Under Ground

“’But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.
‘Oh, you ca’n’t help that,’ said the Cat: ‘we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”
‘How do you know I’m mad?’ said Alice.
‘You must be,’ said the Cat, ‘or you wouldn’t have come here.’”
Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Sarah, governess to the two young boys of the manor, walked briskly to the room where they were to have their afternoon lessons. Upon arriving in the classroom, she found neither of them there. With a sigh she turned and walked through the white hall, down the back stairs, and out into the sunny, tiled courtyard.
“Laurent, Clarence! It’s time for your Mathematics classes!” she called out in her shrill, proper accent. She was answered with silence. Annoyed now, the middle aged governess lifted up her skirt a few inches as to not get any stains on it, and began to march into the oak grove behind the Winchester Manor. It wasn’t so much of a grove as several large oak trees scattered across the grass, just as the Manor was much more of a fortress, located favorably in the England countryside of Cheshire. The year was 1876, and the Carroll family had owned the land for over one hundred years.
The governess found the two boys sitting up among the branches of one of the oaks farther in. “Laurent, Clarence, come down here this instant!” she demanded, quite peeved now. Two identical faces curiously peered down at her. Twins. They balanced cross legged on one of the wider branches. One of them, perhaps Clarence, perhaps Laurent, no one could ever tell, held something small, white, and fluffy in his hands. It was a rabbit. They had appeared to be talking to it, but stopped suddenly when Sarah found them. Fortunately, their governess hadn’t seen what they were up to and the holder of the rabbit subtly left it at the base of tree as they climbed down. As soon as their nurse’s attention was elsewhere, the rabbit cautiously hopped away and ducked down into a hole in the ground.
“Hands.” she demanded tersely, intending to give them a stern smack on the backs of their hands with the wooden ruler she kept in her pocket. The boys scowled at her with vexation beyond their years, realizing they were to be scolded. After a moment’s hesitation, they obediently put out their hands. Naturally, the ruler came down mercilessly and with precision. Though the ruler hurt greatly, they shed not a tear; they would not give her the satisfaction.
After their scolding they made their way back into the Manor where they had their Mathematics, Grammar, and History lessons. Sufficiently fed up, the pair sprinted out of the classroom as soon as Sarah dismissed them; dashing outside the same way their governess had come looking for them earlier that day. They raced avidly towards the oak in which they had left the white object. However, upon reaching the tree they discovered they were not to be left alone. Her back to them, curiously staring at the tree, hands tucked behind her, stood their cousin, Alice Liddell.
One twin frowned at Alice with a sense of annoyance and disdain, while the other sort of smirked out of some illogical amusement. The frowning twin interrupted her daydreaming. “Alice,” he said condescendingly “You really should go back in the house, it’s not safe outside this time of day.”
Alice spun around quickly, having not noticed their approach. “Why, Clarence, Laurent, I hardly noticed you were there,” she exclaimed excitedly, ignoring their comment “How good to see you! Have you had a good day?”
The frowning twin, who was in fact, Laurent, said nothing but continued to scowl at her, while Clarence spoke up with a chuckle “Oh yes, a very good day indeed, especially that scolding Sarah gave us, very amusing.”
Alice gave a little pout, her delicate pink lips protruding slightly. “I’m sorry to hear that, but you really shouldn’t make fun of her like that, you know. She’s trying her best; she just doesn’t understand the two of you.”
“And you do?” Laurent was the one who countered her this time, raising an eyebrow as he did so, “Honestly? Don’t be silly, Alice.”
“Well, I suppose not. After all, I’m not a child any more” She mumbled, eyes downcast.
“Didn’t think so,” Laurent replied tartly, as they began to turn away from her
“But” Alice interjected, looking up and attempting to capture their attention once more, “I can remember the things I used to like as a child! Would you like to hear a story, a rhyme, or perhaps a riddle? I know a few.”
They stopped in unison upon hearing their cousin’s words. Clarence turned to Laurent with a smirk and whispered something into his ear. At first Laurent glowered, but then, slowly, a devious grin spread across his little face. Looking back at Alice, both of them smiling now, Clarence announced “All right Alice, you can tell us a story, but on one condition.”
“Naturally,” Alice responded
“You must tell us a story that is your own, nothing from a book, or a song, or from someone else. Your story,” he finished with a sneer. However, as Alice also began to smile, he hastily added “And we have to like it, if it doesn’t interest us, we’ll leave.”
Not to be put down by the twin’s challenge, Alice nodded. Staring off into space, she put a finger to her lips, in thought, as leaned back against the trunk of the oak. “Ah!” she suddenly, “I’ve got just the one, there’s no way you two have heard this one before! Sit down and I’ll start.”
