• Alice. Her name was just Alice. It was the name that the smiling man had given her years ago. She could not remember the name she was given when she was born into this world or where she came from. She only remembers travelling on her little raft, following the flag of the white rabbit. She was curious of the flag, it was like none she had ever seen before. It was cute, a white, crouching rabbit with a little pink nose and dark eyes on a black banner. It was unique compared to the skull and crossbones she usually saw. She had been following it for years, losing sight of it and catching up with it again like she was meant to pursue its course.

    At the age of sixteen, it had led her to a small island with a thin pillar in the middle. She stared in awe at it, trying to find the peak. It reached up to the clouds and forever, it seemed. While she was staring up at the pillar, the white rabbit flag of the large gallion had disappeared so Alice decided to stop on the island and wait for its return, like it usually did.

    Pulling the raft onto the shore, far enough so the tide wouldn't carry it out to sea, Alice began to explore the island. There was a small forest with hardly any inhabitants whatsoever. She wondered whether everything was at the top of the pillar or if anyone else but her even lived on this island. The sun was high above her when she had found the spiraling stairs to the top. Like a screw, the stairs came out on the sides and wound up the collumn in a continuous spiral. She thought the stairs would never end but it was too late to turn back now. She looked over the railing to see nothing but the ocean. High above, a quarter of the way up the pillar, Alice felt like the only being in the big world.

    The sun began to set as Alice trudged along, up the stairway. She was exhausted, unwilling to go any further and very hungry and thirsty. She could feel the pressure against her head as she got higher, her ears popped every step she took. It was a headache! She had never suffered from so many pains before.

    Night arrived, along with Alice's childish fears. Scared of monsters coming up the stairs, she began to run quickly, despite of her exhaustion and starvation. Alice could imagine the smiling man advancing on her, reaching out to grab at her. The Cheshire grin and his black magic. She both feared and revered him. Just as he grasped her sandy blonde hair, she bursted through the large metal doors and fell on the landing, unconscious.

    "Is she alright?"

    "Poor dear. How did she get all the way up here anyway?"

    "Shh... She's sleeping."

    "She looks like an angel."

    "Look, she's waking up!"

    Alice's eyes fluttered as she stared up into the bright pink sky, riddled with clouds. The sun was rising and it cast a bright yellow glow on everything. Was she in heaven? Did the smiling man kill her, despite his promise? Were these people surrounding her angels? She looked up into the many faces, wriggly eyebrows and swirly hair like an ice cream cone on the top of their heads. Their faces showed kindness and pity. Alice sat up and tried to remember what she had been doing to end up here.

    "Are you lost, dear?" A woman with icy blue hair and deep green eyes asked her.

    Alice nodded. She truly was lost. She had always been lost. Without the occassional help of the smiling man, she would be even more lost in this world. Completely disoriented.

    "You must be hungry. Come, we will get you something to eat," a man beside the woman said, helping Alice up onto her feet. He had brown hair, pulled up into a natural cone-like shape.

    "We will discuss this at ten o'clock sharp, you two!" One of the men called as the man and the woman led Alice down the dirt path and into the town of crooked buildings that you would expect to find in a made-up children's story.

    "I hope I'm not causing any harm being here," Alice said to the couple as they walked through the winding paths of town.

    "No, no! You are very welcome on our island. The townspeople just want to find out where you're from so we can try to contact your island and get you back home safely," the woman explained.

    Alice started to open her mouth but she stopped, she would tell them later at the meeting. This island was so beautiful. Its lush green hills and windmills. A homely island high above the clouds where no one could take it away. She could wait here for the ship to return. But the descent down would be exhausting, she thought. Surely there was another way?

    "Here we are," the man pulled a key from his coat pocket and put it into the keyhole.

    Alice looked up. There was a shop sign across the front, carved in wood with bold, fancy lettering, "Songs of the World," it read. She whispered the name before she was ushered into the shop where the couple supposedly lived.

    Inside, there were two staircases on either sides of the circular wall, leading up to a large balcony that overlooked the shop. It was a fairly small shop. There were shelves in the windows full of small wooden boxes and miniature windmills. To the right was a small counter where a register sat, old and dusty.

    "I will fix you something to eat. Make yourself at home, darling. By the way, what is your name?" The woman asked from the door on the balcony.

    "Alice," she replied, inspecting the items on the shelves. She was careful not to touch anything, it all looked very valuable.

    "Alice, what a lovely name," the man smiled slightly.

    "Thank you," Alice curtsied, something the smiling man had taught her to do.

    "I am Professor Cady, and the woman who is with me is my wife, Roberta," the man introduced him and his wife, "You may call me Eugene."

    "Thank you for taking me into your home and taking care of me," Alice remembered what the smiling man had taught her about manners and gratitude.

    "It's our pleasure. We like the company of children. We've been hoping to have one of our own," Eugene told her.

    "I wish you good luck," Alice said sincerely.

    "Here you go, dear! I made some sandwiches and iced tea," Roberta bursted throught the door with a tray. She laid it on a small wooden table in the center of the balcony. A neat place for a dining room.

    Eugene pulled the chair out for both his wife and Alice. He took his seat when the ladies were seated and waited to be served. Roberta took one of the small plates on the tray and put a sandwich on it, handing it to Eugene so he could pass it to Alice. She poured a cup of iced tea and passed it again to her husband, for him to hand it to Alice who sat across from her, out of reach. When everything was passed out, they began to eat. Alice was starving! She asked for sandwich after sandwich. She had disobeyed the smiling man's rule of lady-like portions but it didn't seem to phase the Cadys. They could understand her position.

    With one last sip, Alice had finished the iced tea and the last of the sandwiches. She was still hungry but decided to wait awhile, maybe the feeling would go away.

    "Thank you so much!" Alice exclaimed gratefully.

    "Oh, it's no problem for us, Alice," Roberta smiled as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

    "We still have a couple hours before the meeting," Eugene stated as he gazed at his wristwatch, "Would you like a tour of the island, Alice?"

    "Oh, yes! Please!" Alice leaped from her seat in excitement. She wanted to see more of this peculiar island.