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Alicia at the University of Wonders
Preface to the Annotated Alicia at the University of Wonders
[08 Apr 2004|01:10am]
Okay guys, if you're from my class we're going to play a little game as you read along. I transposed the words Alicia and Alice in my story, but I made some mistakes. A cookie to the first person who can find ten Alices instead of Alicias. No, I'm kidding. But I do find a new one every time I read through it, so watch for them when you're thinking about editing my project. I know its kind of long, but I had a wonderful time writing it and I hope you find it entertaining too.
Instructions for how to view this journal:
1. Do remember to click the (footnotes and pictures) link after each entry of the story. There are pictures and numbered footnotes behind the links.
2. You can click "comment" after each entry of the story. If you are from my class and do not have a livejournal account, you may comment as "anonymous". The form should be self-explanatory.
3. Remember to tell me who you are when you comment.
Alicia cracked her eyelids and watched the sunlight stream through her window on the east side of her house. She stretched her arms and yawned, rolling out of her little bed to feel the familiar carpet nestled between her toes. Sheâd woken up in this house precisely 6,570 (6) mornings before, with that comforting aroma of eggs and pancakes sizzling and spattering under her Dadâs supervision in the kitchen downstairs.
She shuffled to her bathroom and began to brush her teeth. While she brushed, she took a moment to reflect on the things she needed to do this week. As she scrubbed her molars and canines to a pearly white, she remembered that her letters of acceptance to college should soon arrive.
She shoved her tiny feet into her pink bunny slippers, threw on her matching bathrobe over her polka-dotted pajama pants, and ran down the stairs taking them two and three at a time. She gave her cat, Dior (2), a swift pat on the head as she flew past her precarious perch on the railing. She flung open the door and left it ajar in excitement as she bolted into the front yard, squinting her eyes in the mid-morning sun. She waved a cheerful hello to Mr. Methis (1), who wiped the sweat from his brow and waved back with one hand still steadily directing the lawnmower across the yard next door.
Alicia arrived at the mailbox panting and took a deep breath. Her hand quivered slightly as she opened it and felt the empty inside of the mailbox with the palm of her hand. Nothing. Her heart sank as the tin door clanged shut, but she would remain optimistic. It would be only a few more days, she told herself.
Alicia had just turned to walk down the path back to her house when she heard a loud thud resonate from within the mailbox. Curious, she wondered if sheâd missed a tiny bird or a lizard hiding inside. To her dismay, the mailbox opened itself. She cautiously peered into the dark hole.
An envelope with a glimmering "U of W" gold seal slid out and almost dropped to the ground. Alicia caught it and examined the outside. Printed on the envelope in elaborate script were the words, âTo Whom It May Confuse.â (3) Underneath, in a miniscule, almost illegible font, it read, âOr, Alicia Riddell.â
She tore open the envelope and found a key inside. She tucked it into the pocket of her pink bathrobe and unfolded the letter. As she read, the door of the mailbox began to open and shut and a booming voice issued from within it. As Alicia read the letter to herself, the slightly frightening mailbox began to read the words of Alicia's letter aloud. The letter and the mailbox said,
âCongratulations, Alicia Dear. The time has come, the future's near! Have no fear, for youâll do fine! Weâre here to help success unwind! Youâve been accepted to the University of Wonders! Make no mistake, this is no blunder! Many great things lay ahead, Just donât be nervous, donât lose your head! Let it snow! Here We Go!â
As she read the last three words a gust of cool wind issued from the gaping mouth of the mailbox. Before she could begin to comprehend the state of things, she was sucked into the mailbox and found herself whirling in a tremendous snowstorm. âBut I thought it was September!â (4) thought Alicia aloud, pulling her bathrobe tight around her. Her vision was blurred and blinded by the whiteness of the snowflakes floating around her. (5) When her stomach seemed to jump into her throat, Alicia realized she was falling, and FAST!
Weathering the Storm: Alicia Arrives in Wonderland
[07 Apr 2004|12:24am]
Despite the rushing wind, Alicia was able to make out a few tangible objects visible through the storm. She saw the numbers 2, 9 and 0 (1) , as well as a few dim streetlights. Before she had time to propose a possible destination for her unintentional trip, she fell flat on her rump in front of a very curious looking set of buildings.
Dizzied by her flight, she closed her eyes to collect her thoughts. When she opened them again it was warm and she seemed to be lying in a bed of grass. She heard several loud thuds around her and grimaced, hoping they werenât meteorite sized balls of hail left over from the storm. She was comforted when she realized that the sounds werenât made by hail at all, but that several boxes and luggage items had plopped down in her vicinity. Examining them, she was relieved to find that someone had packed her things and sent them on her voyage with her. From the orderly arrangement of her clothes and other belongings, she guessed it was probably her mother.
She collected the packages and parcels, consolidating them into a large pile, and attempted to collect herself. She was standing in front of an apartment complex composed entirely of gigantic Legos (2) with many rows of various sized doors. She had no clue where she was, or where she was supposed to go. Suddenly, she remembered the key in her robe pocket. She took it out and examined it. The key had miraculously changed from copper to blue during her journey. The only solution she could propose for herself was that the key might fit one of the doors on the blue Lego block.
She gathered her things as well as she could, dropping some of the boxes several times before she could balance everything at once. As she walked on, things from her past obstructed her view of the path that lay ahead. When she finally made it to the blue block, she was tired and frustrated from the move. Alicia sat upon one of the boxes and began to cry, clenching her fists over her eyes to fight the stream of tears.
Suddenly, she sensed the presence of someone (or something!) very near her. Standing on her left, she found a very animated arm a little taller than herself apparently trying to tell her something. Stunned, it took her a full thirty seconds to realize that the fingers were trying to speak to her silently. âWords are signs and signs are words! Everything is a sign!â signed the arm. (4) Alicia said a silent "thank you" that sheâd taken sign language in high school.
Alicia translated out loud, as was her habit. âDonât cry Alicia,â she murmured, âYouâre already home! Youâve found it! Use your key!â
âMy key?â Alicia replied, with nimble movements of her fingers and hands. âWho are you?â she asked.
âRight Arm,â replied the intelligent appendage, slipping the key from Aliciaâs pocket and opening the door adjacent to them.(3) Alicia was thankful, but before she could reply, Right Arm had slipped the key back into her pocket and fingered away.
She stared in awe at the furnished apartment before her. (5) Everything was orange! (6) She dragged her things inside and yawned. She was definitely tired from her trip. With dragging feet, she stumbled to the bed and lay down between the folds of the orange sheets and comforter and fell promptly asleep.
Alicia awoke to sound of clapping. Right Arm was clapping its palm against her bedside table, indicating that it was time to wake up. It handed her a slip of paper and scurried away. Alicia rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and began to read. Her schedule read simply,
âAGENDA: School. TIME: Right now! Catch the submarine!â
(1)
Alicia leaped from her tangerine bed and rushed to the shower. She tore off her pajamas and hopped in, hoping the cold rush of water would wake her up enough to pay attention in whatever class she was supposed to attend today. A shower usually solved things in the morning.
The rush of water came down from the showerhead like a waterfall and began to fill up the tub. Before she knew it, Alicia was swimming in water and the orange tile of the bathroom was melting away. She didnât seem to have any trouble breathing, but was severely troubled by the new development of scales all over her body. Apparently, she had grown gills as well!
Alicia floated to the bottom of the seafloor and tried to make sense of her new aquatic environment. A submarine floated up beside her and opened its door to let Alicia inside. It was a very long submarine, filled with hundreds of fish of different colors. Alicia hadnât caught a glimpse of her new self, but she hoped she somewhat resembled the rest of them so they wouldnât laugh at her as she took her seat on the transport submarine. Could fish even laugh?
The submarine sped away in a trail of bubbles, eventually stopping short in front of what appeared to be a gigantic Marlin with a sign that read, âMarlin Hall.â Alicia followed the other fish inside through the open mouth of Marlin Hall, hoping to find someone who looked friendly enough to ask directions from. As she entered the cavernous belly of the school of fish, she began to grow nervous. There were many levels and doors and she wasnât sure which classroom she was supposed to find. She heard the low din of a whaleâs cry and all of the fish rushed through doors which all slammed shut behind them. âThat must have been the bell!â thought Alicia in dismay. She wandered, or swam, rather, aimlessly through the halls in search of someone to help her.
Finally, Alicia found a door which said, âAre you lost? Knock!â Alicia knocked softly with one fin, and her inquiry was promptly answered by the door swinging open. A very large blowfish sat behind a desk covered in papers, and peered at her with huge eyes behind tiny round spectacles. It did not smile, but Alicia decided not to be offended because she did not know whether fish could smile at all. (2)
âHi,â said Alicia, âI think I might need some help. Iâm not sure how I got here, and Iâm not at all sure where Iâm going. It all happened so fast!â
âWell, whooooooooo,â breathed the blowfish, exhaling with a tide that almost knocked Alicia down,â are youuuuuuuuuuu?â
âI-I-I-I-Iâm-not sure. I thought my name was Alicia Riddell, but only yesterday I was an 18 year old girl and now I appear to be a fish,â stammered Alicia.
âAh, one of the school of fish I presume. Now, what do you want to take? What are your goals and aspirations? What do you want to do with your life? What are you good for?â questioned the blowfish, each word coming out enclosed in its own air bubble. Alicia thought for a moment, confused by the gravity, or lack thereof, of the questions floating around her head. She had no time to answer, for the blowfish was already arranging her schedule and rearranging it without any input from Alicia. It handed her a long transcript, along with a schedule, and blew Alicia out the door.
Alicia found her first class, matching the seashells printed on her schedule with those on the doors in Marlin Hall, and entered timidly. The professor, a very aged tortoise, motioned for her to take a seat and asked her name. A very nervous seahorse flitted around at the professor's side, bobbing up and down and every which way. He wore a nametag with the letters S.H. (3)
The professor asked Aliciaâs name. âWell, at least the first question is easy. Alicia!â she retorted. âF!â bellowed the tortoise, with S.H. excitedly fluttering about in agreement.
âF! But thatâs my name, Iâm sure of it!â squealed Alicia. âF! There is no genus, kingdom, species, family, phylum, class or order of any known fish which begins with Alicia,â reported the tortoise, âGet out of my class or Iâll call the shark!â Alicia didnât know what to do, so she swam quickly away remarking to herself that she had never liked anything to do with biology anyway, especially marine biology. As she swam through Marlin Hall, she wondered if one goes about dropping a class in the school of fish, or if it would be best to float the class instead. (4)
She swam through the halls getting to know her way around until it was time for her next class, which was Folk-Lure. She enjoyed that far more than biology, and made a mental note to return to the blowfishâs office to see if she could major in something like that. (5) She was hooked.
