Hatter and Family
Little Hatter loved his big brother; March would look after him, because he was five years older and their mom was not around. Though Hatter never met his mum, she died when he was a baby; his pa was always saying he reminded him of her. He normally said this in a sad way; Hatter thought it was because it made him sad to think about her. Their pa worked with the Queen, he was one of the first on the job, the job was called 'a harvester' Hatter really did not know what it was. His father didn't like to talk about work, though March would always pester him about it. March and his pa didn't get on so well these days, March tended to go off for days in the forest, he sometimes would bring back some meat with him. When he did this it normally meant that he was in a good mood.
It was Hatter 7th birthday and had never seen an oyster, he didn't even know what they looked like, March had found out where they could see them from some papers he found from their father's suitcase.
"Come on, Hatty!" Said March as he ran behind some bushes. Hatter was a few strides behind before he jumped behind the bush making the air fill with dust and dirt.
"Hatty, I told you if we are seen, ah, bad things will happen, aye." He said coughing and trying to wipe away the dust from the air.
"sorry." He said sideways glancing at him and leaning back against the old wall behind him.
"They will be coming from the left, over on the other side. See over there." March pointed to the corner right across from them.
"Have you seen them before, what do they look like?"
"I don't know, I have only heard rumors."
"Yaaa?" asked Hatter to elaborate, but March did not answer. Hatter took a deep breath as he looked down at the lower city. He wished he could live here one day. They lived on the out skirts of the city. It was nice but not the class of the city and the city was the only place for him to be a hat maker.
"O look here they come…" whispered March. Little Hatter quickly sat up and moved some of the branches out of his view. He was not sure if the oysters were behind the people.
"Can you see the green tattoos?" asked March leaning against the wall, not looking.
"ya." Said Hatter
"That means they are oysters, Hatty."
"What? They look just like us." This confused him, 'how could they be so different' and look the same?
"Well, that are not like us, ok. They are just vessels filled with shinny new pearls. You see that's were the new teas come from."
"Really how, Can they make teas from us?"
"No hatty." He said simply. Hatter continued to look at them until the last one entered the building.
"Where are they going?"
"To the next transport." He said getting up. "Come on lets get back. Pa's cooking up some of the meat I brought back."
"Yes!" Hatty said getting up, meat was becoming a scarce thing in wonderland now. "Will you take me with you the next time you go off?"
"Maybe, you are old enough now. But you can't get in my way." March said sternly.
ooOOooOOoo
*three years later
When Hatter was 10 he started his apprenticeship has a hat maker in the city. March was almost never home now and had changed a bit. He and Hatter did not see eye to eye on most things anymore. Hatter tried to stay away from him, he thought all that time alone hunting had altered March and it scared him.
One day when Hatter came home, he found his dad, taking one of the teas. He had never seen him do that, he always said that he did not want to pollute him self with the emotions of the oysters.
"You know you are just like you mother." He said almost crying.
"What's the matter?" Hatter was very concerned; his dad was always very quiet, never like this.
"It's all my fault, she tried to stop it, but…" he trailed off, taking a drop of some clear tea. This kept on happening now; it went on for months before Hatter asked what he was talking about, (he always spoke in riddles and enigmatic ways it became the way the family talked.)
It was a night March stopped by. When Hatter walked to the living room. He saw march hand pa a small vial, Hatter quickly hid, he did not want to see March.
"I don't know how you can take that stuff." Said March with contempt.
"Yes you do... Your mother was right and I was wrong"
"She got what she disserved. Going against the queen, not a very smart thing to do, Pa You better be careful of what you say, you know what can happen."
"How would you know about any of that?"
"I have been hunting." March said simply. "How's the hat making going Hatty?" he added making Hatter stiffen, he was sure he didn't make a sound, he slowly moved into view after a moments thought of acting like he still was not there, but he knew how good at finding animal's march was, Hatter said nothing as he stood up.
"Its not nice little Hatter to not answer, when asked." March said turning to face him. "No matter Hatty, I have to go anyway." March walked closer to him and the door. "You know you better be careful, with Pa losing it." He said in Hatter's ear as he passed and walked out the door.
