The Hatter

Chapter 18

Johnny's POV

As I began to wake up everything was blurry. I was cold, and rather wet. As my vision became more clear it turned out that I was lying in the middle of the woods. The cold, leaf-covered ground was very moist and clammy. I began to sit up but my head was very sore. When I was sat up against a tum-tum tree I realised my hat had come off. I began to panic. Then there it was, casually floating in the sky.
"Missing something?" A low, raspy voice said, but there was no one to be seen. "Oh I'm sorry, I believe we haven't met," It said. all of a sudden I could see a moon like shape. As it turned I realised it wasn't a glowing moon, it was a purple cats pearly-whites. "I'm the Cheshire Cat, pleased to meet you." he was wearing my hat, and this angered me. He held out a small paw for me to shake so I did. Yes, I had lost my mind but not my manners. I then pouted like a three-year-old and looked at my hat. "Oh, apologies, I believe this is yours." He disappeared and popped up behind me, now holding my hat out infront of me. I snatched it out of his paw and triumphantly put it on my own head... where it belonged. "I understand your friend Michael has been sentenced to death, I'm sorry to hear that." that cat said in his low raspy voice. He was still smiling but it wasn't a happy smile. He never seemed to stop smiling. I hadn't heard this news. Once again the Cheshire Cat had vanished. In his place was an envelope. It read 'Mr Walker' on the front. I grabbed it from the air and hesitated to open it. "Well, go on then, open it!" The purple cat was sitting on my shoulder now and he made me jump when she spoke so suddenly in his low raspy voice. I turned it over and broke the wax seal on the back. As I cracked it open I noticed that there was a new stamp on it. It was a little mans head and shoulders so that when you broke it open it looked like he had been beheaded. The un-hardened red wax in the middle oozed out like the dripping blood from the poor mans neck. Inside was a letter in red writing. It read:-
"Dear Mr Walker,
You are invited to the execution of Mr M Williams on
07/07/1802 at sunrise. It will be a formal execution. May God Have Mercy On His Soul."
This sent shivers down my spine. Michael, my best friend, my only friend, executed?! It was already the end of the day. I turned round for comfort from the Cheshire Cat, but of course he was gone. It's just my luck I guess. I've never really had a true friend. I didn't sleep that night, I didn't want to go home. Michael wouldn't be there as he was currently in a jail cell. I sighed and stood up from the large tum-tum tree. I began to head to my friends execution, to say my goodbyes and be a shoulder to cry on for him. It was dark, cold and wet as I walked down the path, but I was just filled with anxiety and fear for my good friend, Michael.