Slave In Wonderland

“Here we go again.” I sighed, beginning another crimefighting mission to locate the Mad Hatter like Alice following the white rabbit across Gotham all over again.

As I continued to glide across night skies above the Bowery, I recalled my first encounter with the Mad Hatter during my first year in Gotham City when I was investigating a missing GCPD officer dressed as a white rabbit after receiving the children’s book of Alice In Wonderland. Jervis’s twisted delusional mind believed that I was the one to be his Alice because he discovered that my middle name was the exact same lead character of that fairytale. During the abduction, Jervis dressed me in Alice’s blue dress and hypnotised me, sending me into Wonderland where I had to fight my way out and defeated him

The second encounter was when the Mad Hatter abducted Batman to his twisted tea party after he tricked The Caped Crusader into taking a sedative that Batman thought was the antidote to the TITAN formula back in Arkham City. I had no choice but to disguise myself as my second alter ego once again in order to save Batman from becoming the Mad Hatter’s mindless soldier. During the rescue mission, Jervis got what we wanted by manipulating me into being his Alice while trapped in Wonderland once again with him. But Batman eventually saved me and snapped me out of the trance before we battled our way through Wonderland and defeated him together once again.

The last time that The Mad Hatter appeared in my life was a year after Arkham City. He intruded in my apartment with his mind controlled henchmen, using his new device to brainwash me into my own private wonderland where my dream of the life I ever wanted became a reality. It was almost too real, but it was also too good to be true after I realised that he was only using my deepest and darkest desires to get to me once again. It almost worked, but it was all a dream and dreams couldn’t hurt. I woke up from that endless nightmare.

I was hoping to never have cross that madman again, but I was wrong. No matter how obsessed Jervis was with me, I will never give into his brainwashing schemes to complete his delusional fantasies. But thankfully, Jervis has no idea who I really am behind my identity as CrowWoman. And I want to keep it that way.

Across the Bowery, my flight pattern brought me to my destination: The Hat Shop.

Through my detective mode, I’ve detected three random thugs loitering nearby. I decided to surprise them by swooping down towards the first thug, landing a well placed double glide kick into his ribcage that knocked him to the ground. I leapt on top of him and knocked him out cold with a quick punch.

“It’s CrowWoman!” Warned the second thug, charging at me.

But I quickly reacted by performing a swift punch into his face before taking him down by his leg and snapping his ankle, forcing him to pass out. I finished off the third thug by firing my CrowClaw at him, pulling him towards me for a roundhouse kick to the jaw, knocking him out..

“I needed that.” I said to myself, cracking my knuckles. I turned myself around to face the entrance door of the hat shop.

“Figures.” I stated, rolling my eyes, staring at the hat shaped sign above me, not surprised that the Mad Hatter would be hiding in a place like this.

“Time to crash the tea party.” I thought! opened the front door and walking inside.

Inside the shop, I armed myself with a crowarang, just in case of any elements of surprise. I was surrounded by many hat designs, all covered in dust because this shop had been abandoned for years. So I lowered my weapon back into my utility belt and began to investigate the shop for the Mad Hatter, guessing that this was all just a failed attempt to get me to join him for his tea party again.

I guessed wrong.

I silently crept out of the vent and sneaked behind the first two thugs, grabbing onto both of their heads and slamming them together until they were both knocked out.

The other 5 brainwashed thugs turned their attention away from the Mad Hatter to charged at me.

The first thug tried to stab me with a knife. I grabbed onto his arm and twisted it, causing him to scream in agony and drop the knife as I tossed him over my shoulder and onto the floor, punching him directly in the face to knock him out.

The second thug behind me tried to push md down, but I elbowed him in the chest and punched him in the face, knocking him out as well.

The third thug charged towards me. I somersaulted over him and swept his legs out from underneath him, causing him to fall to the floor before I leapt on top of him and knocked him out with another punch to the face.

“Have a nice trip!” I smirked, catching the forth thug off guard. He failed to hit me with a baseball bat as I snatched it out of his hands and snapped it in half over my knee. Several swift punches struck the thug’s face as I uppercutted him in the jaw, sending him flying backwards and onto the floor, “See you next fall.”

“You boys have gone soft on me!” I smirked, throwing a crowarang at the last thug to daze him before I used my crowcllaw again to shove him across the room as he crashed onto the tea party table that caused the teapot and teacups to shatter onto the floor.

