Story time: Inside Wonderland

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 Illustration by Aamnah Arshad
Illustration by Aamnah Arshad

It was a warm night. I was in my bedroom reading my favourite book, Alice in Wonderland. I am sure you all must have heard of it. This book is full of mysteries and adventures. I was reading at 11 pm, while having cold coffee. Soon, I dozed off.

I woke up to the sound of whoosh… I immediately put on my spectacles, and the next thing I saw was something I had never expected.

There was a huge golden door right in the middle of my room. It was ajar. I got out of bed and tried to peek through the narrow opening and the next thing I knew, I was being pulled inside.

“Ahhhh! Aaa…” I kept shouting until I landed on the grass.

It was a dense forest. In the distance, I saw a girl and then a flying cat.

“Wait… how is that possible? A flying cat?” I questioned myself.

“Uhh… w-who are y-you? Flying cat?” I asked, stuttering a little.

“Who, me? Little girl… my name is not Flying Cat. I am the Cheshire Cat,” the cat replied in a mischievous voice.

“Who’s she?” I heard a girl’s voice behind me. I sighed in relief as I saw a human.

“I don’t know who she is. I just found her lost here,” the cat replied.

“Hey, I am Aleeza, and I don’t know how I got teleported here. Can you tell me where I am?” I asked.

“Oh, okay… I am Alice. And I also just got here,” she said.

My eyes widened as I heard the name Alice.

“Wait… what! Does that mean I am inside Alice in Wonderland?”

“I’m sorry, Aleeza, but I don’t know what you’re talking about. And you’re in a forest, or you can say Wonderland,” Alice said, sounding a little uninterested.

“Oh, I remember! This is the same chapter I was reading at home. It’s so exciting! Will I meet the Hatter?” I asked, lost in my thoughts.

“Hello, Aleeza, are you there?”

I snapped out of my thoughts.

“Oh, yes. But how will I get out of here if I want to?”

“I don’t know. Maybe at the right time, I guess.”

I nodded. I was so confused about what was happening. As I was talking peacefully with Alice, I heard a loud growl.

“What was that?”

“I don’t…” Alice’s words were cut short as we saw a giant creature. It had a bare chest and dangerous claws that looked as if they could tear anyone apart. It started chasing us fiercely.

Alice, the Cheshire Cat and I ran as fast as we could.

Then we found a place to hide. The creature was searching for us. We had no option but to fight it. I was terrified but, at the same time, I was happy because I had the chance to meet the characters from my favourite book.

As we discussed what to do, I got an idea.

“I have this watch that produces a very bright laser. Maybe it will help us defeat that giant creature.”

They had no choice but to agree.

We slowly came out of our hiding place, and as soon as the creature spotted us, I pointed the laser from my watch straight at its eyes. I had never imagined it could be so powerful, but the laser burnt the creature’s eyes. The creature ran away in pain. Everyone cheered.

“Wow, Aleeza! I am so impressed. Now I know the purpose of your sudden appearance here,” Alice said with a smile.

Just then, the golden door appeared.

“You were asking how you could go back. Look, the door is here. Maybe it’s time for you to return to your world,” Alice said.

I hugged Alice and said goodbye to everyone. Then I opened the door and stepped back into my room. When I turned back to look, the door had disappeared.

I sat on my bed, thinking about every moment I had spent with my favourite character, Alice, in her Wonderland.

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 4th, 2026

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