Chapter I

It was at that time, that many things occurred at once. A crow that could have been misrecognized as a large black figure swept past Alice’s head. The sudden shock combined with the timing and near precision of her jump caused her heel to slip off the edge of the rock she was intending to land on.
Alice tumbled into the stream, bottom first, producing a fat, neat splash pluming out of the water as the rest of her body followed into the water.
“Oh, goodness, Alice! What have you done?” asked Julia, who jumped onto the shore besides the stream.
Alice, now drenched, stood up and wiped her clothes as best she could. Her new shoes had bravely survived the current of the stream without managing to fall off.
“Come, let me help you out,” Julia said. Alice stretched out her hand as Julia helped her onto the tiny dirt shore of the stream. “Your shoes Alice, your shoes are completely muddy and wet.”