In the winding¹ streets of Witzend, people and creatures gathered in clusters to whisper about the results of the coronation. Keeping her eyes fixed² on the lanky³ frame of the Hatter ahead of her, Alice wove through the groups.

"Excuse me?" she called. "Excuse me? Tarrant!"

Hatter spun⁴, his face still tight with emotion. Alice pulled him into a hug, wanting to comfort him after that terrible exchange with his father.

He was surprised, and his expression melted into bemusement.

"It's you, isn't it? It's really you!" Alice said, echoing what Hatter had once said to her.

"I'm sorry," Hatter replied. "Have we met?"

Alice stepped back, beaming up at him. "Yes! I mean, no. I mean, not yet. I'm Alice."

"Funny. I feel I should know you." Hatter's voice had returned to its usual quirky cadence⁵.

"We met once," Alice explained. "When I was young."

"I'm afraid I don't recall," Hatter said.

Alice smiled. "Because it hasn't happened yet."

"When will it happen?"

"Years from now. When you're older," Alice answered.

Hatter cocked his head to the side. "I'll meet you when you're younger ... and I'm older?"

"It doesn't make much sense, I know." Alice bit her lip as Hatter worked through the conundrum⁶.

Suddenly, his face broke into the familiar grin Alice had missed. "Of course it does!" he exclaimed. He started walking again, his steps more buoyant as Alice kept pace. "You're Alice—my new, old friend! You're bonkers, aren't you?"

"Am I?" Alice asked.

"All the best ones are," Hatter said, leaning in conspiratorially⁷. He plucked a ribbon from one stall, then a purplemelon fruit from another. "You must meet my friend Thackery Earwicket!"

As they passed a crooked⁸ house, Hatter reached out and snatched a few tail feathers from a borogove bird perched on the windowsill.

"He lives out by the old mill," Hatter continued. His fingers busily wove the ribbon around the fruit and feathers, attaching them to some fabric⁹ he'd pulled from his vest.

As the two of them exited the village and strode toward Tulgey Woods, Hatter drew a pair of scissors from a holster on his hip¹⁰ and snipped¹¹ at the ribbon.

"I'm hoping he'll put me up for a bit," Hatter chattered¹² on. "Will you join us for tea?"

Before Alice could answer, he whirled, presenting her with a stunning¹³ purple-and-blue hat he'd fashioned from the fruit, ribbon, fabric, and feathers. Delighted, Alice immediately placed it on her head. Hatter produced a hand mirror from one of his pockets and held it up with a flourish so she could admire herself.

Linking arms, the two of them continued along the path until Hatter paused at an old oak tree with a hollow in its side.

"Can you keep a secret?" he whispered. Alice nodded and her friend's face became wistful. "This tree is magical," he said. "Every night when I was a boy, I would make a wish, and the next morning the tree would have granted it. Usually green-and-white Swizzles. Delicious! What a tree." He patted its bark gently before ambling¹⁴ onward¹⁵.

Suddenly recognizing their surroundings, Alice pulled up short. They were close to the Horunvendush Day fairgrounds. She'd been so caught up in having her old friend back that she'd forgotten her mission.

"Wait! Stop!" she cried. "Your family is in danger. You must warn them about Horunvendush Day!"

Hatter regarded her blankly. "I've no idea what you're talking about," he finally said. "But if my father sent you to change my mind, you can tell him that I never will." He turned his back and walked purposefully away.

"Tarrant, wait!" Alice called desperately¹⁶. "Listen! You are right now creating a past you will never be able to change! Hatter!"

But Hatter didn't turn around. His figure was soon swallowed by the shadows of the trees. flinging up her arms in frustration¹⁷, Alice headed back toward the village. Maybe the elder Hightopp would listen to reason.

She found Zanik Hightopp outside Witzend Castle, talking to a distraught Princess Mirana.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hightopp," Mirana was saying as Alice approached. Her voice was sweet and sincere. "My sister wasn't always like this. But something happened when we were small."

