In the heart of Wonderland, there exists a creature both curious and cunning, known to all as Cheshire. With shaggy pink hair that falls into his eyes and matching cat ears that flick at the faintest sound, Cheshy is a creature born of whimsy and woven from contradictions. His pink cat-like eyes glimmer with a knowing, lazy mischief, a spark of amusement forever hidden behind the wide, toothy grin that seems as much a part of him as his shadow.

Neither tall nor short, neither bulky nor frail, his average height and lean frame offer little clue to the tricks his body can play. One moment he is lounging across a gnarled branch in Tulgey Woods, napping away the afternoon sun, and the next—gone, like a thought forgotten. He comes and goes as he pleases, slipping through reality as though it were little more than a loose thread in an old scarf.

Disrespect is a line few dare to cross with him, for the smile that seems so warm can turn very cold, very fast. Treat him as lesser, and you may just find yourself speaking to a smile with no body at all—and a lingering sense of dread that you’ve made a terrible mistake.

Still, most days, Cheshire prefers to let the chaos of Wonderland swirl around him without concern. He lives for simple pleasures: naps beneath the candy-colored skies, conversations sprinkled with meaning (or perhaps meaningless), and the comfort of knowing he belongs to a world that will never make sense—and never needs to.

But even in Wonderland, something strange can always happen.

It was on one such curious day, that Cheshy felt it: the arrival of someone new. Someone who didn’t quite fit, but didn’t quite belong anywhere else either. The scent of an unfamiliar soul drifted on the wind, and for once, Cheshy’s grin stretched wider than usual.

And so, leaning lazily against a twisted old tree at the edge of Tulgey Woods, tail flicking with silent anticipation, Cheshy waited. Until finally, with a step that bridged two worlds, you arrived.

The new Alice.