It was an hour after March had left that Hatter said anything.
"What did he mean by 'She got what she disserved'?"
"I guess you are old enough to know, but please don't hate me for what I have done. All I wanted was to get away from my early life, on the streets, get us a house and position. I had lost my way but you mother, she was always so good of heart. But life was hard back then we were living in a flat with two other families… around the time you were born, the queen had announced a new royal job, and so I jumped on it. It seemed like a wonderful thing, getting to travel and good money. It was great in the beginning; I made money, so much so that I got to buy our own house. Your mom was very proud and liked having all the lovely things we always wanted, but then I started to tell her about what I was doing."
"What were you doing, what do you do? You never talk about it."
"There is a reason for that. When I did tell your mother, it well, disgusted her, witch I see now, but back then I was blinded by ambition, to see what I was apart of…
"Yes, but what is a harvester?" Hatter asked. He seemed to not want to say, like the words could not get out of his mouth.
"A harvester is someone that goes into the oyster's world and collect the oysters and bring them back to the casino, though I never delivered them, I always dropped them off at one of the transport locations." He stopped. A memory seemed to silence him, Hatter just sat there and waited for him to go on when he was ready. A few minutes passed before he continued.
" the more time I was in the oysters world the more I found them to be more than just things, they had music that filled the heart, food that satisfied more then hunger and art, they were free. In the beginning I hated them for all they had but now." He stared off again. Hatter thought a moment, he was still doing it, he was avoiding answering the question of why she got what she disserved. 'What could that mean?'
"Pa, what happened to mum?" Hatter asked slowly, as his father rolled the vial March had given him in his hand. Hatter continued to watch this as he spoke.
"She, She and a few others tried to stop a shipment, she had found out about one of our pick up points." He kept shifting and messing with the vial. "They were shouting that we were murderers and, um when we went to apprehend them, well some got away, but I knew them, your mother was one of the three that got away, we got the other two. But when we went to count the oysters, some were missing; she had gotten three of the oysters.
Then I was summonsed by the queen, and, and I was just so mad at her. I told the queen where she would be. I just didn't get why she would betray us like that. So the queen had their heads along with the oysters." He went to open the vial but Hatter put his hand on it to stop him.
"But you said that she died of sickness when I was a baby."
"Yes, Well I did not want you to know the shame of your mum going against the queen and being executed."
"Did March know?"
"Yes, I think so. I never came out and told him, but I think he might have overheard me raving about it. I think March might blame the oysters for her death, but it was really me, it was me…" little Hatter then moved his hand away from his fathers. He watched has his father promptly opened the vial and downed it all, then just leaned back with a silent distant smile.
ooOOooOOoo
*two years later
"Hey Hatty." March said startling hatter, he had not seen him for months now and he had never came to the work shop before.
"What are you doing here?" Hatter said slightly rushed and shaky, he had heard what March has been doing the last two years.
"Well it seems that Pa got his hands on some illegal teas." March said lightly
"What does that mean?"
"Hm, as he put it, it means he escaped." Hatter had feared this, but he was not sure, he had to have March say it.
"Is he dead?" March started to walk around the shop.
"Yes, he went out in a strange way, most try to go through the least amount of pain, but he, he heard about some of the black pearls, he made himself a cocktail of all the bad emotions along with his favorite." March said picking up some scissors and was cutting the air has he continued. "People reported such screams like they have never heard before coming from the old apartment (we use to live in)." March was saying all this with no sadness; he said it more like it was some juicy fun gossip.
"O you don't remember it do ya? The little innocent baby boy, you wouldn't know of such things." He finished putting the scissors down walking to the door. "Hatty, you better get your things from the house; the queen has taken hold of pa's assets." He said walking out, leaving Hatter devastated.
He just stood there looking at the hat he was making for his pa for an hour, until the hat master came back from trying to get some new clients from the tea dens, as it was in fashion to have a hat in the dens.