"It was Fell Day, many years ago," Mirana continued. "It was snowing that night ... she hit her head on a grandfather clock, in the town square." Mirana gestured toward the center of Witzend. Her eyes took on a faraway look. "Right at the stroke of six. I'll never forget."

An idea sprang to life in Alice's head. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she slipped away quietly and headed out of town.

In Tulgey Woods the birds tweeted merrily and the sun shone down. But the Hatter didn't notice. All his meager¹⁸ belongings¹⁹ were stacked nearby, just outside the house of his friend Thackery Earwicket.

Thackery, more widely known as the March Hare, and Mallymkun, the brave little Dormouse, emerged from the house. Thackery balanced a tall stack of cups and saucers in one hand and waved ateapot in the other while Mallymkun carried a pile of silverware in her tiny hands.

"Teatime!" Thackery called brightly.

Hatter tried to shake off his gloominess; he didn't want to bring his friends down. He helped Thackery and Mallymkun lay out enough tea settings, cakes, scones²⁰, and sandwiches for a party of sixteen, even though it was just going to be the three of them—unless, of course, that delightfully²¹ strange Alice girl came along. Hatter felt bad for the way he had left things. It wasn't Alice's fault that his father disapproved²² of him. As Hatter turned to scan the trees for his new-old friend, a horrendous²³ sound pierced the air.

From the sky, the Tempus Fugit whistled toward them. Time tried to steer²⁴ his machine, but his arms were exhausted²⁵.

Boom! The Tempus Fugit crashed into the enormous sails of the windmill above Thackery's house. "Owwww," Time complained as the platform beneath him banged into the dirt.

Speechless, Hatter, Thackery, and Mallymkun stared at the strange machine and the bushy-haired man crumpled²⁶ in the grass. finally noticing them, Time scrambled²⁷ to get out of the Tempus Fugit.

Once he was finally free, he cleared his throat, then drew himself up to his full, imposing²⁸ height. New wrinkles had formed in his forehead and there were bags under his eyes.

"Greetings," Time said. "I am Time. The Infinite and Immortal²⁹. You may express your awe³⁰ and wonder." He peered down his nose at them.

Hatter merely tipped his head sideways to study the newcomer.

"I wonder, my lord," he said, "why you have lowered yourself to mingle³² amongst us mere³¹ and mundane³³ mortals."

"Ah, well." Time's eyes shifted in his embarrassment³⁴.

"I am looking for a girl called Alice. Have you seen her?"

Hatter pursed his lips, considering. Alice, he liked, whereas this man seemed rather pompous³⁵. "What is your business with her?" he asked.

"She took something from me. I need it back as soon as possible," Time said.

Coming to a decision, Hatter smiled widely. "You're in luck, oh, Eternal One! Why, just today I invited Alice to tea. Have a seat. We can wait together." Hatter bowed, one arm extending toward the tea table.

Time strode past him and selected a tall armchair. As he settled in, Hatter caught Mallymkun's and Thackery's eyes over Time's head. He nodded slightly. This will be fun, Hatter thought.

"If you're really Time itself, or himself, or whatever you are, perhaps you can answer me this," Hatter blathered on as he served their guest. "I've always wondered when ‘soon' is." He set down the teapot only to snatch up a plate of scones and shove it into Time's face. "Is it before ‘in a few minutes' or after ‘a little while'?"

Time had to jerk backward to keep his nose clear of the pastries³⁶. Taking a moment to coldly study the Hatter, he clasped his hands.

"If you vex³⁷ me, it'll be an eternity³⁸."

 

在奥特兰蜿蜒的街道上，人们和动物们聚在一起小声谈论着加冕仪式的结果。爱丽丝紧盯着前方疯帽子瘦长的身影，在人群中穿梭前行。

“嗨？”她喊道，“嗨？塔兰特！”

疯帽子转过身，神色依然凝重。爱丽丝将疯帽子拥入怀中，想要安慰他，毕竟他刚和父亲进行了一番糟糕的对话。

他一脸的惊讶，转而又露出困惑的神情。

“是你，对吧？真的是你！”爱丽丝说道，就像疯帽子曾经对她说的那样。

“不好意思，”疯帽子回答，“我们见过吗？”

