by Cameron Jace
The people behind us murmur. They are wondering if there is enough space for the activists to walk through. They wouldn't want to spoil the parade, as they still have the need to move forward and continue the celebration.
"I have a couple of masks for those of you who have had a change of heart and want to mourn the many cats that have been killed in this town." The Piper grins, imitating the masks. "Have you ever had a cat, young lady?" he says to me, bowing his head, as he is a bit too tall.
"I think so." I don't remember having one.
"Was her name Dinah?" The Piper's grin continues as the Pillar tenses. I shrug, not knowing what's really going on. Has the man exposed me, or is he just referring to Alice's cat in the book? "Forgive my surreal sense of humor, but you look fabulous in this modern-day Alice outfit," the Piper says.
"Does it really show?" I am beginning to worry, like the Pillar. My outfit shouldn't really make someone think that way instantly.
"Please be one of us." He stretches out his long-fingered hand. "You must care for cats the way we do. This celebration is all wrong. We need to educate people that harming cats is unacceptable. It's a crime that deserves the gas chamber, like killing human beings."
"We have appointments," the Pillar breaks in. "We love cats. Meow. But I am afraid she can't come."
The Piper turns to face the Pillar, and I sense darkness in the air. Is it possible that this tall, tanned man is the Cheshire? Why is he dressed like a Piper, and not disguised among the others behind a mask?
The Piper and the Pillar stare at each other for a long time. I am starting to think this isn't the Cheshire, or the Pillar would have recognized him. I am puzzled all over again. I wish the Pillar wouldn't keep so many secrets from me.
"Professor Carter Pillar, I assume?" the Piper utters finally.
My heart drops to the floor.
"Do you know me?" the Pillar asks, and I am confused again. What's going on?
"It's a pleasure to meet you." The Piper stretches out his hand and shakes the Pillar's warmly as the grin on his face disappears. "I was told I might find you in the parade. In fact, I have two masks and tickets for you to join the pro-cat activists. I have heard a lot about your work. I hear you support cats and love them dearly." I know the Pillar hates cats. "I heard about your great work in the field of Kittycology."
"Kittycology?" I know this is a joke, but I don't know what's happening. The Pillar knows it too, but he plays along. He likes games.
"And who told you about me if I may ask?" The Pillar drags from his pipe, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.
"Mr. Warrington Kattenstoet, of course. He is the director of the pro-cat activists. Unfortunately, he couldn't make it today." The Piper hands us the masks and tickets. "But he insisted it would be an honor if you and your daughter would accompany us."
I take my mask reluctantly as the Pillar secretly winks at me. He puts his mask on, accepting the invitation. The name Warrington Kattenstoet is a big joke. Warrington is where Lewis Carroll was born, and Kattenstoet is the event we're attending. The Cheshire is here, and he wants us to play one of his games. He is inviting us to his ritual.
"And what should we call you?" the Pillar asks, as we cross over to join the pro-cats.
"Call me Piper for now." He smiles.
"I am curious why you're dressed like a Pied Piper at an event about cats," I say.
"It's an in-house joke, young lady." He shakes his head. "In the pro-cat community, we think the Piper must have been a cat. Who better to call when your town is rat-infested? The Piper. He does the same job cats do in terminating the rat race."
"Oh." The Pillar and I gaze at each other. We look silly in these masks.
"I know all the stuff about the flute and such, but after the Piper tempted rats out of Hamlin, what do you think he did with them?"
"I heard he drowned them in the river," I respond.
"Not true, young lady," he says. "He ate them, of course. Just like ancient people of this town sent the cats to kill the rats in the clothes tower. Now, follow me."
As we walk amid the tourists to the clothes tower, the pro-cats start singing a song:
Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?
I've been up to London to visit the Queen.
Pussycat, pussycat, what did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under her chair!
I have my mouth open wide under the mask when I hear that. The Pillar does nothing but ends it with a high note, shouting, "Meow!" He says it as if he's saying "amen."