“That’s how you crash a party.” I smirked, cracking my knuckles. I turned my attention to the madman himself in his green trench coat and top hat on top of his head. It contained a mind control device to control his mindless henchmen as he stood in front of the grandfather clock.

Eager to put an end to this madness before it begins, I approached the Mad Hatter with a grim expression across my face in hope that it will scare Tech into giving up before I use my ways of making criminals like him squeal.

“You came!” He strangely cheered in glee. As if he was only delighted and excited to see me, despite the fact that I’ve defeated his mindless army and destroyed his tea set. I was now standing a few feet away from him - his short height didn’t even compare to my average height.

“How wonderful! It is really an honour to make your offer - URK!” Mad Hatter squealed. I tightly gripped onto his neck in my gloved hand, holding him up a few inches off the floor, slamming him onto the grandfather clock, leaving a small crack on it’s glass.

“What are you up to, Jervis?” I demanded, threatening Jervis to force a confession from him about his next delusional plot that involved me, warning him that I meant serious business. No mind tricks or tea parties this time.

But from what I didn’t know yet, reality was about to take a turn for the worst for me this time.

Chapter 2: Return To Wonderland

Whatever it was that just happened, I groaned as I rose from my knees, clutching my head and rubbing my eyes to adjust to this dimension. My blue eyes blinked and widen in horror at the sight of these familiar surroundings - I was no longer in the storage room of the hat shop in the Bowery.

“Oh no. Not again!” I gasped, the realisation that I was back in Wonderland dawning upon me, rubbing my eyes in desperation to wake myself up from this nightmare. But the fantasy was once again real, thanks to Tetch’s clever hypnotic suggestions; more advanced and powerful since our last encounter.

“I’ve never seen this part of Wonderland before.” I thought, spotting a path throw the towering forest, a pair of iron-cast gates straight ahead of me. Mushrooms dotted the landscape around the trees and an ethereal glow hung in the air around me.

“Jervis, what have you done?” I asked, realizing that Wonderland has really changed since my last visit. It was darker and less pleasant.

“I can’t believe I let him trick me again.” I snarled to myself, on the verge of promising to crush the Mad Hatter’s throat if he thinks that he can use his twisted games to get to me again.

Just as I began to walk towards the gates ahead of me, a familiar creepy and cheerful laugh echoed across the area.

“Welcome to Wonderland, CrowWoman!” The Hatter cheerfully chirped voice, just as the iron-cast gates opened to reveal a bridge ahead. It was filled with electronic booby traps, forcing me to stop for a brief moment.

“Oh it’s where I first met Alice, you know! Ah. what grand adventures we had!” The Mad Hatter’s voice spoke. I carefully crossed the electronic booby traps across the bridge, see the same grandfather clock towering over the land in the distance.

“The memory that I want to forget.” I muttered to myself, remembering all the failed attempts from Tetch trying to make me his Alice in order to complete his delusional fantasy.

Across the bridge, I’ve found myself at the dead end. I looked up and saw a giant keyhole across from me, which need unlocking somehow. And not just with a key.

“I wonder…..” I thought, noticing 3 glowing lanterns on either side of the giant keyhole. I threw 6 crowarangs all at the same time, smashing all six. The giant keyhole began to glow and lowered itself down, allowing me to pass across the bridge. My cautious approach saw me pass another round of electrified traps below me, bringing me to a river of tea below the bridge.

After passing over the bridge, I found myself in the forest of Wonderland, gazing at my surroundings. I spotted a short figure standing on top of a nearby giant red and white dotted mushroom with his green top hat and green trench coat.....

“Hatter!” I yelled angrily, walking towards the mushroom to confront him again.

“Oh frabjous day! Callooh Callay! The CrowWoman’s here! It’s time to play!” The Hatter giggled, smirking down at me, delighted to see me in Wonderland with him once again.

“I’m not playing your twisted games, Jervis! Get me out of here NOW!” I demanded, staring up at him, on the verge of literally giving him a real reality check.

“Wait a minute…..” I paused, scratching my head and staring up at the signs posted onto several trees dotted around the forest path, trying to figure out which way to go next. Without my detective tools, finding the Mad Hatter will be more challenging than expected in this wild goose chase.

This time - I was really trapped in Wonderland.

“Everything is the opposite in Wonderland. Which means…..” I recalled, knowing that everything in Wonderland is the opposite from reality. Such as up is down, right is left and left is right.

