Rabbit stared out across the fields. “They’re so green. The trees,” I remarked. Rabbit nodded. He didn’t speak for quite a few minutes. Eventually he turned around, and I thought he looked . . . upset? I was used to him looking angry and sad, but not upset.
“Rabbit—?” I went to speak, but he started the car, cutting me off.
“We’re going to be late,” he said in a gravelly voice, then raised his pocket watch to his ear and tapped on the metal. I frowned when I saw that his hand was shaking. I didn’t say anything though, because sometimes my hands shook too.
Looking straight ahead, I said, “I’m ready.” A long deep breath. “Ready for our adventure, in Wonderland.”
I had never seen anything like it. Tall trees were scattered around the roads, and vehicles of all shapes and sizes whizzed past us—the people of Wonderland going about their business. I watched with bated breath as we passed buildings and bright lights. As we passed fields that rolled in greens and yellows for such a long time that I struggled to see where they ended.
The wind blew through my hair, ruffling my curls. As he drove, Rabbit glanced over to me from time to time. I smiled, but he still looked confused, as if I were a puzzle he was trying to work out. I had no idea why, but I was too focused on the strange sights to ask.
So much time passed that the sun began to set. Just as it touched the horizon, Rabbit turned off the country road we were on and pulled onto a dirt path. Bushy tree branches curled above us to create a tunnel. I leaned my head back and caught the last rays of sun slicing through the leaves. When I lifted my head I saw a building up ahead. A house made from wood stood before us.
Rabbit pulled the car to a halt. There were no sounds coming from this house. No screams or crying. Everything was just . . . silent.
Rabbit’s hands slid from the wheel, and without looking at me, he said, “This is where we’ll be staying for the next several days.”
I leaned forward and looked out of the window. “Your home?”
He shook his head. “The first stop on our adventure.” I looked at him and found his silver eyes were already on me. “We have many stops to go.”
My heart fluttered in nervous excitement. “And this is number one . . .” I whispered, more to myself than Rabbit.
Rabbit opened his door. I was still staring at the woods surrounding this place when my car door opened too. Rabbit stood, rabbit-headed cane in hand, waiting for me to leave the car. I swallowed back the nerves that were creeping up my throat and stepped out. The ground crunched beneath my shoes.
“This way.” Rabbit held his arm out toward the house. I fell into step beside him. I glanced all around us, searching for any sign of people. As if reading my mind, Rabbit said, “There is just you and I here for now. We will meet more people when our journey truly begins.”
“It has not begun?”
Rabbit led us to a wooden door and paused. Gripping the head of his cane tighter, he faced me and said, “Soon, darlin’. Before we go, we must prepare.” He opened the door. “But first . . . tea.”
My breath caught in my throat. Beyond the threshold lay the most perfect tea-party spread one ever did see. “Rabbit!” I gasped. My hands flew to my mouth. I took a step forward into the house and onward into the magical room just beyond. As I passed Rabbit, I looked up to see him watching me. I moved swiftly to the long table in the center of the wooden-paneled room, and my eyes widened as I beheld the spread. A white tablecloth lay over the table. Tall seats were positioned around it—eight to be exact—and at each seat was set a plate, a teacup and a saucer. I ran my hand over the cloth and smiled at the silver-domed dishes in the center of the table. I looked behind me to find Rabbit, but he was nowhere in sight. Turning back to the table, I lifted the first silver dome to peek at what was underneath. My mouth watered when I saw strawberry tarts. Smiling in excitement, I skipped to the next. Victoria sponge. Desperate to see them all, I removed each cover—cucumber sandwiches, Bakewell tarts, Battenberg cake, carrot cake . . . so much cake! All of England’s finest delicacies.
My favorites.
A floorboard creaked behind me, and I turned to see Rabbit walking back into the room. I opened my mouth to ask him where everything came from, but then I spotted what he held in his hands.