Reflections Chap 2

The Girl and the Hatter.

As she walked a clearing came into view, and in the middle stood a long table with many place settings. Checkered and striped teapots and teacups sat at each place along with the usual compliment of spoons and butter knives. Though way more teapots then needed it seemed. Chinese lanterns hung above the table, strung on the trees as if a party was just about to begin. But the table was covered with dust and the tea had gone dry. A party that had long since been forgotten by its own guests.

Funny, one of her friends always talked about the time... all the time. But this place seemed to lose the battle against time. Walking around the long table once, she sat in a seat as a puff of dust jetted out from the cushion. It was funny again, all those seats used to be taken before. It was so quiet... so dead. Poking one of the fancy cups on the table, Alice fixed her cold green eyes on the emptiness of the frozen moment.

A slight sound wafted in the air, like someone breathing. Usually it would be the Dormouse asleep in a teacup or sugar bowl. But this time the sound came from someone at the far end, sitting in a huge leather chair with his feet up on the table. A long stovepipe top hat sat on his head over his eyes as the man snoozed, his hands entwined over his chest. His form coated in a fine layer of dust as cobwebs laced across his feet to the table.

The young woman placed the cup onto the table again, then glared at the way the man appeared. Was he there from the beginning or did he just appear from nowhere? Now they were sitting on the opposite sides of the long table.  Alice was eyeing the man from the distance with her usual calm. She remained silent, listening to the man's breathing.

The Cat reappeared next to her sitting on the table as it turned towards him. It shook its head and padded carefully over each teacup and not upsetting a one until it reached the far end. The grinning feline sat down at the man’s feet and stared at him like his very presence should be enough to wake anyone. When he found it wasn’t working the Cat let out a sigh of a purr and nudged his shoe with a paw.

The figure under the large hat mumbled as an eye opened just barley looking at the cat.."...Away mangy feline...I’m out of tea.." The Mad Hatter muttered in a tired voice before falling back asleep. Alice wasn't in a mood to give any visible reactions, but wait?  Was the Hatter getting old or was he really ignoring her?

"It's a pity I didn't bring my blade." Words came out coldly. Was it a joke... or not? The world would never learn that secret. "So your endless tea-party is finally over?" She wasn't even blinking as the man’s breathing stopped abruptly.

A hand came up to the brim of the large hat as he pushed it back a little with his thumb. A set of yellow eyes surrounded in black opened and stared at her. The man was dressed in black pants and a black vest with a torn white shirt sticking out along the edges. A huge obnoxious purple bow tie was around his neck. His shoes were leather though they had lost their shine long ago and white spats covered the edges. The hat was black and white checkered and had strange runes stitched into every other square of the fabric. It had a slight crease about half way up making the end lean forward ever so slightly. His face had a sickening green tint to it.  "...Alice?" His spatted feet slipped off the table landing in front of him. His expression, a mixture of shock and recognition. "So...You did come back...?" The madman said as Alice poked the empty teacup once more and fixed her huge green eyes on the yellow ones. Her make-up was so messed up that looked like she was crying black tears as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I was never able to take a sip from your tea after all." She almost whispered. "This doesn't change anything." Her hands were slowly placed on the table. "Did you finally lose to time?" She said as the Hatter couldn’t help but smile as he sat back in his chair.

"It would seem so." He leaned forward picking up a tea pot as the cobwebs broke and waved in the breeze. The large metal rusted gear still embedded in his back clanked forward a few times. It made a sharp ticking sound like an overgrown pocket watch.  "You did save Wonderland. But then you left us again." The teapot in his hand slowly cracked and crumbled into brittle shards onto the table the moment he held it over his cup. The color was faded as if the object was decades old, and the broken ceramic looked weathered and porous. But his teapots and cups were always new and shiny, so why were these looking so poorly? The Hatter just sighed and retracted his hand as he looked back at the girl on the far end as she spoke.

"It’s not like I had too many choices." She said pushing away the teacup. The dark haired woman leant forward and reached for a dessert knife. There was nothing fresh on the table so there was no need for cutlery anyway. "I'd like to stay." She spoke silently. "But I need to go back again." Her aunt's life-lessons were there to behave her. But they never worked. "Aren't you thinking about offering me some tea?" Her voice came a bit rude, but her coldness masked it.

The Hatter smiled. He was far different from the short funny looking man she knew as a child. And very much different than the sadistic clockwork monster she fought to his apparent death. More like a mixture of the two. He was indeed revived, but still had the gears and greenish complexion. Perhaps some traces of her subconscious still have an impact on him. But it was his face that had changed the most. He looked younger now, though his true numeric age was unknown to her. It was as if he was aging in reverse since last they met. Dark blond hair covered his eyes as he grinned a set of buckteeth at her.  "I would, but I haven’t any. You see, my poor tea party hasn’t had any guests in a while..."