“I should go that way.” I suggested, pointing to the “That Way” sign that seemed to go to the left of the forest.

“Looks like I’ll have to find Tetch the old fashioned way.” I suggested, knowing that I’ll have to use my normal detective skills and not my high-tech gadgets. They were useless in Wonderland. And that means I’ll have to do this literally by the book; “Adventures of Alice In Wonderland”.

As I walked cautiously along the first forest path, I spotted the White Rabbit’s cottage. The last time I saw the rabbit was when he helped me and Batman save Wonderland from the Mad Hatter during the Arkham City incident

But as I opened the gate, a small note, pinned onto the front door, caught my eye.

“If you have found the first note, good for you, but there is still so much for you to do. Each note you find will leav you clues, from each three paths that you choose. You’re not done, your journey in Wonderland has just begun, but I promise that you will have so much fun. Because if you ever want to leave this crazy world you now inhabit, all you have to do, is follow the white rabbit.”

My mind knew that this writing was left by the Hatter, with more rhyming clues on where to find him.

“Of course. The White Rabbit!” I recalled, remembering the story from my childhood, snapping my fingers out of realisation. “He’ll know where he is!"

With my next mission lined up - find the White Rabbit to investigate the Mad Hatter’s whereabouts - I knocked on the door three times, hope that the rabbit was home. But no answer..

As I opened the door to investigate, the house was empty. Not one soul in sight.

“White Rabbit?” I asked, hoping to get a response, but met only by silence. I walked up the stairs that leads towards his bedroom. but nobody was present..

“Hello? Anybody in here?” I asked again, investigating the bedroom until I came across another note on a small table next to an equally small bottle.

“The white rabbit is running late just like you, so you better hurry because your invitation is overdue. In order to get where you need to be, all you have to do is drink me. But don’t drink me while in this room, you must first go to the place where the flowers bloom.” I read, telling me to drink this bottle in a different area.

“As I recall, this bottle will make me smaller.” I thought, “So if the Mad Hatter doesn’t want me to drink in this room, he wants to drink this where the flowers bloom. But why?”

“This is going to be a long journey.” I sighed, walking out of the small cottage and continuing my journey through the forests of Wonderland. I’ve found myself surrounded with rows of brightly coloured flowers and mushrooms.

“Wow…..That’s what Jervis was talking about.” I realised, knowing that I have to continue to play along by drinking this bottle to make me as small as those flowers and mushrooms below me.

“Here goes…..” I sighed deeply, drinking the entire bottle and swallowing it. I slowly found myself shrinking smaller and smaller until I was the size of an ant. The grass now looked taller compared to my small size now.

“Great…..How am I supposed to find the Mad Hatter while I’m this small?” I asked out of frustration, finding another note pinned to a giant red and white dotted mushroom. I picked it up to read it.

“It is a small world after all from the view of your new size, but you will soon experience the beautiful world before your very eyes, where hopes and dreams never dies. There are some creatures that are friendly and wise, but there are also some that are mean and will bite. So do be careful and always remain polite, because in wonderland, they don’t like to start a fight.” I read, the new note leaving me a warning to never pick a fight with any Wonderland creatures that I may encounter.

Deeper into the oversized forest, I found myself surrounded by more mushrooms and flowers, but I continued to calmly follow the path that trailed ahead of me.

“I cant help but feel like I’m being watched.” I muttered quietly to myself, picking a crowarang out from utility belt. But I remembered the last note - never start a fight with other unknown creatures of Wonderland if I want to get back home.

After failing to notice that there were some flowers secretly watching me from the distance, I was several butterflies with slices of bread as wings landing on a nearby leaf.

“Curious butterflies.” I asked curiously, observing the strange creatures.

“You mean bread and butterflies.” Came a strange voice from behind me, failing to notice what felt like hands lifting up the back of my cloak.

“When you put it that way…..” I paused, gasping at handsy leaves touching my cloak as I swung it away and turned around with my crowarang in my fist again, gazing at my surroundings for any suspicious intruders.

“Who’s there?” I asked, “Do you suppose…..?” I asked myself, looking up at the row of beautiful and colourful flowers above me. I shook my head before another creature flew towards my face, startling me. It looked like a rocking horse with wings.

“Oh I get it…..A Horsefly. I mean, a rocking horsefly.” I corrected myself.

“Naturally.” Came that strange voice again.

