Chapter five: The Madness that comes from making Hats

She had followed Chessur to a clearing, and then he had disappeared once more, so she had to find the way the the Hare and the Hatter on her own. She hoped that they would know how to wake her up, because her mother's trick had not worked yet.

But now she could see something. An old mill, wrecked. A table, full of wrecked pottery. And a man and two animals.

"Come with me." Chessur had appeared behind her, and now he was flowing towards the mill. Alex looked over her shoulder. Seeing nothing to return to, she followed him.

When she came closer, she could hear the cutlery and the tea being poured through cups into cups. This was certainly madness.

She looked at the man. The man had orange hair, which looked like it had its own life. He had big, green, glowing eyes, that had already seen Chessur, and he smiled. She had never seen the Hare before, although he looked slightly like the rabbit. And then she got closer.

The man's eyes glowed even brighter as he saw Alex, and he tilted his head a little bit. "Alice?" he asked. Oh no, not this again. She didn't even want to answer it this time.

"You must be the Hatter." She smiled. He smiled, rose, walked onto the table, and towards her. Got she had gotten smaller, because he was enormous. She knelt down in front of her, and looked her in the eye, although one of his eyes looked slightly the other way. "So you do remember me?" he smiled.

She looked at him, sadly. "Actually."She looked at Chessur. "He made me remember you."

His smile went the other way. "You… you don't remember me… you said you could never forget me."

"I… I've never met you before. Only heard of you." she said, biting her lip. He sat down on the table, flipping his legs over the edge.

"Last… last time you said this was a dream… now you say you have only heard of me?"

She looked at him. "My mother has told me and my brother about you – and everyone else down here. But.. I'm afraid, I've forgotten most of the stories.". She held her hand out. "I'm Alex Potts.". He took her hand, and turned it around, looking for something, but when he didn't find anything, he let go off it.

"You're mother? So… you are not Alice… or what?"

She looked at her hand. "Um, no, I'm not Alice. I believe that I am her daughter."

He leaned closer and looked at her with his big eyes. "Does she remember me?" he said. Alex heard the Hare gasping for his breath.

Alex smiled, and nodded at him. "Yes she does." She looked at Hatter now. He threw her a big smile, so that she could see the gab behind his front teeth. He rose, and turned around to the others, grabbed the Hare by his paws and began swinging him around, and the Hare made a sound, that sounded a lot like: Weeeeee. When he was done, he looked at her again, smiling more brightly. Of course, instead of putting the Hare down, he just let him go, so he would fly through the air, flapping his arms. Hatter didn't take a notice of that, and just looked down at Alex.

"Alex Potts, would you like to have tea with us?" he asked. Alex looked around and shrugged.

"Sure… " she said. He took her hand, and lead her down the table, let go of her hand, and left her to stand on the table, while he sat down in his chair.

"Sit wherever you can't to sit… "

Alex looked around, at the broken teacups, sitting down on the table. She looked around, and her gaze landed directly at the Hare. "Tea?" he asked, and she accepted. And a cup of tea was poured for her. She heard the Hare singing: Tea, tea, tea, tea…

Alex looked at the teacup, which was the size of her. How the hell was she going to drink any of this? "Where's Mally?" she heard the Hatter ask. Alex looked at him, confused.

"Who's Mally?" she asked. He smiled brightly.

"Mallymkom… I'll bet my hat that you have met her." He leaned down towards her and whispered: "You just don't know it.", and smiled. She nodded, and the Hatter looked at her, curiously. "… Can you smile?" he asked. She looked at him and smiled.

"Yes, of course I know how to smile. It's one of my favorite pastimes." His grin got bigger.

"You have your mothers smile. Mally! You've met Alex, right." He looked at Alex. "Mally is an angry, little boy."

The mouse looked at Alex. "So that's your name… you're the one, that is not Alice. " she said. And Alex looked and her.

"That's only understanding, when my name's Alex." She said. The Hare shook the teapot.

"Not… Alice? What do you want in your tea…" he half mumbled, half said. Alex wanted to answer, but was interrupted by the Hatter.

