Toni Morrison's Alice: A Narrative Fiction

Alice always wanted to help people. During her childhood, contrary to the other little girls, she didn’t dream about being a princess, a mother or a ballet dancer. She wanted to be a spy, a firefighter, a doctor.
Many years later, her dream came true. She helped people by healing their minds and souls. She became a psychologist. She loved her job, finding it infinitely rewarding when her patients became able to overcome their trouble and sadness.
But as time went by, it became harder and harder to take distance with the pain some patients brought to her. Some of them went through so terrible grief; Alice was eventually unable to fix the harm which hunted them. These situations happened from time to time but deeply affected her. However, she

Her pale face and white skin gave the woman a cadaverous aspect and the light in her eyes seemed shut down.

“What happened to you?” finally asked Alice. “You should leave,” whispered the old lady, “otherwise, it will be too late.”
Alice leaned back in her chair, waiting for the woman to keep going.
“That’s what she said before to leave,” finally added the old lady.
“Who?” asked Alice.
The woman ignored the question.
“I did not listen to her but she was right.” said the old lady. “All my life I gave too much of my time to strangers and I forgot to care about myself in the end. If I had listened to her, I wouldn’t feel so terrible. I wouldn’t miss a life I wasted… I wouldn’t have to be here... again.”
Alice frowned. As the old lady was speaking, she had much trouble to follow her.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.” declared Alice. “What happened to you?” she asked again.
The old lady raised her head and stared at Alice with an insistent look.
“You should leave,” repeated the old lady, “otherwise, it will be too late.”

Alice always wanted to help people. But she never took time to care about herself. Until that day. The day she met herself from the