“I beg your pardon, but did you just say something?” I asked again.

“What am I saying? Flowers can’t talk…..” I muttered to myself, staring up at a beautiful bright red rose above me.

“But of course we can talk, my dear.” Responded the rose, which came to life again. It bent itself down to my height to get a closer look at me. This caused me to flinch, backing a few feet away from it.

“If there’s anyone worth talking to.” Came a response from a talking iris, snobby and conceited.

“Or about.” Giggled the talking daisy.

“And we can sing too.” Said all 6 Pansys.

“Really?” I asked, still a little taken back from the sight of talking flowers all around me.

“Don’t be frightened, my dear. We mean no harm.” Said the rose.

“Sorry, I’m just not to used to talking flowers……Look, it’s all sounds very flattering, but I’m looking for someone. Can you help me?” I asked, hoping the rose knew anything about The Mad Hatter’s whereabouts.

Chapter 3: Golden Afternoon

“Oh, You’ll love it. It’s a song about all of us.” The rose smiled, making herself tall once again with another rose in her hand like a music conductor.

“Please take a seat.” The rose insisted, gesturing towards a row of leaf shaped seats behind me. One lowered itself down for me to sit upon.

“This is too weird, even for me.” I thought, hesitant at first. It was bad enough that I was slowly losing my sense of reality just by socialising with the sentient talking flowers and other possible creatures around me in a world that was meant to be a children’s storybook. The Mad Hatter’s hypnosis was stronger than I thought.

But if I want to find the tiny criminal, I’ll have to keep up with this game in hope that once I play by his rules and find him, he’ll bring me back home to Gotham Even if I have to force him.

Until then, I sighed deeply and played along with confidence, keeping my free will in control from falling under the Mad Hatter’s hypnosis completely. I sat down on one of the left shaped seats.

“Alright. But you promise that you’ll tell me where the Hatter is, right?” I asked.

“Of course, child.” The rose smiled, seeing me sit down on the leaf shaped seat so she can now begin her song.

“How bad can it be?” I thought to myself, watching the rose assemble her fellow flowers.

“Sound your "A," Lily.” Rose politely orderd. All the different kinds of colorful flowers began to rehearse their vocals before I could slowly hear cheerful and graceful music begin to play. The flowers started to sing gracefully, while the bread butterflies soared into the skies again above the tulips, singing “Golden Afternoon”

“Little bread-and-butterflies kiss the tulips,
And the sun is like a toy balloon,
There are get-up-in-the-morning glories,
In the golden afternoon.”

During the song, I silently remained seated on the leaf seat, listening to the graceful music all around me, feeling strangely delighted by the cheerful song that I’ve never heard since my childhood. My head began to strangely swing to the rhythm of the song on it’s own, as if slowly being influenced by the enchanted song and the music all around me. I shook my head and remained focused on my mission, continue to watch the flowers’s performance.

“There are dizzy daffodils on the hillside,
Strings of violets are all in tune,
Tiger lilies love the dandelions,
In the golden afternoon.”

“There are dog and cat-erpillars and a copper centipede,
Where the lazy daisies love the very peaceful life,
They lead…”

The calm rhythm for a moment made me yawn out of exhaustion as I revealed a small calm smile across my face. Again, I shook my head to keep my free will in check It felt like the Hatter was trying every attempt to get me to fall under his control. “What’s happening to me?” I thought, continuing to politely listen to the song.

“You can learn a lot of things from the flowers,
For especially in the month of June,
There's a wealth of happiness and romance,
All in the golden afternoon.”

During the instrumental part, the white daisy rang some of the flowers above her like they were bells. More flowers began to sound more like real musical instruments before I saw the purple iris playing on a flower in a form of a harp.

Suddenly, the rose gestured for the bread butterflies to fly towards me while I was still sitting on the leaf seat.

“Wait! What are you - ?” I paused, being lifted up from my seat as the bread butterflies pulled me forward by my cloak, forcing me to walk towards the 6 singing pansies that sang, “All in the golden afternoon, the golden afternoon!”

As I was now standing nervously in the center of the 6 tiny flowers, not expecting what they want me to do next, I looked up at the rose who waved at me as if gesturing for me to sing the last verse of the song. My blue eyes widen in shock as I gulped nervously, hesitating to sing in front of such an audience from a children’s storybook that didn’t even exist in the real world. But at the same time, I couldn’t be rude and turn my back on them now. They were willing to tell me what I need to know about the Mad Hatter.

