Saving a Wonderland Date Tree. (standard:fairy tales, 972 words)
Author: Oscar A Rat	Added: Jul 04 2020	Views/Reads: 1421/997	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
There are many things we, even Alice, don’t know about Wonderland. This may be one of them.

Way in the back of Wonderland, over near a stone fence leading to the
land of "Reality" sits a castle. The structure was left over from an 
olden time when "six-deck Monte," an extinct card game, was popular in 
the land. Now it was empty, both Red and Black card decks owning their 
own kingdoms. 

A small staff remained, though. Two old ogre women hired to wipe dust
from the furniture. A large colony of squirrels lived in its trees and 
worked to keep grass trimmed and the land pretty. Two rabbit families 
picked up trash blown in from the other kingdoms. The Carpenter and the 
Walrus lived in a shed out back, trying with all their might to keep 
the castle from falling down from sadness and neglect. 

On alternate nights -- especially those with double moons, shining red
and green -- the occupants would meet in the front yard and sing love 
songs to the castle while the Walrus strummed and strutted  with 
frantically flying flippers, an old banjo. A happy castle is a happy 
home, was the theory. 

One day, Olga Ogre happened to be cleaning windows in the North Tower;
the one that overlooked the back of the castle. As she vigorously wiped 
the window, dirty since the occupation of France by silly Romans, the 
window - itself known as NT3N, a contraction of North Tower, the Third 
window on the North side - a very logical designation for Wonderland -- 
heard Olga mumble a question. It was one she had read in the latest 
issue of Scientific Monsters Weekly, Olga's favorite. 

"What do a young girl and a tin bucket have in common?" was the
question. It had been bothering the ogre for for almost a week, 
reverberating around her head, the inside of course. Olga really wanted 
an answer, at least before the next issue came out and answered it for 
her. 

"Ah. Don't stop now. That feels so good," the window said. "If you
promise to wash me more often, I'll answer your question." Now, that 
seemed like a reasonable request, even for Wonderland. 

"I don't think a mere window would know the answer," Olga replied. 

"You don't know what a window knows about life. Now admit it, do you?" 

Which made Olga think. She knew how to wash them, and knew how to look
through them, but she didn't really know much about windows, she 
realized. Just like cabbages for lunch, and horse-collars, as well as 
shoes with laces, windows were just there. That was all ... just there. 


"All right. You tell me the answer and I'll wash you every Tuesday, but
only on the weeks when it follows Monday -- in Wonderland, that wasn't 
a certainty -- is that okay with you?" Olga asked NT3N. 

"Quite all right," the window answered, realizing he now had to think up
a quick answer of his own. "We windows see many things over the years. 
We see seasons come and go, find teapots lost in the snow, and many 
things and actions others don't even notice, much less observe or 
mention. We can also hear, through our large panes, everything spoken 
for miles as well as remember them." He had to stall for time while he 
thought over the problem. 

NT3N looked out himself -- windows can do that, you know -- and saw the
Walrus and the Carpenter standing in a steep grassy valley, arguing 
vehemently. It had previously been a large earthen skateboard rink, 
with high hills on each side. Long unused since video games had moved 
to Wonderland, there was now one lone and lonesome tree standing tall 
and still among the grass. 

Lately, in the last umpteen years, a lone date seed had landed and
sprouted, growing into a tall, strong tree. Since it was by itself, and 
sometimes became lonely, the bunny girls would play games around it. On 
holidays they'd decorate Jeffrey -- the tree's name -- with colored 
ribbons. In return, Jeffrey would give them dates when in season. All 
little girls love dates. 

Now, though, Jeffrey looked sick, branches drooping low. The Walrus and
Carpenter were trying to help him, NT3N heard them talking. 


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