Yesterday a friend asked if I wanted to take a spare ticket for a Wonderland-themed rave tonight. Costumes required. “Sure,” I said. I could use a little carnival in my life right now.

Tonight I spent an hour or so pulling together a garish outfit. Horns, rubber dragon mask, beads in my hair, belt with a big golden snake as the clasp. I bear no resemblance to any character in Alice, at all. My plan, if anyone calls me on this? Stare at them dumbfounded. “Did you not read the second book? Alice goes through the looking glass and gets stuck in a giant game of Snakes and Ladders, ruled by the Queen of Serpents? ‘Throw her to the vipers!’?”

Then when people protest that there’s a CHESS world behind the lookin glass, I go pale and mutter something about being SURE this was one of the planes with Snakes and Ladders...