Summary : Alice au pays des merveilles

Alice sits beside her sister on the bank without much to do, though she initially pays little mind to a passing White Rabbit murmuring about being late. It is only when the rabbit actually pulls a pocket watch from its waistcoat and hurries away that Alice jumps to her feet in sudden astonishment. Driven by intense curiosity, she chases the rabbit across the field just in time to see it dart into a large rabbit hole beneath a hedge. Without pausing to consider how she will ever get back out, Alice immediately follows him inside. The tunnel initially runs straight like a horizontal passage before dropping off into a remarkably steep descent. Alice plunges into what appears to be a very deep well, though her fall is slow enough that she has ample time to observe her surroundings. Total darkness prevents her from seeing what lies at the bottom, but the walls are lined with cupboards, bookshelves, maps, and hanging pictures. During her descent, she manages to take an empty jar of orange marmalade from a shelf and carefully places it into another cupboard as she falls past.

Alice notices a White Rabbit passing by, which does not initially seem unusual to her, even when she hears him muttering to himself about being late. However, her curiosity is intensely piqued when the creature actually pulls a watch out of his waistcoat pocket, checks the time, and hurries off. Realizing she has never seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat pocket or a watch, Alice leaps to her feet and chases him across a field. She arrives just in time to see him pop down a large rabbit hole under a hedge. Without considering how she will ever get out again, Alice immediately follows him into the burrow. The hole extends straight ahead like a tunnel for a short distance before plunging down so suddenly and sharply that Alice has no time to think about stopping herself. She finds herself falling down what appears to be a very deep well. Because the well is incredibly deep or because her descent is remarkably slow, she has plenty of time as she falls to look around and wonder what is going to happen next. At first, she attempts to look down to see where she is heading, but the darkness makes it impossible to discern anything. She then turns her attention to the sides of the well, noticing that the walls are lined with cupboards and bookshelves. Here and there, she spots maps and pictures hanging upon pegs. As she drifts past, she manages to take a jar from one of the shelves. The jar features a label that reads "ORANGE MARMALADE," but Alice is highly disappointed to discover that it is completely empty. Unwilling to drop the jar for fear of hitting and killing someone below, she carefully manages to place it into one of the cupboards she passes while continuing her long descent.

Alice continues her seemingly endless downward fall through the earth, reflecting on how brave she will seem to her family and wondering about the distance she has traveled toward the center of the planet. She muses about geographic terms like latitude and longitude without knowing their meanings and worries about accidentally insulting people if she lands among the Antipodes. Her thoughts then turn to her cat Dinah, wondering if her pet will receive its milk and whether cats eat bats or bats eat cats, until she grows drowsy and drifts into a dream about walking with Dinah. Suddenly, Alice lands without injury on a pile of dry leaves and sticks. Spotting the White Lapin running swiftly ahead, she chases after him down a dark corridor, only to lose sight of him around a corner. She finds herself in a low, brightly lit hall with many locked doors and a small glass table. On the table rests a tiny golden key, which she uses to try opening the doors to no avail. During another circuit of the room, Alice discovers a low curtain concealing a tiny doorway about forty centimeters high. The golden key fits its lock perfectly, and upon opening it, she glimpses the most lovely garden filled with bright flowerbeds and cool fountains. However, her body is far too large to fit through the passage, leaving her wishing she could fold up like a telescope. Returning to the glass table in search of another key or a book of instructions, she discovers a small bottle with a paper label tied to its neck bearing the words Drink Me.

Alice continues her endless descent, pondering how brave she will seem to her family after surviving such a fall and wondering if she is nearing the center of the earth. She chatters to herself about latitude, longitude, and people walking upside down, eventually worrying about her cat Dinah and drifting into sleep. Suddenly, she lands safely on a pile of branches and leaves. Getting immediately to her feet, Alice spots the White Lapin rushing down a corridor and dashes after him, only to lose track of him around a corner. She finds herself in a low, brightly lit hall lined with locked doors. In the middle of the room stands a solid glass table holding a tiny golden key, which fails to open any of the doors. During another search of the room, Alice discovers a small curtain hiding a tiny forty centimeter door that matches the golden key. Opening it reveals a breathtaking garden, but she is far too large to fit through the opening. Returning to the glass table, she finds a mysterious small bottle bearing a label that commands her to drink.