Hatter
Page 25
Ander looked at the empty chair and said uncertainly, “It’s wonderful to meet you.”
“Don’t play make believe, Ander,” said Chism. “Cheshire’s real, so don’t talk to him if he’s not there.”
“Open your black eyes and look,” said Ander. “He’s right…. Now where did he get to?”
Ander scanned the area as Cheshire faded into Chism’s view, seated in the chair he had thought empty. The cat’s smile was as grating as ever. “Hello, Cheshire,” said Chism.
“Hello to you,” the cat said, and faded out. Chism heard, “And it’s wonderful to meet you, Ander. Unfortunately I can only turn my color off,” he reappeared to Chism’s view, “or on,” he disappeared, “but not both at the same time.”
So that’s how I saw the cat in the Kirohz Valley when no one else could, thought Chism. The fool cat turned his colors off.
“We should be glad none of us is color deaf or we wouldn’t be able to hear you at the same time,” said Hatta. It made no sense, but half of what Hatta said now was just as confusing or more so.
Apologetically, Hatta added, “I’m sorry Haigha isn’t here. Neither of you has still met him. What a pity, but he always seems to march off just before visitors arrive.” His face lit up. “I shall call him the March Hare if he continues to march off. But enough of standing around, let’s sit and have some tea.”
The table, capable of seating a full squadron of Elites, was cluttered with teapots, cups, saucers, sugar dishes, and platters. Before selecting a chair, Chism removed a bulging purse from his pack and tossed it onto the table. He was glad to be free of the heavy burden.
“Targus said the last shipment of hats sold before he even received them. He’s sending a man tomorrow for the next batch, even though you’ll probably only have half of the hats done.” Chism never learned the old man’s real name, but he resembled a wizened Targus, or what Chism had heard of them anyway.
Ignoring the purse, Hatta asked, “I hope the old tailor is well? I’m lucky to have such a reliable friend selling my hats.”
“Indeed,” said Ander. Signaling his uniform, he said, “As you can see, we’re officially Elite and Fellow once again.”
“I’m sure that’s very wonderful for you,” said Hatta, neither meeting their gaze nor looking at the uniforms.
“He’s promised to warn me before he threatens the life of any nobles,” Ander assured him.
But it wasn’t jest; Ander had insisted on the pledge before resuming his post as Fellow. Chism still planned to defend the Circle and the Sword, but now had to advise Ander before doing anything rash. “I’ve actually been promoted to sublieu,” Chism told his brother. “That’s short for sub-lieutenant.”
Hatta peered into his teacup, obviously uncomfortable with talk of soldiering. From the empty chair, the Cheshire Cat said, “What about the new emblem you designed, Hatta?”
“Ah, yes,” said Hatta, unpleasantness forgotten. He unbuttoned his checkered coat. Sewn into the multicolored tunic was a circle to match Chism’s but instead of a sword in the center it featured a toothy, oversized grin.
Cheshire appeared and Chism couldn’t help but notice the resemblance between the smiles. Hatta said, “It’s the Circle and the Smile!” He looked quite proud.
“We each have our weapons, brother,” said Chism.
After a short lull, Hatta said, “First a platter in the sky, then a rock half-concealed. A thin fingernail, then no part revealed.”
Seeing the confused look on Ander’s face, Chism said, “It’s a riddle. He uses them to change the subject when he’s uncomfortable.”
“A riddle, huh?” Ander sat up in his chair and began mumbling to himself.
“Be careful, Ander,” Chism warned. “Sometimes there’s no solution.”
Grinning, as always, Cheshire said, “With enough madness, there’s always a solution.” The irksome creature was much easier to tolerate with his colors on.
“The waning moon!” exclaimed Ander. “A platter, a half rock, a crescent fingernail, then gone.”
“Yes! Wonderful, wonderful,” said Hatta.
Before his brother could pose any more riddles, Chism asked, “Do you ever get bored without any human company, Hatta?”
“Switch chairs!” announced Hatta as he stood and moved halfway around the table. Chism knew the routine, so he stood and moved one chair closer to Hatta.
Following his example, Ander scooted, as did Cheshire, announcing, “For the benefit of those who can’t see me with my colors off, I am now switching chairs.”
“You see, Chism? It’s an entirely new party. Tea?” He picked up a teapot but glanced at it, confused, and gave it a gentle shake. Removing the lid, he tsked and said, “You know that’s not appropriate when we have guests.” With two fingers, Hatta reached into the teapot and removed a small, sleeping mouse. Cheshire licked his sharp teeth as he watched Hatta place the tiny dormouse into the front pocket of his coat.
