I went back to Kingsland Ward. That place is the most astonishing and miraculous reality I’ve ever visited. Before the show on Friday night, I couldn’t stop my hands shaking. The excitement was almost too much to bear. And as the night wore on, I found myself wishing that time would stop and I could just stay in that place, with those people, forever. Holding hands with Alice. Unable to look away from her hazel eyes in the mirror. The Hatter, fingers and curls aflutter. The antiseptic yet somehow unclean medical rooms. The Red Queen, terrible and dark, eyes burning into me. The White Queen, beautiful and decadent, cloying and sweet, with her flowers and her ruffles and strong arms around Alice. I wish I were still there — it’s like being in love with someone who lives far away, this experience. So rare, so treasured, so fleeting. A little of myself left there always.