60
We pass through the crowd as they let us into the clothes tower. They agree we can use it, only for an hour, then leave so other tourists can use it. We step up. As we do, the Piper gives us mid-sized boxes with metallic handles on top. They are mildly heavy, and something is rocking them from inside.
"There are cats in these boxes," the Pillar says as we climb the stairs. I hear a meow out of my box.
"Why cats?" I hiss at him. "It doesn't make sense. They are pro-cat. They won't be throwing them off the tower like other tourists."
"Other tourists don't throw real cats from the tower," the Pillar corrects me. "They throw stuffed cats as part of the event. Maybe the tower is like Noah's Ark. The Cheshire is going to drown the world with some flood, so he decided to save as many cats as he can." I know the Pillar is being sarcastic. He has no clue what we're up to, and I don't like the anticipation.
"He didn't invite us here for nothing," I remind him. "He wants to show us his power. My guess is the ritual is taking place atop the tower. This means Constance is here."
We reach the biggest room, and each activist walks toward the row of cloistered windows looking over the parade and the whole town. They turn and face the inside of the circle, where the Piper stands.
This is definitely the ritual.
"Since the time we have here is short," the Piper says, "I will try to make this quick." One of the boxes rattles from inside. The rattling is unusual. The cats must be big. I hear mine clawing at the inner walls of the box. "I know all of you have lost ancestors to the incident that happened here many centuries ago when they killed them mercilessly, throwing them out of the windows."
Now, this makes more sense. Each and every one here is originally a cat, now in a human soul. They are here to avenge their ancestors. Being here is scary. I don't dare to even look at the Pillar. We've been ambushed.
"They also burned our ancestors in France a century later," a cat-masked woman says.
I read about cat burning in France on the internet. Apparently people had a lot of grudges toward cats in that time.
"Not just France," another man says behind the mask. It's really hard to know who is talking and where the voices are coming from. "They killed cats in Brazil, too. My entire family was murdered."
"My family was murdered in ancient Egypt. We were supposed to be gods!" a third one says.
"I know we were gods in this world before," the Piper says. "The human holocaust of cats in the fifteenth century didn't succeed anyways. We've always evolved and learned to survive. Some of us are tigers or lions. And most of you survived by stealing the breath of infant humans and taking their souls." He fists a hand and raises it in the air. I suddenly notice it's not a hand. It's a claw in a human body.
I remember one of the Mushroomers saying that he wasn't mad. He said a cat had stolen the souls of his kids when they were young, and no one believed him. What happens is that the kid dies, and the cat grows up in a new human body of its choice. The Mushroomer said that cats live among us everywhere. I thought he was crazy. I don't know of anyone who'd believe what's happening right now if I told them.
"We should have never let humans domesticate us," the Piper says. "But history is full of mistakes. And on rare days like today, we get our revenge."
Everyone around us hails the Cheshire.
"The Cheshire has been through a lot, but he has always fought for us. He was fooled by Lewis Carroll
when he locked him in Wonderland many years ago," the Piper says. "But like the Red King and Queen said in the books, how could they behead a cat with no head?" The pro-cat activists, or should I say cats, hail again. "The revenge the Cheshire has promised is closing in. Lewis stole the Cheshire's power after he couldn't lock him in Wonderland like the others."
"When is he getting his power back?" an activist asks.
"Patience, my friend," the Piper says. "The awful Lewis Carroll hid it in one of the sculptures of grinning cats all around the world. He then asked his friends to sculpt as many grinning cat statues and carvings as possible to elude the Cheshire Cat, so he could never get it back."
"What's in the mask?" an activist asks.
"What else, my friend," the Piper says. "His grin. The famous Cheshire Grin holds his power."
I know the Pillar, and I can't wait to know the rest. But this is getting so surreal that I'd rather believe I am insane. This is all about the Cheshire getting his grin.
"The power in the mask was bonded with one of the girls Carroll took photographs of," the Piper continues. "The power was in the mask, but the key to unlocking it was in one of those girls' souls. All the Cheshire had to do was to kidnap the girl, suck her breath like cats do, and then take her soul. He made them look like murders to elude any Wonderland enemies out there. Six souls had been killed with no success, but the seventh must be it. And she is here with us today."
