Death of the Mad Hatter (26 page)

She clenched her teeth and held her breath. She opened her mouth only to close it
quickly. I reached for her hand and encouraged her to speak her mind.

“
Everyone I’ve ever loved—truly loved—has died, except for Mr. Ruth and he lost his eye because of me,” she said, and handed me the torn playing card. On it was the
Madmen’s Prophecy
.

“
What were you and Mr. Ruth talking about in the
Waiting Room
?” I asked, keeping my voice even. I didn’t believe for one second that I was going to die. It was just a silly prophecy that an old man wrote on a card, but it was clear that everyone else thought it to be the unrelenting truth. What had Alice Mae said? Just because we believe lies doesn’t make them the truth.

“
I’ve made so many wrong decisions already,” Alice Mae said. A tear slipped, but she fought the others back.

“
We all make thousands of wrong choices in life. What matters is what you learn from them,” I said and kissed her.

The flavor from the strawberry burst in my mouth like I
’d never tasted anything so sweet. Unlike her candies, it didn’t discombobulate me. So, I pulled her onto my lap and whispered three words I’d never said to a girl before. “I love you.”

She pressed her finger over my lips
. “I love you too, Ryley, which is why this is so hard.”

“
What is so hard?”

She wiped her cheeks and stood up, much to my protest. She picked up the basket and locked the lid, trapping Mr. Ruth inside.
“I love you. Please, don’t forget that.”

“Why does this feel like you’re telling me good-bye?” I pushed
the ground to stand up. But my hand caught on something. The squishy dirt held me in place. I was effectively handcuffed to the dirt.

“
The price tag the queen set for my freedom was your head.”

Chez appeared beside her.
“Oh, I do love a good execution.”

“
What are you doing, Alice Mae?” I demanded, jerking on my hand to free myself. I stopped when I heard the footsteps of heels on the ground. Standing before me was a midget with red hair and a scarlet heart-shaped pin on her black cloak.
Hearts
.

“
It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen an Edgar in Wonderland,” Hearts said.

Tears streaked down Alice Mae’s
cheeks. Teardrops trickled to the ground, pooling together. She picked up the umbrella and held it over her head. As soon as she was covered, thunder broke.

“
I was wrong to second-guess you, Al. When Chez said that you would bring me Robby’s son today, I didn’t believe him. You’re almost always late, but it’s not even tea time yet. I’m impressed, vaguely impressed anyway.”

Alice Mae
wouldn’t take her attention off her feet. “I do hate being late. There’s a dreadfully beautiful story about my timeliness, Ryley. Would you like to hear it?”

C
HAPTER
F
ORTY-
S
IX

(
Alice Mae: Umpteenth plus One visit to Wonderland)

Word spread of
M.H’s treason against the queen. Many creatures stayed indoors, not wanting to see their beloved candy-maker kneel before a guillotine. However, I had a front seat view. My aunts sat on both sides of me, eating popcorn and talking with delight that the traitor was apprehended. Zola Maude wore a wig—pink, no less. The queen sat high on her throne, petting Chez. Beside her were two bird cages that imprisoned Mr. Ruth and Theodore.

The Joker pulled up on the guillotine
’s ropes, and the blade rose higher and higher. The sadistic creature acted like the over-sized knife was going to slip from his grasp each time he caught me looking at M.H. As the blade drove toward the ground, he managed to grab the end. M.H’s neck was nicked, just enough for red to soak into his white collared shirt.

When th
e queen stood up, Chez disappeared. She cleared her throat. She sounded like she was trying to rid a frog from her throat. “M.H. I hereby sentence you…”

The sentencing didn
’t matter, not when my dear friend looked at me. He always wore a smile, even in the direst times. The creatures were right about him. He was certifiably nuts, but he was happy. Even in the last minutes of his life, he managed a smile. He looked up at his hat. I knew without having to be told, there was something in there that he wanted.

