#madcuriosity

At the local coffee shop, there’s a chess set set up in one corner of the shop and every morning I move one piece. Later in the day, someone else always moves a piece too. I’m dying to know who I’m playing against.

______________________________________________________________                The following morning, Alice woke to a groan pouring from her Hatter’s lips shortly before a sneeze shook his entire being. Alice moved, resting her chin against his chest rather than having her blonde curls splayed across the bare skin there. Jefferson had a hand across his eyes, shielding himself from the little light that poured into their bedroom.                “Hatter?” Alice’s whispered words were followed by a harsh cough. Jefferson’s arm that was curled around her waist tightened, brushing his fingers against the bare skin of her hip.                “I told you we should have taken an umbrella.” Alice giggled softly, shuffling herself up along their bed to press a kiss just under his jaw. She pulled the thick blankets up along with her, earning a hum of appreciation from her Hatter’s lips.                “We’ll stay in bed today?” Jefferson allowed her to settle against his chest once more before he moved the hand from his eyes. Alice could hear the steady thrum of his heartbeat, and her fingers brushed a pattern along his chest. His hand that had shielded him from the light had settled against Alice’s shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze.                “Sounds perfect.”

“He's not coming back, Alice. He's got a nice life in Storybrooke with his daughter.” Alice didn't care. She would take care of Hatter's things while he was gone. His glasses that he used when sewing she kept clean and safe. All of the tools of his trade were neatly cared for and placed in the cupboards. Jefferson's fabrics never had a speck of dust on them for more than a week. Alice would be waiting, waiting for her madman, even though he would never come. Why would he? He had Grace.

They had crashed into each other. Literally. Jefferson had been silently exploring as usual, collecting oddities to pawn off back in the Enchanted Forest, taking his time while personally mapping out the various areas of this 'Wonderland.' Alice, had been on the run, as usual, with a Royal Flush chasing behind her after she had accidentally smashed the Queen's favorite tea set. CRASH. The two had tumbled to the leafy floor of the Tulgey Wood, and while Jefferson mutters obscenities, Alice quickly dragged him behind a fallen tree and clamped her hand over his mouth while her other arm locked him in an iron hold so that he couldn't give away where she was until the hand of Cards had passed. That was how they met. Slowly, over time, Jefferson began to try to make his trips to the Wonderous Land more frequent, unable to figure out why the blonde with unruly curls seemed to fascinated him so. Jefferson fell quicker than Alice, for she was far too absorbed in everything else that it wasn't until after an afternoon of pretending to be pirates and battling each other with long, stripped tree branches that she succumbed to the magic that had had captivated the Hatter. Jefferson had maneuvered her 'sword' out of her hold and had her pinned against a large tree trunk. "Do you yield, my lady?" "I would never yield to a pirate with a Hat that large. Who knows what he'll do next?" "Perhaps something like this?" And with that, his lips crashed to hers, finally giving in to that temptation that had taunted him for so long. Alice froze for a moment, causing Jefferson to pull away thinking that he had crossed a line, however the mischievous woman wrapped her hands around his cravat and yanked him back to her returning his kiss. There was an innocence about her in everything that she did that never ceased to leave Jefferson star struck. Even after the day that their kisses led to more until they were lying breathless on the floor of his cottage, Alice still gave everything her sweet, innocent touch. It was perfect. Their days were filled with happy adventure and their long nights with a passion that burned brighter than most would ever be able to come close to ever having in their life. But it wasn't meant to be. No, Jefferson had gotten back too late so that all he saw was the smashed down door and the rent and toppled furniture. Alice was gone, and all that was left behind was a warrant for their girl's arrest, nailed to the kitchen cupboard. He had been too late. Jefferson left Wonderland in despair believing his Alice to have fallen victim to what happened to every prisoner taken by the Cards. 'Off with her head.' Those were the words he heard echo in his head over and over. But that was not to be Alice's fate, no, she was sent to the dungeons to rot, to out the rest of her life alone, knowing that no one would come for her... Jefferson in turn, hardened, becoming an arrogant brat as he began working as a 'Man of Travels,' selling off items from other realms for his own gain. Women came easy to him as he tried to fill the void in his chest, but nothing worked. Alice was gone. (To be continued....)

'Oh, these times are hard Yeah, they're making us crazy Don't give up on me baby'

You are my sunshine My only sunshine You make me happy When skies are gray You'll never know dear How much I love you Please don't take my sunshine away.

There it was again. That strange humming sound that he had heard for the past three days. Three days, and try as he might, he had never been able to find the source. It certainly wasn’t a sound that was coming from the Hare or the Dormouse, or even from Cheshire. No, this sound was unique. It hummed a tune that the boy had found stuck in his head, which made him all the more desperate to find where it was coming from.  He had asked the Flowers if it was coming from their Gardens, but they had giggled at him and told him the sound was most definitely not from any sort of flower. He had asked the Tweedles, who only dissolved into rhymes instead of answering his questions. So, on this third day, he took the question to Absolem. Surely he would know where the sound was coming from. After all, he knew everything. Unfortunately, knowing everything did not make him the most cooperative of beings. When he was asked the question, the Caterpillar told the boy that he would find where the sound was coming from if he followed the Mome Raths.  Followed the Mome Raths. Why, it was a simple task, was it not? They were easy enough to find if one knew where to look. Thanking Absolem, the boy set off back to Tulgey Wood to find the creatures that ran so fast they became blurs of colour. It was a game he had often played with them, and one that they exceeded in. Try as he might, he could never quite catch a Mome Rath, but today he found that he didn’t need to. He could follow them and they would lead him exactly where he wanted to go.  The first blur of colour that caught his eye was blue. His footsteps were heavy on the ground as he chased the lone creature, grinning at the thought of finally knowing the answer to his first question. The Mome Rath ran and ran, weaving around the trees and bushes, and the boy didn’t realise that he had even chased the Mome Rath back out of the forest until the dirt beneath his feet changed into soft, long grass, and the tuft of blue disappeared beneath the bright green colour of the Meadow. Lost it. He had lost his only chance to find his answer. He collapsed down in the grass, letting the hat that was far too large for him topple off of his head.  Humming broke the sound of his own heavy breathing. Could it be…? Suddenly the boy was sitting up straight, little hands reaching for his hat to cover his unruly dark hair. Absolem was right. The Mome Rath had led him exactly where he wanted to be. His stomach turned and excitement began to run through him as he rose, listening to the hum to find the right direction. This way? No, that made it quieter. That way? Yes. This was the way. His footsteps grew quieter as the humming grew louder and there, where the grass became short and the daisies sat in little circles, did he find what he was looking for. A little girl.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Little Alice: QuaintInnocence Little Hatter: MischiefAndHats 

"If our love’s Insanity Why are you my Clarity?”