The rain thudded against the window again, rhythmically, as if the personified wind was now beating the rain against the window with a rhythm.
A tallish clock, which would have appeared rather out of place in most other places, such as a dentist's office, was quite at home in its current surroundings. The clock suddenly began chiming rather rapidly and eclectically, and because Alice couldn't distinguish between one long chime and seven short ones, she became quite confused. She relied on the face of the clock to tell her the time, and when she saw it, she jumped from her seat.
"Is it really that late?" Alice exclaimed worriedly.
"Course not, love." Mad responded. Alice sighed with relief. "It's later."
"What?" Alice almost shouted.
"Clock is almost two and a 'alf hours slow." Mad looked at Alice quite calmly, eagerly waiting for her response.
"Two- Two and a half?" Alice sputtered. She was late. She jumped from her seat.
"Issat a problem?" Mad said innocently. The Second One and The Third One nodded in concerned agreement.
Alice sighed. "No problem at all, besides the wrath of an angry mother and her card friends." Alice slid back into her seat. "She'll have my head for this!" She told herself, and drank a sip from the newly filled teacup before her.
The drink tasted awful. Mad took a drink of his own tea, and placed the cup back on the saucer. Alice quickly swapped her own cup for Mad's, and took a sip. Much better.
More time passed. The rain pounded against the window, like the metaphorical wind was punching the window with a metaphorical boxing glove.
Alice looked at the clock once more. It had rung several more times since the last jumbled mess, and the multifarious chiming began to sound harmonious. Once more she stood up, but this time not in panic. She yawned a little bit, and retrieved her coat from the hook. She slipped it on, and returned to the table for her bag, and for goodbyes.
"Well, this was certainly an interesting experience." Alice told the three of them, although she wasn't entirely sure if any of them were listening, or even awake.
"I should really like to see how you keep the pilgrims away, The Second One." He might have grumbled a response, but Alice as somewhat certain that all she had heard was a muffled snore.
"I shall miss you as well, The Third One." His high pitched voice barely sounded, but an inaudible response was grumbled.
She turned to say her goodbye to Mad, but found that he wasn't occupying the armchair at the head of the table. "Mad?" Alice called out gently, and peered under the table. He wasn't there, she concluded, although several stray scones were.
"What are you doing?" his voice called, and Alice jumped. He stood by the door, umbrella in hand.
"What are you doing?" She responded automatically, sounding highly childish.
"I'm walking you home, now aren't I?" He beckoned her to the door with a nod of his head, and opened the door. "Well, 'urry up. Don't want me to leave you behind, now do you?" He called with his back to Alice.
Alice smiled and caught up to Mad. Her life had just gotten a lot curiouser.
AN: The end! Thanks for reading it! :)I had a lot of fun playing with the characters.
Alice is a fairly normal girl. But, like all normal people, she just has to be put with an abnormal crowd in order to start acting a little goofy.
Maddox Louis Hatcher, sort of a funny name, isn't it? I wanted something that would be able to be shortened into Mad, hence Maddox. Louis was sort of a shout-out to Lewis Carrol, and Hatcher (Hat-cher) was the first last name that I thought of. Mad Hat. Sort of cute (or at least I thought so).
The Second One is the March Hare, and The Third One is the Dormouse. I imagined that the dormouse would be a lazy lump of a boy, and that the March Hare would be an opinionated fellow (but not motivated enough to ever do anything about it).
Alice's mother (who is mentioned for the whole of one line) was how I put the Queen of Hearts into this story. Not much to say about her, just that she still has her temper. (but maybe not as extreme as in wonderland.)
And I guess that's all! Thanks again for reading it!