Her thoughts were interrupted by what sounded like thunder. She was shocked to realize that she was really terribly hungry and that the sound of her stomach growling was much amplified underwater. Alicia could not remember the last time sheâd eaten anything, so she set out to find a place to get some lunch. The only way to go seemed up, and she could see the sunlight streaming through the water, so she swam toward the surface feeling as if her day would get better after all.
As Alicia neared the surface of the water she began to feel very strange. She felt a hump beginning to form on her back and wondered if she was so very corpulent only moments ago. All she could see of herself were two webbed feet where her arms would have been yesterday when she was a girl, and correctly assumed that she had become a turtle. For a moment, Alicia had trouble making her way through the water using her new body because her shell was so large and heavy, but with several attempts she successfully mounted a log that was floating at the surface of the water.
Once atop the log, Alicia was able to survey the scene around her. She seemed to be in a garden pond. She felt very slow but peaceful and glad to be in the sunlight again. Several other turtles were perched near her on the log and seemed to be sleeping or meditating or both. (1) Around her curious creatures rushed to and fro in what seemed like a terrible hurry while she and her turtle comrades sunned themselves on their log.
She saw Greeks wearing togas playing Frisbee, rocking rocks with Mohawks wailing on electric guitars, dandies on horses playing polo and talking sloths hugging trees. After a long time observing everything around her from the pond, Alicia felt interested and ready to venture out and explore the rest of the University. The diversity of the students amazed her. She knew she had afternoon classes on land because there were tiny trees where the shells had indicated her classes in Marlin Hall. She wished sheâd had some kind of orientation at the University of Wonders before beginning her studies there, but it was too late for that now. Sheâd just have to find everything on her own.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a second bout of angry rumbling from her stomach. She knew sheâd better find something to eat, and fast! She slowly but surely made her way to the edge of the pond and onto land. As she crawled onto the grass, arms and legs shot out from her shell, which cracked and fell to pieces on the ground. She surveyed her body in disbelief. Two transformations in the past hour had left her body and mind reeling, but she was certainly relieved to have her old human body back. She stretched for a moment and looked around to find someone of whom she could ask directions to find a place to eat.
Nearest to her were two of the Greeks, who appeared to be identical twins. (2) As she approached them, she could see that they were slugging each other in the arm in a very boyish manner. She heard several repetitions of, âDude, I saw her first,â and, âBro, I saw her first.â While Dude and Bro were arguing, Alicia waited patiently in front of them for a chance to speak. They both jumped when they saw how near to them sheâd gotten and identical unctuous grins spread across their faces.
âHello beautiful, howâd ya like to come to a party in West Cramp-Us tonight?â asked Bro, putting his suntanned arm around her as he spoke.
âI was actually just looking for a place to get something to eat,â Alicia tried to answer, but was interrupted by a request from Dude to attend his party instead.
âArenât you guys brothers? Why are you throwing two different parties? And what is West Cramp-Us (3) anyway?â Alicia questioned.
âBrothers!?â the pair exclaimed simultaneously, âCanât you see weâre wearing different colors?â It was true enough, thought Alicia, noting that their togas were red and black respectively. She did not know what that had to do with their lineage, but was too hungry to question it. Dude and Bro didnât answer her question, but handed Alicia two flyers for their parties instead and went back to slugging each other, so she gave up and walked on.
She walked until she came upon a street filled with shops and restaurants, but as she walked she found it very difficult to move.(4) It was almost as if she were trying to run through water or in sand on the beach. After a long struggle, she finally made it into a shop with a large bagel on the sign. Albert Einstein served her a bagel, but she realized she was too nervous about her first day at the University of Wonders to eat it. (5) She remembered her motherâs constantly urging, âA growing girl must eat!â Her motherâs words made her think twice about discarding the food, so he looked around for something to put it in. Alicia was startled by barking from the condiment counter behind her. âA doggie bag, of course!â cried Alicia, storing her bagel inside. As she left she noted that there were no registers in this restaurant. Alicia thought Albert must have totaled all of the dayâs business in his head.
After lunch, and having time to kill before her next class, she took a slow walk down the street where Einsteinâs Bagel Shop was located. She passed the Pre-Renaissance Market, where Rosetti and Morris were painting while the Sloths (6) looked on, smoking their hookas. She found a little clothing store called Urban Really Expensive Used Junk, (7) but the store was filled with throngs of Rocks pushing and shoving and fighting over dingy clothes and supposed she probably couldnât afford anything there anyway. She struggled down the sidewalk and abruptly remembered that it must be almost time for class.
With difficulty she flagged down a dandy on a horse, who almost swept her legs out from under her with his polo stick.(8) When she asked him for the time, he simply turned up his nose and rode away. Alicia looked around for a clock, and finally found one at the top of an enormous tower that grew straight up into the sky with no end like Jack in the Beanstalkâs stalk. She wanted to hope for the best in people, so she assumed the man sheâd stopped wasnât being rude but rather pointing his nose to the sky at the location of the clock. She waited patiently for a cloud to move so that she might ascertain the time, but when the clock did come into view the minute hand seemed to be stopped completely. When she turned around, the dandy and everyone else on the street seemed to be frozen completely still. Everything at the University of Wonders seemed to revolve around that clock! (9)
âOh no! I must have killed too much time. Iâve broken the clock! I have to fix it!â Alicia darted across the street, and into the midst of a throng of people, darting this way and that, until she finally stood in front of the tower. She ran inside, but instead found herself lost in the Hall of Noble Verbs (10) and could not find a staircase. She wanted to stop and read them, but she was in a hurry. The third verb she ran past, nestled between study and experiment, was the word grow. It gave her an idea. She opened a window and jumped out, once again standing in front of the tower. Unwrapping her bagel, she took a deep breath and devoured it whole.
Aliciaâs plan turned out to be a success. In moments she seemed to be growing taller and taller, elevating her line of vision to cover the entire campus area. (11) She grew up past the main building, passing a delightful little garden on top marked "Private." (12)She wanted to stop, but she was on a mission, and didn't really have any control over her growing anyway. Despite her fear of heights, she continued upward, sweeping away the clouds with her hair. Finally, she was tall enough to reach the top of the tower. She squinted at the clock, which looked much smaller from this size. She stretched out her index finger and gently poked the minute hand, which sprang back into motion. Alice looked down, relieved to see movement below her where everyone was still moments before. She sighed with relief, which swayed the trees to the East.
"I had better not cough," thought Alicia, "I might cause a tornado!"
Alicia wasn't sure how to reduce her gigantic stature, but thought instead that she'd better enjoy the view while she could. From this height, she could see all of the town and its surrounding hills and trees. She thought it really was beauitful here. The university was surrounded by rolling hills covered in trees, with lakes and rivers running quietly along between them. She saw a Mountain far off in the distance, which was called Mt. Bon-Bon, where everyone picked chocolate Bon-Bons from the trees. There was a long stretch of rocky, green land with water running through it called the Green Suspenders, and Milker Park where farmers walked their cows.(13) It only took her a few minutes to cover the forty acres because her legs were so long, and she had to be careful not to step on any of tiny students who scattered like ants beneath her. No one really seemed afraid of her though; the student population was so diverse that no one at all seemed surprised.
Eventually, Alicia tired of being such a great height and did not seem to think it so great anymore. She looked around for a Doctor who could help her, and finally came upon the Medical Arts building, where doctors and nurses sat painting stethoscopes and wheelchairs in the courtyard. She finally found someone who seemed knowledgeable enough to help her.
Tiny Dr. Bump waited patiently while Alicia told him the story of how she'd grown. While she waited for an answer, Bump pulled out a great many books and began to read and read. He produced a typewriter and began typing pages and ripping them out and crumpling them. Finally, he produced a piece of paper with an answer with which he seemed satisfied. Alicia took the page and, with great difficulty because the letters were so tiny, read:
Discovery Learning is the key! Herein, you'll find just what you need! I couldn't tell you, even if i knew! I can merely provide the clues! You'll never learn just how its done! Unless you do it yourself, that's part of the fun! The answer might be on page forty-seven, thirty-four, twenty-nine, or one hundred eleven! Read, observe, meditate! But to shrink back to normal, you'll just have to wait!
(14)
Alicia was confused for a moment, but she decided to trust him. He looked like a trustworthy little fellow. She couldn't find any books with print large enough to read comfortably, so she laid in the grass on the South Haul of campus and read the pictures in the clouds while contemplating her sense of space. She thought over the events of her day. College certainly was exciting!
Her thoughts were interrupted by a stampede of feet. Alicia looked up and beheld a motley crew. Dr. Bump had now donned a festive hat and was leading his class. The creatures behind him were occupied with a great number of different diversions. Some picked their noses, chattered, seemed to be sleepwalking or stared off into space. Alicia quickly caught up with Dr. Bump to inquire about the destination of their excursion.
âTo the Tree of Life!â shouted Bump, leading his procession onward toward the magical garden where the tree lived. Alicia supposed she had time to waste until she returned to normal, and she liked gardens very much. She decided to join their group.
Alicia took her place in the crowd of creatures between a rakuhn and a grotesque hybrid animal, who appeared to be part bull and another part bear.(15) She spotted one of the rocking rocks that sheâd seen near the pond earlier, as well as a disinterested piranha, a notably loud choir bell, a spinster spider, a relaxed red robin and a hat wearing cat.(16) Preoccupied with her observation of the diversity of the creatures around her, Alicia barely noticed that they had arrived at the entrance to the garden.
The once unruly creatures around her fell silent. Alicia sensed that they were touched by the sense of calmness that surrounded them as they entered the garden. Alicia thought it was a truly beautiful place. Everyone formed a line behind bump to wash their hands before they entered.
âDr. Bump,â whispered Alicia, not wanting to break the quiet peace of the garden, âWhy are we washing our hands?â
âBecause we donât want to get the garden dirty, of course!â replied Dr. Bump.
Alicia was too busy soaking in the view to question the logic of his reply. A stone path led her to a bridge where she sat to watch the fish swim below.
âWhat kind of animal are you?â asked one of the orange fish as it darted beneath the bridge where Alicia sat.
âA human, I suppose,â answered Alicia.
