Allie goes to visit her aunt Alice who tells her stories about a magical place called Wonderland. Allie does not believe the stories are true. After an argument with her aunt, Allie discovers a secret beach and falls through a tree stump into Wonderland. There she meets the Cheshire Cat and other characters from her aunt's stories. With their help, Allie plays a baseball game against the Queen of Clubs and escapes back through a mysterious door to her aunt, believing the Wonderland stories are real after all.

1. Allie in Wonderland<br /> <br /> <br />By Claire Dobra Language Arts Hour 5<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Once upon a clock there lived a girl about eleven years old and her name was Allie. She lived on Mackinac Island, Michigan with her aunt Alice. She always told weird stories about a strange place called Wonderland.<br />“And there was a rabbit and a Cheshire Cat and a Mad Hatter and… and …” <br /> “Hold on Aunt Alice, there was a talking cat? What’s a Mad Hatter? Why was a rabbit holding a watch the size of himself?” I asked her suspiciously. <br /> “Yes and you’re the only one who believes me. You do believe me don’t you?” she asked in a pleading voice. You could see the hope in her eyes slightly fading with the look I gave her.<br />“Well, I … I… can’t believe you Aunt Alice, I can’t! It seems too outrageously weird that it just can’t be true!” I said for the twentieth time today. After I stopped speaking, all the hope had been swept out of her eyes like one of the street sweepers you see on Main Street where all the tourists come in. She walked in to the house slowly like she always does when I tell her that I don’t believe her crazy Wonderland stories.<br />I know just where she goes after I tell her the horrid news. She opens the drawer in her room just above the radiator to get her sketch book that she draws sketches of Wonderland and its creatures.<br />I didn’t want to see anyone, especially Alice, and I know the best place to go if I don’t have to see anyone: Secret Beach. I only know about that beach because last year I fell down a ditch behind Pictured Rock and found the wonderful place. Every time I need to be alone I go there. Right by the lake there is a tree stump that is humongous. That’s where I usually sit and think.<br />As a walked to the lake a question kept popping into my head, “Why do I like Aunt Alice so much?” and my answer always was the same. She’s the type of person you could go up to and say ‘hi’ even if you don’t know her. Everyone thinks of her that way because of the sparkle that never leaves her eyes, and her wavy blonde hair that she can wear so many ways you might think that she is a secret agent, but only I know who she is at all times because of the freckle on the palm of her right hand.<br />When I got to the stump and sat down I fell into it and when I hit the ground very hard it was pitch black. After I stood up I could barely feel my way around a tree right in the middle of four wide paths. In the gigantic tree I saw a cat or at least half of a cat. That wasn’t any ordinary cat. It was blue and purple and indigo or what looks like those colors, because I couldn’t tell in the light.<br />“Who are you?” I asked so quietly I could barely hear myself.<br />“You have to speak up darling” the cat thing said in such a snake like way in this dark you would think it was a talking snake. I couldn’t get over how smooth he talked, like the words almost flow like a waterfall that dumps into a serene and peaceful lake,<br />“Who are you?” I asked again a little louder and with little confidence it could show.<br />“Why I’m the Cheshire Cat of Wonderland,” he said proudly, like that could be the best thing to be in the world.<br />“Do you know a girl by the name of …Alice because I’m her niece Allie?” I asked, just throwing out the idea that this was the Cheshire Cat from Aunt Alice’s crazy stories. <br />“Alice …Alice,” he pondered as if trying to remember his very favorite kind of ice cream he hasn’t had since he was a little kid (kitten in this case) “…Alice? Oh I remember Alice. I haven’t seen her in forever and as you know forever is a long time. You know you look slightly like her. Are you two related?”<br />“Yes we are, and do you know if anyone could tell me how to get out of ‘Wonderland?’” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t say what he said to Aunt Alice, ‘the Mad Hatter.’ <br />“You’re just in luck, the Mad Hatter just got home from his trip to Mars and he is always wondering what happened to the very-dear-to-us Alice. He would be delighted to have you over to chat over a cup of tea and talk about your aunt Alice.”<br />“Okay, thanks,” I said sarcastically as I walked down a path hoping to find anyone but the Mad Hatter or whoever he is. <br />Unfortunately I picked the right road and he did remember Alice and how she kept asking too many questions. Finally I just went ahead and left, because he kept rambling on about Alice like old people. He was really old; he must have been 105 for all I care. <br />When I left, I bumped into a tiger holding a watch that was smaller than his head and carrying a brief case. <br />“Excuse me, but do you know where I can find someone to help me get home to Aunt Alice?” I asked, but the response was not very helpful. All he did was push up his glasses that barely fit on his big fuzzy face and said frantically, “I’m late and if I don't get to my boss and to work, my boss will be very angry with me! But every time I go to work I get lost and come in hours late.”<br />I finally got back to the tree and there was the cat sitting on the third to lowest branch on the big tree. <br />“Mr. Cat, do you know anyone else by chance that can help me get back? But not the queen of hearts, please. I heard from Alice that she is a mean old witch and a terrible golfer.”<br />“There is, as you would have guessed, another queen-- the queen of Clubs--and she plays baseball and is said to be very good. But if she is terrible, let her win because the last person that won, well nobody really knows what happened to her,” the cat replied slyly.<br />I somehow chose the right path that led me right to the queen. And after long game I won three to zero and when I was done she sent everyone to the court room and proved me guilty for winning a game. She thought I was guilty for cheating but she was the cheater. She told her men that were playing on my team to move out of the way and not run very fast and hit softly. <br />When the guards were about to lock me up I made a run for it. I dashed out of the court room and everyone including the Cheshire Cat was running after me. I took a sharp turn around the Cheshire Cat’s tree and tripped on a gold key. I ran a little further and found a door standing in the middle of the road propped up on air and walked around the door and there was the other side of the road. I took the key from my sweatshirt pocket and I put it into the key-hole. It fit perfectly! I turned the knob and instantly saw Aunt Alice and Secret Beach and when I went through it was all there: the beach and aunt Alice, calling my name. She looked so happy to see me that she forgot all about the twenty times I said that Wonderland was fake and that I ran off so suddenly.<br />“Aunt Alice, I saw Wonderland and the Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat and the four paths. It’s all true and we could talk about Wonderland land share stories all night long!” I exclaimed excitedly.<br />“You’re not lying?” She asked. I could hear the uncertainty in her voice. <br />“No, I’m not. I went to Wonderland and I do believe you about all the stories that you tell me!!” I said hopefully. <br />Aunt Alice did believe her and every night that they spent together they shared stories of Wonderland as they sat in front of the cozy warm fire at night.<br /> The two of them lived happily ever after.<br /> <br /> <br />