Chapter 1: Down the Mermaid Pit

Alice was named after Alice the Second, who was her mother. Alice the Third was her grandmother, and Alice the Fourth was her great-grandmother, who died from bee stings.

Alice took her middle name and introduced herself as Marielle. She didn't want to be Alice the Fourth. Even so, Alice the Fourth was her great-grandmother, who gave birth to her grandmother Alice. Her grandmother gave birth to her mother, who then gave birth to her.

"There are too many Alices in this world," she said. Marielle was original. She was Marielle, and her daughter would be Marielle the Second. Marielle would give birth to Marielle the Third, and Marielle the Third would have a boy named Mark.

Marielle didn't have a sister. She often wondered what that would be like. Instead, she had a cat named Abe and a dog named Lochan. Lochan was a bullmastiff, and Abe was a British shorthair. The two didn't get along. "What's the point of having a cat like you?" she asked the shorthair as if it were a person. Abe didn't like that question and jumped off the backyard chair. "I guess she heard me," Marielle thought.

But alas, Lochan came to sit under her feet. "A dog is surely better," she said as she bent down to pet him. "And cats don't fetch the newspaper." She didn't even know why that was so important. Her mother, Alice the Second, kept an old newspaper, and that was how she found out about her great-grandmother, Alice the Fourth. Alice the Fourth lived in a very small house that could only fit three people. She sold honey and worked as a nurse at a small clinic.

That memory arose by the tiniest details. That memory arose by the tiniest details. detail. Suddenly, Abe leaped on Lochan and bit his ear. Lochan shook his body, but Abe wouldn't let go. Lochan growled and jumped up. Marielle watched, worried for her dog. Finally, Abe let go and ran to the back door. Her father, Weldon Liddell, had installed a pet door because Abe kept avoiding her litter box. She never used it. Lochan gave chase, broke through the little door, and barked madly at the cat. Marielle got up and petted Lochan's back to calm him down.

Lochan spat and kicked up dirt. He rushed at the door, slid through, and Marielle listened to the noise inside. Abe squealed, and Marielle finally took the courage to unlock the door. Abe was under the table. Lochan slid under the table, but Abe scurried away and hopped on the kitchen counter.

Lochan barked at the cat and bared his fangs. Abe couldn't get down, and then a miracle occurred. Marielle's mother, Alice the Second, opened the door after a long, busy day. Abe hissed at Lochan, leaped off the counter, and scurried to the open door. She slid past Alice the Second's feet, and as expected, Lochan nearly tripped her mother while running after Abe.

Alice Marielle Liddell, the fourth, ran after Lochan. It struck her that, though she disowned the name Alice, her mother was Alice the Second, and she pondered how such forgetfulness had happened. Near her house was a small, man-made lake. Abe panicked as Lochan ran so close that he nipped her tail. She jumped into the lake. "How dumb must she be?" Marielle cried.

Alice took her middle name and introduced herself as Marielle. She didn't want to be Alice the Fourth. Even so, Alice the Fourth was her great-grandmother, who gave birth to her grandmother Alice and her grandmother gave birth to her mother, who gave birth to her.

To that end, she said, there are too many Alices in this world. Marielle was original. She was Marielle and her daughter would be Marielle the second, and Marielle would give birth to Marielle the third and the third would have a boy named Mark.

Marielle didn't have a sister. Though she did wonder what that would be like, she had a cat named Abe and a dog named Lochan. Lochan was bullmastiff and Abe was a British Shorthair. The two didn't get along. "What is the point of having a cat like you?" she asked the shorthair as if she were a person. Abe didn't like that question and jumped off the backyard chair. "I guess she heard me," Alice thought. 

But alas, Lochan came to sit under her feet. "A dog is surely better." she bent down to pet him. "And cats don't get the newspaper." She didn't even know why that was so important. Her mother, Alice the Second, kept an old newspaper and that was how she found out about her great-grandmother, Alice the Fourth. Alice the fourth lived in a very small house that could only fit three people. She sold honey and worked as a nurse for a small clinic.

That she remembered from the smallest writing. Suddenly, Ade leaped on Lochan and bit his ear. Lochan shook his body but Abe wouldn't get off. Lochan growled and jumped up. Alice looked worried for her dog, Lochan. Abe finally got off and ran to the back door. Her father, Weldon Liddell, installed a pet door because Abe kept avoiding her litter box. She never used it. Soon, Lochan gave chase and broke open the little door. He barked madly at the cat. Alice got up and petted Lochan's back to clam down.

Lochan spit and picked up the dirt. He rushed at the door, slid through, and Alice listened to the noise inside. Abe squealed, and Alice finally took up the courage and unlocked the door. Abe was under the table, so Lochan slid under the table but Abe scurried away and hopped on the kitchen counter. 

Lochan barked at the cat and screamed, bearing it's fangs. Abe couldn't get down and then a miracle occurred. Alice's mother, Alice the second, opened the door after a long, busy day. Abe hissed at Lochan, leaped off the count and scurried to the open door. She slid past Alice the Second's feet and as expected, Lochan nearly tripped her mother, running after her. 

Alice Marielle Liddell, the fourth, ran after him. It came to her that, though she disowned the name Alice. Her mother was Alice, the third, and she pondered how such forgetfulness happened. Near her house. There was a small, man-made lake. Abe panicked as the dog ran so close that he nipped her tail. She jumped into the lake. "How dumb must she be!" she cried

She called Lochan, and he came running after panting. He looked at Alice; she petted his head and thought to dive in after Abe. But why would she dive to begin with?

Alice sucked in breath. She went to the lake and believed Abe would come to the top. She looked at it, and the water was dark. It was almost if the lake didn't have a bottom. "Abe!" she called. 

Could she be the first Alice to dive into the water to save her cat? She looked at Lochan. "Remember me as Marielle," and she dove into the lake. As she was under the water, she thought, and she couldn't open her mouth under water. How was she to find her cat?

"I can't dive below. I don't have a snorkel." And so Alice looked at the dark waters until little lights caught her eye. plop, plop, splash. Alice frowned at the rhythmic sounds of bubbles in her ear. "I am under water after all." She thought, "I'm such a wimp for being startled by some bubbles."

 She floated in the water, unbothered. As she floated silently, she saw a bubble, and it made that plop sound. "How amazing that I can hear underwear! One would think my ears would be full of water." Soon, a cloud of bubbles floated near her. They were all blue and round. "A bubble can't be anything but round," she thought and a cloud of shaped bubbles appeared. They were triangles, squares, and the shapes of stars. "What would Lochan do, seeing a square bubble?"

A vortex suddenly appeared. It was jarring, but Alice remained still. She wondered what could be in the vortex. Maybe more bubbles. But what came out was a tail! She understood that tails belonged to animals and sea animals were fish, but the star fish didn't have a tail. In fact, their limbs were called feet.

"What part of the starfish is hands if everything was feet?" It is a very astonishing question to ask. "If I stay underwater long enough, will I become a starfish or legfish?"

The tail in the vortex got bigger. It waved left and right, and then finally Alice saw the top half of the tail and it wasn't a fish. It was a headless woman. 

She waved her arms and floated in the water with her. Her body glowed like a rainbow, she, in fact, had scales of the rainbow. She swam closer to Alice and grabbed her with her giant hands. "What is happening?"

The mermaid took Alice in her hands. And Alice wondered: were her hands wet under water or dry? And the bubbles came back, slapping her in the face as they weren't through the vortex