Elias

Elias had long since forgotten his childhood dreams of Wonderland, dismissing them as mere figments of his imagination. Now he was a grown man, on the threshold of a momentous event—his engagement to the girl who had always understood him. Since childhood, when his fantasies were laughed at, she alone had consoled him and drawn the White Rabbit's house together. Their tender love, born of friendship, now seemed the most lasting and real thing he had. On their engagement day, during the celebration in a luxurious garden, Elias was consumed with his happiness. He led his beloved in a waltz, preparing to propose. Everything around him spoke of the strength and correctness of his chosen path. But at the crucial moment, as he sank to one knee, he caught a glimpse of something impossible. A familiar figure in a blue waistcoat flashed by. It was the White Rabbit, the one anxiously checking his watch. The vision lasted only a moment, but it was enough. Elias's heart sank. He faced a painful choice. He could continue, recite the memorized words, and find lasting, earthly happiness with the woman he loved. But that would mean forever renouncing the part of himself that believed in miracles, and losing his only chance to return to the mysterious world that had called to him since childhood. The second road promised a return to Wonderland, but at the cost of betraying his family and his lady.