Hatter's Point of View Part 3
Hatter followed, shutting the door behind him. Alice was looking at him, questioningly.
"Follow me." He said. He turned right, and walked a few hundred feet. He heard Alice's soft, unsure footsteps behind him. He laughed on the inside. She wouldn't last a day here on her own. He thought. He came to a stop at the top of a ladder. "Follow me down, would ya?" He said. He turned to face her, and began to descend the ladder.
"No looking up my skirt." She said as he disappeared.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Hatter replied. She probably doesn't have that nice of a backside anyway He glanced up, and noticed that she wasn't following. "You're going to have to come down sometime." He shouted up to her. She nodded. Hatter shook his head, and continued climbing down. He jumped, and alighted on the soft ground at the foot of the ladder. He turned his back to the ladder and waited for Alice.
He glanced back, and she was right behind him, moving slowly down the last few rungs of the ladder. At this rate, we'll never get to Dodo He sighed. He put his hands on her hips, and lifted her to the ground.
"Thank you." She said after a moment. He stared at her for a second, straightened his coat, and turned away.
Strange girl. He thought. He walked a few steps, but didn't hear her following footsteps. He turned. The foolish girl was practically glued to the ladder, looking at the edge of the grass in fear.
He walked back. "What's the matter?" He asked.
She swallowed. "I've got a thing about heights." She replied. Hatter looked over the edge at the ground far below. "Why couldn't you guys build the city on the ground?" She asked.
Because then it wouldn't be Wonderland. Hatter thought. He turned back to the terrified girl. He shrugged slightly. "Look at me." He said. She didn't respond, her eyes still glued on the edge of the grass. "Alice." He said. She closed her eyes, then turned her face towards his. He held out his hand. She stared at him for a few more seconds. He could practically see the battle going on in her mind. The sooner you take my hand the sooner we can get to Dodo. He thought. Alice took a deep breath, and took her hand off the ladder, and put it quickly on Hatter's hand.
"Try not to look down." Hatter said after a moment. "Mmkay?" Her eyes glued on his, he began to walk backwards, leading her away from the edge. She didn't let go of his hand until they stopped walking. She pressed her back up against the wall, and closed her eyes.
Hatter coughed slightly to cover the awkwardness. Although, he had a feeling that it was only awkward for him. When Alice had taken his hand, it felt like something had fallen inside him. He had never had that feeling before. What's wrong with me? He thought. Maybe I'm getting sick. The more he thought about it, the more he thought it must be so. Yeah, that's definitely it. The tea must not have agreed with me. He shook his head.
He turned to the door before him. It was a plain, drab, grey color that matched the dullness of the rest of the city. He knocked, and a moment later, a peephole slid open.
He cleared his throat. "I'm returning a library book." He said. "It's a work of Edwin and Morcar."
"How does the little crocodile improve his shining tail?" Came an old voice.
"He pours water of the Nile on every golden scale." Hatter replied, impatiently. Do we have to do this every time? He thought.
The peephole slid shut, and the sound of locks being unlocked could be heard through the door. A moment later, the door opened.
"Come on, be quick." Said the old man. Hatter walked inside, and he heard Alice's footsteps following him.
"Hello Duck." Hatter said. Duck didn't reply. He just pulled some levers and pushed a blue button. The rickety lift started downward. Alice fell onto the bench behind her, and looked up at Hatter, shocked. "S'alright." Hatter said. The lift came to a stop. "Wait." He said to Alice, putting up a finger to stop her from rising. The lift jerked downward. Hatter heard Duck grunt from behind him. Hatter shrugged. Alice stood, and Hatter stood aside to let her pass before him. They looked out, and straight down the barrel of a shotgun. Hatter turned behind him, and saw that Duck was also pointing a shotgun at him.
