The Forgotten Wonderland

Chapter 6: What Happened Here?

Estelle

While I cling onto life to the hat, Suki looks a bit more relaxed than me. I look at her in fear, I hate heights. The mad Hatter keeps talking the gibberish we don't understand.

"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe,"

Suki and I both look at each other in confusion.

"All mimsy were the borogoves And the mome raths outgrabe."

Suki leans in to whisper to me.

"Can this baboon stop speaking in rhymes, he's been yapping the whole walk here and I don't understand shit."

"Me either.. I'll ask him."

With shaking arms I lean over the edge of the hat to whisper in his ear.

"What did you say?"

I didn't get an answer, only an angry look that sent a shiver down my spine. He looked forward again and continued. I looked at Suki and shrugged my shoulders.

"The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame. Jaws that bite and claws that catch! Beware the Jabberwock, my son! And the frumious Bandersnatch!"

Hatter stops in his tracks and grabs us both. He sets us down onto a small stump of a tree.

"Where are we?"

Suki questions. I look around and it looks like a burned village.

"What happened here?.."

I asked the Hatter.

"I was the White Queen's Hatter...I was a judge in the court... Before I went mad."

"What then?"

The Hatter looked around with a sad face.

"That is not a happy story..."

He told us of a story. A party was held here for the White Queen. The town's people, dancing and laughing. Music could be heard from everywhere. The White Queen perched on her fair white horse. With the Hatter next to her clapping and singing along with the children so eager to play. But little did they know that upon that day, the Jabberwocky would claw, bite, and slay. It breathed out its fiery flame, burning the town to the ground. All the children now statues of dust. The Hatter grabbed the queen and her horse and ran into the woods to protect her. He could still hear the screams of the others when he ran back to get them, but it was too late. This was the work of the Red Queen, the queen he ought to hate.

After the story we both look at the Hatter who knows had a tear drop on his face.

"Come come."

I tell him to bend down closer to me as I use a small piece of cloth to wipe it away.

"We'll do our best to slay the Jabberwocky...even if it costs us our lives.."

I tell the Hatter reassuringly, then I hear a familiar annoying voice yap besides me, oh wait it was just Suki.

"Excuse me? 'we'? 'us'? WHO SAYS IM SLAYING THAT THING. HAVE YOU SEEN HOW BIG IT WAS IN THE ORACULUM, NOW THINK OF IT IN REAL LIFE."