“I can’t believe I’m about to do this…..” I thought, sighing deeply before I started to sing the last verse of the song, closing my eyes, my face blushing nervously from underneath my hooded cloak and mask,

“You can learn a lot of things from the flowers
For especially in the month of June
There's a wealth of happiness and romance
All in the golden afternoon!”

After I bravely sang the last verse of the song, it was finally over.I sighed deeply in relief.

But I politely applauded and clapped my hands towards the performance as the rose bowed down towards me.

“I must admit, that was lovely.” I politely smiled. The rose leant closer towards me again and lifted up my chin with her leaf hand again, “Thank you, my dear.”

“What kind of garden do you come from?” The white daisy asked me.

Oh, I don't come from any garden.” I corrected the white daisy, who seemed surprised.

“Do you suppose she's a wild flower?” The white diasy asked the rose.

“Oh, no. I’m not a wild flower either.” I corrected them again.

“Just what specie... or shall we say genus.....are you, my dear?” The rose asked me, enquiring what kind of species I was as if they had never seem a human being before.

“I’m a human being.” I revealed.

“If you’re a human, than why do you look like a bird?” The white daisy asked again.

“Oh, that’s because I’m Crow Woman, I come from Gotham.” I revealed to the flowers.

“What is this Gotham?” Asked the purple iris

“That’s where I live. I need to find The Mad Hatter. He’s the only one who can take me back home.” I revealed, confessing why I need to find The Mad Hatter and hope that they have kept their promise and tell me everything they know about him and where he might be.

Chapter 4: The Blue Catepiller's Smoke of Seduction/Recite

When I stared up at the rose. I slowly visualised her as my beloved and deceased mother, Anna Raven, who had died ar the hands of The Joker when I was a newborn. The only important person in my life was gone before I even knew her. The rose’s warmth, kindness and compassion was the feeling that I had not experienced in years since I dedicated my life to protect Gotham alongside Batman, Nightwolf, Robin, Nightwing, and Oracle.

Despite Wonderland feelkng lkke a fantasy world of imagination away from reality, I almost never wanted to leave. The warm welcome and kindness that I had received from Rose and her flower colleagues since I’ve returned was enough to make me feel at home.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let that happen.” I promised, vowing to save Wonderland from The Mad Hatter to return peace and freedom to this world once again.

My blue eyes stared back up at Rose with a sad expression, but with a gentle and warm smile back at her. Her green petal hand cupped my chin up and caressed my cheek.

“What’s the matter, my dear?” Rose asked, noticing the distress within in my eyes, “You seem distressed.”

“Distress? I’m way past distress.” I sighed, sitting down on top of a nearby small mushroom to retrace my steps.

“What do you mean?” She asked, leaning closer towards me from behind.

“I’m talking to sentient flowers! And I stopped believing in Wonderland a long time ago!” I confessed, admitting that I stopped thinking about Wonderland after my last encounter with the Mad Hatter when he tried to create my own private Wonderland.

“But why?” The rose asked.

“I don’t know…..I’ve grown too old for this. At least, I thought I did…..” I sighed deeply. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, this place is beautiful and absolutely amazing. I had dreams like this when I was a child. I see it…..But I don’t believe it.” I declared to the rose, saying that I wanted to believe that Wonderland really did exist but only in my dreams, not in reality. I thought that I’d grown out of it.

“You’re missing the point, child.” The rose revealed, staring back at me with her compassionate eyes.

“What point?” I asked, turning myself around to face the flower, still sitting on the mushroom.

“Wonderland is about believing, not seeing. It’s the enchanted world reminding everyone who believes us that nothing’s impossible when you have imagination. That is the most powerful in Wonderland. It gives you the ability to create and accomplish anything in the real world.” The rose wisely advised me.

Wonderland was the imaginative world created by Alice and the author of the book, Lewis Carroll, to give people confidence that they can accomplish anything in the real world with their own creativity and imagination.

“You’re right, Rose. It’s been so long that I almost forgot the true meaning of Wonderland.” I slightly smiled, but a tear that rolled down my right cheek. The Rose noticed it and wiped it away with her petal hand.

“Don’t cry, my child.” The rose comforted with a gentle smile.

“I’m sorry, It just……” I sighed, thinking of my mother, “You remind me of someone I once knew.”

