Alice Meets Alyss

Tired of being alone, tired of being the only one to ever do anything wrong, tired of being just "that girl", she stormed out the back door and into the yard. The crash of the door against the jam resounded through the quiet afternoon air. She stood in the center of the yard, the uncut grass tickling her shins through her black and white striped stockings, breathing rapidly in anger and frustration. She wanted to scream.

Instead, she took a deep breath. A really big one. The kind where she opened up her mouth as wide as it would go, lifting her shoulders and standing tall, sucking in as much air as her lungs could hold, and then letting it all out in noisy whoosh. Sufficiently calmed, she gazed around the yard. Dandelions sprouted up here and there, barely visible in the too tall grass. The low rock wall that framed the yard's boundaries was overgrown with climbing morning glory in purple and white. The sky was a deep blue, completely cloudless, with a white hot sun beating down on her head. She hated this place, this house, these people. She had to go.

But where? A gentle breeze seemed to whisper as it tickled her face with tendrils of her own blonde hair.

"I don't know," she answered aloud. "But I can't stay here." She let her eyes wander around the yard again, traveling the perimeter. Suddenly, her gaze seemed to leap over the wall of its own accord and she noticed...well, so much more.

The yard in which she stood, and the house behind her, was centered in a vast open field. Wild grass and flowers grew just outside the makeshift fence, bugs flittered up and down, birds darted around. How strange that she never noticed this before. It was as if the little stone wall had built a barrier that she had never been able to see past, until today. She moved to the edge of the yard, the hem of her dress brushing against the vines on the wall. She peered into the distance and saw...something.

"What is that?" she murmured. She leaned over the wall, peering squinty eyed into the distance. There, where the grass ended, it looked like trees. A forest, perhaps? She stood upright and crossed her arms, tilting her head to the side.

"How curious." She sat on the wall, arms still crossed, and continued to gaze at the indistinct forms of trees. Yes, trees. She was absolutely sure of it now. As if they had a mind of their own, her feet swept over the wall and landed on the other side, outside the yard.

"Do I just have no control over myself anymore?" she remarked, surprised and a little frightened. She'd never been beyond the wall, never gone anywhere without being told, never gone anywhere alone. She glanced over her shoulder, scrutinizing the windows at the back of the house. They were shut tight against the cooling breeze and curtained against the beautiful sunshine. No one was watching. She shrugged, no one would care.

She pushed herself off the wall and began to walk toward the distant tree line. The rough grass made hissing sounds as she passed through it, sending a cluster of insects into the air with every step. She was walking into the breeze now, and her golden hair streamed behind her as she quickened her pace. She began to smile, all the tension from earlier seeping out of her. She was FREE!

Glancing back she was surprised to see how very far away the house was, just a faint white blob against a blue sky. She didn't feel like she had been walking all that long, but as she turned back around she stopped short. A mere five feet from her was a crumbling stone wall standing nearly six feet high, with a massive forest just visible between the cracks and towering high above. As she tiptoed forward, she noticed it had gotten eerily quiet. No birds fluttering, no bugs chirping, even the grass was silent as it brushed against her. The breeze was gone, and for a moment she thought the sun had gone as well, only to look up and realize she had entered the shade created by the massive leafy boughs of the forest. She could just see the sunlight sparkling through in places, and filtered green in others. A sharp snap brought her attention back to the wall that was only an arm's reach away.

What was that? "I'm sure it was only an animal making it's way home through the forest."

Really? "Yes, really!" she said, stamping her foot. But her voice was barely a whisper as she continued, "What else could it possibly be?"

Pushing her shoulders back and holding her head high, she shook off her fear and strode up to the wall. It was made of rough gray stones that were still dark as the day they were placed, due to the lack of sun against them. The mortar that held it all together was crumbled in places yet still held firm in others. She ran her hands along the wall as she moved down it, enchanted by the feel of the cool stones. In time, she came upon a large opening where the stones had collapsed outward, scattering in the grass. She stopped before stepping in front of it, recalling the snapping sound from earlier. Was it just her imagination, or did she hear breathing on the other side of the wall?

"Well, it's not like I'm going back," she whispered to herself. "Whatever's on the other side of this wall is surely better than where I came from." With that, she marched right up to the hole in the wall, turned to look through it, and came face to face with...

Herself.

Well, it was more like a fun house mirror version of herself. She had long blond hair tied back with a black satin ribbon and bright blue eyes. The other her had long black hair with a red headband and deep brown eyes. She was wearing a light blue dress with a white apron, black and white striped stockings, and black flats. The other her was wearing a deep red dress with a black apron, black and red striped stockings, and black flats. Yet, aside from all of these very obvious differences, they were completely identical.

The other her looked just as baffled by this as she did. Finally, the other her spoke up.

"I'm Alyss of Heart."

Well now that is strange. "I'm Alice. Just...Alice," she replied.

They continued to stare at each other, keeping their thoughts to themselves, when suddenly an indecipherable shout rang through the air. Alyss' eyes grew wide as she glanced over her shoulder into the forest. She turned back to Alice and grabbed her hand.

"How do you feel about adventures?"

"Oh. Well, I've never been on one," Alice stammered.

"Excellent!" Alyss replied, a smile lighting up her face. "Then let's go!"

Off she went running, dragging Alice by the hand behind her, darting through the trees, leaping over rocks and streams, and on and on until Alice had lost her bearings completely. And so my adventure begins!