Week 13 Story: Alice Gets a Drink
A woman in her early twenties walked into the bar with holes in her tights and brown dirty stains on her blue dress. Her blonde hair was tied back in a neat ribbon, but looked like it hadn’t been brushed in several days.
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| Irish Pub, Source |
“One Mad Hatter on the rocks, please.” The woman climbed onto the tall barstool, her legs dangling off of it. After receiving her drink she played with the straw for a few minutes, not taking a single sip.
"Hey kid, you doing alright?" The young bartender approached her with a kind smile on his face. The woman stopped messing with her straw and looked up at him with tired eyes.
“I’ve been better. Had kinda a long day,” she replied. She took a long sip of her drink and finished the whole thing in one gulp.
“You’re not the first to tell me that. What’s your name?” The bartender seemed genuinely interested in what this mysterious woman had to say.
“Alice. And there’s no way you’d believe the day I had. It was mad.” She rested her head on the bar counter as if she was about to take a nap.
“Well, my name’s Chris, by the way.” He put his hand out for her to shake, and she stuck hers out to reciprocate, her head still on the table. “Hey, your next drink’s on me if you tell me what’s wrong?”
At this Alice perked up. “Alright, we’ve got a deal. It all started with a rabbit.”
“A rabbit? What did it do, bite holes through your stockings?” Chris refilled her drink.
“A hole. I fell into a hole chasing a rabbit. And I kept falling. For what seemed like hours until I landed in some upside down world.” She took a big sip and sighed.
“Okay, this story is definitely weirder than expected, but I like you. Wait oops I mean I like it. I like the story.” Chris tried to recover, but Alice was already blushing. He took a deep breath before continuing.
“My shift is actually over in a few minutes, if you wanna maybe grab a bite to eat you can tell me about the rest of your night? There’s a great fast food place nearby,” Chris said, grabbing his jacket.
“Sorry, I don’t really eat junk food. Don’t wanna get too big.” Alice laughed at her own joke. “But I’d love to hang out with you.” Alice smiled at him. “I'm always down for an adventure.”
~~~
Author’s note: Alice in Wonderland is such a classic story I really didn’t want to retell it and mess up any of the already iconic moments. Instead, I thought it would be funny to imagine Alice as a young woman going to the bars to drink after such a crazy experience. I like the trope of telling the bartender your problems, and what’s a bigger problem than going to wonderland? The only change I made was Alice’s age, because it made more sense for her to not be a child and that way I could include a little romance.
Bibliography: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland-Lewis Carroll: Source
Hey Hayley! I loved your story! It was so creative!! It also seem like a totally realistic jump for her to go to a bar. It was super cute! I felt you could've provided more detail, but I thought it was still funny. Really good job!
ReplyDeleteHi Hayley!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your story of after Alice returns from Wonderland and goes to a bar, because what person wouldn't after that adventure that's in their twenties?! I am also doing my storybook on Alice in Wonderland with a twist, so it is okay to retell and play with the iconic stories. But I like the twist of romance you added in the bar, straight from a movie I feel like. I like how you told your story all through communication through the characters, I did not feel like there was much missing. Could be because I am already deep down the rabbit hole myself. I would suggest just adding some more detail about the bartender, like what did he look like, his voice sounded like, etc..
Hey Hayley, I like what you have done with this retelling, or in this case addition of a bonus story. I agree, it is hard to retell such a classic as Alice in Wonderland, but I think your alternative did a great job of creating something fresh. I think this story also lends itself to a sequel and it would be really interesting to see if Chris winds up becoming a protagonist in Alice’s next trip to Wonderland.
ReplyDeleteHey Hayley. I haven't read Alice in Wonderland but I think I know most of the story just by hearing about it. I like the fact that you made Alice go into a bar and basically tell her story to a stranger. Already hearing the first parts of it makes me think it is a crazy one but I think the bartender likes her so will hear her out.
ReplyDeleteHey Hayley!
ReplyDeleteI want to start by just saying you put an incredible amount of imagery in this piece and it clearly shows! I am so intrigued by what made you think to turn Alice into a more of an adult like character who would vent like many people today do. I am excited to see how you continue this story in the future because it is clear to see that you have left your readers a cliff to hang from in wait!