They Sought It With Thimbles
Written by alliterator
Disclaimer: Veronica Mars (and all characters therein) belong to Rob Thomas and UPN.
"'For the Snark was a Boojum you see,'" Mom read as she finally closed the book and tucked me into bed.
"What?" I said. "You mean he died?" Never let it be said that I wasn't an inquisitive (and annoying) child.
"I'm afraid so," Mom said. And never let it be said that my mom never told the truth.
"But why?" I asked (well, more pleaded, actually). "Why did he have to die?"
"Because," Mom said, "their mission was fruitless, pointless, because the thing they were after was completely different than what they thought. It's the old adage, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. And so, the Snark was a Boojum, you see."
And never let it be said that my mom couldn't foreshadow.
And now, twelve years after my mother gave me my first taste of Carroll, I'm sitting in my bed with the age-worn book in my hands, fingering the spine, flipping the dusty pages and I see the line, the last tragic line. And so I turn the pages back, turning back time as well, and I come to the first page. And I read:
"'Just the place for a Snark!' the Bellman cried,
As he landed his crew with care;
Supporting each man on the top of the tide
By the finger entwined in his hair."