"That's a peculiar size that you have." He said, and Alex looked down herself. Oh yeah, she had almost forgotten that she was not her usual size. But then she would looks at Mally, and see that they were the same height.

"Unfortunately, I do not have any Upelkuchen.. However… I can make you something a little more… exciting... " He said. "Out of what you're wearing.". He smiled.

Alex look at him. "Please do.. I hate these clothes.. " she said and looked down at herself.

He smiled… again. "I do have some pishsalver." He pulled out a little bottle with some yellow-ish liquid in it and offered it to her. "Drink."

Alex looked at the bottle. "I'm not drinking that."

The Hatter looked at something behind her and exclaimed "Oh!" and the Hare looked the same way. She turned, and looked the same way. The next thing she knew she was shrinking. She looked at the Hatter growing larger every second. He had FORCED her to drink that stuff. Forced HER. She usually forced people to do stuff.

He lifted her and put her into a teapot. She looked up and saw him smiling. "Alice used this as a dressing-room. It worked perfectly well. When you arrive at the White Queen, I can make you a new dress." He closed the lid and she heard something. Was that a scissor?

"The White Queen? So it's all real. Everything?" She bit her lip. "Damn… Tim was right."

"Of course it's all real. " she heard him say. Then he opened the lid and some fabric fell down over her. She pulled it away, and it was dark again. "And who's Tim?" she heard him ask.

"My little brother." She looked at the dress and shrugged. And started changing clothes. "He was… is… really into my mother's stories…"

"So? May I ask something?"

"Sure, ask away."She had changed clothes by now and was now putting her hair in a bun. And then there was light, and she was being pulled out of the teapot.

"Eh, it's fine..."He looked thoughtful. "Isn't Alex a boy's name? I mean, it's very lovely… just so I won't offend you at some point." He smiled... innocently.

"Yes, but Alexandra is a girl's name…" She smiled a bit. "Alex is a nickname."

"Aaaah." He smiled… again. "Anyway. We best be getting on. To the White Queen. Perhaps you're here to explain why everyone is disappearing for the time being." He looked thoughtful. "… I mean, not for him, Time, men why they disappear. Just.". He smiled.

Alex looked at him. "Times a person?". She thought a bit. "And people are disappearing?"

"Of course Times a person!". He pulled out his watch. "He's just two days late."She put away the watch. "Well, the only people who can disappear by own will is Chessur." He nodded towards the cat, who was only head and paws at the moment. He smiled back and waved his tail, which slowly appeared again.

"Okay?"

He leaned towards her. "Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?" He smiled.

Alex thought about that. "Can both have something to do with school? Some people think call their teacher a raven.." The Hare made a little sound.

"Raven? School?" (It sounded more like skuel, but anyway)

Hatter smiled. "Mmm…perhaps." He took of his hat and put it on the table. "Will you please… step onto the hat."

Alex looked at the Hatter. "A hat?"

He chuckled. "Alice looked at me that same way." He leaned in. "It's curious how much you to look like each other.". He leaned back out. "Anyway, the best way to travel is by hat. Ask Mally!"

The Chessire Cat smiled. "And it's very… fetch.". Hatter came him a look that said: Away. My hat! Alex rolled her eyes and looked at Mally, whom nodded.

"Can I come along this time?" she asked. The Hatter sighed.

"Fine…". The Hare looked lost.

"Whut? You're leaving me… alone?". Chessur appeared behind the Hare and said: "Of course", which made The Hare jump in surprise. Which resulted in tipping over the chair he was sitting on.

Mally smiled an hopped onto the hat. Alex looked around. "Is this a joke?"

The Hatter looked at Alex. "Why should it be a joke?"

"A hat." Alex said. "Is that… necessary? Anyway, I'll soon wake up… "

"You mean you wish to stay here... with these persons?.". Chessur smiled.

"Mmm… you could… disappear…".

Alex looked around and then up at the Hatter. "Might as well get the most out of this dream. " she said and jumped onto the hat. He put it on his head, and she and Mally had to hold onto it.

The Hatter began walking. "How can we make you understand, that this is not a dream?". He smiled.