“Who?” Rose asked.

“She’s been gone since I was born……” I sighed again - the painful thought of my mother’s death causing me to take a deep breath to hold onto that painful memory from becoming emotional.

This caused all the flowers to gasp in shock, feeling deep sympathy for me after realising that the one I was referring to was my mother.

“I’m sorry, my dear.” The rose said, resting her other petal hand on my shoulder.

“It’s okay. I didn’t mean to bring my real life problems to this world.” I apologised.

“That’s what Wonderland is all about. Creating a world of your own to escape from all your troubles that you have in the real world.” The rose advised.

“I know……” I replied. “But I can’t be here forever……As much I would love to stay, I have to go back home where I belong to keep my promise as the guardian of Gotham to make sure that they’ll never have to go through the pain I once had.” I vowed, promising to find my way back home to Gotham.

“You’re going after him?” The daisy asked nervously.

“I have no choice. Jervis got me into this world. If I want to go back home, I have to find him.” I revealed, standing up on my feet again.

“That little pest needs to be taught a lesson.” Iris said.

“Be careful, Crow Woman!” Warned the 6 pansies in unison, nervous expressions across their faces.

“I’m not afraid of him. I will find him and make sure that he never controls Wonderland again. I will set you all free, I promise.” I vowed to the flowers. They all cheered for my courage and promise to restore peace to Wonderland once again.

But before I could make my leave, I walked towards the Rose and I gently embraced her in a compassionate hug. She hugged me back with her fragile green arms around my waist.

“You May be part of my imagination, but deep down, you’re real to me. I won’t forget you.” I smiled to the Rose, who felt deeply appreciated by my kind words about her.

“Thank you, CrowWoman. We won’t forget you. If you ever need us, you know where to find us.” The Rose smiled, giving me a small kiss on my cheek.

I just nodded my head and smiled warmly, waving farewell to The Rose and the other enchanted flowers as they waved back. I briefly stopped and turned my head around to look back at the flowers one last time before continuing to travel through the oversized grass.

“I guess not all creatures in Wonderland are bad as I thought. But I can’t stay. I need to find the Mad Hatter if I want to save Wonderland and myself.” I thought, climbing on to a discarded and oversized leaf, briefly sailed across a water puddle until reaching the other side of the overgrown forest.

“Another note.” I thought, spotting another note written by Tetch, located on top of a nearby dandelion flower. I carefully used my grappling hook to climb onto the top of the flower and retrieve the note, opening it up to read it.

“Your happiness is only a dream away, I know someone who will convince you to stay. There is no need to continue on this wild goose chase, when you can just embrace life and forever remain in this place. Just follow the smoke of pink, green, and blue, because this charming creature has special plans for you. Forget your old life and your past, because after this journey, you will be mine at last.” Another rhyming clue written by the Mad Hatter.

“Follow the smoke? What does that mean?” I asked myself, still standing on top of the dandelion. My eyes looked skywards, spotting several colourful clouds of smoke in the shapes of the vowels - AEIOU - floating across the clear blue skies in the distance.

“Where’s it coming from? Only one way to find out.” I thought, spreading my cloak apart like wings and gliding across the tall grass, following the smoke shaped vowels until I safely landed behind more tall grass.

“Sounds like someone singing.” I decided, hearing someone or something singing the vowels AEIOU. Peeking my head through the tall grass, I saw a blue caterpillar resting on top of another giant mushroom, an old fashioned hookah beside it, connected with a long skinny pipe that it was using to blow smoke out of his mouth in shapes of those same vowels while singing.

“Blue caterpillar.” I recalled, remembering the creature from the storybook as I walked through the tall grass towards the mushroom where the caterpillar was resting. I suspiciously observed the area, climbbong on top of a nearby small mushroom to get a closer view of the creature with my hands on my hips and a serous expression across my face.

I cleared my throat politely, hoping to get the creature’s attention just as it finished it’s song. He turned his head to look down at me. a relaxed expression across its face. He rotated his long body around and leant forwardto get a closer look at me.

“Who…..Are……You?” The blue caterpillar asked calmly, exhaling 3 small red smoke clouds that read O R U, which covered my face as I coughed and waved the smoke away from my face.

“I’m looking for The Mad Hatter. Where is he?” I asked the caterpillar, wanting to know about The Mad Hatter unknown whereabouts, remain as focused as I can, despite being surrounded by exotic and colourful smoke.