Rabbit and I stood on a small hill, looking down on our destination, the WonderLand Traditions Building. It was a large building, it's most notable exterior feature being the five domed roofs - one in the center, and four smaller ones around it, each one brilliantly reflecting the light.

The origin of this building remains mysterious, as WonderLand lacks both the materials and the skilled construction workers to have built it. Some of the elders of WonderLand have speculated that it has always been here, but no one really knows.

The structure itself sits in a most significant place. It is half in WonderLand, and half in the place once called Looking-glass Land, it united the two worlds. It took a couple of wars to get both worlds referred to as WonderLand, but that's a different story. The Mirrorwall began here, stood shimmering among the Mirror Mountains where it started, looming behind the WonderLand Traditions Building like some frozen tidal wave, while the Tulgey Woods shaded the valley in the foreground. It was a magnificent sight.

For these reasons, the beauty and strategic location and ancient mystery, the WonderLand Traditions Building was home to the Supreme Court - which was often at odds with at least one of the six Royal Courts; the WonderLand Parliament, the Vaults, the Library, the Trade Commission, and the Creation Center.

Rabbit smiles at me, proudly. '"Lovely spot isn't it?"

"As always Rabbit." I smile back.

He points to one of the domes, smiling "There! That's where you're headed. The Creation Center."

I stand on my tiptoes and peer at the dome his paw indicates. It's a smaller dome, and the only one without any visible windows.

" The others should be there by now. Come along." Rabbit started walking again, following the hilltops. We would have to go around the Tulgey Woods - like the Mirrorwall, Tulgey Woods were wonderful to look at from a safe distance, but not something you'd wish to get caught in. I hurried along after him, trying to keep pace while admiring the scenery.

Eventually, the grass gave way to first a worn dirt path, then a cobblestone one. I raised a hand to shade my eyes as we approached the structure; Rabbit used his ears for a similar purpose. But it was so bright. I stopped. It was too bright. All I could see was bright, shimmering silver light. With the occasional purple or yellow polka dots. I covered my eyes with my paws to try to stop the dizziness I felt.

"Dora..?" A paw shook my shoulder gently.

"Rabbit, how can you see in all this?! It's blinding!"

"It's supposed to be. You're looking at the building aren't you? Try looking at your feet."

I let Rabbit take one of my paws and lead me along while I looked at my feet. I felt like I was little again, when Rabbit had shown me this place that he worked at for the first time; he had carried me then, and the shade of his ears had been enough for both of us. Not that he really needed the shade.

Every WonderLander has a special power - Rabbits creators had given him his special power in his vision. I don't know if Rabbit can see the future, but I do know that he can choose how he sees. If he wants to watch the world in black and white, he can - if he decides to see in color, he can even choose which colors he sees. If he has a whim to envision things in infrared or ultraviolet or tinted blue, it's not a problem for him to do so.

We climbed some steps and reached the dusty shade of the porch that encircled the entire building. Rabbit let go of my paw and I looked up. Pillars that had not even been visible from the hill towered in the half-light, the many etchings upon them seemed to fill the air with an eerie tension. Candles burned by the doorway, scenting the air with a smell that was pleasant, but beyond memory. It was a quiet, cold place the porch. I was glad to leave it for the indoors.

Inside, there was no need for candles. The Mirrorwall provided continuous daylight through the large windows inside the dome roof, wonderfully illuminating the walls and floor.

The Six Royal Banners hung in a semicircle above the balcony of the second level, flapping with a slight breeze. One Banner for each of the four Courts of Cards - Spades, Hearts, Clubs, and Diamonds. The other two belonged to the Chess Royalty - one for the Empire of the Red King and Queen, one for the Empire of the White King and Queen.

Set into the floor tiles, was the only known map of WonderLand; positioned so that this place, the Traditions Building, was located in the exact center of the room. From the second level of this dome you could look down on it.

It was an old map, one could tell, for the Traditions Building, the Mirrorwall, Mirror Mountains, Tulgey Woods and the Chess Board were the only unnatural structures upon it. The names of the places were not upon the map in any language that WonderLanders still knew, the places were marked with etchings similar to those on the pillars of the porch.

I was so absorbed in the details of the floor map, that when a large foot appeared on a bit of it in front of me I jumped in surprise.

"Allo Gryfon!" Rabbit was saying, as paw shook talon.

"G'day Mate. Are we ready then?"

Rabbit nodded while I was still recovering from the surprise, and we walked together down one of the hallways.