“Terribly sorry,” said Hatta. “There’s never a shortage of animals. I do so enjoy them.” After a short pause, he added, “Except mules. I’ve never been able to make friends with a mule. I had a bandersnatch friend once, but never a mule.”
“Speaking of pack animals,” said Ander, “the horses I took along when I accompanied the Selvage women made all the difference. They were foolish to attempt the trip with so many wagons.”
“I thank you for helping me save them, Ander. It’s a talent of mine, you know—saving towns and kingdoms.”
“And nobody does it better,” said Ander. “Together we saved dozens from starving. Maybe more.”
“I’m glad you’re well, Hatta,” said Chism, “but we should be back on the road. With our new assignment it may be some time until I visit again.” They were more than brothers and more than friends, but Chism always kept his visits short, only able to deal with the thick madness for short periods.
“Sometime, long time, time after time. Anytime but never.”
“You should know,” said Chism, “the kingdoms are secure as ever. I know you’re not interested in the details of politics, but there hasn’t been any more talk of war.”
Hatta looked as if he had tasted something unpleasant. “Please don’t use such language, Chism.”
Unwilling to leave Hatta with the negative sentiment, Chism said, “Your hats are a symbol of peace. People wear them to show the nobles how they feel about reverting to…a peace-less state.”
“The tailor’s even sending them out to the Provinces,” added Ander. “He could make a lot more coin selling only in Palassiren, but cares more about spreading the message through the kingdoms.”
Hatta was positively beamish.
As they stood, Ander said, “I’ve attended some unusual tea parties, but none to match this one.”
Hatta smiled even more proudly. Without embraces or further goodbyes, Chism and Ander left Hatta with his animals, his hatting, and his blissful madness.
Their assignment would take them to the western border, but Chism insisted on a detour to the south. If he didn’t visit the first person to ever call him friend, he might not have another chance.
Cactus’s claim that a man can never have too many friends was ludicrous. But while he’d never admit it, Chism didn’t mind one or two.
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Author’s Note
The character Hatta appears as a messenger in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. Though he is never referred to as a hatter, his speech and mannerisms strongly resemble the hatter from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Even the name, using British pronunciation, is identical.
Haigha appears alongside Hatta in Through the Looking Glass. While he isn’t referred to as Hare, the text states that his name is pronounced to rhyme with ‘mayor’, lending more credibility to the theory that Hatta and Haigha are the same Hatter and Hare from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
In the case of the other inhabitants of Wonderland—Chism, Cuor
a, Markin, Palida, Antion, etc—the author has taken license.
The poem, My Fancy, originally appears in Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark. In Hatter, it is attributed to Hatta with changes made to the poem to reflect Hatta’s changing view of Cuora.
Most people believe the March Hare is mad because March is the peak of mating season. Even Alice assumes this is the case and says, “…As this is May it won’t be raving mad – at least not so mad as it was in March.” Carroll never specifies.
Finally, regarding the Hatter. The term “Mad Hatter” does not appear anywhere in Lewis Carroll’s writing. The phrase “Mad as a hatter” predates Carroll and is most likely the basis of the character. It is commonly believed that the Hatter was mad due to mercury used in hat making, but Carroll never clarifies the basis of the Hatter’s madness.
About the Author
Daniel Coleman juggles writing, firefighting, and family life in small-town Northern Utah. He shares Hatta’s dislike of confrontation and Chism’s love of numbers. He also cares for ice cream, PEZ dispensers, running, and readers who share his books and post reviews online.
www.dcolemanbooks.com
www.dcolemanbooks.blogspot.com
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Twitter @dnlcoleman
Praise for Jabberwocky
(From reviews on Amazon, Smashwords, and Goodreads)
“Loved. Loved. Loved. Can we talk about the perfect fairytale?”
“True love, friendship and a battle against evil are all packed into this beautifully written book.”
“Plenty of excitement and entertainment for the entire family.”
“Great story, Wonderful young author.”
“Coleman vividly and magically makes the poem come alive and makes it easy to understand.”
“When I finally got the chance to pick this up from my TBR queue, I could hardly put it down.”
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Jabberwocky is the surprising story behind Lewis Carroll’s epic poem. Find out how Tjaden, Elora, and Ollie defeat the invincible Jabberwock.
You might know how it ends, but you won’t believe how it happens.
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