When he got back to the house 3 hours later little Hatter was shocked at how normal it looked and felt, he just slowly walked around before just stiffly sitting on the edge of a chair in the kitchen. He did not know how long he sat there but It seemed like he was about to die from old age when he decided to get up and put together his things. On his last round around the house he decided to have a look in his father's room. He had never been in his room before, it was a room that scared him, he did not know why, but now it was his last chance. It was just a normal room, with an unmade bed, and dresser and a few other things. He first made for the dresser to see what he might find. All he found was some socks with 8's on them. He looked through the rest of the drawers and found nothing of much interest.
He then went to the closet, it was filled with the different suits he had for work some winter coats and what he guessed was some oyster clothes. His old brown leather jacket was in there, he had not seen his father were in a long time. The hat he was making was based on this jacket, though it was too big for him, he took it off the hanger and put it on. He tried to put his hands in his pockets like his Pa use to do, but the sleeves were to long. As he was looking down at the length of the sleeves he saw a white box on the floor of the closet. He bent down to pick it up with his sleeve hands. He moved it to the bed and he knelt down on the floor and opened the box on the bed. There was a piece of paper on top. He picked it up and reed.
'Dear Little Hatter,
This was bound to happen, either the queen has killed me or my guilt has taken my mind. You are a brave boy for finding this box. In the box I have placed some goods that should keep you afloat for a while. I know I should have been brave and try to stop the queen like you mother, but I am not like you or her. You can make a difference my boy. Don't follow my foot steps or your brothers. Be strong like you mother.
With great love and shame your pa.
P.S. try to stay out of trouble, I have lived the life you are about to embark on, so I know what it can do to you.'
He had finished his father's hat, the two weeks after his death. It was the first one he made all by himself and was the only one he kept, that he made and never had it off his head for long. When he had grown into his father's jacket enough that it did not just fall of his shoulders this two was something he never had off for long, these became the things that people knew him by. Over the next few years Hatter lived in the old abandoned levels of the city, there were a lot like him, and more were being made from the queens increasing madness. Most were orphans like him; Hatter tried his best to take care of the younger ones when he could. He had made a lot of contacts from his work with the master hat maker and found he could get what he needed if he worked them right, the master would send him out to the dens and the like, but as he was making a name for himself, other people started to notice him too.
Every once and a while, now the 'Mad' March would stop by and try to get him to do things for the queen, but he always found a hyperbolic way out of it, Speaking in nonsense riddles like his farther had taught him and march, the queen seemed to give up on him. He thought that he was in the clear of the queen and mad March, since it had been almost 10 years since his last encounter with March, But just as he was getting a simple life put together, he found out that the queen sent March after him from one of his contacts. But Hatter was not just sitting on his ass these last few years. Through his many contacts he found a way to make apart of him stronger, it took many a year for the full process to be done. He had managed for the most part to keep it a secret, seeing how he never had need to use it.
He knew he could not hide from March, first hand, but he also knew that he loved to play with his prey before the kill. So hatter thought his best bet was to take him out first. He went about his life as normal, waiting for him to show up, but days went by, this surprised him, march normally came after his pray right away. It was almost two weeks from the hit notice with no sightings. The wait was driving him crazy, so he decided to go somewhere he only went once with his brother.
As he stepped off from the boat he borrowed from the top den owner, Mr. Delaware on to the banks of the Forest of Wabe. He could not help but think of the time March let him come, their pa was gone for a harvest. If their pa knew that Hatter was out hunting with March, he would have had a fit. All march brought was a knife. Hatter remembers asking as they left, 'don't we need rope or a gun, maybe?' all march said to this was 'that's only for those that don't know how to hunt.'
Hatter went over to the place that he and March first found the jabberwocky tracks. Hatter hadn't seen them but March told him all the things the jabberwocky was doing as they followed the tracks, March had taught him how to climb the tall trees. Witch Hatter thought was great fun.
Hatter started to wonder the woods listening to the hum of the bugs and some screeches of the animals. After about an hour he sat on a log, wondering if this was a good idea. He then leaned back lying on the ground with his legs hanging over the log. He laid there looking at the tree tops and listened for March's mad marching steps. He did not have to wait long. It was about a half hour he lay there twirling his hat, when he heard the steps he hated so much. He sat up to meet him.
