Alice's Life in Wonderland

Chapter Nineteen - Joanne

Matthew Hatter roamed around the palace of the Queen of Hearts. It was boring, there was nothing to do, and let me repeat, NOTHING!

For these weeks, he woke up at six, as usual, and had morning tea with the Queen at the parlor. Then, he would roam around the gardens and admire beautiful flowers gardens he never visited before. Later, he would have lunch with the Queen and would retreat back to his chambers. Then, he grab a book or two and go to the library. There were also many rooms for him to discover. In the evenings, he would have dinner again with the Queen.

A few weeks ago, he sent a letter to his Alice, but nothing was heard from her. Not a word was spoken, not a sound, not a letter. His heart felt heavy and he usually went up to the tallest tower in the evenings, staring into the distance.

At the thought of this, he walked to the tower and climbed up. As he reached the top, he opened the door that lead outside. The wind rushed through his hair.

Through the weeks, summer had passed and autumn took

its place as the next season. The shades of greens in the braches turned to red with orange and yellow in between. The wind had also became stronger as time passed.

It was a cool afternoon day, and the sun hid behind the clouds. Hatter checked his watch, half past three. He turned towards the direction of his shop. Usually, this was the busiest time at business and lots of customers would have tea at the well-known shop.

But according to his observations for the last few weeks, no one went there. Not a single person was found walking by the shop, much less going in.

Hatter sighed, perhaps Alice really needed time to settle down. A lot of time.

At the same time, Alice was having tea with Melanie at her mansion. Melanie wanted Alice to feel better, so offered for her to come and spend time in Wonderland City with her, rather than crying and mourning over the loss all alone every day.

As time passed, Alice also got to meet some of Melanie's servants around the house.

One of those people, was a young girl not more than seven.

Her name was Joanne and always wore an honest smile across her face. Her dark hair flowed down her back till it almost reached the ground and wore a small kitchen maid's cap upon her tiny head.

"She is an orphan," said Melanie, as she introduced the two to each other.

"Nice to meet you, Joanne," smiled Alice.

"My pleasure, Miss Alice," said the child gleefully and shook her hand. "I've heard much about you."

One thing special about this little servant, which made her different from anybody else, was her ears.

Alice found it out one day when she followed the child to a stream in Fantasy Woods. That time, Joanne's cap fell into the stream. As she went to pick it up, her dark curls moved away and there appeared two pointed brown ears of a wolf's.

"My father is a werewolf," she explained, "and my mother a river spirit. I look exactly like her, except for my eyes and... ears. She had lovely emerald eyes, but mine are grey, like my father. I have a brother, a twin actually. He's more like Dad, and he's a werewolf too. But I'm not. My mother died while trying to protect my father from hunters, later he died as well. So my twin took my father's role as the keeper of the Howling Wolves. But every month as the moon turns round, he will turn into a... well, you understand, right? So I had to be around him so he won't be killed too."

Joanne always kept herself busy with work.

"Why?" asked Alice one day as she was tending the fire.

"It makes me happy and not bored."

Alice also liked to help around. Soon, despite their age difference, the two became fast friends.

"They are so much alike," whispered Melanie to herself. "Both quiet, and like to do work. But little Jo is just Jo and Alice... well, just Alice!"

Though having finally knowing who Hatter's first love was and getting to know a new friend, Alice still missed her Matthew terribly. Receiving his letter cheered her a bit, but it also crushed her heart to think of his disappearance.

So finally she decided to write to him too.

She took out a piece of paper, ink and pen and sat herself. Then she wrote.

She wrote of her all her joys and sadness, she wrote how much she missed him. She wrote about closing the shop, how she passed her days and evenings alone. She wrote about little Joanne, she wrote about Melanie.

Yet, she only wrote Melanie as the countess, for the Countess herself requested that.

"I wouldn't like him to know I am the countess," she said as Alice wrote on.

"Why?"

"Cause... I wouldn't like him to know I'm her and he and my husband had a terrible fight. I still remember every single scene clearly, it was terrible."

So Alice wrote on and on, finally finishing in an evening's time. She sealed her envelope.

Yet, there was still one problem.

How could she give the letter to Hatter?

Just at that moment, Joanne came to her help. She whistled and a dove appeared.

"How... why..."

"I am a nature spirit, not only a river spirit. That's my specialty," replied Joanne and she stroked the dove's feathers. "Go to the palace of the Queen of Hearts," she said to the dove. "To Matthew Hatter."