爱丽丝退后几步，笑容满面地看着他。“见过！不对，没有。我是说，到目前为止还没有。我叫爱丽丝。”

“奇怪。我觉得我应该认识你。”疯帽子变回了往常古怪的腔调。

“我们见过一次，”爱丽丝解释道，“在我小时候。”

“我恐怕记不起来了。”疯帽子说。

爱丽丝微笑着说：“那是因为小时候的我还没和你见面呢。”

“那小时候的你什么时候会和我见面呢？”

“再过几年，你大一点的时候。”爱丽丝回答道。

疯帽子把头歪向一边：“你再小一点，我再大一点……我们就见面了？”

见疯帽子琢磨着这个难题，爱丽丝咬了咬嘴唇说：“我知道这有点说不通。”

突然，疯帽子咧开嘴，露出一个熟悉的笑容，那是爱丽丝所怀念的笑容。“当然说得通！”他大声说道。疯帽子又开始走起来，当爱丽丝和他齐步前进时，他的步伐变得更加轻快了。“你是爱丽丝——既是我的新朋友，也是我的老朋友！你也是个疯子，对吧？”

“我疯吗？”爱丽丝问道。

“最棒的人都是疯子。”疯帽子说着，身子向前倾去，心里盘算着什么。他从一个货摊上扯下一根丝带，又从另一个货摊上拿起一个紫甜瓜。“你得见见我的朋友萨克雷·厄尔维克特！”

当他们经过一幢歪歪扭扭的房子时，疯帽子伸出手，从一只栖息在窗台上的波洛哥鸟的尾巴上拔下几根羽毛。

“他住在老磨坊边。”疯帽子继续说。他的手指忙个不停，把丝带缠在甜瓜和羽毛周围，又从自己的马甲上撕下一些布料，将它们绑在一起。

他们离开了村落，大步走向屠集林。疯帽子从系在腰间的皮套里取出一把剪刀，将丝带剪断。

“希望他能收留我一阵，”疯帽子不住地说道，“和我们一起喝杯茶吧？”

爱丽丝还没来得及回答，疯帽子就转过身，向她展示了那顶由甜瓜、丝带、布料和羽毛做成的蓝紫相间的帽子，真是漂亮极了。爱丽丝立即开心地把帽子戴在了头上。疯帽子从其中一个口袋里掏出一把手镜，夸张地举起来，这样爱丽丝就能欣赏自己了。

两人挽起手臂沿着小路继续向前走，突然，疯帽子停在了一棵老橡树前，树干一侧有个树洞。

“你能保密吗？”他低声说道。爱丽丝点点头，疯帽子一脸伤感的表情。“这棵树有魔法，”他说道，“小时候，每天晚上我都会许一个愿望，第二天早上这棵树就已经实现了我的愿望。通常是绿白相间的糖果。好吃极了！真是棵神奇的树。”他轻轻地拍了拍树干，慢慢地向前走去。

爱丽丝突然停住了，她认出了周围的环境，他们正在厄朗温达石日集市附近。她一直沉浸在找到老朋友的喜悦中，竟然忘记了自己的使命。

“等等！停一下！”她大声喊道，“你的家人有危险了。你必须提醒他们厄朗温达石日！”

疯帽子茫然地看着爱丽丝。“我听不懂你在说什么，”他最后说道，“但如果是我父亲派你来改变我的想法，请你告诉他，我永远不会改变。”他转过身，坚定地走开了。

“塔兰特，等等！”爱丽丝拼命喊道，“听我说！你现在的行为将造成一个永远无法改变的过去！疯帽子！”

但疯帽子没有回头。很快，他的身影就淹没在树影中。爱丽丝懊恼地举着手臂，只好返回村庄。也许高帽子家的大人会听她的。

她发现桑尼克·高帽子正站在奥特兰城堡外，与心烦意乱的莫安娜公主交谈着。

“对不起，高帽子先生。”爱丽丝走近时，听见莫安娜公主如是说道，她的声音甜美而真诚。“我姐姐以前不是这样的，但我们小时候发生了一些事。”

