By Nimisha Ajaikumar
On the way to school, Alice told her sister all about her wild adventures in Wonderland.
“Too bad it was a dream.” Her sister shrugged.
But the memories were far too vivid. Could she really have dreamed an entire book’s worth of madness? Alice couldn’t convince herself otherwise. So, after school, she returned to the riverbank where it had all begun. Alice hoped to interrogate the waistcoated White Rabbit, pocket watch and all.
And there he was, just like yesterday.
When she greeted him, he replied briskly, “I have no time for niceties. You’re late.”
“What do you mean I’m late?” she questioned, pinching herself and wincing.
“Follow me—we have to get to the annual Normal Festival,” he said, gesturing toward the rabbit hole. The duo slid down a smooth tunnel lined with neat bricks and trimmed hedges, landing in a grassy park to the sound of synchronized clapping.
The Normal Festival was a burst of balloons, streamers, and flowers, everything perfectly tidy and cheerful, as if Wonderland had traded its usual chaos for polite smiles and orderly tea settings. Tables overflowed with coffee, cakes, and chocolate. Alice’s stomach growled in delight—thank goodness she hadn’t eaten a heavy lunch.
“Welcome, Alice! How good it is to see you again,” the Mad Hatter gushed, sweeping her into a hug. The Mad Hatter remembers me? Much to her surprise, he wore only one hat, though he pulled another from his coat to place on her head. “Now you’re perfect for the party,” he said, clapping in delight.
Alice was stunned, but she mumbled a thank you when the March Hare handed her a mirror. She did look rather fetching.
But his memory of her wasn’t the strangest thing. “Why, Mad Hatter—you’re not mad at all today,” she laughed.
“What do you mean?” he asked, brow arched.
Alice crossed her Mary Janes. “Well, for starters, you’re speaking in full sentences. And I actually understand you!”
The March Hare cut in, affronted. “My dear Alice, he’s always spoken this way.”
“It’s offensive to imply that I’m mad!” The Mad Hatter—possibly the Un-Mad Hatter now—huffed.
Alice curtsied in apology and slipped away in embarrassment.
Soon, she found the caterpillar, green and regal as ever, lounging on a flower.
“Where’s your hookah?” she asked.
He recoiled. “How rude of you to call me a smoker! Don’t you know I have asthma?”
“But—But yesterday you were puffing away!” Alice cried, ears reddening.
“A caterpillar smoking a hookah? Your imagination is wild, dear.” He chuckled, more amused than anything, and then resumed munching leaves, apparently no longer cross.
Hungry, Alice wandered into the cooking area where she found herself face-to-face with the Duchess. There was no pepper storm this time, so Alice’s eyes didn’t water.
“I’m glad your pig turned back into a baby,” she said earnestly.
The Duchess narrowed her eyes, nostrils flaring. Without a word, she clamped Alice’s elbow and dragged her—baby in arm (who was definitely not a pig)—to the Queen’s lacrosse match.
“Lock her up!” the Queen of Hearts shrieked, slamming her lacrosse bat against the ground; the interruption had cost her the winning streak.
Alice didn’t dare ask why she’d replaced the flamingo with a proper bat.
The guards snapped handcuffs on Alice and marched her to court. One wrong word and she could land in jail.
“You are hereby put to trial for offending the Duchess,” the King of Hearts declared, reading from a scroll. “Any witnesses?”
The March Hare, the Un-Mad Hatter, and the hookah-less caterpillar had plenty to say—none of it helpful. The verdict loomed, and panic made her chest tighten.
“It’s just a dream!” Alice shouted, gripping the edge of the podium.
“Lock her up!” the Queen roared.
And then, thunder split a quiet sky, and the Cheshire Cat appeared—first his teeth, then his ears, then his tail, and finally the full smirk of him.
“Your Highness,” he purred, “you must pardon Alice. She is not normal, like us.”
The Queen squinted. “What do you mean?”
“We, the residents of Wonderland, are hosting the Normal Festival because we are the only normal ones on Earth.”
The Queen looked flattered. “Go on.”
The Cheshire Cat seized the moment. From the way he spoke, Alice thought he was running for office. “Outsiders like Alice—with their strange notions of caterpillars smoking and pigs turning into babies—will never understand our customs. Instead of punishing her, I suggest we show her the door, as polite society does.”
Applause rippled through the crowd.
“I’m not crazy!” Alice sobbed. “You are!”
“Says the girl who crawled into Wonderland through a rabbit hole,” the Cheshire Cat said slyly, “when we clearly have a perfectly good gate by the riverbank. Your Highness, she thinks she’s a rabbit. Look—her nose is twitching!” Alice opened her mouth to argue—then hesitated, suddenly unsure.
“How tragic,” the Duchess gasped, hugging her baby. “A girl raised by rabbits!”
The Queen tapped her chin thoughtfully. “A rabbit-raised girl, twitching her nose, crashing our Normal Festival… how utterly abnormal.”
Alice shook her head. “But I’m not! I like order, tea, correct grammar!”
“Then go home,” the Queen declared. “Normal folk don’t yell during sentencing. Lock her—oh, never mind. Guards, escort her to the gate.”
The crowd roared with approval as Alice was marched back to the riverbank, where a glittering wrought-iron gate shimmered into view.
“Why didn’t I see this before?” she shuddered.
“Because you weren’t looking with normal eyes,” the Cheshire Cat murmured, fading away with a wink.
Alice stepped through—and blinked.
She was back on the grassy bank. Her school shoes were dusty. Her sister stood waiting.
“Another rabbit hole?” she asked.
Alice smiled. “No. Just a gate.”
But as she walked, her nose twitched—just a little.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nimisha has woven concepts of neurotypical and neurodiverse individuals and how society perceives them in Wonderland akin to the real world. Through fiction she has shed light on societal perspectives, stigma and psychology. Her writing style is eloquent and very interesting to read.
Wonderful portrayal of how a dream can evolve from the sweetest memories of the beloved childhood story Alice in Wonderland. Wishing you great success. Keep writing and keep inspiring 😊😊👍
Appreciate the lucid writing style and engaging story which makes the readers reflect. Nimisha, great writing, as always.
Such a delightful read, Nimisha. The invisible line between Normals and the Abnormals is drawn quite clearly. It makes us ponder about how we view the marginalised.
Loved the characterisation and the development of the story. The entry of the Cheshire cat was amusing !
More power to your pen, Nimisha!
A well-written and insightful story!!The clarity and structure made it a compelling read.God bless😊
Nimisha has cleverly put her imagination to good use to rework the iconic characters of an evergreen story making the story fascinting to read.
One wonders if normality too, like beauty, lies in the eyes of the beholder.
Nimisha, wish you all success in all your writing escapades.
Love this 😍😍😍
Poor Alice–no matter what she does, she’s put on trial. She should retain an attorney.
This is an interesting addition to the original story, I wanted to read more! :D Good job Nimisha!
Truly a captivating story. The way you craft a narrative is just brilliant Nimisha.
Nice one 😀👍
An interesting aboutface on my all time favourite story! Well done! 👍🏽
Wonderful expression of an all time favourite. One’s childhood years revel in imagination and after reading your story Nimisha, I was transported once again to the days of childhood and magic of story reading.
An excellent story!
Exceptional imagination!!
It was just like a dream when I went through her writing…. Nimisha It’s a wonderful work… Keep going, my dear… God bless.
Very nice, twisty, fun take on a normal/not normal world – and a nice take on Alice and the other famous characters.