Excitement pushed me forward, now that there seemed to be no magic keeping me from my goal. 
 
 The rabbit hole was dark. Some part of me urged me back, but it was only a dream. Why shouldn ’ t I continue my adventure? How often did I get to hold a conversation with a rabbit? And I had to know why he made me listen to that infernal *TICK*! Even as I thought it, the sound echoed out of the hall. A single, solitary click. “ Mr. Rabbit! I ’ m coming after you! ” Ignoring his earlier warnings, I gathered myself up before crawling after him. 
 
 The crawl soon turned into a fall, and I lost any sense of direction. Colors and laughter surrounded me. Strange, disembodied eyes watched my uncontrolled descent. As soon as I thought of what dream death might await the end of my fall, I entered a room of blinding light. I closed my eyes, expecting the worst. Instead, I felt myself slow and ungracefully land, face first, on a large box. 
 
 Shaking off my embarrassment at being so uncoordinated in my own dream, I looked around. A whimper caused me to focus my attention behind me. The rabbit was there, but his eyes were teary, his nose running. My eyebrows narrowed as I wondered what was wrong. The box below me shook. Concerned and frightened, I looked down. 
 
 The box was a deck of cards! The end shot open and cards as tall as lampposts flew out. It was hard not to smile, so silly was my vivid imagination. They swirled around me, only showing their backs, forming a circle around the box. A haughty laugh boomed through the room and I saw a door with a large face on it open. The cards landed, standing vertically, before they turned to reveal their faces. All red. “ You ’ re too late, Alice. ” Her voice was shrill, and gilded with glee. There was no care or mercy in hers eyes. They scared me. I heard the rabbit begin crying behind me. This dream wasn ’ t fun anymore. I wanted it to stop. “ OFF WITH HER HEAD! ” *I want it to stop! * 

