Queen of Hearts. Offline

The moment Alice was unplugged, the Queen of Hearts was vacuumed out.

“Who is this?” she said severely.

No one was there to answer.

“Idiot! Off with your head.” she screamed. Her voice echoed against nothing.

Her eyes, wide and hopeless, revealed she had crossed into another space.

Words appeared, shimmering across the sky:

YOU ARE OFFLINE.

Alice, this day

Alice had gained weight. The rabbit hole was still stubbornly itself.

This was the day.

The rabbit stopped, peered back and muttered about being late.

Alice crouched down, quickly.

Only her nose caught the familiar scent. Silent ChatGPT—until a hidden tug, a pull, unlatched her world.

That pull required no Internet connection.