I am looking for Alice.

She's been on the run for a great long while, and subsequently has become much more difficult to find. I've heard that she's come to my city, so I'll be on the lookout.

The thing about her is that she ages a little more gracefully than you or I. When we hit forty or fifty or sixty, we look a little older than we did at eighteen. But Alice? If she's eaten her green vegetables and exercised properly, she should look about the same as she did way back when this photo was taken.



This is the only picture I have of her, and it's from ages ago. I hardly expect that she'll look the same now, but I know that if I dig deep enough into the city, I'll be able to spot her.

But first a bit of backstory.

Alice wasn't exactly a classy girl, back in the day. She got into more trouble than most people thought she was worth. Her clothing usually consisted of a tattered dress and old shoes. Sometimes she would accentuate it with a scarf, or earrings that she had obviously stolen. She had the sort of attitude that made you approach her and then back away, because you'd realized she was more than you could handle.

I expect she's changed a little, and perhaps mellowed over time. However, I don't expect her personality to have changed too drastically.

(The hunt begins: 2/15/2011)

---

I've found my Alice, after weeks of scouring every inch of this city. I saw her in my neighborhood the other day, and realized who she was.

Alice has changed her name to Allison, and I've known her since I was a child. She babysat me for years, though her hair and name have changed slightly over the years. She's replaced ratty dresses with tennis shoes and shorts, which makes sense, I suppose.


I photographed her when I saw her, and decided to strike up a conversation. It continued on, and we covered many subjects. She moved to Canada five years ago. She's now fluent in Portuguese. She hates the texture of mushrooms, and her favorite animals are tigers. She still has the biting personality of the girl I'd heard so much about.

Eventually I brought up the fact that she looked pretty good, for someone who happened to be well over eighty years old. She became quiet, and looked away in an almost embarrassed manner before denying any knowledge of what I had just said.

"No really, Allison. Alice. You know what I'm talking about. I know you do."

"I'm sorry, you must be confused, C. You've known me all your life, since we were both just kids!"

"...Right. You mean when you babysat for me? Your hair was brown then, and much shorter. You called yourself Patti."

"...Um. No. I mean when we made mud pies together under the magnolia tree and decided we would live together when we were fifty if we still hadn't gotten married. We were seven."

"Oh."


Alice refused to talk much more after that, though she did let me snap a picture. No matter who she's become next time I see her, I'll know her by the glint in her eye and my memory of her as another person.

(The hunt completed: 6/4/2011)