Alice's Love

Listen to Your Heart

"Hello? Hello!" Alice called.

She was standing in the middle of a beautiful garden with different kinds of plants and flowers of all colors.

"Alice? Is that you?"

She recognized the voice almost immediately; she smiled and ran towards it. At first she felt like she wasn't even going anywhere but soon, she was met with the face of her friend Tarrant Hightopp, the Mad Hatter.

"Hatter!" She cried as she hugged him tight; he hugged her back.

They split and Hatter looked at Alice curiously, as if he wasn't sure if it was really her or not.

"You are you, aren't you?" He asked as he inspected her.

"Yes." Alice replied with a smile.

"...Is there something troubling you, dear?"

She froze and her eyes widened in surprise; she didn't say a word and Hatter caught on right away.

"Come now, Alice; you can tell me anything. Tell me what is wrong, please."

"...I think I'm falling for someone."

"Oh?"

"Yes. His name is James."

"Really? Tell me about him."

"He's very sweet, funny, and brave. He understands me and he actually stood up for me once or twice. He came over for dinner earlier and... we had a ball. And my mother said to me that... that I might be developing feelings for James."

"Oh, really? Did your mother say you were blushing?"

"Yes."

"Were you stuttering?"

"Yes."

"And... were you denying it?"

"...No."

"You're lying. You did deny it, didn't you?"

"I-I-I-I-I, um..."

By now, Alice couldn't figure out what to say to that; first Helen was telling her she had feelings for James and now Hatter? Who would be next, Margaret?

"I've learned that denial is the clincher." Hatter said. "But you shouldn't deny your feelings, Alice. It isn't healthy; you need to admit what you're feeling to this James soon, or you will never get passed these fears."

"Fears? Pfft. You must be mistaken, Hatter; what would I be afraid of? I faced the Jabberwocky, I sailed the sea, I-I-I..."

"You're afraid he might not love you back."

'Love? Did he just say LOVE?'

"Do you care for him?"

"Well... yes, I do. But—"

"Then you shouldn't push away your feelings, no matter what you say. Listen to your heart, Alice. That's what I did."

"What you did?"

Hatter suddenly vanished in a cloud of white smoke as the world around her began to fade to black. Alice gasped and opened her eyes before she abruptly sat up; she looked around and saw that she was back in her bedroom. It was a dream, just a dream. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"What do I do? What do I do?" She asked herself.

She got out of bed and went to the window, gazing at the dark sky. Alice puzzled and puzzled for a long time until she remembered something the Hatter told her before she woke up. He told her to listen to her heart.

"Listen to my heart, listen to my heart..." She repeated.