âHuman? Donât you mean hugirl?â replied the fish.
Alicia didnât know how to respond, so she asked what kind of fish it was. âA Coy fish,â(17) it replied, darting away beneath a lily pad. Alicia thought that certainly was the truth.
Alicia decided to explore the rest of the garden. She removed her shoes and walked along the path, trying to read the message of the stones with her feet as the blind would read Braille with their fingertips. The path led her straight to the Tree of Life Dr. Bumpâs class had come to see. The tree smiled down at her, lovingly. It seemed to know how tired and ready to go home Alicia was. It invited her silently to lay beneath it and rest. When she curled up into a small ball to rest beneath the Tree of Life, she noticed that her size had almost returned to normal.
When she awoke, she was back to her old self again. In fact, she was so very much back to her old self that she was in her old bed at home in her very same pajamas with that very same quality of light streaming through her window that had begun her morning on the day she came to the University of Wonders. She rubbed her eyes, and hopped out of bed. She threw on her bathrobe and left her room. Downstairs her dad was cooking breakfast, Dior was sitting on the railing and she could hear Mr. Methis mowing the lawn next door. She must've been dreaming the whole time! What an adventure! As she walked to the mailbox to check the mail, she felt something in the pocket of her robe. With amazement, she retrieved a tiny golden key from her pocket. A smile crept across Alicia's face...
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Alicia at the University of Wonders
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Alicia at the University of Wonders - LiveJournal.comThu, 08 Apr 2004 06:14:32 GMTLiveJournal / LiveJournal.comhttp://www.livejournal.com/users/aliciawonders/3631.htmlThu, 08 Apr 2004 06:14:32 GMTPreface to the Annotated Alicia at the University of Wonders
http://www.livejournal.com/users/aliciawonders/3631.html
Okay guys, if you're from my class we're going to play a little game as you read along. I transposed the words Alicia and Alice in my story, but I made some mistakes. A cookie to the first person who can find ten Alices instead of Alicias. No, I'm kidding. But I do find a new one every time I read through it, so watch for them when you're thinking about editing my project. I know its kind of long, but I had a wonderful time writing it and I hope you find it entertaining too.<br /><br />Instructions for how to view this journal:<br /><br />1. Do remember to click the (footnotes and pictures) link after each entry of the story. There are pictures and numbered footnotes behind the links.<br /><br />2. You can click "comment" after each entry of the story. If you are from my class and do not have a livejournal account, you may comment as "anonymous". The form should be self-explanatory. <br /><br />3. Remember to tell me who you are when you comment.<br /><br />Thanks! <br /><br />-Jessica Fallon Younghttp://www.livejournal.com/users/aliciawonders/3631.htmlhttp://www.livejournal.com/users/aliciawonders/3171.htmlWed, 07 Apr 2004 05:24:34 GMTAlicia & The Magical Mailbox
http://www.livejournal.com/users/aliciawonders/3171.html
Alicia cracked her eyelids and watched the sunlight stream through her window on the east side of her house. She stretched her arms and yawned, rolling out of her little bed to feel the familiar carpet nestled between her toes. Sheâd woken up in this house precisely 6,570 <b>(6)</b> mornings before, with that comforting aroma of eggs and pancakes sizzling and spattering under her Dadâs supervision in the kitchen downstairs. <br /><br />She shuffled to her bathroom and began to brush her teeth. While she brushed, she took a moment to reflect on the things she needed to do this week. As she scrubbed her molars and canines to a pearly white, she remembered that her letters of acceptance to college should soon arrive. <br /><br />She shoved her tiny feet into her pink bunny slippers, threw on her matching bathrobe over her polka-dotted pajama pants, and ran down the stairs taking them two and three at a time. She gave her cat, Dior <b>(2)</b>, a swift pat on the head as she flew past her precarious perch on the railing. She flung open the door and left it ajar in excitement as she bolted into the front yard, squinting her eyes in the mid-morning sun. She waved a cheerful hello to Mr. Methis <b>(1),</b> who wiped the sweat from his brow and waved back with one hand still steadily directing the lawnmower across the yard next door. <br /><br />Alicia arrived at the mailbox panting and took a deep breath. Her hand quivered slightly as she opened it and felt the empty inside of the mailbox with the palm of her hand. Nothing. Her heart sank as the tin door clanged shut, but she would remain optimistic. It would be only a few more days, she told herself. <br /><br />Alicia had just turned to walk down the path back to her house when she heard a loud thud resonate from within the mailbox. Curious, she wondered if sheâd missed a tiny bird or a lizard hiding inside. To her dismay, the mailbox opened itself. She cautiously peered into the dark hole.<br /><br />An envelope with a glimmering "U of W" gold seal slid out and almost dropped to the ground. Alicia caught it and examined the outside. Printed on the envelope in elaborate script were the words, âTo Whom It May Confuse.â <b>(3)</b> Underneath, in a miniscule, almost illegible font, it read, âOr, Alicia Riddell.â <br /><br />She tore open the envelope and found a key inside. She tucked it into the pocket of her pink bathrobe and unfolded the letter. As she read, the door of the mailbox began to open and shut and a booming voice issued from within it. As Alicia read the letter to herself, the slightly frightening mailbox began to read the words of Alicia's letter aloud. The letter and the mailbox said,<br /><br /><br /><center>âCongratulations, Alicia Dear.<br />The time has come, the future's near!<br />Have no fear, for youâll do fine!<br />Weâre here to help success unwind!<br />Youâve been accepted to the University of Wonders!<br />Make no mistake, this is no blunder!<br />Many great things lay ahead,<br />Just donât be nervous, donât lose your head!<br />Let it snow!<br />Here<br />We<br />Go!â</center><br /><br /><br />As she read the last three words a gust of cool wind issued from the gaping mouth of the mailbox. Before she could begin to comprehend the state of things, she was sucked into the mailbox and found herself whirling in a tremendous snowstorm. âBut I thought it was September!â <b>(4)</b> thought Alicia aloud, pulling her bathrobe tight around her. Her vision was blurred and blinded by the whiteness of the snowflakes floating around her. <b>(5)</b> When her stomach seemed to jump into her throat, Alicia realized she was falling, and FAST!<br /><br /><a name="cutid1"></a><br />Footnotes:<br /><b>1.</b>Note that Alicia's last name is Riddell, a play on Alice's last name of Liddell, and that her neighbor's last name is Methis (riddle-me-this)<br /><b>2.</b> Dior is the name of my cat I have owned since living in Austin. <br />This is Dior: <br /><img src="https://webspace.utexas.edu/jfy56/www/the%20all%20seeing%20eye%20of%20the%20illuminati/kitty1.JPG" alt="" align="bottom"><br />This is me, Jess (Alicia)<br /><img src="https://webspace.utexas.edu/jfy56/www/locks%20of%20fury%20pics/NORMALCY.JPG" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>3.</b> "To Whom It May Confuse" , "To Whom It May Concern"<br /><b>4.</b> The beginning of school.<br /><b>5.</b> My cold winter in Austin.<br /><b>6.</b> An estiimate that tells us Alicia is around 18, the age when one begins college.http://www.livejournal.com/users/aliciawonders/3171.htmlhttp://www.livejournal.com/users/aliciawonders/2996.htmlWed, 07 Apr 2004 05:24:23 GMTWeathering the Storm: Alicia Arrives in Wonderland
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Despite the rushing wind, Alicia was able to make out a few tangible objects visible through the storm. She saw the numbers 2, 9 and 0 <b>(1)</b> , as well as a few dim streetlights. Before she had time to propose a possible destination for her unintentional trip, she fell flat on her rump in front of a very curious looking set of buildings. <br /> <br />Dizzied by her flight, she closed her eyes to collect her thoughts. When she opened them again it was warm and she seemed to be lying in a bed of grass. She heard several loud thuds around her and grimaced, hoping they werenât meteorite sized balls of hail left over from the storm. She was comforted when she realized that the sounds werenât made by hail at all, but that several boxes and luggage items had plopped down in her vicinity. Examining them, she was relieved to find that someone had packed her things and sent them on her voyage with her. From the orderly arrangement of her clothes and other belongings, she guessed it was probably her mother. <br /> <br />She collected the packages and parcels, consolidating them into a large pile, and attempted to collect herself. She was standing in front of an apartment complex composed entirely of gigantic Legos <b>(2)</b> with many rows of various sized doors. She had no clue where she was, or where she was supposed to go. Suddenly, she remembered the key in her robe pocket. She took it out and examined it. The key had miraculously changed from copper to blue during her journey. The only solution she could propose for herself was that the key might fit one of the doors on the blue Lego block. <br /><br />She gathered her things as well as she could, dropping some of the boxes several times before she could balance everything at once. As she walked on, things from her past obstructed her view of the path that lay ahead. When she finally made it to the blue block, she was tired and frustrated from the move. Alicia sat upon one of the boxes and began to cry, clenching her fists over her eyes to fight the stream of tears.<br /><br />Suddenly, she sensed the presence of someone (or something!) very near her. Standing on her left, she found a very animated arm a little taller than herself apparently trying to tell her something. Stunned, it took her a full thirty seconds to realize that the fingers were trying to speak to her silently. âWords are signs and signs are words! Everything is a sign!â signed the arm. <b>(4)</b> Alicia said a silent "thank you" that sheâd taken sign language in high school. <br /><br />Alicia translated out loud, as was her habit. âDonât cry Alicia,â she murmured, âYouâre already home! Youâve found it! Use your key!â <br /><br />âMy key?â Alicia replied, with nimble movements of her fingers and hands. âWho are you?â she asked.<br /><br />âRight Arm,â replied the intelligent appendage, slipping the key from Aliciaâs pocket and opening the door adjacent to them.<b>(3)</b> Alicia was thankful, but before she could reply, Right Arm had slipped the key back into her pocket and fingered away.<br /><br />She stared in awe at the furnished apartment before her. <b>(5)</b> Everything was orange! <b>(6)</b> She dragged her things inside and yawned. She was definitely tired from her trip. With dragging feet, she stumbled to the bed and lay down between the folds of the orange sheets and comforter and fell promptly asleep.<br /><br /><a name="cutid1"></a><br /><br />Footnotes:<br /><b>1.</b> Highway 290 into Austin.<br />290<br /><img src="https://webspace.utexas.edu/jfy56/www/alice/begin290e_sb.jpg" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>2.</b> My apartment complex, The Metropolis, is painted many different colors. It reminded me of Legos.<br />The Metropolis<br /><img src="https://webspace.utexas.edu/jfy56/www/alice/met3.jpg" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>3.</b> I was remembering my Resident Advisor in my dorms my first year of college. Right Arm and Resident Advisor's initials are R.A. I was playing on the image of the right arm as the caretaker.<br />A Right Arm<br /><img src="http://www.batworld.org/book/images/right-arm-xtnd-71.gif" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>4.</b> This reminded me of semantics and the repetition of signs.<br /><b>5,</b> This is my character marveling at the glory of having her own apartment.<br /><b>6.</b> Obviously, UT's color is orange.http://www.livejournal.com/users/aliciawonders/2996.htmlhttp://www.livejournal.com/users/aliciawonders/2776.htmlWed, 07 Apr 2004 05:24:13 GMTAlicia Seas Her Way Through the First Day
