The Clockwork Heart

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Trial

"Is it wrong to tell a lie, Liddell?"

"I'm not sure. What do you think, Hatter?"

"I think it's alright if you're trying to help someone by telling that lie."

"That seems reasonable to me."

***

That night, the Cat went to the basement again.

However, she found that the password had changed.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

"Because they're both signs of ill omen."

"Haha! You got it wrong, brat." Then the door fell silent.

...What could the new password be? The Cheshire Cat tried to think of a new answer that would make sense for this riddle. But she didn't want to risk it, she didn't know what the door would do if she got it wrong too many times.

She looked around, secretly hoping that maybe the March Hare was still around to help her. Suddenly a figure emerged fromt the darkness, and put a hand on her shoulder.

The Cat let out a small scream, but she felt a hand clamp over her mouth.

"Oh, so it is you," said a young man's voice. "When the Dormouse told me there was an intruder, we weren't certain that it was you."

It took a few moments, but the Cat recognized the voice. That voice belonged to the Mock Turtle. She opened her eyes and tried to breath, despite the hand that was clamped over her face. Slowly, her pupils focused on the young man's face.

He had grey hair and a good-looking face. His eyes were grey as well, though they were slightly darker than his hair. His mouth was kind of strange--for a moment, he almost looked as though he were smiling; but that was just the natural shape of his mouth, and in fact he was just making a neutral expression.

"What do you think will happen if I kill you right now?" the Mock Turtle said as he tightened his grip.

The Cat struggled but he was surprisingly strong. The air got caught outside of her nostrils, and she felt like her body was burning. Was she going to die of suffocation, in this alley that almost no one knew about, killed by a man who she barely knew?

Suddenly the Mock Turtle laughed and released her. She collapsed onto her knees.

"Hey... you don't know the password, right? I can tell it to you, if you answer my question."

"......" the Cheshire Cat scrambled onto her feet and backed away. "What do you want to know?"

"The March Hare got you to look for the princess, right? Was she alive or dead? Tell me the truth."

"...She was alive."

"I want to hear the truth," the Turtle took a step forward.

"She was alive when I saw her."

The Turtle stared at the Cat for several minutes. At last he sighed and shook his head. "It's no use... but very well, then, I'll tell you the new password. A raven is like a writing desk because, both had been alive at some point."

Hearing his answer, the door swung open.

Gulping, the Cat followed him instead. (She kept a healthy distance between them.)