The Heart of Wonderland by Nicola R. White

Author:Nicola R. White
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Strange Roads Press
Published: 2020-04-18T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

“How do we find the Mad Hatter?” Alison asked. “Is he really as crazy as in the Alice stories?”

Maddox shrugged. “Depends on your definition of crazy. He’s definitely hard to talk to, always jumping from one topic to another. But if you catch him in the right mood, he’ll answer your questions. There’s a village back that way.” He jerked his head to indicate the direction he’d come from. “That’s where his shop is.”

“So he’s an actual hatter? That wasn’t just part of the stories?”

“Nope.” Maddox shook his head. “Although he prefers to be called a haberdasher.” He grinned again. “As far as I can tell, that’s a fancy way of saying hatter.”

“My father told me that hat makers in the old days used mercury in their work,” Alison offered. “Mercury poisoning caused them to shake and behave strangely. It was even called ‘mad hatter’s disease’.”

“Sounds about right,” Maddox agreed. “The Hatter doesn’t have the steadiest hands. If he invites us to tea, make sure you pour your own if you don’t want to end up with a teapot in your lap.”

“You sound like you speak from experience.”

Maddox gave her an exaggerated grimace. “Trust me on this one.”

Alison fell into step beside Maddox as he started walking across the field in the direction of the village.

“Aside from getting the Hatter to give us a straight answer, there’s one other problem with going to see him,” he said after a while.

“Why am I not surprised?” Alison sighed. “Is anything in Wonderland ever easy?” She held up a hand when Maddox started to answer. “Don’t say anything, I already know the answer. What’s the other problem with going to see the Hatter?”

Maddox pointed to a ribbon of water sparkling at the far end of the field. “That’s the problem.”

“A river?” Alison didn’t see what the big deal was.

“You can’t see it from here, but the village is in the shadow of the Red Queen’s castle. Her knights patrol the whole area regularly and they guard the bridge. The Queen is super paranoid about strangers normally, but lately she’s been even worse. Whatever was stolen from the castle, she’s been tearing Wonderland apart looking for it.”

“But if you’ve been to visit the Mad Hatter before, you must know a way past the guards,” Alison reasoned.

“I usually go upstream and cross the river, then double back and sneak into the village.” Maddox looked at Alison’s riding boots doubtfully. “The stepping stones I use to cross are pretty slippery, though. And no offense, but you’re kind of short. It’s a stretch for me to jump across and I’m not sure you’d make it.”

“Well, then, I guess we have to find another way to get past the guards.” Alison narrowed her eyes as she studied the river in the distance.

“You look like you’re getting an idea.” A slow smile spread across Maddox’s face as they drew close enough to see the bridge. “What do you have in mind?”

“I think I can use those carvings to climb under the bridge instead of going over it, like in bouldering.

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