“那是很多年前的菲尔日，”莫安娜继续说道，“那晚下着大雪……她的头撞到了小镇广场上的老爷钟。”莫安娜朝奥特兰中心方向示意了一下。她的眼神有些恍惚。“六点的钟声正好敲响。我永远也不会忘记。”

爱丽丝脑海里闪过一个念头。为了不引起注意，她悄悄地离开了，向镇外走去。

屠集林里，鸟儿欢快地啁啾着，阳光洒落到地面上。但疯帽子根本无暇顾及这些。他仅有的行李堆在一边，就在他的朋友萨克雷·厄尔维克特的家门外。

大家都把萨克雷叫作三月兔。他和马林坤，就是那只勇敢的小睡鼠，一起从房子里出来了。三月兔一只手托着高高叠起的杯碟，另一只手摇着一把茶壶。睡鼠小小的手里捧着一堆银餐具。

“喝下午茶啦！”三月兔欢快地叫道。

疯帽子尽力摆脱不开心的事，他不想扫了朋友们的兴。他帮三月兔和睡鼠摆放好茶具、蛋糕、烤饼和三明治，这些茶点足够十六个人享用，尽管他们只有三个人——当然，除非那个叫爱丽丝的女孩也一起来。她有些奇怪，但挺逗的。疯帽子对自己就这么一走了之有些抱歉。父亲不喜欢自己也不是爱丽丝的错。正当疯帽子转过身在树丛里寻找着他这位新“老”朋友时，一声可怕的巨响刺穿了空气。

时光机从天空中向他们呼啸而来。“时间”努力操纵着机器，但他的手臂已经筋疲力尽了。

嘭！时光机撞上了三月兔家屋顶上方巨大的风车帆板。“啊啊啊。”“时间”脚下的平板猛地摔进了泥土里，他惨叫起来。

疯帽子、三月兔和睡鼠盯着摔在草丛里的奇怪的机器和满脸毛发的人，惊讶得说不出话来。“时间”终于注意到他们，从时光机里爬了出来。

“时间”一从时光机里出来，就清了清嗓子，完全直起身子，摆出一副伟岸的姿态。他的额头上长出了新的皱纹，眼皮底下还挂着眼袋。

“大家好，”“时间”说道，“我是‘时间’，是主宰，是永恒的存在。你们可以适当地表达一下你们的敬畏和惊奇。”“时间”说着，朝下瞥了他们一眼。

疯帽子只是歪了歪头，打量着这位新来客。

“我想知道，陛下，”他说道，“您为什么要屈尊和我们这些微不足道而又世俗的凡人来往呢。”

“啊，这个嘛。”“时间”的眼里闪过一丝尴尬。

“我在找一个叫爱丽丝的女孩。你见过她吗？”

疯帽子噘起嘴思考着。他喜欢爱丽丝，但眼前的这个人看起来非常自大。“您找她有什么事吗？”他问道。

“她把我的东西拿走了，我得尽快追回来。”“时间”说道。

疯帽子做出了决定，露出一个大大的笑容说：“算你走运，哦，不朽的‘时间’！因为呢，我今天正好邀请爱丽丝来喝茶。请坐，我们可以一起等她。”疯帽子鞠了一躬，伸出一只手臂指向茶桌。

“时间”大步走过疯帽子身边，挑了一把高椅子坐了下来。疯帽子越过“时间”的头顶与睡鼠以及三月兔交换了一下眼神。他轻轻地点点头，心想：有好戏看了。

“如果你真的是‘时间’本身，或本人，或是其他的什么，你也许能回答我的问题。”疯帽子一边招待客人，一边喋喋不休地说道，“我一直想知道‘不久’是什么时候。”他放下茶壶，抓起一碟烤饼，猛地举到“时间”面前。“它是在‘几分钟后’之前，还是在‘一会儿’之后？”

“时间”只好向后一倾，将鼻子从烤饼上移开。他冷冷地研究了一会儿疯帽子，然后扣紧了双手。

“你要是把我惹恼了，它就是永远。”

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