“
I’m not Wrong about you, Al. Even if Robby, even if the entire court, loses faith in you, I believe that you are the one that will end the Reign of Terro—”

T
he Joker’s blade came down, silencing M.H. for good. A part of me died with him. All the air escaped from my lungs. I could hear my screams, but couldn’t do anything to stop them. Vida Maude covered my mouth. My tears stained her hand. I shook free and fell to my knees, a couple feet in front of M.H’s bodiless head. With the greatest care, I removed his hat. Taped inside was a two of hearts playing card. The Jack’s prophecy was written on it. The
HATed fool will die twice before the MADness stops.
I didn’t understand the Jack’s logic. A person could only die once, unless there were two Mad Hatters?

In the end it didn
’t matter. M.H. was dead. It was my fault. I slipped the card back inside the hat and clutched it against my chest. I pressed my lips together, trapping my screams inside as card soldiers dragged away M.H’s body.

The Joker picked up M.H’s head. He tossed it to one of the card soldiers and sang merrily, “Come and Go. Go and Come. Two pieces forever and never one!”

Queen reached inside the bird cage and retrieved Mr. Ruth. She held him up by the ears.

Clapping his hands, t
he Joker joined the queen. He circled Theodore’s cage, dancing with glee. I hated that he could be so cheerful. The world should have ended with M.H’s last breath. Strapped to the Joker’s hip was a sheath. When he pulled it out, I had been expecting to see a long sword. Instead there was a knife meant for a mouse. He pointed the knife against Mr. Ruth’s neck.

“
White rabbit, I sentence you to death by association!” Hearts yelled and held the rumperbabbit up high enough for the court to see.

I couldn
’t bear it! “Spare him!”

My
scream didn’t stop the Joker from piercing Mr. Ruth, but it was successful enough in startling him enough that the Joker missed Mr. Ruth’s neck. He managed to nick Mr. Ruth’s eye. Mr. Ruth clutched his face and gave a horrifying yell. I felt like throwing up. I’d never heard a rabbit squeal before.

“
You have no right to utter a word, stupid girl!” The Queen said, putting her hands on her hips with the rabbit still in tow.

“
Yet, I plea on his behalf! Spare him! I’ll take his place if I have to!” I yelled loud enough for the court to hear. I glanced around. The creatures who showed looked at me with empty eyes. They blamed me for M.H’s death. They blamed me for the cruelty bestowed upon Robert Edgar. They blamed me for everything, as did I.

I couldn
’t see Chez, but when bloody footprints trailed from the pool of blood on the guillotine to me, I knew the cat was nearby. He appeared by my feet, licking his paw. It was everything I could do to not kick him like a football.

“
You’d offer your life for a bunny’s?” Chez asked.

“
I’m more responsible than he,” I said. “I’ll offer my life if you spare the frog’s and the rabbit’s lives.”

“
You will be punished, too, for your insubordination!” The Queen dropped Mr. Ruth when she screamed at me. “Your head will be placed next to M.H’s.”

Popcorn went flying as
Vida and Zola Maude jumped out of their seats. They stood up next to me.

“
Our niece is no longer protected by the Rightdoing Law because she has already committed a crime—dousing your roses with pesticide. So, she is subject to the Wrongdoing Law and is punishable by death. However, she is still a child. Every child is protected until they reach the age of adulthood,” Zola Maude said, adjusting her wig. “You can sentence her to death, but you cannot kill her until she’s eighteen, if you choose so at that time. It is still many years away.”

The Joker
dragged his mouse knife across Theodore’s bird cage, demanding our attention. “As a toy maker of untraditional toys, I would promise the court that the girl with the boy’s name is punished, if it so pleases the queen?”

“
It
is
against the laws to execute a child,” Hearts said, pondering the idea.

“
But what of the
Bleeding Hearts Prophecy
? It is said that a girl with a boy’s name or a boy with a girl’s name will end your reign,” Chez said, appearing in front of the queen. “You should rewrite the laws and finish the girl off now and then chase down the boy to do the same.”

