Alice shrieked with fear and anger as the pack of cards attacked her. "Stop that, you nasty things! Leave me alone!"
And then she woke up. Alice opened her eyes and found that she was lying by the river. Her head was in her older sister's lap. Charlotte was gently brushing away some leaves that had fallen onto Alice's face.
"Oh, so it wasn't cards after all," Alice said slowly.
"What are you talking about?" Charlotte asked. She put down her book and stared at Alice. "You had a nice, long nap this afternoon."
"I had the strangest dream." Alice sat up. "First, I was right here with you. Then a rabbit ran by, checking his watch and worrying that he was late. I jumped up and followed him down his rabbit hole."
Charlotte laughed. "A talking rabbit with a watch! Oh, Alice. You have a marvelous imagination."
"The rabbit was wearing a colorful vest. And falling down the rabbit hole was only the beginning of my adventures." Alice went on to tell Charlotte everything she could remember.
She had met so many odd creatures: the Mouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat. "There was a queen who was always angry," Alice said. "If anyone did the slightest thing wrong, she shouted, 'Off with his head!' She even shouted, 'Off with her head!' at me!"
"What did you do wrong?" Charlotte asked.
"I don't remember exactly." Alice laughed. "But let me tell you more of what I do remember."
Alice finished her story.
"That was a very strange dream," Charlotte said. "I'm glad you didn't really fall down that rabbit hole. But now it's time for you to run inside and have your tea. It's getting late, so off you go."
Alice got up and ran off, thinking about her amazing dream all the way home.
But Charlotte stayed by the river, watching the sunset and thinking of Alice's adventures. Soon she began to dream too.
First, she dreamed about Alice as a little girl. Charlotte remembered Alice's voice and how she wore her hair. It was always falling in her eyes. Then she heard Alice's voice as it sounded today. After that the riverbank began to come alive with creatures from Alice's dream.
The long grass rustled at Charlotte's feet as the White Rabbit rushed past. The Mouse splashed through the pool of tears. Charlotte could hear the teacups rattling as the March Hare and his friends talked and talked. The Queen of Hearts kept shouting, "Off with his head!" The pig was sneezing on the Duchess' lap. And the Mock Turtle sighed and sobbed.
Charlotte continued to doze by the river. "Alice's Wonderland feels so real," she thought. "But if I open my eyes, there will be an explanation for all these sounds."
She knew that the wind was rustling the grass, not the White Rabbit. A bird was splashing in the river, not the Mouse. The rattling teacups were actually sheep bells. The Mock Turtle's sighs and sobs were cattle mooing in the distance. All the other sounds came from a nearby farm.
Finally Charlotte dreamed about her little sister growing into an adult. She saw Alice as a grown woman who kept the loving heart of a child. Alice was gathering children around her and telling them many delightful stories. Some tales were about the happy summer days of her childhood. And others were about her adventures in Wonderland.