Alice in Downland

By Paul Broatch

Alice lives a life of luxury and privilege in her family’s home in the sky oblivious to the poverty and danger below her feet. When Alice falls down a gravity lift and ends up in a dangerous virtual reality fantasy game she is forced to confront the truth and needs the help of a bullied young boy just to survive.

A dystopian science fiction retelling of the classic Alice in Wonderland.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul Broatch
• Release date: Jun 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215845042

Paul Broatch

Paul Broatch has had a lifelong fascination with technology and hard science fiction books. He wrote his first novel The Worlds Within in 2014. He started the Red and While Trilogy in 2015 with the City of Lights and The Demon's Hand. He has also written two novellas Running the Rift in 2016 and Little Girl Lost.

Book preview

Paul Broatch

Alice in Downland

Also by Paul Broatch

White: City of Lights (Book 1, Red and White Series)

Red: The Demon’s Hand (Book 2, Red and White Series)

The Worlds Within

Running the Rift

Little Girl Lost

This is a work of fiction. Characters, institutions and organisations mentioned in this novel are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously without any intent to describe actual conduct.

Book Copyright Paul Broatch 2023

Cover Photo by Diane Picchiottino on Upsplash

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. Paul Broatch asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite e-book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Published by Paul Broatch at Smashwords

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Party

Chapter 2 A curious creature

Chapter 3 A fall

Chapter 4 Into the rabbit hole

Chapter 5 The door to Wonderland

Chapter 6 Escape

Chapter 7 Through the tunnels

Chapter 8 A strange meeting

Chapter 9 A race

Chapter 10 The duchess

Chapter 11 A curious tea party

Chapter 12 A trial and a game of croquet

Chapter 13 Jabberwocky

Chapter 14 The real world

Chapter 15 Where is Alice

Chapter 16 Lorena

Chapter 17 Rescue

Chapter 18 A curious tale

Chapter 19 Solutions

Other books by Paul Broatch

Chapter 1

The Party

Alice stared out of her bedroom window, the tips of her fingers resting lightly on the glass. Below her, the other towers of Carlisle-Roma City pierced the roiling cloud cover like dark icebergs of glass and steel floating in a swirling sea of white. Early morning light coloured the sky above her a pale clear blue and the crystal-clear air allowed her to see almost to forever. She pulled the blankets up around her neck and snuggled in, reluctant to move from the warmth and comfort of her bed. ‘If only I could stop time and this moment could last forever,’ she thought whimsically.

There was a firm but polite knock at the door and her maid entered carrying an ornate silver tray. Steam rose from a bowl of hot creamy porridge. She could smell toast and marmalade and hot chocolate. Her stomach rumbled in response.

Morning Miss, Rosie said with a cheerful smile. She put a bamboo wooden tray table over Alice’s knees and placed the tray on the table. A big day today; the party, she added unnecessarily, handing Alice a spoon.

As if Alice could have forgotten even if she’d tried. It had been the sole topic of conversation for weeks. Today was the day that her older sister Elizabeth, made her formal debut - her debutante’s party. Lizzie would be presented to the other leading families of the city. Alice struggled to see the point. They already knew her. Alice had desperately struggled to keep her eyes open through endless planning discussions, dress fittings, jewellery modelling and lessons in make-up, dancing, and etiquette. It had been tortuous.

Her sister on the other hand could barely contain her excitement, taking it all in with rapt attention and, in response to Alice’s yawns and eye rolling, had gushed time and time again, In another five years it’ll be your turn and you can start looking for a handsome young man to fall in love with. She’d thrown her head back, the back of her hand pressed to her forehead in a mock swoon.

Alice had just groaned and made retching noises. She could think of nothing worse.

Rosie broke into her reverie, Come on, Miss, eat up. Don’t forget your vitamins. Alice swallowed the little red pill by her glass.

You’ll need all your strength tonight for dancing and partying. Rosie was positively buzzing. She did a little pirouette and curtsy holding out the edges of her skirt with her hands.

Maybe I could catch food poisoning and I’d have to stay in bed? Alice said, pouring syrup on her porridge and tucking into the sweet sticky breakfast.

Oh Miss, don’t be like that. This is your sister’s big moment.

Alice just scowled at her.

I’ll bring out some clothes for the day and hang your party dress ready for later. Your mother has chosen the blue and white frilly one with the full skirt. You will wear the white gloves with the white stockings and shoes. We’ll do your hair and makeup later. You’ll be stunning.

Thanks Rosie, Alice said dejectedly.

Rosie came to sit on the bed next to her. It’s only one night. You need to be on your best behaviour and not show up your sister. This means a lot to her. She put an arm around Alice and gave her a conspiratorial wink, After a while you can probably slip away and read a book.

Alice smiled at that.

With a little meow a white fluffy cat stuck its head through the doorway and looked around. Deciding the coast was clear it curled around the doorframe, trotted across the floor, and leapt up onto the bed.

Hey Dinah, Alice said, giving the cat a rub behind the ears. Been out catching mice, have you? The cat rubbed the side of its face along her hand.

Off the bed you! Rosie picked up the cat and placed it on the floor. I don’t want cat hair all over the blankets. The cat looked contemptuously back at Rosie for a moment and scampered out of the room.

Alice finished her breakfast and then went back to staring out of the window. If she squinted, she could just make out the central tower of Kasey City in the distance reaching out of the clouds like an upturned hand with its four tall spires. She thought it looked like the tower of Mordor from her books. She imagined the all-seeing Eye of Sauron gazing back at her, watching her every move. Her own gaze drew back. Somewhere under the layer of cloud lurked a forested green space between the two cities. Her own City was circular. A single continuous building twenty-five kilometres across the diameter at the podium level. Six towers were evenly spaced around the edge of the circle. In the centre a massive central tower, a third taller than the others, dominated the City. The tip of this tower formed her home.

Below her the clouds swirled and churned in the vortices in the breeze created by the towers. On some special mornings, the clouds scaled the side of the central tower up to her house allowing her to gaze into the murky depths of that nebulous sea imagining the miraculous beasts that might roam the layers of cloud, a rare and exciting event. Today, the clouds had fallen well short in their ascent, they were still some forty or fifty floors below her. As she watched the cloud cover parted for the briefest of moments and she glimpsed the darkness below. She knew that five kilometres below, shrouded by the clouds, was the base of the tower and that people lived down there in the gloom and damp. ‘Perhaps one day I’ll see it for myself,’ she thought. It didn’t seem likely though. The family rarely left the security of the house, and on the odd occasions they did, they flew across to the top of another tower to visit family