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Alicia awoke to sound of clapping. Right Arm was clapping its palm against her bedside table, indicating that it was time to wake up. It handed her a slip of paper and scurried away. Alicia rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and began to read. Her schedule read simply,<br /> <br /><center>âAGENDA: School.<br />TIME: Right now! Catch the submarine!â</center> <b>(1)</b><br /><br />Alicia leaped from her tangerine bed and rushed to the shower. She tore off her pajamas and hopped in, hoping the cold rush of water would wake her up enough to pay attention in whatever class she was supposed to attend today. A shower usually solved things in the morning.<br /><br />The rush of water came down from the showerhead like a waterfall and began to fill up the tub. Before she knew it, Alicia was swimming in water and the orange tile of the bathroom was melting away. She didnât seem to have any trouble breathing, but was severely troubled by the new development of scales all over her body. Apparently, she had grown gills as well!<br /><br />Alicia floated to the bottom of the seafloor and tried to make sense of her new aquatic environment. A submarine floated up beside her and opened its door to let Alicia inside. It was a very long submarine, filled with hundreds of fish of different colors. Alicia hadnât caught a glimpse of her new self, but she hoped she somewhat resembled the rest of them so they wouldnât laugh at her as she took her seat on the transport submarine. Could fish even laugh?<br /><br />The submarine sped away in a trail of bubbles, eventually stopping short in front of what appeared to be a gigantic Marlin with a sign that read, âMarlin Hall.â Alicia followed the other fish inside through the open mouth of Marlin Hall, hoping to find someone who looked friendly enough to ask directions from. As she entered the cavernous belly of the school of fish, she began to grow nervous. There were many levels and doors and she wasnât sure which classroom she was supposed to find. She heard the low din of a whaleâs cry and all of the fish rushed through doors which all slammed shut behind them. âThat must have been the bell!â thought Alicia in dismay. She wandered, or swam, rather, aimlessly through the halls in search of someone to help her.<br /><br />Finally, Alicia found a door which said, âAre you lost? Knock!â Alicia knocked softly with one fin, and her inquiry was promptly answered by the door swinging open. A very large blowfish sat behind a desk covered in papers, and peered at her with huge eyes behind tiny round spectacles. It did not smile, but Alicia decided not to be offended because she did not know whether fish could smile at all. <b>(2)</b><br /><br />âHi,â said Alicia, âI think I might need some help. Iâm not sure how I got here, and Iâm not at all sure where Iâm going. It all happened so fast!â<br /><br />âWell, whooooooooo,â breathed the blowfish, exhaling with a tide that almost knocked Alicia down,â are youuuuuuuuuuu?â<br /><br />âI-I-I-I-Iâm-not sure. I thought my name was Alicia Riddell, but only yesterday I was an 18 year old girl and now I appear to be a fish,â stammered Alicia.<br /><br />âAh, one of the school of fish I presume. Now, what do you want to take? What are your goals and aspirations? What do you want to do with your life? What are you good for?â questioned the blowfish, each word coming out enclosed in its own air bubble. Alicia thought for a moment, confused by the gravity, or lack thereof, of the questions floating around her head. She had no time to answer, for the blowfish was already arranging her schedule and rearranging it without any input from Alicia. It handed her a long transcript, along with a schedule, and blew Alicia out the door.<br /><br />Alicia found her first class, matching the seashells printed on her schedule with those on the doors in Marlin Hall, and entered timidly. The professor, a very aged tortoise, motioned for her to take a seat and asked her name. A very nervous seahorse flitted around at the professor's side, bobbing up and down and every which way. He wore a nametag with the letters S.H. <b>(3)</b><br /><br />The professor asked Aliciaâs name. âWell, at least the first question is easy. Alicia!â she retorted. âF!â bellowed the tortoise, with S.H. excitedly fluttering about in agreement.<br /><br />âF! But thatâs my name, Iâm sure of it!â squealed Alicia. âF! There is no genus, kingdom, species, family, phylum, class or order of any known fish which begins with Alicia,â reported the tortoise, âGet out of my class or Iâll call the shark!â Alicia didnât know what to do, so she swam quickly away remarking to herself that she had never liked anything to do with biology anyway, especially marine biology. As she swam through Marlin Hall, she wondered if one goes about dropping a class in the school of fish, or if it would be best to float the class instead. <b>(4)</b><br /><br />She swam through the halls getting to know her way around until it was time for her next class, which was Folk-Lure. She enjoyed that far more than biology, and made a mental note to return to the blowfishâs office to see if she could major in something like that. <b>(5)</b> She was hooked. <br /><br />Her thoughts were interrupted by what sounded like thunder. She was shocked to realize that she was really terribly hungry and that the sound of her stomach growling was much amplified underwater. Alicia could not remember the last time sheâd eaten anything, so she set out to find a place to get some lunch. The only way to go seemed up, and she could see the sunlight streaming through the water, so she swam toward the surface feeling as if her day would get better after all.<br /><br /><a name="cutid1"></a><br /><br />Footnotes:<br /><b>1,</b> The Submarine is the Metro Bus to campus.<br />A Submarine<br /><img src="http://www.rotary1080.fsnet.co.uk/clipart_watton/clipart_spoofs/submarine.gif" alt="" align="bottom"><br />Austin Metro Bus<br /><img src="http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/news/images/bus.jpg" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>2.</b> Grumpy resident advisors, such as the blow fish, ask questions like, "Who are you?"<br /><b>3.</b> S.H. is analagous to a T.A. <br /><b>4.</b> I thought I was going to fail biology once. Also, Parlin Hall is Marlin Hall.<br />Parlin Hall<br /><img src="http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/buildings/graphics/buildings/par.gif"><br /><br /><b>5.</b> My decision to major in english.http://www.livejournal.com/users/aliciawonders/2776.htmlhttp://www.livejournal.com/users/aliciawonders/2492.htmlWed, 07 Apr 2004 05:24:02 GMTAlicia's Adventures on Land
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As Alicia neared the surface of the water she began to feel very strange. She felt a hump beginning to form on her back and wondered if she was so very corpulent only moments ago. All she could see of herself were two webbed feet where her arms would have been yesterday when she was a girl, and correctly assumed that she had become a turtle. For a moment, Alicia had trouble making her way through the water using her new body because her shell was so large and heavy, but with several attempts she successfully mounted a log that was floating at the surface of the water.<br /><br />Once atop the log, Alicia was able to survey the scene around her. She seemed to be in a garden pond. She felt very slow but peaceful and glad to be in the sunlight again. Several other turtles were perched near her on the log and seemed to be sleeping or meditating or both. <b>(1)</b> Around her curious creatures rushed to and fro in what seemed like a terrible hurry while she and her turtle comrades sunned themselves on their log.<br /><br />She saw Greeks wearing togas playing Frisbee, rocking rocks with Mohawks wailing on electric guitars, dandies on horses playing polo and talking sloths hugging trees. After a long time observing everything around her from the pond, Alicia felt interested and ready to venture out and explore the rest of the University. The diversity of the students amazed her. She knew she had afternoon classes on land because there were tiny trees where the shells had indicated her classes in Marlin Hall. She wished sheâd had some kind of orientation at the University of Wonders before beginning her studies there, but it was too late for that now. Sheâd just have to find everything on her own.<br /><br />Her thoughts were interrupted by a second bout of angry rumbling from her stomach. She knew sheâd better find something to eat, and fast! She slowly but surely made her way to the edge of the pond and onto land. As she crawled onto the grass, arms and legs shot out from her shell, which cracked and fell to pieces on the ground. She surveyed her body in disbelief. Two transformations in the past hour had left her body and mind reeling, but she was certainly relieved to have her old human body back. She stretched for a moment and looked around to find someone of whom she could ask directions to find a place to eat.<br /><br />Nearest to her were two of the Greeks, who appeared to be identical twins. <b>(2)</b> As she approached them, she could see that they were slugging each other in the arm in a very boyish manner. She heard several repetitions of, âDude, I saw her first,â and, âBro, I saw her first.â While Dude and Bro were arguing, Alicia waited patiently in front of them for a chance to speak. They both jumped when they saw how near to them sheâd gotten and identical unctuous grins spread across their faces. <br /><br />âHello beautiful, howâd ya like to come to a party in West Cramp-Us tonight?â asked Bro, putting his suntanned arm around her as he spoke. <br /><br />âI was actually just looking for a place to get something to eat,â Alicia tried to answer, but was interrupted by a request from Dude to attend his party instead.<br /><br />âArenât you guys brothers? Why are you throwing two different parties? And what is West Cramp-Us <b>(3)</b> anyway?â Alicia questioned.<br /><br />âBrothers!?â the pair exclaimed simultaneously, âCanât you see weâre wearing different colors?â It was true enough, thought Alicia, noting that their togas were red and black respectively. She did not know what that had to do with their lineage, but was too hungry to question it. Dude and Bro didnât answer her question, but handed Alicia two flyers for their parties instead and went back to slugging each other, so she gave up and walked on.<br /><br />She walked until she came upon a street filled with shops and restaurants, but as she walked she found it very difficult to move.<b>(4)</b> It was almost as if she were trying to run through water or in sand on the beach. After a long struggle, she finally made it into a shop with a large bagel on the sign. Albert Einstein served her a bagel, but she realized she was too nervous about her first day at the University of Wonders to eat it. <b>(5)</b> She remembered her motherâs constantly urging, âA growing girl must eat!â Her motherâs words made her think twice about discarding the food, so he looked around for something to put it in. Alicia was startled by barking from the condiment counter behind her. âA doggie bag, of course!