My eyes dart around, looking for Constance, as the activists ask where and who the girl is.
"Her name is Constance," the Piper says. "And, within a few moments, the Cheshire will perform the ritual when the clock ticks 'brillig.'"
"What is brillig?" one asks, and I too found myself wanting to know.
"Brillig is four o'clock in Carrollian language," the Piper explains, and then recites a small line from Carroll's most whimsical poem, "Jabberwocky": "It was brillig, and slithy troves."
I miss the Pillar explaining these things to me. He hasn't talked since we came here. All he cares about is spotting the Cheshire. And all I can do is crane my neck to look at the clock tower. It's only ten minutes to brillig.
61
"The ritual is simple," the Piper says. "When the clock ticks four, the Cheshire will appear and suck the girl's soul, wearing the one and only Carrollian mask that holds his power."
"Meow!" The Pillar finally breaks loose, shouting from the top of his lungs. Crazily enough, all the other activists follow him. He doesn't look at me, and I can't interpret his face.
"There will be one last thing needed to complete the ritual," the Piper says. "In order for the Cheshire to regain his power, he will need our help."
Everyone says they'd do anything for him. The Cheshire has a following.
"I know you'd do anything for the Cheshire, but it will be of great satisfaction to you as well," the Piper says. "Because today you get to avenge your ancestors! Now open your boxes, please."
The pro-cats begin opening their boxes and pulling out the cats, which aren't really cats. They are small tigers. Not the cute ones you see on TV, but vicious ones, ready to sink their fangs into anything that moves. Somehow, they are obedient to the pro-cats. They are held in small cages that the pro-cats ready to throw out of the window overlooking the parade. The Pillar and I have no choice but to pretend we'll be doing the same, and then we stare back at the Piper.
But the Piper is gone.
Instead, there is an old woman holding Constance in her grip. I know she is an old woman from the look of her body and the white hair flapping behind the mask. She raises her arms and shows her claws then holds them to Constance's neck.
"It's the Cheshire," the whole room snaps. They snap out of happiness, not fear.
"I wonder if Jesus Christ got that kind of attention," the Pillar mumbles next to me.
The Cheshire's presence is even scarier than the Pillar's. Scarier than the scariest thing I have ever seen, even that scruffy bunny in the mirror. It's as if I'm looking at death and can do nothing about it. He is so confident, even if he is hiding in the body of an old woman. He doesn't need to speak. He doesn't even need to show us his face. I think the unbearable fear I see on Constance's face is mirroring mine. The poor girl doesn't recognize me because of the mask I am wearing. I am torn between just running and crashing into the Cheshire, or waiting until I see a window of opportunity to do something more effective. It puzzles me why the Pillar is stranded when it comes to the Cheshire.
The heck with it. I take a deep breath before I run recklessly toward Constance to save her. God only knows what the consequences may be.
62
The Pillar holds me tightly before I run. He doesn't say anything. His grip is just too strong, kicking me back into reality. If I attack the Cheshire, neither Constance nor I will survive. We have two minutes left. I need to find another way.
"Once before, they threw us from the top of this building," the Cheshire woman says behind the mask. I am still puzzled about him being a woman. I imagine it's the human soul he chose to steal, but why an old woman? So he'd fool everyone? "Now, we'll show humankind what it means to have cats falling from the sky. Big cats this time. Vicious cats who will eat at them one by one. These cats in your hands will kill them, their wives, and their annoying children with red balloons everywhere. Just the way they killed us." The old woman's voice peaks. For a moment, I think I know the voice, but I can't recall to whom it belongs.
The pro-cats pull the lids open to allow the cats out. These cats have no fear. They stand ready at the edges, ready for the clock tower to strike four.
I almost hear the ticks in my heart. The Pillar said I was supposed to save lives. Now I am torn between the ones down below on the street and Constance. My God, the fear in her eyes is killing me already.
Tick. Tock. Almost four o'clock.
