An Alice Christmas Carol part3

Alice wasn’t certain how long she sat there, softly sniffling.  At some point, she must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew the clock was chiming the hour of two o’ clock, and suddenly there was a bright flash of light beyond her closed lids.  She awoke abruptly, disoriented.  As she gazed around the room, she was suddenly uncertain if she had woken up at all.


The entire room had been transformed.  Along the length was a tea table that would have dwarfed even the Hatter and Hare’s usual set up, with every imaginable sort of tea or holiday related delicacy along its length.  How the table didn’t collapse from the weight of such a feast, Alice had no idea.  There were cakes, both of the regular and cup variety, muffins, petit fours, muffins, sandwiches, cookies, biscuits, and teas of all flavors, along with pyramids of fruit, chocolates, and so many other things she couldn’t even list them all.  And standing front and center right in the middle of the feast, like some demented centerpiece, was Reginald.  


But he was not dressed in his usual garb.  No, instead he wore a long green velvet robe, which reached to his bare feet.  It gaped at the chest, showing more of his freckled torso than Alice was really comfortable seeing (which is why she told herself she was blushing).  The robe was trimmed in white fur, and was actually a gorgeous outfit, even if it wasn’t belted quite enough, showing off Reg’s green boxers decorated with red teacups.  Seeming to notice it was a bit drafty, he adjusted the belt, and the view of his undergarments was thankfully obscured.


The most remarkable part was, perhaps, the lack of top hat.  It was such an omnipresent part of the hat maker; it was odd to see him without it.  Instead, he wore a handsome green wreath upon his head, which was studded with holy berries as red as rubies.  It was a sharp contrast to his white hair, and overall the effect was quite striking and almost majestic.  Of course, Reginald ruined it all by jumping off the table, making the robe billow like demented wings, before he landed a few feet from Alice.


“Merry Christmas, my sugar cookie!”  he said cheerfully.  “Isn’t this delightful?  Personally, I wouldn’t have gone with green—maybe a tasteful fuchsia—or at least changed the trim to something less boring than white, but I didn’t get much say in the matter.  Still, it’s a bit of all right, don’t you think?  And the table!  We’ll have scads of clean cups when we move down.  I mean, if we had the time.  We don’t, actually, more’s the pity.  We have lots to see, many lessons to learn, many parties to crash!  Well, come on then, don’t stand there gaping like a Christmas fish, let’s be away and off to find some merriment!”


Given the nature of her last visitor, Alice had been less shocked than she might have been to see Reginald dressed up as the Ghost of Christmas Present.  But the fact that he was still so obviously—well, himself, made the whole thing even more ridiculous than it might have been otherwise.


Still, it was better to just go along, and get it over with.  After all, that meant it would be over all the sooner.  So when Reginald offered her his arm, as the Hatter of Christmas Past had done, Alice took it.  She wasn’t certain if it was a good thing or not that she was getting used to the world around her shifting and melting into different locations, but at least it meant it was less dizzying.


It was Christmas day, a beautiful, dazzling morning with snow coating everything with a sheen like delicate frosting.  People were out in droves, bustling around and wishing each other a Merry Christmas.  The two of them walked along unseen, though Alice wasn’t certain Reg’s outfit would have gathered much attention, it was actually one of the most normal things she’d even seen him wear.  Still, she had to wonder how his feet weren’t cold, but she supposed spirits weren’t meant to worry about that sort of thing.


It wasn’t until they were almost up the path that Alice realized they were heading toward the March Hare’s house.  Hare had invited Alice to a Christmas morning tea, though she’d balked at the idea, knowing that Reginald would be there also.  And she was not proven wrong, as they came upon the Hare, Dormouse, and the Mad Hatter himself arranging everything for their holiday meal.  It was disconcerting, seeing Reginald standing there in his usual orange and green.  At least he’d abandoned the mistletoe on his hat, and had instead stuck a piece of holly in the brim.  The ghost Reginald, however, seemed quite excited over the situation, and circled his other self, looking himself over with a critical eye.


“I’ve never had such an opportunity to see myself like this, even a mirror can’t quite afford the same scope” he told Alice.  “I really am quite a handsome chap, aren’t I?  But—does my nose really look like that?”