â cried Alicia, storing her bagel inside. As she left she noted that there were no registers in this restaurant. Alicia thought Albert must have totaled all of the dayâs business in his head. <br /><br />After lunch, and having time to kill before her next class, she took a slow walk down the street where Einsteinâs Bagel Shop was located. She passed the Pre-Renaissance Market, where Rosetti and Morris were painting while the Sloths <b>(6)</b> looked on, smoking their hookas. She found a little clothing store called Urban Really Expensive Used Junk, <b>(7)</b> but the store was filled with throngs of Rocks pushing and shoving and fighting over dingy clothes and supposed she probably couldnât afford anything there anyway. She struggled down the sidewalk and abruptly remembered that it must be almost time for class. <br /><br />With difficulty she flagged down a dandy on a horse, who almost swept her legs out from under her with his polo stick.<b>(8)</b> When she asked him for the time, he simply turned up his nose and rode away. Alicia looked around for a clock, and finally found one at the top of an enormous tower that grew straight up into the sky with no end like Jack in the Beanstalkâs stalk. She wanted to hope for the best in people, so she assumed the man sheâd stopped wasnât being rude but rather pointing his nose to the sky at the location of the clock. She waited patiently for a cloud to move so that she might ascertain the time, but when the clock did come into view the minute hand seemed to be stopped completely. When she turned around, the dandy and everyone else on the street seemed to be frozen completely still. Everything at the University of Wonders seemed to revolve around that clock! <b>(9)</b><br /><br />âOh no! I must have killed too much time. Iâve broken the clock! I have to fix it!â Alicia darted across the street, and into the midst of a throng of people, darting this way and that, until she finally stood in front of the tower. She ran inside, but instead found herself lost in the Hall of Noble Verbs <b>(10)</b> and could not find a staircase. She wanted to stop and read them, but she was in a hurry. The third verb she ran past, nestled between <i>study</i> and <i>experiment</i>, was the word <i>grow</i>. It gave her an idea. She opened a window and jumped out, once again standing in front of the tower. Unwrapping her bagel, she took a deep breath and devoured it whole. <br /> <br />Aliciaâs plan turned out to be a success. In moments she seemed to be growing taller and taller, elevating her line of vision to cover the entire campus area. <b>(11)</b> She grew up past the main building, passing a delightful little garden on top marked "Private." <b>(12)</b>She wanted to stop, but she was on a mission, and didn't really have any control over her growing anyway. Despite her fear of heights, she continued upward, sweeping away the clouds with her hair. Finally, she was tall enough to reach the top of the tower. She squinted at the clock, which looked much smaller from this size. She stretched out her index finger and gently poked the minute hand, which sprang back into motion. Alice looked down, relieved to see movement below her where everyone was still moments before. She sighed with relief, which swayed the trees to the East. <br /><br />"I had better not cough," thought Alicia, "I might cause a tornado!"<br /><br />Alicia wasn't sure how to reduce her gigantic stature, but thought instead that she'd better enjoy the view while she could. From this height, she could see all of the town and its surrounding hills and trees. She thought it really was beauitful here. The university was surrounded by rolling hills covered in trees, with lakes and rivers running quietly along between them. She saw a Mountain far off in the distance, which was called Mt. Bon-Bon, where everyone picked chocolate Bon-Bons from the trees. There was a long stretch of rocky, green land with water running through it called the Green Suspenders, and Milker Park where farmers walked their cows.<b>(13)</b> It only took her a few minutes to cover the forty acres because her legs were so long, and she had to be careful not to step on any of tiny students who scattered like ants beneath her. No one really seemed afraid of her though; the student population was so diverse that no one at all seemed surprised. <br /><br />Eventually, Alicia tired of being such a great height and did not seem to think it so great anymore. She looked around for a Doctor who could help her, and finally came upon the Medical Arts building, where doctors and nurses sat painting stethoscopes and wheelchairs in the courtyard. She finally found someone who seemed knowledgeable enough to help her.<br /><br />Tiny Dr. Bump waited patiently while Alicia told him the story of how she'd grown. While she waited for an answer, Bump pulled out a great many books and began to read and read. He produced a typewriter and began typing pages and ripping them out and crumpling them. Finally, he produced a piece of paper with an answer with which he seemed satisfied. Alicia took the page and, with great difficulty because the letters were so tiny, read:<br /><br /><center>Discovery Learning is the key!<br />Herein, you'll find just what you need!<br />I couldn't tell you, <br />even if i knew!<br />I can merely<br />provide the clues!<br />You'll never learn<br />just how its done!<br />Unless you do it yourself,<br />that's part of the fun!<br />The answer might be on page forty-seven,<br />thirty-four, twenty-nine, or one hundred eleven!<br />Read, observe, meditate!<br />But to shrink back to normal, you'll just have to <i>wait!</i></center><br /><br /><b>(14)</b><br /><br />Alicia was confused for a moment, but she decided to trust him. He looked like a trustworthy little fellow. She couldn't find any books with print large enough to read comfortably, so she laid in the grass on the South Haul of campus and read the pictures in the clouds while contemplating her sense of space. She thought over the events of her day. College certainly was exciting! <br /><br />Her thoughts were interrupted by a stampede of feet. Alicia looked up and beheld a motley crew. Dr. Bump had now donned a festive hat and was leading his class. The creatures behind him were occupied with a great number of different diversions. Some picked their noses, chattered, seemed to be sleepwalking or stared off into space. Alicia quickly caught up with Dr. Bump to inquire about the destination of their excursion. <br /><br />âTo the Tree of Life!â shouted Bump, leading his procession onward toward the magical garden where the tree lived. Alicia supposed she had time to waste until she returned to normal, and she liked gardens very much. She decided to join their group.<br /><br />Alicia took her place in the crowd of creatures between a rakuhn and a grotesque hybrid animal, who appeared to be part bull and another part bear.<b>(15)</b> She spotted one of the rocking rocks that sheâd seen near the pond earlier, as well as a disinterested piranha, a notably loud choir bell, a spinster spider, a relaxed red robin and a hat wearing cat.<b>(16)</b> Preoccupied with her observation of the diversity of the creatures around her, Alicia barely noticed that they had arrived at the entrance to the garden. <br /><br />The once unruly creatures around her fell silent. Alicia sensed that they were touched by the sense of calmness that surrounded them as they entered the garden. Alicia thought it was a truly beautiful place. Everyone formed a line behind bump to wash their hands before they entered.<br /><br />âDr. Bump,â whispered Alicia, not wanting to break the quiet peace of the garden, âWhy are we washing our hands?â<br /><br />âBecause we donât want to get the garden dirty, of course!â replied Dr. Bump.<br /><br />Alicia was too busy soaking in the view to question the logic of his reply. A stone path led her to a bridge where she sat to watch the fish swim below.<br /><br />âWhat kind of animal are you?â asked one of the orange fish as it darted beneath the bridge where Alicia sat.<br /><br />âA human, I suppose,â answered Alicia.<br /><br />âHu<i>man</i>? Donât you mean hu<i>girl</i>?â replied the fish.<br /><br />Alicia didnât know how to respond, so she asked what kind of fish it was. âA Coy fish,â<b>(17)</b> it replied, darting away beneath a lily pad. Alicia thought that certainly was the truth.<br /><br />Alicia decided to explore the rest of the garden. She removed her shoes and walked along the path, trying to read the message of the stones with her feet as the blind would read Braille with their fingertips. The path led her straight to the Tree of Life Dr. Bumpâs class had come to see. The tree smiled down at her, lovingly. It seemed to know how tired and ready to go home Alicia was. It invited her silently to lay beneath it and rest. When she curled up into a small ball to rest beneath the Tree of Life, she noticed that her size had almost returned to normal.<br /><br />When she awoke, she was back to her old self again. In fact, she was so very much back to her old self that she was in her old bed at home in her very same pajamas with that very same quality of light streaming through her window that had begun her morning on the day she came to the University of Wonders. She rubbed her eyes, and hopped out of bed. She threw on her bathrobe and left her room. Downstairs her dad was cooking breakfast, Dior was sitting on the railing and she could hear Mr. Methis mowing the lawn next door. She must've been dreaming the whole time! What an adventure! As she walked to the mailbox to check the mail, she felt something in the pocket of her robe. With amazement, she retrieved a tiny golden key from her pocket. A smile crept across Alicia's face...<br /><br /><a name="cutid1"></a><br /><br />Footnotes:<br /><b>1.</b> Our trip to the Biology Pond.<br />A picture of the Biology Pond<br /><img src="http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/images/img/img0041.gif" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>2.</b> Dude and Bro, like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, are brothers. They are Greek fraternity brothers. <br />Dude and Bro<br /><img src="http://www.psiumwc.org/images/togas.jpg" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>3.</b> West Cramp-Us is analagous to West Campus, where fraternity houses, apartments and other houses are "cramped" together in a dense area of student population.<br /><b>4.</b> This is because she is on Guadalupe street, or what is commonly known as "the drag."<br /><b>5. </b> Einstein's Bagel's, on the drag.<br />Einstein's Logo<br /><img src="http://www.bookpals.net/images/logos/einsteinbros.gif" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>6.</b> Sloths are hippies. <br />Sloths.<br /><img src="http://www.hoteldelmar-costarica.com/images/sloth2a.jpg" alt="" align="bottom"><br />Hippies<br /><img src="http://www.signalatomic.com/archives/haight-hippie.jpg" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>7.</b> Urban Outfitters<br />Urban Shop Window<br /><a href="http://www.rachelleb.com/images/photo_friday_urban.jpg">http://www.rachelleb.com/images/photo_f<wbr />riday_urban.jpg</a><br /><img src="http://www.rachelleb.com/images/photo_friday_urban.jpg"><br /><b>8.</b> The dandy is Alicia's version of a preppy person, who wears Ralph Lauren Shirts with the Polo Label.<br /><img src="http://www.fashionunited.co.uk/gfx/2003news/rlshirts.jpg"><br /><b>9.</b> Everything at U of W seemed to revolve around the clock because UT's tower clock is a symbol of school pride and also keeps so many students on time.<br />The UT Tower Clock<br /><img src="http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/images/img/img0023.gif" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>10.</b> The Hall of Noble Words in the main building becomes The Hall of Noble Verbs.<br /><b>11. </b> Alicia's view from her height of the UT Campus.<br /><img src="http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/images/img/img0059.gif" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>12.</b> The president of UT's garden on the roof of the main building. <br /><b>13.</b> Bon Bon is Mt. Bonnell, The Green Suspenders is The Green Belt, Milker Park is Zilker Park<br /><b>14.</b> Dr. Bump and "discovery learning."<br /><img src="http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~bump/personal/3.jpg" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>15.</b> "Raccoon" is spelled "Rakuhn" because Jessie's last name is "Kuhn". The grotesque bull/bear is Adam, because he is from Chicago. <br /><b>16.</b>The rocking rock is Roger. The pihrana reminded me of Rahim Pirani. The choir belle is Belle. The spinster spider is Frances, whose first project included spiders. The red robin is obviously Robin Ricks. The hat wearing cat is Jamie, who included Dr.Seuss in her first project.<br /><b>17.</b> The Koi are called "Coy" fish in my story because they are sarcastic. <br />A picture of Koi fish<br /><img src="http://www.greenwaysgardencentre.co.uk/images/koi.jpg">http://www.livejournal.com/users/aliciawonders/2492.html