I pull my hand away from the Pillar and ignore him when he says I should wait.
"I know now why you need me," I whisper to the Pillar. "You can't face the Cheshire by yourself." I decide I will go for Constance if there is no other choice. I can't let the Cheshire have her soul. Before I attack, the Cheshire does something I didn't see coming. He pulls his orange mask off and prepares to put on the Carrollian one from Pott Shrigley. In that brief moment, he, or she, is without a mask. I see the old woman's real face.
It's someone I know. How in the world didn't I see this coming? How in the world did the Cheshire fool and mock me this way?
I swallow hard and fist my hand to stay as calm as possible. The Cheshire is the old woman from the Great Hall. The woman with the grin who told me about the teacups.
63
"And the madness begins." The Pillar stands next to his locked box by the window. I am really concerned about his helplessness when it comes to the Cheshire.
The clock rings four o'clock.
"Revenge time!" the Cheshire says in his woman's voice. He sounds like a wicked old witch, and signals for them to throw the big cats.
"It's raining cats." The Pillar raises his cane, pretending to be one of them. "Hallelujah."
At this moment, I realize that the Pillar really doesn't care about humans. With all his powers, he hasn't stopped the activists from their wrongdoing. His hate for the sane world is so real that it's scary. The only difference between him and the Cheshire is that he is temporarily on my side. The White Queen was right when she told me not to trust him.
I pull my mask away and run toward the Cheshire. "Hold on, Constance!" I yell as I wave the umbrella against him. The Cheshire grabs it midway, grins at me, and says in his female voice, "Haven't I told you we're all mad here? I remember I did more than a century and a half ago."
I am sweating as I try to push harder with my umbrella, but it's not working. He is much stronger than the Reds. His grin makes me doubt myself. I glance at Constance for a moment, afraid she'll be disappointed with me. I promised I'd save her.
The Cheshire pushes me harder to the floor, and I fall on my back an
d lose the umbrella. Behind me, I hear screams from below. God knows what kind of massacre is happening in the parade. I hear women and children screaming, and big growling cats sinking their fangs into their flesh. The Pillar doesn't do anything when it comes to the Cheshire. He is standing there watching. Some of the activists recognize him as an intruder, and now he suddenly has to defend himself.
"Time for me to get my powers back," the Cheshire woman roars. She is holding Constance by her neck and has the grinning mask in the other hand. A lightning bolt strikes somewhere in the distance as she inhales deeply.
I stand up and run into her again, trying to knock her over. She slashes her claws at me and sends me back to the floor. Her claws cut through my pullover, and I am bleeding from my left arm.
"No one can stop me from what righteously belongs to me." She grins at me while the Piper brings more boxes for the activists to throw on the parade. "You don't know what this power is, do you?" Her grinning is constant, and she enjoys showing it to me. I have a feeling that this is personal. Not just between the Cheshire and the humans, but between him and me. I wish I could remember the past.
"What is it?" I shout, as a snowy wind whizzes through the tower. I'm trying to stall the Cheshire by making useless conversation. "Tell me what Lewis took from you."
"My nine lives." The woman laughs. "My priceless nine lives. Once I get them, I will be immortal."
"But they are only nine lives." I am stalling, watching closely for a weakness in the Cheshire's woman's body. "Not all that much."
"Oh, they are more than enough. If you only knew." She lifts the mask up and puts it on. "It's time to get back my grin, the one Lewis stole from me." The mask begins sparkling like stars. "Lewis bonded the grin with Alice Constance Westmacott's soul by photographing her." The Cheshire is proud to tell me all about this now. Why not, when he is only seconds away from getting what he wants? "They weren't joking when they said that photographs captured the soul. Lewis was a genius and invented that kind of camera long ago. Luckily, Alice Constance Westmacott passed her bond down to her descendants. Now, all I have to do is suck out this girl's soul and retrieve my powers." He means Constance. I watch him pull her closer to him. Behind me, the world is in chaos, and the Pillar is in a vicious war with the activists. He's killed a lot of them, but there are too many.
