Alicematic in Wonderland

Episode 1: Chasing the Numeric Rabbit

Alice was yawning over her desk during a tedious afternoon math class. On the blackboard, "1 + 1 = ?" was written. "I already know that," Alice thought, spinning her pencil around and staring out the window. Right then, something hopped across her notebook. Looking closely, it was a tiny white rabbit—but no ordinary rabbit. Its body patterns were entirely woven out of numbers! Its ears read "3" and "7", its tail was a "0", and upon its chest, instead of a golden pocket watch, a swirling mathematical formula gleamed brightly. "Oh dear! The Multiplication Parliament is about to begin!" With those words, the rabbit dove headfirst into a tiny hole that had opened at the very edge of her notebook. "Wait!" Alice stood up without thinking and peered into the notebook. Instantly, a dazzling light poured from the hole, enveloping her entirely. Float— Before she knew it, Alice was drifting slowly down through the sky. All around her, numbers and symbols floated weightlessly. "1", "2", "3"... "+", "−", "×", "÷"... They twirled about her like a swarm of mathematical butterflies. At last, Alice landed softly upon a lush meadow of grass shaped like digits. Looking up, massive clouds of complex equations drifted across the sky, and in the distance, she could spot the "Forest of Square Roots." "Where... am I?" Just then, the numeric rabbit reappeared. "Welcome to Alicematic Land! But there’s no time to dawdle. The Multiplication Parliament is starting!" "The Multiplication Parliament?" "That’s right! From the 1-times table to the 9-times table, everyone gathers to legislate the 'Correct Answers’!" Alice’s eyes sparkled. "That sounds wonderful! I want to go too!" "Then follow me!" The rabbit gave a high hop and dashed down a pathway made of numerals. Alice held onto her skirt and ran closely behind him. Along both sides of the path, blossoms of addition bloomed, and butterflies of subtraction fluttered through the air. Whenever a "+" petal caught the wind, it gently brushed against Alice’s cheek. Soon, a grand gate came into view in the distance. Emblazoned across the arch in shimmering golden letters were the words: "THE MULTIPLICATION PARLIAMENT — ENTRANCE" With her heart thumping excitedly, Alice stepped through the gateway. — To be continued in Episode 2: "The Multiplication Parliament and the Mad Hatter of Logic."