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Alicia at the University of Wondersan alice-like account of attending the university of texas2004-04-27T09:54:59ZPreface to the Annotated Alicia at the University of Wondersurn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:aliciawonders:36312004-04-08T06:14:32Z2004-04-08T01:10:002004-04-19T02:29:28ZaliciawondersOkay guys, if you're from my class we're going to play a little game as you read along. I transposed the words Alicia and Alice in my story, but I made some mistakes. A cookie to the first person who can find ten Alices instead of Alicias. No, I'm kidding. But I do find a new one every time I read through it, so watch for them when you're thinking about editing my project. I know its kind of long, but I had a wonderful time writing it and I hope you find it entertaining too.<br /><br />Instructions for how to view this journal:<br /><br />1. Do remember to click the (footnotes and pictures) link after each entry of the story. There are pictures and numbered footnotes behind the links.<br /><br />2. You can click "comment" after each entry of the story. If you are from my class and do not have a livejournal account, you may comment as "anonymous". The form should be self-explanatory. <br /><br />3. Remember to tell me who you are when you comment.<br /><br />Thanks! <br /><br />-Jessica Fallon YoungAlicia & The Magical Mailboxurn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:aliciawonders:31712004-04-07T05:24:34Z2004-04-07T00:24:002004-04-19T02:40:41ZaliciawondersAlicia cracked her eyelids and watched the sunlight stream through her window on the east side of her house. She stretched her arms and yawned, rolling out of her little bed to feel the familiar carpet nestled between her toes. Sheâd woken up in this house precisely 6,570 <b>(6)</b> mornings before, with that comforting aroma of eggs and pancakes sizzling and spattering under her Dadâs supervision in the kitchen downstairs. <br /><br />She shuffled to her bathroom and began to brush her teeth. While she brushed, she took a moment to reflect on the things she needed to do this week. As she scrubbed her molars and canines to a pearly white, she remembered that her letters of acceptance to college should soon arrive. <br /><br />She shoved her tiny feet into her pink bunny slippers, threw on her matching bathrobe over her polka-dotted pajama pants, and ran down the stairs taking them two and three at a time. She gave her cat, Dior <b>(2)</b>, a swift pat on the head as she flew past her precarious perch on the railing. She flung open the door and left it ajar in excitement as she bolted into the front yard, squinting her eyes in the mid-morning sun. She waved a cheerful hello to Mr. Methis <b>(1),</b> who wiped the sweat from his brow and waved back with one hand still steadily directing the lawnmower across the yard next door. <br /><br />Alicia arrived at the mailbox panting and took a deep breath. Her hand quivered slightly as she opened it and felt the empty inside of the mailbox with the palm of her hand. Nothing. Her heart sank as the tin door clanged shut, but she would remain optimistic. It would be only a few more days, she told herself. <br /><br />Alicia had just turned to walk down the path back to her house when she heard a loud thud resonate from within the mailbox. Curious, she wondered if sheâd missed a tiny bird or a lizard hiding inside. To her dismay, the mailbox opened itself. She cautiously peered into the dark hole.<br /><br />An envelope with a glimmering "U of W" gold seal slid out and almost dropped to the ground. Alicia caught it and examined the outside. Printed on the envelope in elaborate script were the words, âTo Whom It May Confuse.â <b>(3)</b> Underneath, in a miniscule, almost illegible font, it read, âOr, Alicia Riddell.â <br /><br />She tore open the envelope and found a key inside. She tucked it into the pocket of her pink bathrobe and unfolded the letter. As she read, the door of the mailbox began to open and shut and a booming voice issued from within it. As Alicia read the letter to herself, the slightly frightening mailbox began to read the words of Alicia's letter aloud. The letter and the mailbox said,<br /><br /><br /><center>âCongratulations, Alicia Dear.<br />The time has come, the future's near!<br />Have no fear, for youâll do fine!<br />Weâre here to help success unwind!<br />Youâve been accepted to the University of Wonders!<br />Make no mistake, this is no blunder!<br />Many great things lay ahead,<br />Just donât be nervous, donât lose your head!<br />Let it snow!<br />Here<br />We<br />Go!â</center><br /><br /><br />As she read the last three words a gust of cool wind issued from the gaping mouth of the mailbox. Before she could begin to comprehend the state of things, she was sucked into the mailbox and found herself whirling in a tremendous snowstorm. âBut I thought it was September!â <b>(4)</b> thought Alicia aloud, pulling her bathrobe tight around her. Her vision was blurred and blinded by the whiteness of the snowflakes floating around her. <b>(5)</b> When her stomach seemed to jump into her throat, Alicia realized she was falling, and FAST!<br /><br /><a name="cutid1"></a><br />Footnotes:<br /><b>1.</b>Note that Alicia's last name is Riddell, a play on Alice's last name of Liddell, and that her neighbor's last name is Methis (riddle-me-this)<br /><b>2.</b> Dior is the name of my cat I have owned since living in Austin. <br />This is Dior: <br /><img src="https://webspace.utexas.edu/jfy56/www/the%20all%20seeing%20eye%20of%20the%20illuminati/kitty1.JPG" alt="" align="bottom"><br />This is me, Jess (Alicia)<br /><img src="https://webspace.utexas.edu/jfy56/www/locks%20of%20fury%20pics/NORMALCY.JPG" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>3.</b> "To Whom It May Confuse" , "To Whom It May Concern"<br /><b>4.</b> The beginning of school.<br /><b>5.</b> My cold winter in Austin.<br /><b>6.</b> An estiimate that tells us Alicia is around 18, the age when one begins college.Weathering the Storm: Alicia Arrives in Wonderlandurn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:aliciawonders:29962004-04-07T05:24:23Z2004-04-07T00:24:002004-04-19T02:47:50ZaliciawondersDespite the rushing wind, Alicia was able to make out a few tangible objects visible through the storm. She saw the numbers 2, 9 and 0 <b>(1)</b> , as well as a few dim streetlights. Before she had time to propose a possible destination for her unintentional trip, she fell flat on her rump in front of a very curious looking set of buildings. <br /> <br />Dizzied by her flight, she closed her eyes to collect her thoughts. When she opened them again it was warm and she seemed to be lying in a bed of grass. She heard several loud thuds around her and grimaced, hoping they werenât meteorite sized balls of hail left over from the storm. She was comforted when she realized that the sounds werenât made by hail at all, but that several boxes and luggage items had plopped down in her vicinity. Examining them, she was relieved to find that someone had packed her things and sent them on her voyage with her. From the orderly arrangement of her clothes and other belongings, she guessed it was probably her mother. <br /> <br />She collected the packages and parcels, consolidating them into a large pile, and attempted to collect herself. She was standing in front of an apartment complex composed entirely of gigantic Legos <b>(2)</b> with many rows of various sized doors. She had no clue where she was, or where she was supposed to go. Suddenly, she remembered the key in her robe pocket. She took it out and examined it. The key had miraculously changed from copper to blue during her journey. The only solution she could propose for herself was that the key might fit one of the doors on the blue Lego block. <br /><br />She gathered her things as well as she could, dropping some of the boxes several times before she could balance everything at once. As she walked on, things from her past obstructed her view of the path that lay ahead. When she finally made it to the blue block, she was tired and frustrated from the move. Alicia sat upon one of the boxes and began to cry, clenching her fists over her eyes to fight the stream of tears.<br /><br />Suddenly, she sensed the presence of someone (or something!) very near her. Standing on her left, she found a very animated arm a little taller than herself apparently trying to tell her something. Stunned, it took her a full thirty seconds to realize that the fingers were trying to speak to her silently. âWords are signs and signs are words! Everything is a sign!â signed the arm. <b>(4)</b> Alicia said a silent "thank you" that sheâd taken sign language in high school. <br /><br />Alicia translated out loud, as was her habit. âDonât cry Alicia,â she murmured, âYouâre already home! Youâve found it! Use your key!â <br /><br />âMy key?â Alicia replied, with nimble movements of her fingers and hands. âWho are you?â she asked.<br /><br />âRight Arm,â replied the intelligent appendage, slipping the key from Aliciaâs pocket and opening the door adjacent to them.<b>(3)</b> Alicia was thankful, but before she could reply, Right Arm had slipped the key back into her pocket and fingered away.<br /><br />She stared in awe at the furnished apartment before her. <b>(5)</b> Everything was orange! <b>(6)</b> She dragged her things inside and yawned. She was definitely tired from her trip. With dragging feet, she stumbled to the bed and lay down between the folds of the orange sheets and comforter and fell promptly asleep.<br /><br /><a name="cutid1"></a><br /><br />Footnotes:<br /><b>1.</b> Highway 290 into Austin.<br />290<br /><img src="https://webspace.utexas.edu/jfy56/www/alice/begin290e_sb.jpg" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>2.</b> My apartment complex, The Metropolis, is painted many different colors. It reminded me of Legos.<br />The Metropolis<br /><img src="https://webspace.utexas.edu/jfy56/www/alice/met3.jpg" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>3.</b> I was remembering my Resident Advisor in my dorms my first year of college. Right Arm and Resident Advisor's initials are R.A. I was playing on the image of the right arm as the caretaker.<br />A Right Arm<br /><img src="http://www.batworld.org/book/images/right-arm-xtnd-71.gif" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>4.</b> This reminded me of semantics and the repetition of signs.<br /><b>5,</b> This is my character marveling at the glory of having her own apartment.<br /><b>6.</b> Obviously, UT's color is orange.Alicia Seas Her Way Through the First Dayurn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:aliciawonders:27762004-04-07T05:24:13Z2004-04-07T00:24:002004-04-27T09:50:41ZaliciawondersAlicia awoke to sound of clapping. Right Arm was clapping its palm against her bedside table, indicating that it was time to wake up. It handed her a slip of paper and scurried away. Alicia rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and began to read. Her schedule read simply,<br /> <br /><center>âAGENDA: School.