The twisted woman remembered the time she killed the Hatter once. The blood on her hands, the copper taste on her tongue. His head had exploded off of his shoulders in a shower of sparks. It was like she was living that scene over again. Strange, she didn't shiver or anything at the memory. It was maybe because of she was emotionally numb after all that had happened. She indeed noticed the change of the man's look. Wasn't he shorter before? Wasn't he older? ...Wasn't he less-good looking?  "You were quite impolite before. You are still, it seems." She muttered silently, scratching the table with the not-so-sharp-knife. "If it's really over, then why are you still here?"

The Hatter smirked again as he began to pull himself up. His gears made a grinding sound as he stood to his full height. He was taller than her and very thin.  "And you’re still as rude as ever.” He replied. “Always sitting down without being invited. But if you must know my dear. I was waiting. For you..."  

Words never surprised the gothic woman, but this time she gave away a sign of curiosity. It sounded like a joke. Raising both her eyebrows slightly Alice huffed and crossed her arms, the knife laying on the edge of the table.  "Oh really?" There was a cold tone in her voice. "Is there a certain reason for that?" Was the Hatter after something? The cat who had been listening let out a purr almost as if he was laughing.

"He has been waiting here ever since you left. Always watching always waiting always-hmpp!" A gloved hand closed over the cats grinning mouth.

"I can speak for myself. You toothy dust collector." The Hatter looked back at her and folded his arms. "I don’t care much for reason. It goes against the grain...but perhaps...I may of missed.." His voice trailed off as if he was trying to say something that was hard to admit as he softly cleared his throat.

"...Your big mouth.." He said and laughed in a mad giggle.

Alice's expression didn't change, but his laugh was so sudden that the dessert knife suddenly flew out of her hands. The small blade shone and mirrored the Wonderland’s sunshine, looking like an ice-jewel. Its journey ended, when the Mad Hatter's big over-sized hat was stabbed. Bull’s-Eye... "What are good friends for after all?" The left side of her lips quirked up in a twisted smile. Alice was still mentally unstable, no matter how hard her aunt worked.

The Hatter blinked placing a hand on his head and then glanced behind him, seeing his precious hat pinned to the chair like an insect in a glass display. One eye narrowed as he got a wicked grin looking back at her.  "Ah, I see you’ve been missing me." He chuckled at his own weak pun. "Tell Me Alice? Why after all you’ve done is Wonderland shriveling like a dead leaf in fall?" He said placing one hand on the table and leaned towards Alice. "Things not going well back home?"

Alice sighed and also leaned forward placing her elbows on the table, and slid both hands under her chin. Fixing her huge green eyes at Hatter's face Alice just stared back at him. He really had change a lot. "That place isn't my home." She sighed. "I'm always alone... Always feeling the cold." Her tone came out a bit sad. "Even a cemetery is livelier." And there was the Aunt Anna factor. "My aunt is the only living thing there and she's trying to behave me." Was Alice really in that bad of a condition?

The Hatter tilted his head. He knew things were bad when she stopped coming back. But this? It was almost as if she were back in the asylum where even Wonderland couldn’t find her. If she keeps this up he may never have tea again. And he would rather die first then let that happen. He just stood and stared at her as his gloved hand tapped side of his leg. "..Always alone..." He repeated under his breath for some reason. He was either agreeing with her or disagreeing or both, one can never tell with him. The cat’s ears perked up suddenly as he looked at Alice who was just staring up at Hatter's eyes, maybe she expected something from him... maybe not.

"Always..." She also repeated.

"I’m sorry to interrupt this riveting conversation. But I do believe the lady of the house is coming.." The Cheshire Cat said as he grinned even wider. "It would be a strange sight indeed if she found your bedroom vacant.."

With the cat's words, Alice stood up and climbed up onto the table. Walking towards the Hatter who was now eye level with her, she kicked the empty tea-cups out of her way before stopping right in front of him.  "Time to go." She whispered and stepped up onto the tall man, then landing on the soft green grass behind him. The Goth started to run to the exit at a good speed. The cat gave the Hatter a glance before jumping off the table himself and padding after her as she ran towards the portal mirror. A gust of wind blew up pulling the dry leaves off the trees as they followed her exit. The Hatter stared into space for a moment after she pounced off of his shoulder. When she left his eyes shifted to one side and a smile spread across his face.

"Indeed..."