The spiral Snail Mound is huge. I am starting to pant, and I’m starting to feel weaker, but I keep going. It’s surprising that the spiral movement wears off the induced Alice Syndrome. I am starting to see things in their normal size again.
In the end, when I reach the tip, I realize it’s much smaller than I thought it was. A thought occurs to me suddenly: is it possible that Alice in the book never shrank, that she only was sick with Alice Syndrome, a scientifically known medical condition that may be caused by migraines?
Migraines? The kind Lewis Carroll suffered from? Is it possible that Lewis was ill? That his migraines drove him crazy? That he was just mad, like all of us?
I wash the nutty thoughts away, and focus on my climb.
It’s really comforting seeing things as normal as they should be—not that many things about Wonderland are normal.
But it’s beautiful from up here on the Snail Mound. It’s like staring at a rainbow from the seventh sky, not from earth. Every curve in Wonderland is enchanting. I can easily spot the Queen’s castle from here, and the Muffin Man’s house, which I visited before.
The highest point on the Snail Mound is empty, except for my Tiger Lily bouncing to the sunlight on top.
“How did you get here?” I ask.
“I am always here.” She snickers.
“No, you’re not. You were down there a few minutes ago.”
“Down there, up here, what does it matter?” She laughs. “As long as I have changed my mind to tell you about the circus.”
I try to calm down and not lose it. “Why did you change your mind?”
“Frankly, because you found the Snail Mound.”
“What does that mean?”
“The Snail Mound is only visible to three persons. That’s why the Hatter wanted you to find it for him.”
“Oh.” It makes a little more sense now. It doesn’t explain the bomb in the rabbit and the dress, gloves, and fan, though. “Are you saying he is watching me now, that I am leading him to a place he shouldn’t have access to?”
“It could be,” she says. “I’m not the Hatter, you know.”
Thinking about it, I still have no choice. I have to keep my deal with the Hatter so he’ll tell me where the rabbit is. “You said only three persons can find the Snail Mound?”
“Lewis Carroll, the March Hare, and... guess what?” She winks.
“The Real Alice?” I am hoping.
“You’re right about that.”
“So it’s me.” I sigh. “Finally.”
“Well, it’s still a bit tricky,” she says. “You see, you’re the Real Alice in an unreal world.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean since you’ve fallen into the rabbit hole, you’ve been transported to this place, which, frankly—I’m not sure what it is. It could be a mimicking version of Wonderland, or anything else.”
“I am not even registering anything you say.” I hold my head tight to stop it from exploding. “Can you just tell me where the circus is?”
“It’s right here in front of you,” she says. “You came all the way up here to find something all the way down there.” She points at Wonderland below.
I follow her gaze, and there it is in the distance: the circus’s tent.
Chapter 51
Meeting Hall, Buckingham Palace, London
Dr. Tom Truckle watched the Queen take the stage.
People stood up and clapped enthusiastically as she embarked on a stepper to reach the podium. The smug smile on her face was prominent as she asked them to “shut up” and “sit down.”
“Thank you for accepting my invitation for the most important event in the history of mankind,” she began. “I have chosen you for reasons only the likes of us can understand. Each one of you has a past I sympathize with and understand clearly.”
Dr. Tom thought he knew what she meant as he glanced at the list of members on the back of his card. But he needed to wait to confirm his suspicions.
“But before I lay out my plan, I’d like you to watch something.” She signaled to Margaret Kent, and a screen came down behind her. “What you’re going to see now will stir a few bad memories, but it’s a must.”
Dr. Tom watched the screen flicker, curious about what he was going to watch.
Chapter 52
The Maze, Wonderland
Time remaining: 9 hours, 23 minutes
It’s quite a maze to get to the circus.
I tried to memorize it while I was atop the Snail Mound, but now I’m not sure I won’t get lost down here.
It’s a hedge maze, curving left and right, but I’m determined to finish it and get to the circus in the center—that’s how it appeared to be from atop the spiral mound.
I notice that as I walk, the sky starts to turn blue again, and I seem to hear voices in the distance. The circus?
Hedge after hedge, curve after curve, I am going crazy. Whenever I think I am close to the sound, the maze ends.
I have to start all over again.
In my mind, I focus on the direction of the sound. Is it coming from my left side? Right side? Does it sound a bit muffled here because the maze is blocked? Does it flow better there?
The sounds are of a cheering crowd. Everyone seems happy about something. I am getting curiouser and curiouser.