Alice didn’t have the heart to answer him, and instead made a subtle hint about wasn’t he supposed to be letting her watch the festivities, thereby learning some deep and profound lesson?


“Oh.  Well, we can do that too, I suppose.  Sounds awfully dull, though.”


And the Ghost Reginald went into a bit of a sulk, which made it easier for Alice to hear the others.  Hare was just getting through telling Hatter, not for the first time, not to bother waiting.


“You did ask her though, didn’t you?”  Hatter asked, his voice of a similar timbre to one might hear a child use when asking his parents if they really had remembered to mail his letter to Santa Claus.


“I extended her the invitation, yes.  She made a few noncommittal noises, and then got very busy alphabetizing the holiday books section.  Face it, Reg, Alice isn’t coming.”


But Reg had stopped listening, and had his attention on the path, straining his eyes for a glimpse of someone that no one else expected him to see.  “She’ll be here.  After all, she hasn’t gotten my present yet.  She was in a bit of a swivet last night, and wasn’t really in the mood for gifts, but she’ll be wanting it now, I’m sure.”


And he patted his inside pocket, which amazingly, began to squirm.  He took a tidbit off of the table, stuffing it into the pocket, and Alice wondered for a moment if that famed purple squirrel Reg was always going on about was in there.  She was momentarily distracted, however, when she saw that the Dormouse was out of his teacup, and was in fact hobbling along the table with a tiny crutch under one arm.  Alice recalled faintly that Hare had told her that the Dormouse had hurt his leg (“He and Reg saw a video of a squirrel water-skiing, and—well, that was all it really took,” Hare had said, shaking his head sadly).  But Alice hadn’t known that the Dormouse was quite so bad off.  She heard him give a low cough, as he continued to make his way through the maze of goodies.


“Be careful, Dormouse, I don’t think our new little friend is aware yet that Dormice are friends, not food,” Reginald warned, as he took a small furry bundle from his inside coat pocket.  But it was not a squirrel, purple or otherwise, but an adorable little gray tabby cat with a lovely red and green checked bow around its neck.  Reg petted the kitten, which let out a contented purr.


Alice could remember once, ages back, last Christmas in fact, when she had gone to Hare’s Christmas tea.  She could vaguely remember actually having a semi-decent conversation with Reg, when she related stories about her childhood Christmases.  She could recall her wistful sigh, as she told him about her beloved Dinah, and what a Christmas that had been.  She never though the would remember such a thing, his memory being as notoriously faulty as his sanity.  And yet, somehow, for some reason, the memory had stuck with him all the long year.


“I hope she’ll like him,” Reginald said, sounding a little worried.  “Poor Cricket, she’s been so down lately, I wanted something that could make her think of her favorite Christmas.  After all, she’s all by herself in that big house, with no family around anymore, so at least she would have some company.  Do you think she’ll like him, Hare?”


“I’m sure she will,” Hare said, obviously unable to tell Reginald once again that Alice wouldn’t be there.  “But we shouldn’t let all this good food and tea get cold.”


“Of course not!”  Reg cried, scandalized, as he put the kitten gently back in his pocket, where it could stay snug and warm.  “Care to say the blessing, Dormouse?”


“God bless us, everyone!”  the tiny Dormouse observed, before another cough hit him.  Alice started to get a little suspicious, as she glanced at the Ghost Hatter, who was trying his best to scoop up a cup of tea for himself, not seeming to realize he was incorporeal.


“Is the Dormouse going to be all right?”


The Ghost Hatter stood up, affecting a thoughtful look.  “I see an empty teapot, and a crutch without an owner—”


“Oh, do be serious!”  Alice snapped, refusing to believe it.  The Dormouse had to be all right.  Didn’t he?


“I am serious!  He’s going to go on vacation to France for the New Year’s to visit his cousin Jaq, which will leave the teapot empty.  And his leg will be better by then, so he’ll only need a really small cane.”


She had to ask.  Alice looked back at Reginald, who still kept glancing towards the path every once in a while, waiting for her.  Alice smiled a little, rather sadly, wishing for the first time since Hare had invited her, that she’d decided to go.