<br />TIME: Right now! Catch the submarine!â</center> <b>(1)</b><br /><br />Alicia leaped from her tangerine bed and rushed to the shower. She tore off her pajamas and hopped in, hoping the cold rush of water would wake her up enough to pay attention in whatever class she was supposed to attend today. A shower usually solved things in the morning.<br /><br />The rush of water came down from the showerhead like a waterfall and began to fill up the tub. Before she knew it, Alicia was swimming in water and the orange tile of the bathroom was melting away. She didnât seem to have any trouble breathing, but was severely troubled by the new development of scales all over her body. Apparently, she had grown gills as well!<br /><br />Alicia floated to the bottom of the seafloor and tried to make sense of her new aquatic environment. A submarine floated up beside her and opened its door to let Alicia inside. It was a very long submarine, filled with hundreds of fish of different colors. Alicia hadnât caught a glimpse of her new self, but she hoped she somewhat resembled the rest of them so they wouldnât laugh at her as she took her seat on the transport submarine. Could fish even laugh?<br /><br />The submarine sped away in a trail of bubbles, eventually stopping short in front of what appeared to be a gigantic Marlin with a sign that read, âMarlin Hall.â Alicia followed the other fish inside through the open mouth of Marlin Hall, hoping to find someone who looked friendly enough to ask directions from. As she entered the cavernous belly of the school of fish, she began to grow nervous. There were many levels and doors and she wasnât sure which classroom she was supposed to find. She heard the low din of a whaleâs cry and all of the fish rushed through doors which all slammed shut behind them. âThat must have been the bell!â thought Alicia in dismay. She wandered, or swam, rather, aimlessly through the halls in search of someone to help her.<br /><br />Finally, Alicia found a door which said, âAre you lost? Knock!â Alicia knocked softly with one fin, and her inquiry was promptly answered by the door swinging open. A very large blowfish sat behind a desk covered in papers, and peered at her with huge eyes behind tiny round spectacles. It did not smile, but Alicia decided not to be offended because she did not know whether fish could smile at all. <b>(2)</b><br /><br />âHi,â said Alicia, âI think I might need some help. Iâm not sure how I got here, and Iâm not at all sure where Iâm going. It all happened so fast!â<br /><br />âWell, whooooooooo,â breathed the blowfish, exhaling with a tide that almost knocked Alicia down,â are youuuuuuuuuuu?â<br /><br />âI-I-I-I-Iâm-not sure. I thought my name was Alicia Riddell, but only yesterday I was an 18 year old girl and now I appear to be a fish,â stammered Alicia.<br /><br />âAh, one of the school of fish I presume. Now, what do you want to take? What are your goals and aspirations? What do you want to do with your life? What are you good for?â questioned the blowfish, each word coming out enclosed in its own air bubble. Alicia thought for a moment, confused by the gravity, or lack thereof, of the questions floating around her head. She had no time to answer, for the blowfish was already arranging her schedule and rearranging it without any input from Alicia. It handed her a long transcript, along with a schedule, and blew Alicia out the door.<br /><br />Alicia found her first class, matching the seashells printed on her schedule with those on the doors in Marlin Hall, and entered timidly. The professor, a very aged tortoise, motioned for her to take a seat and asked her name. A very nervous seahorse flitted around at the professor's side, bobbing up and down and every which way. He wore a nametag with the letters S.H. <b>(3)</b><br /><br />The professor asked Aliciaâs name. âWell, at least the first question is easy. Alicia!â she retorted. âF!â bellowed the tortoise, with S.H. excitedly fluttering about in agreement.<br /><br />âF! But thatâs my name, Iâm sure of it!â squealed Alicia. âF! There is no genus, kingdom, species, family, phylum, class or order of any known fish which begins with Alicia,â reported the tortoise, âGet out of my class or Iâll call the shark!â Alicia didnât know what to do, so she swam quickly away remarking to herself that she had never liked anything to do with biology anyway, especially marine biology. As she swam through Marlin Hall, she wondered if one goes about dropping a class in the school of fish, or if it would be best to float the class instead. <b>(4)</b><br /><br />She swam through the halls getting to know her way around until it was time for her next class, which was Folk-Lure. She enjoyed that far more than biology, and made a mental note to return to the blowfishâs office to see if she could major in something like that. <b>(5)</b> She was hooked. <br /><br />Her thoughts were interrupted by what sounded like thunder. She was shocked to realize that she was really terribly hungry and that the sound of her stomach growling was much amplified underwater. Alicia could not remember the last time sheâd eaten anything, so she set out to find a place to get some lunch. The only way to go seemed up, and she could see the sunlight streaming through the water, so she swam toward the surface feeling as if her day would get better after all.<br /><br /><a name="cutid1"></a><br /><br />Footnotes:<br /><b>1,</b> The Submarine is the Metro Bus to campus.<br />A Submarine<br /><img src="http://www.rotary1080.fsnet.co.uk/clipart_watton/clipart_spoofs/submarine.gif" alt="" align="bottom"><br />Austin Metro Bus<br /><img src="http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/news/images/bus.jpg" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>2.</b> Grumpy resident advisors, such as the blow fish, ask questions like, "Who are you?"<br /><b>3.</b> S.H. is analagous to a T.A. <br /><b>4.</b> I thought I was going to fail biology once. Also, Parlin Hall is Marlin Hall.<br />Parlin Hall<br /><img src="http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/buildings/graphics/buildings/par.gif"><br /><br /><b>5.</b> My decision to major in english.Alicia's Adventures on Landurn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:aliciawonders:24922004-04-07T05:24:02Z2004-04-07T00:23:002004-04-27T09:54:59ZaliciawondersAs Alicia neared the surface of the water she began to feel very strange. She felt a hump beginning to form on her back and wondered if she was so very corpulent only moments ago. All she could see of herself were two webbed feet where her arms would have been yesterday when she was a girl, and correctly assumed that she had become a turtle. For a moment, Alicia had trouble making her way through the water using her new body because her shell was so large and heavy, but with several attempts she successfully mounted a log that was floating at the surface of the water.<br /><br />Once atop the log, Alicia was able to survey the scene around her. She seemed to be in a garden pond. She felt very slow but peaceful and glad to be in the sunlight again. Several other turtles were perched near her on the log and seemed to be sleeping or meditating or both. <b>(1)</b> Around her curious creatures rushed to and fro in what seemed like a terrible hurry while she and her turtle comrades sunned themselves on their log.<br /><br />She saw Greeks wearing togas playing Frisbee, rocking rocks with Mohawks wailing on electric guitars, dandies on horses playing polo and talking sloths hugging trees. After a long time observing everything around her from the pond, Alicia felt interested and ready to venture out and explore the rest of the University. The diversity of the students amazed her. She knew she had afternoon classes on land because there were tiny trees where the shells had indicated her classes in Marlin Hall. She wished sheâd had some kind of orientation at the University of Wonders before beginning her studies there, but it was too late for that now. Sheâd just have to find everything on her own.<br /><br />Her thoughts were interrupted by a second bout of angry rumbling from her stomach. She knew sheâd better find something to eat, and fast! She slowly but surely made her way to the edge of the pond and onto land. As she crawled onto the grass, arms and legs shot out from her shell, which cracked and fell to pieces on the ground. She surveyed her body in disbelief. Two transformations in the past hour had left her body and mind reeling, but she was certainly relieved to have her old human body back. She stretched for a moment and looked around to find someone of whom she could ask directions to find a place to eat.<br /><br />Nearest to her were two of the Greeks, who appeared to be identical twins. <b>(2)</b> As she approached them, she could see that they were slugging each other in the arm in a very boyish manner. She heard several repetitions of, âDude, I saw her first,â and, âBro, I saw her first.â While Dude and Bro were arguing, Alicia waited patiently in front of them for a chance to speak. They both jumped when they saw how near to them sheâd gotten and identical unctuous grins spread across their faces. <br /><br />âHello beautiful, howâd ya like to come to a party in West Cramp-Us tonight?â asked Bro, putting his suntanned arm around her as he spoke. <br /><br />âI was actually just looking for a place to get something to eat,â Alicia tried to answer, but was interrupted by a request from Dude to attend his party instead.<br /><br />âArenât you guys brothers? Why are you throwing two different parties? And what is West Cramp-Us <b>(3)</b> anyway?â Alicia questioned.<br /><br />âBrothers!?â the pair exclaimed simultaneously, âCanât you see weâre wearing different colors?â It was true enough, thought Alicia, noting that their togas were red and black respectively. She did not know what that had to do with their lineage, but was too hungry to question it. Dude and Bro didnât answer her question, but handed Alicia two flyers for their parties instead and went back to slugging each other, so she gave up and walked on.<br /><br />She walked until she came upon a street filled with shops and restaurants, but as she walked she found it very difficult to move.<b>(4)</b> It was almost as if she were trying to run through water or in sand on the beach. After a long struggle, she finally made it into a shop with a large bagel on the sign. Albert Einstein served her a bagel, but she realized she was too nervous about her first day at the University of Wonders to eat it. <b>(5)</b> She remembered her motherâs constantly urging, âA growing girl must eat!â Her motherâs words made her think twice about discarding the food, so he looked around for something to put it in. Alicia was startled by barking from the condiment counter behind her. âA doggie bag, of course!â cried Alicia, storing her bagel inside. As she left she noted that there were no registers in this restaurant. Alicia thought Albert must have totaled all of the dayâs business in his head. <br /><br />After lunch, and having time to kill before her next class, she took a slow walk down the street where Einsteinâs Bagel Shop was located. She passed the Pre-Renaissance Market, where Rosetti and Morris were painting while the Sloths <b>(6)</b> looked on, smoking their hookas. She found a little clothing store called Urban Really Expensive Used Junk, <b>(7)</b> but the store was filled with throngs of Rocks pushing and shoving and fighting over dingy clothes and supposed she probably couldnât afford anything there anyway. She struggled down the sidewalk and abruptly remembered that it must be almost time for class. <br /><br />With difficulty she flagged down a dandy on a horse, who almost swept her legs out from under her with his polo stick.