“No thank you.” Laurent replied brusquely, “I’m not the mood for grass stains.”
Alice shrugged, “Suit your selves then,” and she sank down to sit on the roots of the thick oak. “Once, or perhaps twice? Anyway, once, quite a while ago, there was a little girl who loved nothing more than to daydream. One day, she was sitting on the banks of a stream with her sister, and the heat had begun to make her drowsy, when the strangest thing happened. A white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and pocket watch ran by. Her curiosity getting the better of her, the girl got up and followed the rabbit. As the rabbit descended down its rabbit hole, the girl got onto her hands and knees and crawled after it. And it was like that that the little fell into the magical world of Wonderland.”
“You mean Under Ground.” Clarence interjected, before Laurent could stop him.
“Hmm?” fortunately, Alice had not heard his comment
“Nothing,” they replied in unison, “Please keep going,” said Laurent
“Well, if you insist, where was I?” Alice pondered for a moment, staring up into the boughs of the tree towering above her. “Oh yes, she’d just fallen into Wonderland.” Clarence pouted, but kept quiet. “Wonderland was a strange and beautiful world full of nonsense and riddles and the little girl found herself delighted and confused by it. While there, she had a great many adventures, those of which started almost instantly after she arrived.”
“Alice,” Laurent said hesitantly, “We would like to hear more of the little girl’s story, but it’s nearly time for dinner, and we don’t feel like getting another scolding for being late. Maybe you could finish tomorrow?” Clarence eagerly nodded in consent.
“Oh, yes, of course. I’d love to!” Alice picked herself up and dusted her skirt off, smiling at the boys as they proceeded to walk back inside.
The seventeen-year-old Alice had been staying with her parents and sisters at their uncle and aunt’s manor for the past month, and yet she had spent little or no time with her seven-year-old cousins up until that point. However, in the week or so that followed, they trio were nearly inseparable. They would go out on the little lake nearby and sit for hours as she told her story, or sit in the little oak grove, basking in the golden, afternoon, summer sunlight.
Still, Alice eventually reached the end of her story about Wonderland. But upon the pair’s insistence for more, she told another story. This second story revolved around the same curious, little girl, but this time, instead of Wonderland, she traveled through a Looking-glass and across a chessboard. Nonetheless, after she had finished that story, the Clarence and Laurent insisted on hearing more. Although they had all become rather close by this time, and would talk of other things and play games together, Alice could see their frustration in not being able to hear more of her stories. One day she tried to console them and tell them another story, but her words just didn’t flow the same way they had with the others. And so, the pair rejected it. At this Alice became quite distraught, as her companions had started to become much more cold and distant with her than they had in the time she had told her stories.
One day as the sat in the sunlit garden, Alice confronted them, bringing her doubts to light “Why do you act like this to me?” she asked, “Have I not been your friend and companion these past weeks?”
“It’s because of you Alice,” Laurent replied, meeting her eye, as Laurent absent-mindedly toyed with a flower, “You’ve changed. Now that we’ve heard your side of the story, we can see. You’re starting to grow up.”
“Well of course I’m growing up! I’m nearly eighteen, after all. And what do you mean ‘heard my side of the story’?”
“Don’t play dumb Alice!” Clarence snapped, looking up from the flower, glaring at her. Alice was shocked; this was the first time Clarence has spoken sharply with her. “In your stories, we know the girl who traveled to Wonderland and Looking-glass is really you! ”
Alice was appalled. “What are you talking about? I’ll admit, I came up with the idea for my stories from dreams I had when I was your age, but the two of you make it sound like I actually went to these places; like they were real!”
“That’s exactly what we’re saying Alice!” Laurent responded, “You don’t have to pretend, we know it’s real, we’re like you!”
“Now I haven’t the faintest idea of what you’re saying, and if the two of you don’t stop this instant, I believe I shall leave,” said Alice indignantly.
“But Alice,” Laurent pleaded, rambling on while Clarence still sat simmering, “Please Alice, you have to remember! Everyone’s in trouble! Things have been all wrong since you left and now they’re beginning to fall apart! You have to do something!”
“Who’s in trouble? What’s falling apart?” Alice asked, her curiosity almost getting the better of her “Oh! But this is silly; you two are just making fun of me aren’t you! Well I don’t like it!” and so saying, Alice got up and began to march away.
“Alice! Alice, please wait! You must help, you must!” Laurent begged, beginning to stand to go after her. But Clarence tugged on his sleeve and shook is head.
