It is impossible to all but a few to understand the Universe, the Multiverse or an Attraction. The phenomenon could transform reality at its core using highly complex rules of physics routed in multidimensional laws of physics. Everything about the rift, a passage between layers of the Multiverse or a change of scale between a quantum-sized world and larger human reality was scientific fallacy. Yet it really all made perfect scientific sense.

For the moment, the young pair ignored even the most basic understanding of science. It mattered not, to the person holding a loaded weapon there really has no need to know how gun powder worked. The young girl, after watching President Sanchez’s strange performance was now asleep. At first, her dreams were permeated with the story she saw in the digital reality. Adult drama seeped into borders of her childish and colorful dream world. Having cast away so many demons in her past, she quickly was able to return to her safe haven, a place called Wonderland. She know it existed, and because of who she was — it slowly did.

Sleep came naturally to Laurent’s daughter, even in troubled times. Adults kept reminding her how lucky she was. Each time she woke, she only vaguely remembered her visits into her strange dream world. Reading Alice before dozing off always brought her to a good and happy place and today was no exception.

Wonderland had its share of villains, by now they no longer scared Sophie. Her life experiences were, honestly much more stressful. Sophie, flying between planets at a fraction of the speed of light was sound asleep. The Light Drive had received small pulses of light and began to warm itself up and that was a problem to the Purple. The light bounced, created Zexs and ripped a hole in the fabric of the Multiverse.

Dreams had always been a mystery to scientists and theologians alike. Dogs, cats, and even horses slept, and at some point during sleep, the brain wandered as if tired of the solitude of the dark within itself. There really was a greater purpose to sleep and dream, it served as a bridge to reality and the immaterial world where souls exist. Library shelves were filled with different theories as to why dreams existed; none were correct. To understand this part of the Multiverse, one first needed to understand higher dimensional physics.

In a dream, everyone from the homeless to the king was equal. The paraplegic here danced and lost ones returned to life. Dreaming was for most a blessing, but for the depressed or sad, a curse. Dark dreams, nightmares as they often were called, were a different thing.

Sophie was sound asleep in the Airbus A2070. She had given way to her fatigue reading her favorite chapter. In her dream, she found herself sitting at the long table surrounded by the cast of fun characters. These creatures were her only friends and she loved the large pleaded skirt, it made sitting hard. In her dream, in this place, she wasn't the famous Sophie, she was Alice, a young girl entitled to be young and vulnerable. Here she was silky, threw tantrums and even cried.

Today, in Wonderland, something was amidst. The odd group was surrounded by a thick forest filled by hundreds of colorful birds oddly vocal. She offered her furry friends some of her chocolate chip cookies. She had been here, at this table, too many times to count. Since she left Earth, she tried to come here three times a day. A large purple cat popped-up in the chair next to her. The characters looked at each other, but no one spoke. This was Sophie's dream. They drank, ate and laughed for a while as a needed break from the mature content she had been forced to watch.

Then, to add to the delusion, a strange green portal of light, a rupture in space with uneven edges appeared above. It was strangely odd even in Wonderland — green was uncommon. Inside the portal could be seen the other side of a world and it was purple color.

"Yes?" quipped the rabbit.

A gentle firefly, gold and red with sparkling wings flew out into Sophie’s dream from the Purple. The little firefly was alive, it moved around the table inspecting in turn each creature one after the other.

"What is it?" asked the white furry creature to her left.

"I would say, I would say, who are you?" joked the giant caterpillar.

The flying creature reminded everyone of a fairy, immerse in light and leaving a streak behind as it moved. It did not seem hostile only inquisitive. The rabbit did what rabbits do, he swat at it, but thankfully missed. Sophie gave him those eyes and everyone laughed.

"You want tea?" asked the caterpillar sending large rings of smoke the way of the intruder.

The firefly stopped moving. "Where am I?" resounded a boy's innocent voice. It could speak. This was Malik, “I am from the Purple, where is this?”

"You are in Wonderland, do you work for the Queen?" asked Sophie playing her part. She caressed her sleeves and pointed to a frame of the Queen attached to a tree. She got up from her seat and saluted the visitor, pretending to remove an invisible hat.

"What, where is this?" questioned the boy. Malik could somehow see this world. It had new colors, and he could communicate. He knew he was in deep trouble. The Metil was not supposed to be here. Before Sophie could answer, the firefly began to vibrate. "Sorry," it said fearful, "I am so sorry." The insect left and flew back through the portal from which it came. Behind the creature, the rift stayed open but was it was closing.

"Alice, go after it!" This was Wonderland after all and Alice did those things.

"But the rift is too small. I cannot pass through it."

"Take the shrinking potion." The rabbit was correct. "It's in your pocket." As she drank from the tiny bottle, the rift moved closer to the ground expecting her to walk in. Within seconds, she was the size of a bug and was standing in front of the green light and looked into the Purple.