<b>(8)</b> When she asked him for the time, he simply turned up his nose and rode away. Alicia looked around for a clock, and finally found one at the top of an enormous tower that grew straight up into the sky with no end like Jack in the Beanstalkâs stalk. She wanted to hope for the best in people, so she assumed the man sheâd stopped wasnât being rude but rather pointing his nose to the sky at the location of the clock. She waited patiently for a cloud to move so that she might ascertain the time, but when the clock did come into view the minute hand seemed to be stopped completely. When she turned around, the dandy and everyone else on the street seemed to be frozen completely still. Everything at the University of Wonders seemed to revolve around that clock! <b>(9)</b><br /><br />âOh no! I must have killed too much time. Iâve broken the clock! I have to fix it!â Alicia darted across the street, and into the midst of a throng of people, darting this way and that, until she finally stood in front of the tower. She ran inside, but instead found herself lost in the Hall of Noble Verbs <b>(10)</b> and could not find a staircase. She wanted to stop and read them, but she was in a hurry. The third verb she ran past, nestled between <i>study</i> and <i>experiment</i>, was the word <i>grow</i>. It gave her an idea. She opened a window and jumped out, once again standing in front of the tower. Unwrapping her bagel, she took a deep breath and devoured it whole. <br /> <br />Aliciaâs plan turned out to be a success. In moments she seemed to be growing taller and taller, elevating her line of vision to cover the entire campus area. <b>(11)</b> She grew up past the main building, passing a delightful little garden on top marked "Private." <b>(12)</b>She wanted to stop, but she was on a mission, and didn't really have any control over her growing anyway. Despite her fear of heights, she continued upward, sweeping away the clouds with her hair. Finally, she was tall enough to reach the top of the tower. She squinted at the clock, which looked much smaller from this size. She stretched out her index finger and gently poked the minute hand, which sprang back into motion. Alice looked down, relieved to see movement below her where everyone was still moments before. She sighed with relief, which swayed the trees to the East. <br /><br />"I had better not cough," thought Alicia, "I might cause a tornado!"<br /><br />Alicia wasn't sure how to reduce her gigantic stature, but thought instead that she'd better enjoy the view while she could. From this height, she could see all of the town and its surrounding hills and trees. She thought it really was beauitful here. The university was surrounded by rolling hills covered in trees, with lakes and rivers running quietly along between them. She saw a Mountain far off in the distance, which was called Mt. Bon-Bon, where everyone picked chocolate Bon-Bons from the trees. There was a long stretch of rocky, green land with water running through it called the Green Suspenders, and Milker Park where farmers walked their cows.<b>(13)</b> It only took her a few minutes to cover the forty acres because her legs were so long, and she had to be careful not to step on any of tiny students who scattered like ants beneath her. No one really seemed afraid of her though; the student population was so diverse that no one at all seemed surprised. <br /><br />Eventually, Alicia tired of being such a great height and did not seem to think it so great anymore. She looked around for a Doctor who could help her, and finally came upon the Medical Arts building, where doctors and nurses sat painting stethoscopes and wheelchairs in the courtyard. She finally found someone who seemed knowledgeable enough to help her.<br /><br />Tiny Dr. Bump waited patiently while Alicia told him the story of how she'd grown. While she waited for an answer, Bump pulled out a great many books and began to read and read. He produced a typewriter and began typing pages and ripping them out and crumpling them. Finally, he produced a piece of paper with an answer with which he seemed satisfied. Alicia took the page and, with great difficulty because the letters were so tiny, read:<br /><br /><center>Discovery Learning is the key!<br />Herein, you'll find just what you need!<br />I couldn't tell you, <br />even if i knew!<br />I can merely<br />provide the clues!<br />You'll never learn<br />just how its done!<br />Unless you do it yourself,<br />that's part of the fun!<br />The answer might be on page forty-seven,<br />thirty-four, twenty-nine, or one hundred eleven!<br />Read, observe, meditate!<br />But to shrink back to normal, you'll just have to <i>wait!</i></center><br /><br /><b>(14)</b><br /><br />Alicia was confused for a moment, but she decided to trust him. He looked like a trustworthy little fellow. She couldn't find any books with print large enough to read comfortably, so she laid in the grass on the South Haul of campus and read the pictures in the clouds while contemplating her sense of space. She thought over the events of her day. College certainly was exciting! <br /><br />Her thoughts were interrupted by a stampede of feet. Alicia looked up and beheld a motley crew. Dr. Bump had now donned a festive hat and was leading his class. The creatures behind him were occupied with a great number of different diversions. Some picked their noses, chattered, seemed to be sleepwalking or stared off into space. Alicia quickly caught up with Dr. Bump to inquire about the destination of their excursion. <br /><br />âTo the Tree of Life!â shouted Bump, leading his procession onward toward the magical garden where the tree lived. Alicia supposed she had time to waste until she returned to normal, and she liked gardens very much. She decided to join their group.<br /><br />Alicia took her place in the crowd of creatures between a rakuhn and a grotesque hybrid animal, who appeared to be part bull and another part bear.<b>(15)</b> She spotted one of the rocking rocks that sheâd seen near the pond earlier, as well as a disinterested piranha, a notably loud choir bell, a spinster spider, a relaxed red robin and a hat wearing cat.<b>(16)</b> Preoccupied with her observation of the diversity of the creatures around her, Alicia barely noticed that they had arrived at the entrance to the garden. <br /><br />The once unruly creatures around her fell silent. Alicia sensed that they were touched by the sense of calmness that surrounded them as they entered the garden. Alicia thought it was a truly beautiful place. Everyone formed a line behind bump to wash their hands before they entered.<br /><br />âDr. Bump,â whispered Alicia, not wanting to break the quiet peace of the garden, âWhy are we washing our hands?â<br /><br />âBecause we donât want to get the garden dirty, of course!â replied Dr. Bump.<br /><br />Alicia was too busy soaking in the view to question the logic of his reply. A stone path led her to a bridge where she sat to watch the fish swim below.<br /><br />âWhat kind of animal are you?â asked one of the orange fish as it darted beneath the bridge where Alicia sat.<br /><br />âA human, I suppose,â answered Alicia.<br /><br />âHu<i>man</i>? Donât you mean hu<i>girl</i>?â replied the fish.<br /><br />Alicia didnât know how to respond, so she asked what kind of fish it was. âA Coy fish,â<b>(17)</b> it replied, darting away beneath a lily pad. Alicia thought that certainly was the truth.<br /><br />Alicia decided to explore the rest of the garden. She removed her shoes and walked along the path, trying to read the message of the stones with her feet as the blind would read Braille with their fingertips. The path led her straight to the Tree of Life Dr. Bumpâs class had come to see. The tree smiled down at her, lovingly. It seemed to know how tired and ready to go home Alicia was. It invited her silently to lay beneath it and rest. When she curled up into a small ball to rest beneath the Tree of Life, she noticed that her size had almost returned to normal.<br /><br />When she awoke, she was back to her old self again. In fact, she was so very much back to her old self that she was in her old bed at home in her very same pajamas with that very same quality of light streaming through her window that had begun her morning on the day she came to the University of Wonders. She rubbed her eyes, and hopped out of bed. She threw on her bathrobe and left her room. Downstairs her dad was cooking breakfast, Dior was sitting on the railing and she could hear Mr. Methis mowing the lawn next door. She must've been dreaming the whole time! What an adventure! As she walked to the mailbox to check the mail, she felt something in the pocket of her robe. With amazement, she retrieved a tiny golden key from her pocket. A smile crept across Alicia's face...<br /><br /><a name="cutid1"></a><br /><br />Footnotes:<br /><b>1.</b> Our trip to the Biology Pond.<br />A picture of the Biology Pond<br /><img src="http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/images/img/img0041.gif" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>2.</b> Dude and Bro, like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, are brothers. They are Greek fraternity brothers. <br />Dude and Bro<br /><img src="http://www.psiumwc.org/images/togas.jpg" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>3.</b> West Cramp-Us is analagous to West Campus, where fraternity houses, apartments and other houses are "cramped" together in a dense area of student population.<br /><b>4.</b> This is because she is on Guadalupe street, or what is commonly known as "the drag."<br /><b>5. </b> Einstein's Bagel's, on the drag.<br />Einstein's Logo<br /><img src="http://www.bookpals.net/images/logos/einsteinbros.gif" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>6.</b> Sloths are hippies. <br />Sloths.<br /><img src="http://www.hoteldelmar-costarica.com/images/sloth2a.jpg" alt="" align="bottom"><br />Hippies<br /><img src="http://www.signalatomic.com/archives/haight-hippie.jpg" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>7.</b> Urban Outfitters<br />Urban Shop Window<br /><a href="http://www.rachelleb.com/images/photo_friday_urban.jpg">http://www.rachelleb.com/images/photo_f<wbr />riday_urban.jpg</a><br /><img src="http://www.rachelleb.com/images/photo_friday_urban.jpg"><br /><b>8.</b> The dandy is Alicia's version of a preppy person, who wears Ralph Lauren Shirts with the Polo Label.<br /><img src="http://www.fashionunited.co.uk/gfx/2003news/rlshirts.jpg"><br /><b>9.</b> Everything at U of W seemed to revolve around the clock because UT's tower clock is a symbol of school pride and also keeps so many students on time.<br />The UT Tower Clock<br /><img src="http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/images/img/img0023.gif" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>10.</b> The Hall of Noble Words in the main building becomes The Hall of Noble Verbs.<br /><b>11. </b> Alicia's view from her height of the UT Campus.<br /><img src="http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/images/img/img0059.gif" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>12.</b> The president of UT's garden on the roof of the main building. <br /><b>13.</b> Bon Bon is Mt. Bonnell, The Green Suspenders is The Green Belt, Milker Park is Zilker Park<br /><b>14.</b> Dr. Bump and "discovery learning."<br /><img src="http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~bump/personal/3.jpg" alt="" align="bottom"><br /><b>15.</b> "Raccoon" is spelled "Rakuhn" because Jessie's last name is "Kuhn". The grotesque bull/bear is Adam, because he is from Chicago. <br /><b>16.</b>The rocking rock is Roger. The pihrana reminded me of Rahim Pirani. The choir belle is Belle. The spinster spider is Frances, whose first project included spiders. The red robin is obviously Robin Ricks. The hat wearing cat is Jamie, who included Dr.Seuss in her first project.<br /><b>17.</b> The Koi are called "Coy" fish in my story because they are sarcastic. <br />A picture of Koi fish<br /><img src="http://www.greenwaysgardencentre.co.uk/images/koi.jpg">
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