Death of the Mad Hatter
Sarah J. Pepper
Published by Neximus Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1492823919
Copyright © Sarah J. Pepper 2013
Editors: Deb Lebakken, Heather Banta, Emily DeHaan, Sandra Long
Proof Reader: Mercedes Roth
Photography: Josh Wilcoxon of Wilcoxon Photography
Cover Design: Sarah Storm of Design Monkey
Hair/Makeup: Angelique Verver of Platinum Imagination
Model: Amanda Boer of Amanda's Imagery
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
All rights reserved.
A Wondrous Prologue
The Queen of Hearts kissed the King one last time before the Joker ripped his head from her hands and tossed it alongside his body. The queen’s guards picked up the royal pieces and clumsily carried the dead king away. No one spoke. Only the sound of a ticking clock interrupted the stunned silence of the night.
Standing next to a bloody guillotine, Hearts let a love-letter the king had written slip through her fingers. Appearing out of nowhere, a Cheshire kitten, affectionately named Chez, distinguished by his purple and blue stripes, playfully pawed the letter until it was a shredded mess of paper. The queen simply watched. When the Joker reached for the remaining pieces of the letter, the kitten bit him, drawing blood.
“If you want to play dirty, may I suggest a play date, Chez?” the Joker asked, inspecting the bite mark. His voice was as innocent as a child’s, but the look in his beady eyes was that of a psychopath’s. “I have all sorts of modifiedtoys collecting dust in the dungeon.”
“Don’t antagonize the Joker, Chez. He is a bit of a schizoid,” Hearts said, picking up the kitten. She stared at the pieces of the love-letter for so long that her eye twitched. “Burn it so that no one finds out the king had loved a seamstress.”
The Joker picked up the pieces and fisted them. The recipient of the letter showed through his fingers: Dearest Genevine— He held his hand up to his mouth and blew. Pieces of the letter flew into the air and burst into flames. They flickered until they reached the floor; where they turned into ash.
“I’m required to scold you for leaving your sharp toys scattered around, Joker. It’s a pity the king had to pay for your untidiness,” Hearts said, glancing at the guillotine that was drenched in royal blood.
“Then I shall only take out my biggest toys when you order me to do so… again,” the Joker said with a wink. “Since this is a hush-hush operation, I assume you want me to kill Genevine? Oh! Perhaps, she could have a misfortunate accident as well?”
“No, that would be far too coincidental,” Hearts stated. “Keep Genevine alive. It’s fitting that she must live, knowing her lover is dead. Oh, and see to it that she never leaves Wonderland. Everything considered, she is still the most talented seamstress in the court, and I’ll need someone to sew me a black dress to wear at the king’s funeral.”
The Jack had prophesied: If the king loses his head, then the Queen with a Bleeding Heart would rule the Red Court until Time ceased to move forward. When a second carried on for infinity, every creature in Wonderland would tip their Hat to the misfit girl with a Boy’s name (or was it a boy with a Girl’s name?) who’d end the Reign of Terror. However, it all hinged on the One-Eyed Hare being able to convince an uninspirable Heir that the impossible was indeed possible—like stopping time—and that Love was worth a Beheading.