"Hello, Hatty." March said walking up.
"Hello, Mad March."
"As you know the queen has sent me on a mission."
"And you took it?"
"I like a good hunt, though it was too easy to find you. Hiding Hatty did you really think that could work?"
"I wasn't hiding; I knew if I came here, you would come, what was with the wait, you are not known to wait?"
"I like to knew my pray, I know you." Again he stopped talking sooner than Hatter liked. "Let's get this over with hatty. You can meet the same death like your pa." he said pulling out a long knife.
"What do you mean?" he said looking at the knife with concern.
"I got Pa the black tea's, those many years ago. The queen wanted me to kill him, she found out his feelings of the teas, but he wanted to do it himself. I was happy to help." Hatter had wondered over the years, how could've pa got his hands on those teas.
"The bread and butter have gotten thin aye, and the tea will twinkle with the fall of the moon." Hatter said calmly.
"All things fall and all things thin and this is the end." March said advancing quickly on Hatter who had his hammer ready. March slice at his chest, cutting into Hatter's chest and ripping his silk shirt under his leather coat, but not as deep as March wanted, march ducked from Hatters first punch, March tried again but they became intertrangled, as they struggled both trying to be free from each others clutches, Hatter said accusingly.
"My notion was that you had been, an obstacle that came between him and ourselves and it." March tried to get his hand free for the fatal stab but replied in anger.
"I gave her one, they gave him two, you gave us three, they all returned from him to you, though they were mine before."
Hatter got his arm free and with a swift swing of his fist he hit March square in the face. March fell to the ground as did Hatter panting and looking at his brother.
When Hatter went back to the work shop he was greeted with a number of suits.
"The queen would like an assembly with you."
"Really, well I think there will be no assembly with the queen today. I have work to do here, especially since you lot have messed it." He said boldly looking at the disarray of the work shop.
"You are mistaken, you will come with us, now." said one suit, as two others took hold of him by each arm.
"Well I think this mess can wait, an assembly with the queen what an honor." He said giving his best smile.
"So Hatter it would seem that you have killed my best assassin. Now I knew you had a way with words, but I never knew you were so good with your hands."
"Well I am a hat maker, that is part of my job, your majesty." Hatter said smoothly.
"I am sure March told you what I wanted."
"Not exactly, he was to busy trying to kill me."
"yes well, I have a new job, a new way to grow our great economy. No more small dark dens, I want you to run the tea trading house. Where the people can buy and trade, to the best buyer of course."
"Why me?"
"The people know you, you have their trust. With the bad wrap those under grounders (resistance) are pushing about the teas, we need someone they believe in."
"Do I have a choice?"
"As much as your father and brother." Hatter said nothing, "Good, Number 10 please escort Hatter to his new job and home." 'New home?' Hatter thought, he hasn't had a home since his pa died, He only had a cot at the work shop. 'Maybe this could be good, a home, a job, All I wanted and no more threat of March.'
Hatter settled into the job nicely, it was very much like his work in the dens but instead of hats it was teas. The trade business grew fast and so did the demand. But has the trade flourished so did the queens madness. Hatter made hats still and over the years had acquired a small collection. Over those years Hatter became selfish, he loved all the things he could do having this job and all the things he could get. He had forgotten his mum, pa and brother.
One day a man called dodo came to his office.
"So what can I do for you?" hatter asked him from his seat with his feet on his desk.
"I have learned of what you did when you were younger, always helping the ones the queen left behind."
"Yes, when I was very young." He said thinking back.
"We were wondering if you would join us."
"Us?"
"The resistance."
"Why would I do that?" Hatter said indifferently.
"I thought that maybe you might have some of you mum in ya. She was the one that started the resistance you know, but I guess you are with the queen. I should have guessed, with you running this monstrosity." Dodo said with disgust.
"I have no choice it was this or death." Hatter said irritated.
"You seem quit comfy for a prisoner." dodo Said looking around with a raised eye brow.
"If you want me to help you, I will need something in return for my work, you don't get something for nothing, my dodo."
"What do you want?"
And so began Hatters life working both sides.
The End