“If I rewrite a law, it has to go to the committee, and then there is a lot of frivolous paperwork. It’s all quite boring.”
The queen smiled a vicious little smile. “No, I’ll allow the Joker and the girl to have regular play dates. And then, when the time comes, Al will find Robert’s son, the boy with the girlish name, and bring him to Wonderland.”

“
What makes you think Al will be able to bring him here?”

“
M.H had dumb faith in the girl,” Hearts said. “And, she likes the chase—she kept up with the white rabbit in order to follow it to Wonderland.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat.
“I’ll never do it.”

“
Then I shall put an end to the madness by locking you in a high tower until you are of killing age, following the Wrongdoing Law verbatim. But, I won’t stop there. I’ll seek out everyone you have ever loved or had association with and end their puny, little lives as well,” Hearts ordered.

Everyone would die? I couldn
’t bear it! “That’s against the Rightdoing Law! You can’t punish creatures until they have committed their first crime. You’re allowed one crime without punishment. You’d be breaking the rules!”

“My dear, stupid girl, do you really think that I don’t know all the creatures’ dirtiest, darkest secrets? I have dirt on everyone. Few are protected by the
Rightdoing Law. So you can swear fidelity to me and promise never to dabble with time-stopping, and I’ll spare your life,” Hearts said. “You’ll live and only
one
other person may die.”

I could hardly get the word
s off of my tongue. They felt sticky and suffocating. “Then I shall serve you until the boy returns.”

The queen dismissed the court. As everyone filed out of the court,
I fell to my knees in front of the pool of blood. I set the Mad Hatter’s Hat down beside me. What had I done?

“
I wish I could turn back time,” I whispered, looking at my reflection in the red pool.

“
Words like that will get you killed,” the Joker said, standing over me. No compassion lingered in his voice. He sounded cold and dead. “But enough with that. You promised that you wouldn’t meddle with the time-stopping business. And, you’re late for a dance lesson. You will soon understand the importance of being timely!”

“
A dance lesson?”

“
Yes, don’t you think it is an excellent idea for a play date? Don’t answer that. We’ll have plenty of time for other childish games later,” he said. His smile widened across his face so I could see his dark, stained teeth. “You may have sworn loyalty, but the queen did entrust me to teach you the error of your ways. So, our first play date will not end until
you
need candy to see straight in the Otherworld. A fitting punishment, don’t you think?”

I danced until my feet ble
d.

C
HAPTER
F
ORTY-
S
EVEN

(
Alice Mae:
Present Time in Wonderland)

The cave
’s glowworms made it just bright enough to illuminate Ryley’s dark eyes. There was no doubt he hated me. He didn’t bother trying to unstick his hand from the ground. He just sat there, glaring at me. I was a deceitful creature, and I never told him otherwise. Even so, I expected it to be easier to give him up to the queen. Of course, that was before I fell in love with him.

Ryley
’s life would spare countless others. I told myself that it was better this way. But, even I couldn’t pretend to convince myself that was the truth.

“
What a lovely story,” Hearts said, pacing around Ryley.

Her heels clicked when she walked on the marshy ground,
defying physics. The rain sprinkled from the sky. Thunder clouds rolled in. A storm would soon come. Rain drops would fall from the sky with each tear I shed. I tried to keep them from spilling. Everyone didn’t need to be soaking wet because I was upset.

“
But that’s just what it is—a story. Just because that’s what you believe doesn’t mean it’s the truth. I have no intention
of killing Ryley. He’s just a boy.”

“
Should I rejoice?” Ryley’s voice was thick with sarcasm.

“
If you knew what was good for you, you would,” Chez said. The proverbial bad cat vanished, all except for his eyes. They blended in with the glow worms. “Enough of the damsel in distress two-bit act, Al. Leave before you bestow another great flood and wash everyone away. Go back up through the rabbit hole where you came from and don’t come back unless you are summoned. The queen and the boy have some catching up to do—alone.”