"Good luck," wished her friends as Sophie leaped into the unknown after the boy.

***

The girl expected many things, but where she landed was not one of them. This was no longer Wonderland and everything dreamy about it was gone. The world was formless; a simple diffuse purple. Here there were no trees, no ground, just the lilac color. In the distance were bordeaux colored patches, like island at the horizon of a blue sea. Her body was gone, but that was fine. She was used to playing computer games in which she had no body. Each time she visited her father, she was also formless.

Behind her was a tall black and green mirror, it remained open. Instinctively, she knew this was in the world of the firefly. Around her small pellets of green shiny metal entering this world and was flying out in every direction.

Then she saw it. Floating in the distance was the little creature. It reminded her of the thing she had seen a couple of times floating in space from her seat in the ship. That was odd. The firefly no longer had wings or even a form. Sophie felt like the firefly in the dark space, the firefly and this shiny ball were the same creature. Sensing her, it began to pulse, shiver and then tried slowly to move away.

"Wait!" called Sophie. It heard her. The creature began to flicker. It was moving erratically in every direction as it did back in Wonderland. "Wait!" Sophie repeated, this time with a milder tone but her voice was getting stronger. She felt the creature's thought it was in trouble; it wanted Sophie to go away. "Talk to me," she whispered. Her words came out even much stronger. The sound resonated so strongly, her voice sent shock waves in the purple in every direction pulsing away from her. The wave hit the creature before she could act. It knocked out some of the rocks forming it.

Malik cried out in pain.

Wounded, it stopped moving only to shiver. The creature was now barely pulsating; it was hurt.

"I am sorry. I am so sorry," it kept begging. Sophie felt awful, she had hurt it.

The girl was afraid to talk or even think. She looked away before talking, "Who are you? Is this Wonderland?"

This time her voice did not create the wave, there was no power. The small creature was alive but confused. "I don't know. Don't hurt me."

"What is your name, I am Alice. What are you doing in Wonderland?"

"My name is Malik. Don't kill me." The creature was afraid. "What is Wonderland?"

"We are in Wonderland," explained Sophie. He did not find the strength to contradict her. "I am really called Sophie, who are you?" Sophie felt more comfortable with her real name. The time for playing was over.

"Sophie?"

"Yes."

"The creature from the other side of the rift?" it asked.

"Yes, I suppose." In her back the portal was still open, it was still pouring the warm energy. By the word “rift”, clearly the creature meant the door.

"I am in so much trouble. I did not mean to spy on you. I am sorry. I must go. I forgot to report the rift!" It began to slide away. Sophie had no trouble moving in the purple space and was able to keep up with the Metil. "Please..." it implored. His words were touching.

"Who are you?" asked Sophie. "Quickly, I will grow bigger soon, the effect of the potion will wear off." Sophie was still partly asleep. She was referring to the temporary effects of her shrinking potion from Wonderland. The young Metil's confusion was total.

"Sophie, please return to your ship. The rift is temporary, it will close soon. You will be lost here in my world." Sophie somehow felt the creature's concern was legitimate. It feared for her well-being. "Please go back before it's too late!" it insisted.

Sophie started to wonder. Things were not normal. Something was off; this place was no Wonderland. "Can I just take the next door?"

"You cannot!" it exclaimed, "Please, please, please, I beg you." He was genuine. "I am already in so much trouble. I will be blamed for this."

"Do you serve the Queen?"

The quantum creature was confused. He knew of no royalty. The person from the other world had followed him and was talking nonsense. In a courageous move, the young Metil changed direction moving back toward the rift. He would sacrifice himself to guide her home. He was to blame. Sophie's mind followed in tow.

"I saw your memories. Your father, Laurent needs you. Return home!"

"He does," she admitted. This was no longer a fun dream, no one spoke this way normally. She did not like to be reminded of her father's condition. The wounded creature kept moving toward the rift. By some miracle, the Zexs shooting out of the portal kept pouring out but missing them.

Malik continued. "I am sorry. My creators are also extinguished. They are..." he picked the right word, “dead. I understand your pain. You must be with him; the one father."

The little creature seemed to struggle as it advanced against the pouring flow of light coming out of the rift. Sophie on the other hand was floating as an observer. As they got closer to the door, she began to distinguish shapes inside the rift. She saw the stars in her world against the darkness of space. This glass mirror was a door to her world.

"This is you, the one in gold. Can you please go back?" said Malik. Sophie did not see any gold. All she saw the Airbus floating in silent dark space.

He really needed her to go. She did what Alice would have done, and passed from the Purple into her world. She was falling asleep, within the dream.

"What is your name?" was her last words to the alien.

"Malik," he said from a distance. She had returned.

***

"Welcome back. Where were you?" asked the caterpillar.

"With a new friend," said the girl now wearing a purple color dress.

Sophie finished her dream peacefully.