“There’s nothing we can do, we’ll just have to take it slow and help her remember bit by bit.” Clarence said.
Laurent moped for a while but then agreed, and the pair went back inside. They spent the rest of the day contentedly playing by themselves. It wasn’t until late that afternoon that their plans went awry. It happened as they were running down the halls and heard low voices coming from within the library. They stopped and, hiding behind a bookshelf, they began to eavesdrop.
The voices belonged to Alice’s parents and as the twins crouched nearby they over heard their plans for her. “She’s the most impractical child! Why, she’s almost eighteen and yet she still dances around in skirts and plays with children!” Alice’s father, Henry, bristled. “Something must be done.”
Lorina, her mother, nodded solemnly “Yes, yes. You’re quite right. I have an old friend who has connections to a rather reputable school for young women. If I recall, she owes me a favor, this is the perfect time to call on it. I believe the school starts early in the fall.”
“Excellent!” Her father boomed “We shall write her a letter, and send Alice off with it by the end of this week.” The two adults stood up and began to walk toward the library entrance, near where the twins had been listening.
The children, however, had already dashed off to rethink their situation. They sat together, hidden in a closet, and whispered to one another. “What can we do?” whimpered Clarence, “We hadn’t planned on this, if Alice goes away, she’ll grow up, and then she’ll never be able to remember about the Under Ground, and if that happens, then she won’t be able to come back with us, and if can’t come back then it’ll all fall to pieces! Alice is the key between here and there, if she grows up, we’ll never be able to go back and the Under Ground will destroy itself!” Clarence was sobbing at this point and Laurent tried to comfort his twin.
“Shhhh. Shhh. Don’t worry Clarence, we won’t let that happen,” murmured Laurent, patting Clarence on the shoulder, “We’ll leave tonight, when everyone’s asleep. We can take Alice with us and go back. She’ll remember on the way down, and then she can make everything better. Don’t worry Clarence, it’ll work out, you’ll see.”
By this time, Clarence had stopped crying and was nodding along with what his brother said. “But how do we get there? Alice is the only other than the White Rabbit who’s allowed down the Rabbit Hole, what about us?”
Laurent though for a moment then answered “We’ll just have to go through the Looking-glass, that way we can tell everyone over there that she’s come back. After that, we’ll just take the train across to the Eight Square and across to Under Ground! So you see, everything works out perfectly!” Clarence smiled in agreement and the pair shook hands.
Late that evening, sometime around midnight, Alice awoke to hear a light knocking on her door. Rubbing her eyes and rolling out of bed, she walked across her room and opened the door. She was surprised to find a figure hardly more than half her height standing amongst the shadows. As she steadily grew more conscious, she recognized the figure as being one of the twins.
“Hmmm? What is it?” Alice asked sleepily
The twin whispered softly to her, pulling lightly on her hand, “We have something very important to show you Alice. Laurent is waiting for us, we must go right away.”
It was then that Alice noticed that Clarence was fully dressed, while she still stood in her nightgown. “Wait a second, I need to get dressed,” she mumbled.
Clarence hesitated, time was of the essence, but he eventually let go of her hand. “Alright, quickly then. But don’t turn any lights on, we’re playing a game, we can’t let anyone wake up.”
Still too sleepy to understand what was going on Alice nodded and closed her door. A minute later she emerged once again, this time dressed in the clothes she had worn yesterday, not wanting to attempt to put new clothes on in the dark. Clarence took her hand again and led her down the darkened corridors of the manor. They moved quickly in the darkness, weaving through the hallways by memory alone. Clarence heard his own heart thumping in his chest, so great was his anxiety of being caught. Eventually they were able to make their way outside unnoticed. The cool night seemed to bring Alice out of her reverie.
“Where are we going?” she asked, frightened by the dark, overcast night.
“Just a bit farther!” replied Clarence, still tugging on her hand and breaking into a jog as crossed the lawn into the oak grove.
“Where is Laurent? What did you want to show me?” Alice asked, her breath coming in gasps.
Suddenly Clarence stopped running. They stood next to the large oak where the twins had been whispering to the rabbit a number of weeks ago. “Listen to me Alice.” he said turning to face her, holding both of her hands in his “Laurent and I have to come in another way, but you need to go now. We’ll see each other soon.” in the dark he smiled “Everything’s going to be better now, you’ll see. I promise.”
“What do you mean? Where are you going?” asked Alice, quite frightened now.
“We’re going back Alice, all of us. Back to the Under Ground, to your Wonderland.” So saying, he gave her a little push backwards and Alice tripped and tumbled down a large rabbit hole that had been carefully hidden by the roots of the tree. She screamed the whole way down.