In 1865, a young girl by the name of Alice Liddell went missing from outside of her home in Oxford, England. Left in the care of her older sister, Margaret, no one could understand how the seven-year-old had disappeared so suddenly. Yet, after multi...
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WITH THE WEEKEND UPON HER, Alice felt like she was finally able to breathe as she could take a break from her academics that seemed to loom over her like a dark cloud. After sleeping in and taking a shower, Alice got dressed and hurried down the stairs to the Common Room. She was ready to call out to Mr Rabbit and Cheshire to see if they were nearby but she came to a screeching halt when she nearly collided with Lennon. He had just been coming from the boys' dormitory and as soon as he lifted his head and saw her, he averted his eyes to look at the ground.
Alice responded with an awkward nod of her head, not bothering with a greeting because perhaps Lennon would see it as her casting a dark spell on him. She lowered her head and quickly moved towards the exit of the Common Room. She was about to break into a run when she found herself walking through a ghostly film. Peering up, she was met with the Grey Lady, who greeted her with a smile.
"Hello again, Alice. You appear to be in an awfully big rush, where are you off to this morning?"
"Good morning," Alice greeted her, " and to be honest, I'm not entirely sure. I was looking for Mr Rabbit or Cheshire just a short while ago but then I found myself in a rather awkward situation."
The Grey Lady offered to accompany Alice as she searched the castle for her friends, but eventually, Alice forgot what they were doing originally as she got caught up in the conversation. Whenever she was graced with the Grey Lady's presence, Alice would confide nearly everything in her, whether it was stories of Wonderland or her own social problems at school. The majority of the time, the Grey Lady did not speak, but would rather listen carefully and eventually give her own advice to Alice.
However, that morning, Alice didn't wish to dwell on her own problems but wanted to learn more about the Grey Lady's history.
"Could I ask you a personal question?" Alice said at one point. "You don't have to answer it, of course, it's just I've been rather curious and-"
"Hasn't your curiosity gotten you into trouble, Alice?" The Grey Lady mused.
"I've learned that trouble is just another word for adventure."
"Very well, what is your question?"
"Do you enjoy being a ghost?"
The corridor grew quiet as the Grey Lady took her time to answer the question. She didn't seem offended but rather she was in deep thought as if she had never given it any thought.
"I can't say I hate it," she finally said, "but I am not particularly fond of all of it. It is my fate though, a fate I chose. Some enjoy becoming ghosts while others regret their decision."
"How does one become a ghost?"
The Grey Lady stared off into the distance with a slight frown. "There is a moment between life and death that is crucial, the moment whether you determine whether you are fearful of dying or ready to welcome death with open arms. If you are not ready to die, you become a ghost. And unfortunately, once the decision has been made there is no turning back."
