The Queen of Hearts Maze at Disneyland Paris
Dear Diary,
I was walking along with my loyal soldiers when I saw the sight that I never wanted to see. Some little thing was wandering about my garden. Oh and what is this.... three subjects faced down on the ground. I asked the thing (it was a little girl) what her name was and she simply stated that it was Alice. What a strange name... I decided to ask her what my subjects were doing and she claimed to have no mind in the matter. Who was she to say this!? My face got hot and I wanted her head to roll! My dear King cooled my temper and I moved on to see what the gardener subjects were doing. As it turns out, they were painting my flowers. My beautiful red roses were actually white! My face became hot yet again and I needed their heads off, no its ands or buts about it.
When I heard that their heads were off, I felt so much better. Then I wanted to play a round of croquette. I was even nice enough to invite this little Alice. I yelled at everyone to get to their places, and they did just as I was told... thankfully, or I would have had to take their heads off so prematurely. I played wonderfully, as usual! And I only had to chop off a few heads in the process. But then some idiot cat came along, and I did not appreciate him one bit. His floating head made my mind spin. At least I could hear Alice mumble something about my winning to the toothy creature... maybe I shall keep her around longer.
Anyways, it was taking way too long to behead the cat. I grew impatient and so I sort of told everyone that if it wasn't done soon, all would see the blade. But then Alice squeaked out that the cat belonged to my prisoner, the duchess. I decided to have some guards fetch her. She obviously needed to be questioned.
Author's Note: The story of Alice in Wonderland always fascinated me, and I have always loved the croquette scene due to the hedgehogs (used as the balls). The queen is the ultimate crazy person, and so I decided to write the story in her point of view. I saw it as a diary entry, as if she could show it to her therapist... which she obviously needs in order to get a handle on her anger issues!
Hi Megan,
ReplyDeleteThough I’ve never put the Queen of Hearts down as the sort of person who would keep a confessional diary, stranger things have happened — and, indeed, some very strange and reprehensible people throughout history have kept detailed diaries…
You do a great job of conveying the sort of unhinged and casual lunacy of the Queen of Hearts in your writing: there’s a cohearance of thought but it somehow always ends in beheading.
Best,
Alby
Megan,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this short story. I am usually very skeptical about them, but I feel like yours really works because of how it is a diary entry. I like how you give us a inside look into how the Queen of Hearts feels. In the movies and stories, we never really get to know her and I feel that we got to know her better throughout this diary entry. I do agree that she needs a therapist to figure out why she is always so mad and angry. Overall, I really loved the story and cannot wait to read more! Keep up the great work.
Megan,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your story. I think the strategy of writing a diary entry is really smart, because it gives you the opportunity to write however you want. Diaries don't have a script you need to stick to, so it gives you the opportunity to include a lot of things that you won't see in other stories. Great job!
Hey Megan!
ReplyDeleteI love when people take traditional stories and then tell them from a different perspective. An example of this is when Beowulf is told from Grendel’s perspective, which makes him much more empathetic (even though he’s the bad guy). While you’re not making the Queen a relatable character, I love hearing her thoughts on the matter when she discovers Alice wandering around her grounds! Great short story!
Andrew
Hi there, Megan!
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun take on the croquette scene of Alice in Wonderland! It's been quite awhile since I've seen the movie, but I obviously recall the craziness of the Queen of Hearts, so it was fun to read the scene from her perspective in her diary. Great job on your retelling, and good luck moving forward!