Seeing as her potential ‘mother in law’ was once again joined with the land of the waking, Alice turned her attention from her lemonade to rest once again on her host. Alice had actually managed to finish off almost half of the tall pitcher on her own during that time, finding the lemonade to be quite pleasant.
“I’m very sorry for losing my composure,” Nodoka apologized.
“It is quite alright,” Alice said with a soft smile. “And quite understandable, under the circumstances.”
“Yes, under the circumstances,” Nodoka said thoughtfully as she composed herself. “You said that the kingdom that you rule over is called… Looking Glass?”
“Lookinglaus, yes,” Alice nodded.
“Could you tell me more about this kingdom?”
“Well…” Alice thought on that for a moment. “Understanding that you can’t just go and talk about this with anybody, on your word of honor, I guess that it would be best to let you know a little more about what’s going on exactly. It might end up directly effecting your son, after all.”
“Yes,” Nodoka agreed. “I give you my word of honor.”
“Very well then,” Alice said with a smile. “I guess the best place to start, would be telling you where Lookinglaus is. Or, more specifically, where it isn’t.
“Lookinglaus does not reside on any island, or any continent, or even on any wave of the oceans of this world. In fact, if one were to liken it to a piece of three-layer cake laying on it’s side, this world would be the centermost piece, and Lookinglaus would be the frosting layer just to the right-hand side.
“In other words, Lookinglaus is somewhere right next to us, but is not in the same sheet of cake. Indeed, it is not even it’s own sheet of cake. It is what one might call a ‘transitive realm’, which helps hold everything together. Like the frosting helps hold together the layers of the cake itself.
“Are you with me so far?
“Good.
“Now, as one might understand, this is a rather unique realm, that does not run quite on the same rules as this one does. Though not as backwards as a certain book would like you to believe, there are some very common rules that are often broken with the greatest of inattention rather commonly there.
“For example, people and objects as a whole are much more durable, surviving things like falling onto one’s head off a running horse with little more than a wounded dignity. It’s also very common to see somebody live to be a hundred years old, and still look ten. Or, conversely, be ten years old, and seem one hundred.
“I, myself, am probably a few hundred years old myself, but never bothered to grow any older. I think it would just be a bother, and it is truly so much fun to be able to look at some things with the same childlike interest as I once did oh so many years ago.
“Now, back to Lookinglaus.
“I said that it was like a layer cake, but that is an extremely simplified explanation. For, you see, Lookinglaus is just one of many of these ‘transitive realms’, and there are so many more layers of such, and so many more layers of the ‘cake’ itself, that to bake such a dessert would be a feat of unparalleled proportions.
“Take, for example, one of our neighboring realms.
“Wunderland.
“Now, unlike Lookinglaus, which just breaks so few rules, Wunderland seems to enjoy breaking every rule. This has had the unfortunate effect of driving many of the residents mad and, those that are not mad, were born in such an environment and thus are rather used to the oddity, and become a part of it themselves.
“The queen of that realm, dubbed the Queen of Hearts, is a most despicable, vile person. She takes great joy in the chaos and violence around her, often meting out death sentences for the smallest infraction against her.
“Understand, I met her when I actually was a young girl, and she did not give a good first impression.
“Though, in defense of Wunderland, the land itself is not entirely bad. The earth is abundant and fertile, the weather pleasant and calm, and the skies oh such a beautiful shade of pale blue. If they weren’t so confused, and had a better ruler, they would probably be much better off.
“But then again, such things are just dreams. They have their queen, and her court, and things are not likely to change much any time soon. It hasn’t in several hundred years past, and probably won’t in several hundred years more.
“But, enough about that.
“This is lovely lemonade, I must say. I have enjoyed it greatly, but now there is a most pressing issue at hand, that I must question you about.” Nodoka seemed slightly taken back at the sudden urgency in Alice’s words.
“What is it, dear?” Nodoka queried.
“Where is your bathroom?” Alice asked, shifting her weight from knee to knee.
“Oh…”
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(Posted Mon, 15 Nov 2004 17:46)
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