Hatter {H. Hook}

two

A door opened and a lock clicked. A chime sounded when the 'Rabbit Hole' opened. The nurses walked out with white carts they wheeled down the hall. Those carts held the resident's noon meals. 

They started from the front of the Ward and made their way down. The two ladies in white opened the small hatches in the glass and slid the trays in. The residents were greedy for their second meal of the day. However, Hollow was in the last room in the middle of the hall. She always struggled to wait for her three meals. When she couldn't wait any longer, she began to pound on the glass.

"Oh Ches, why does it take them so long? Ches, why am I always last? Ches, why, why do they give everyone else their lunch first? Why can't I get mine first and make everyone else wait?" The girl asked her friend.

"My dear, I haven't a clue as to why they make you wait, if I was serving the meals, you would be first to receive it every time," Cheshire responded to the girl, stumped just as much as her. She continued to tell her friend over and over about how she should be served first till the nurse rolled the cart up to her window. She unlocked the small hatch and slid Hollow's meal through it. The girl rushed to grab it, afraid that it would be taken away from her if she waited any longer.

She ate her meal while she shared a conversation with Cheshire. It was full of small and useless words, but she understood herself, and that's all that mattered. After lunch, the nurses collected the trays and wheeled the carts back down the hall and into the elevator. Another door opened, the lock clicked again, and the chime sounded again.

Hollow threw her hands to her head and held it as she muttered to herself. The repetitive sound of the doors and elevator scratched her brain. 

"Click, click, click, it's always creak, click, ding! Creak, click, ding! Argh, no, I can't hear it, I swear, Ches, if I hear it one more time, I'll-"

"My god, Hollow, we get it! Creak, click, ding, over and over we all hear it! Enough with it!" March Hare groaned, fed up with the girl's choice of words. The same used every day to describe the same things.

"March Hare, enough! You can't blame her for going mad!" The Queen scolded, tired of the March Hare's constant complaints.

The blonde put her back to the wall with her head in her hands and slid down in agonizing pain. "Cheshire, are you almost done thinking? Are you done yet? I need to know, Ches, I must. The creaking, the clicking, the ding, oh the ding. Cheshire, tell me."

"My dear, I am finished with my thinking. Are you ready for me to tell you all about it? My Hollow, you must listen closely and not say a word out loud, do you understand?" Her friend asked her. 

She nodded her head, "Yes, I can hear, I will listen to you, go on, tell me Ches." She encouraged him, excitement now ruled out the pain of the noise. 

"Okay, my dear, this is what's to be done..." he began.

~

The next several hours were quiet, or as quiet as it could get in 'Wonderland.' There was still plenty of banter and bicker between all of the residents. Alice and Dorothy fought about the White Rabbit and Oz. March Hare and the Queen of Hearts scolded Peter Pan about his 'dreams' and 'neverland.' And Pinocchio joined in all of the disagreements. However, Hollow remained to herself, more than usual. Normally she would provide her and Cheshire's opinions. But tonight, she discussed important matters quietly with him. She listened to him and whispered back. She heard the exact right things and became excited.

"Oh Ches I can't wait, you know I hate waiting. It's the one thing that I am not able to do, just waiting, waiting, waiting." She told him when he was done sharing his thoughts. 

"There are only hours left of waiting, my dear. Soon you are to do as you intend, whatever you enjoy, you will be able to do." His words brought her even more joy when she thought about them. It was difficult for her to picture much, so she pieced together what she could remember from so long ago. "Remember, my dear, that you must have patience, the rooms must be open for the opportunities to be available to you. Understand?"

"Yes, Ches, I understand. Patience is a mere pawn, I can get rid of it after, I can. Patience can be gone when I'm done, yes it can." She muttered to herself as she drew invisible shapes onto the white room's white walls with her finger. The girl drew invisible lines next to the real one, tally marks that lined one of the walls. They marked the days she's been in 'Wonderland.' The days she drew the marks varied on her mood. The days were unknown to her. Not too sure when her next crayon day would be, she continued this motion for a very long time and made too many invisible lines to count. 

~

The lights had been turned out for hours before Cheshire decided to make a small comment. He woke the troubled girl from her sleep.

"Hollow, my dear, happy birthday." He said to her, she could practically hear his smile. It caused her to grin.

"You remembered. You remember every time Ches, you do. Remembering is the best part, I can never remember, but you can, Ches, you can." She whispered quickly to him. She looked forward to waking up in a few hours to start her self-proclaimed, 'incredible day.'

"Now, back to sleep Hollow, you need your rest, rest is good for the mind, and for the day, sleep well, my dear." Cheshire soothed as Hollow closed her eyes. The teen fell into a deep sleep and dreamt till morning.