LOOKING TROUGH THE KEYHOLE OF A PECULIAR FAMILY

Alice Liddell could stay facing the wall for hours. She didn't say anything, she was barely moving and she drooled every once in a while.

Her other big occupation during the day was to look through keyholes. Not that she could see anything trough any of them, but she persisted. And everytime she'd go out and see new keyholes she'd rushed to them with a "gwaa" of delight.

The Liddells thought it was sweet at first, but she was now twenty one and doing worse than ever.

On Sunday afternoon, around tea time, they invited Dr. Milton. It had rained over the day and, when the famous doctor came into the living room he dragged his muddy shoes onto the living room's carpet.

"Oh, don't worry, doctor. We have an excellent maid..."

But the professor could not care less about the tacky carpet. His eyes were on the woman in the blue dress, petting an imaginary cat on her laps.

"Jesus Christ, said Dr. Milton, she is completly gone".

Mrs. Liddell pretended she hadn't heard the remark. Mr. Liddel appeared a moment later.

"You're late ! YOU ARE LATE !" yelled Alice. And she kept on petting her invisible cat.

Liddel smiled at her and and came to the doctor.

They all sat down and Mrs. Liddel started :

"She used to be very normal, you see, when she was little...she loved school. She was very brillant..."

"Except for the mathematics." added Mr. Liddel.

"Please don't interrupt me all the time, John."

"I didn't. But you're exaggerating about her capacities in maths."

"You see doctor, always".

Dr. Milton looked annoyed by the parents.

"Anyways, said Mrs. Liddell, she used to be just fine. Quite charming actually. But then she, you know, started...changing. She kept running after things we could not see, talked to flowers and got into arguments with them, she'd throw her buttered toast in the air and pretend it was a bread fairy... and of course she has this thing wit keyholes."

"Am I the only doctor you've ever called ? Didn't you think she needed help a long time ago ?"

"We didn't want to admit she wasn't...all there. Is it too late to do anything, Doctor ?"

"YOU ARE LATE FOR THE TEA PARTY"

Everytime Alice hears the word "late" she...

"YOU ARE LATE FOR THE TEA PARTY WITH THE RABBIT AND THE CATERPILLLAR !"

"Right, said the doctor. Did she ever have a problem with rabbits and caterpillars ?"

Mrs Liddell looked at her husband and said:

"Well, turns out she was keeping a dead rabbit in her closet for some years."

"Oh."

"What can we do Doctor ? "

"Do you recall anything in particular that might have triggered this behaviour ? "

"Well...said, Mrs Liddell sobbing a little, there was this time with Charles Dogston..."