"If it comes down to saving one girl's life and saving the world, who should I choose?"
"You started saving lives already? I always knew you would," his smile curves like ocean waves I want to crash against. "You really want my opinion on this?"
"You really want his opinion?" The carrot-nibbling rabbit peeks out again. Lewis laughs, hands him another carrot, and tucks him back in his suit's pocket. The rabbit stretches out its arm out of Lewis’s hand pocket, "It takes too much space in here."
Lewis laughs again then turns to me. "Like I said, do you really want my opinion?"
I nod.
"In my opinion, no one can save the world, Alice," he says. "We can save the ones we care about, the ones nearby, if we're lucky enough to be able to save them in the first place. Then once we save one, we go on to the next. One day at a time, Alice. One day at a time."
"So there are no miracles like saving the world?"
Lewis laughs. "There are two ways to live our lives, Alice. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. I like the 'everything' part."
"I like it too." I say.
"A man called Einstein will rephrase this quote many years from now, by the way," Lewis stands up and cleans his sword. "Don't tell him I said it before him. We don't want to shake his confidence."
"Why?"
"He is going to invent mad things, important things for mankind, and no one's going to believe him in the beginning," Lewis says. "That's the way with all mad people. No one believes them in the beginning."
I pull him down and kiss him on the cheek. He blushes. "You're a good man, Lewis. The world will love your madness after you die."
"You think so?"
"Your book is going to inspire millions, believe me," I say, and run back to the Tom Tower.
"What book, Alice?" he summons after me. "Wait? I am going to write a book? About what?"
"If you know about Einstein quoting you years from now, you should know you're going to write a book." I don't turn around, but answer him as I run.
"A book?" I hear the rabbit question. "Lewis, you're going to write a book? Will you write about me, please?
"A book about what, Alice?" are Lewis's last words I hear before I reach the Tom Tower.
"Madness, Lewis. You're going to write a book about beautiful madness."
Chapter 69
Quadrangle, Christ Church, Oxford University
I stand in the middle of Christ Church's quadrangle with the Cheshire's mask in my hand. There a few students here and there, a couple of professors, and even a mother and her little child with a lollipop in her hand. I think there is some night gathering for some reason. None of it concerns me. I am here to give the Cheshire his mask and get Constance back.
The Cheshire doesn't waste time. It's only moments before I see the old woman before me.
"I believe you have something that was stolen from me," she says.
"Where is Constance?" I say.
"With her parents. I drove her myself and they invited me for ice cream before I left," the woman grins. "Call the Pillar to make sure."
I do. The Pillar replies with a yes. I ask him to put Constance on the phone because I don't trust him. When she talks to me, I ask her about who she thought I was before jumping from the clothes tower. She says, “Mary Poppins.” Now, I am sure it's her.
"Here is your stupid grin," I hand him the mask.
The woman puts on the mask immediately. This time it dissolves into the pores of her face, like soap. She closes her eyes for a brief time, then opens them with the creepiest grin ever on her face. I can tell this is the Cheshire's real grin. It's not something you want to stare at for too long, or it will suck your soul.
"This feels good," the woman says. "If I were you, I would start the countdown."
"Of what?"
"The end of the world, dear Alice," the woman's grin has turned permanent. "You don't think I had my revenge yet, do you?" She tickles my chin with her finger and walks away. I feel helpless. Although I saved Constance, I just booked the world a First Class ticket to Hell.
"Nine lives aren’t that hard to kill," I say over my shoulder. She stops. "I know who I am now, and I will kill you nine times if I have to."
"With what, your magic pink umbrella?" The woman turns around and approaches me again. "Do you really want to see a glimpse of the grandness of my power?" She doesn't await an answer and gestures at a young man walking by. She taps him on the shoulder and suddenly the man turns to me with her grin on his face.