It had been a while since I'd seen Gryfon. He stood taller than me now, when he was up on his hind legs anyway, and his wingspan had grown considerably. He almost looked like the now-retired warrior, Gryphon. Almost. Gryphon had the head, wings and taloned hands of a golden eagle, and from the chest to the tail had been African lion. Gyfon, a librarian rather than a warrior, had the head, wings and talons of a barn owl, and from the chest down was pure polar bear.

Despite his much gentler attitude, it was hard not to find Gryfon somewhat intimidating. I can half guess why Cheshire had selected him though - simply to meet the requirements. When any new creature is made, one of the creators must work somewhere in the Traditions Building, this is to help ensure loyalty and proper education.

The hallway ended at a door labeled "Creation Center". A number of etchings intermixed with quotes on the wall around the door. The largest of these quotes read "what is essential is invisible to the eyes". I decided it fit nicely. Rabbit, swelling with pride - his little Mouse had grown up so fast - said his farewells, wished us luck and after a hug departed from Gryfon and I. Gryfon tapped on the door, and we were admitted to the candle lit Creation Center by none other than the March Hare.

The next few weeks passed slowly. The creation process was quite tiring - for each attribute that March Hare, Gryfon and I agreed on, there were five others we could not come to terms with. We took a great many breaks, as the responsibility of our decisions weighed on us heavily.

During these I was able to explore the Traditions Building - often in search of Rabbit. He was not always around, but when he was we had long conversations about creation and it's consequences that taught me more about myself, Rabbit, and WonderLand than I had ever fathomed.

Occasionally Sheep, my other creator, would visit and we'd share similar conversations while she knitted away with an ever-increasing number of knitting needles. Last time I counted, she had sixteen sets of knitting needles, all busy and working, yet never finishing anything. There was only a small square of completed needlework. It never really grew to become socks or mittens, blankets or sweaters. It was a marvel, a paradox. It was what made Sheep an influential member of WonderLand.

When I was unable to find Rabbit or Sheep, I explored. I came to appreciate the eerie porch, the pillars and their etchings. I crossed the map floor many times, still in awe of it. Gryfon once gave me a tour of the massive library after which I could often be found browsing the shelves. Particularly the areas of fiction, poetry, psychology, history and mythology.

But, the most memorable experience by far is the one that impressed upon me the importance of what I was taking part in.

I had been wandering the main room, with the map floor, when I spotted Rabbit. He was near the door with a group of other creatures. I approached them and was greeted in the most formal way. Everyone had been addressing me formally lately, and everyone was so nice too. At first I had found this unusual, but accepted it as likely some tradition relating to the creation process.

This event caused me to doubt it.

The creatures with Rabbit who had so formally greeted me, were all royal. The Red Queen, The Knave of Spades, and The Knave of Diamonds. They seemed to be nervous, and my presence was not improving the situation.

Rabbit told me later that Nobody had announced his retirement and this was the group he'd chosen to create his replacement.

Nobody was a wildcard even by WonderLand standards. He was the oldest known WonderLand resident. Like the Traditions Building, Mirrorwall, Chess Board and Tulgey Woods; Nobody's origins were lost to mystery. He may have been the founder of WonderLand or perhaps the first creator of the WonderLanders - and here he was retiring. Three weeks after Cheshire Cat had. This disturbed me a great deal, as it did not seem to be a coincidence.

What bothered me more though, was that Nobody - whose replacement could not be created by anyone less than royalty - did not take priority. He was not more important to replace than Cheshire Cat. I had new ideas as to why Cat may have had such a famous grin...I’d always known Cheshire Cats duties to WonderLand were important, but never the exact degree of importance he carried.

When I asked Rabbit about this, he took me to the Parliament Vault to show me a scroll that recorded one of the earliest acts of the WonderLand Parliament. Passed even before WonderLand had even known about the Looking-glass Territory. The first and only unanimous vote from the WonderLand Parliament; yet one of the easiest scrolls to read I've ever seen. No silly margin notes or doodles or anything, it was really serious. And perfectly simple.

"XVII.WP.C...'And it is hence declared that none shall take priority over the Cheshirer of WonderLand in any matter, for without communication the dream and dreamer die together.'"

Overwhelming shock sunk in first as I realized that this now applied to me - I was the Cheshirer. I had trained under the Cat, and I was creating his replacement. And in the meantime, I was holding the Mirrorwall open.

The second bout of shock began as Rabbit pointed out that every single member of that ancient, oversized Parliament had signed the scroll. At first, I saw no names that I recognized. Closer examination however, soon found one.

Nobody had signed the scroll.