Alice was lounged against a tree trunk on an ordinary day, reading her favorite Emily Dickinson verses. However, a sudden hunger disrupted her focus; images of a hefty burger and a generous serving of fries infiltrated her mind. Alice's only priority was a perfectly grilled patty with melted American cheese and crispy lettuce encased between two buns. Alice examined her surroundings, plotting ways to reach the nearby diner, when suddenly, a mysterious glimmer caught her eye. As if guided by an invisible force, she gracefully set aside her book, pen, and paper on the grass and approached the mysterious figure. The figure was a blinding bright oval, floating five feet above the grass, unlike anything Alice had seen before. She stood there, dazed and confused, patiently waiting for an explanation. 

"What could this possibly be?" she wondered.

        Slowly raising her hand, she stared at the bright, mysterious oval, puzzled with thought. Impulse took over Alice, and within a split second, she punched one arm through the oval's surface. With her arm stretched out, her hand and forearm were nowhere to be seen; the mysterious figure had swallowed her arm whole. Curiosity spurred within Alice; she needed to know what lay behind it. With her arm still entrapped, she made a split decision and threw her body toward the bright oval. 

Sprawled across a patch of grass, Alice lifted her head, eyes tightly shut, too afraid to open them. 

"Did it work?" she wondered. 

       Hesitantly, Alice pried one eye open, turning her head promptly right and then left. From afar, she spotted her tree trunk and Emily Dickinson's book lying safely against the grass, just as she had left them. The familiar sight calmed her nerves. Alice opened her eyes wide, pushed herself back onto her feet, brushed off the grass on her lap, and then stretched her arms wide to inspect whether she was still intact. 

"Well, I guess nothing happened, or maybe this was all a dream, or perhaps my mind is playing tricks?" Alice said.

       Still starving and craving that delicious burger, Alice decided to go home for supper. With her head stretched down to the floor in defeat, she trotted over to her book and picked it up, placing it snugly between her arms. Suddenly, her head sprung up, her nose lifted high, sniffing the air. 

"That's it!" Alice said. 

     The scent of salty potatoes and meat pattys' plagued the air. The smell was all Alice had been craving; it was her dream come true. 

     Nothing could stop her; she followed the salty scent, determined to reach the pot of gold. Scurring aimlessly through the grass field, she attempted to navigate the trail of savory goods. Alice would walk in one direction, stop, and then walk in the opposite, unsure where to go. But eventually, Alice had walked far enough, and the smell grew heftier.

"It must be close by," she said at a standstill. 

    Hope stirred inside her as she spotted a subtle yellow light from a distance. Without hesitation, Alice picked up her legs and began to run, rapidly placing one foot in front of the other, practically throwing herself down the hill to reach this glorious sight. The light grew brighter, and the smell more pungent. Reaching the bottom of the hill, Alice came to a halt. In front of her stood two grand arches, glistening gold, shimmering in the light, connected to make the letter "M." Behind that lay a mustard yellow and bright red building that reads "McHatter Drive-Through." Alice's period of hunger was over; the mysterious figure had guided her to a utopia of burgers and fries. With excitement coursing through her veins, Alice hastened her steps toward the McHatters Drive-Through, unfazed by the absence of a vehicle. Alice's eagerness to indulge in the long-awaited burger and a generous portion of fries outweighed any concern.