“Let’s see something else,” Alice pleaded, hating the feeling of guilt that was welling up inside her.  “Please.”


The simply appeared at the next location, instead of walking some of the distance.  Alice knew at once where they were.  The princesses hosted a party every year, and took turns as to whose castle it would be held in.  It had been Belle and her prince’s turn this year, which was another reason why Belle had been so cheerful.  Besides loving anything to do about Christmas, she honestly enjoyed hosting the party.  Though if Alice had an army of servants like the prince did, she wouldn’t worry so much about planning such a grand affair either.


The place was decorated to the rafters, literally, looking as sweet and festive as any could ask for.  The princesses mingled amongst the gathered guests, all dressed in their Christmas finest.  They ended up all together in a group at one point, and talked amongst themselves in low voices.


“No one’s seen any sign of her today,” Belle said worriedly.  “I do hope she’s all right, she’s been in such a Grinchy mood lately.  But I never would have thought that she would skip the party altogether.”


“Frankly, I don’t see what her problem is,” Aurora said airily.  “Reginald is a handsome fellow, if one disregards the nose.  And yes, perhaps he is a few sparks short of Yule log, but if I were her I wouldn’t be so picky.  It’s not like there’s an extra prince around for her.”


“Well, she was so young when her story happened,” Snow White interjected, the irony of her statement completely going over her own head.  “She never got a Happily Ever After, like the rest of us.”


“Oh, balderdash,” Ariel said, waving a hand.  “I say we simply lock the two of them in a room together and see what happens.  Either they’ll kiss or Alice will beat him to a pulp.  Either way it will finally settle things, and we’ll all get a bit of entertainment out of it.  Anything is better than the way things are going now.  Poor Alice is so determined to see Reginald for an unmitigated cur that she refuses to even entertain the idea that he might really be serious about her.”


“Is he?”  Jasmine asked.


“It’s been over a year, hasn’t it?  For someone with the Hatter’s attention span, that’s practically a proposal in and of itself,” Cinderella pointed out, and the others murmured together.  Their voices continued as one, as they all sang:


“Oh, Alice, we know you’re not like us,

Oh, Alice, and perhaps you hate the fuss.

But we simply cannot bear,

To see your story going in a way so unfair,

And your attitude is enough to make us tear out our hair!


Oh, Alice, where is your Happily Ever After?

Oh, Alice, if you got it we’d be singing happily to the rafters,

If only there was something we could do,

Perhaps your Happily Ever After is right in front of you,

Could that be so, could it be true?

Oh, Alice—what’s going to happen to you?”


And the princesses shook their heads in worry over their friend.  She may not have been a princess herself, but they’d always tried to include her, to make her feel like one of them.  But perhaps they hadn’t tried hard enough.


That wasn’t the case, and Alice knew it well.  She knew her friends cared very much for her, and wanted to see her happy and settled like the rest of them.  The problem was, she wasn’t happy or settled, and seeing all those lovely women with their handsome princes, while she stood along with a cup of punch and feeling completely out of place, was more than she could bear sometimes.  


But she wasn’t alone this time, though she wasn’t sure if the Ghost Hatter counted.  


“They really love you,” he pointed out.


“Yes, they do,” Alice replied, and felt guiltier than ever over her attitude lately.  She wrapped her arms over her chest, trying to contain the sudden feelings, which seemed too large for her frame to hold.  If she wasn’t careful, she thought they might tear her apart completely.


The Ghost Hatter’s time was drawing to a close, she knew that much, even before they returned to her home.  The feast was gone, making the room look empty.  


“Well, this would be my exit cue.  The next guy should be arriving shortly.  Merry Christmas, Alice.”


“Merry Christmas,” Alice replied absently, as the Hatter of Christmas Present faded before her eyes.  Alice sat back down in the chair, as her legs suddenly were unable to hold her weight.


First the Ghost of Christmas Past.  Then the Ghost of Christmas Present.  That only left the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.  For once, Alice wished she didn’t know the story quite so well.  Because then, perhaps she wouldn’t have been nearly as terrified as she was then, counting down the minutes until the final spirit made his entrance.