Iracebeth paced along the balcony of her castle deep in the Outlands. It was nowhere near as comfortable as her previous palace, and the walls smelled of mildew¹. Iracebeth sniffed² unhappily, lifting her binoculars³ to her eyes and scanning the horizon.

There was nothing but rocks and grasslands⁴ for miles. Cursing her sister for exiling her to this awful place, Iracebeth whirled and stalked inside, the skirt of her dress swishing through the air.

"Tick-tock?" she called. "Tick-tock!" There was no answer. "Where is that old fool?" she muttered as she continued on to her private chamber⁵.

Turning, Iracebeth arched an eyebrow⁶ at the old childhood ant farm she'd placed on a side table.

"What do you think, my pets?" she asked, her voice oily.

She stepped over and with two fingers lifted a dome⁷ covering a nearby plate. On top of it rested a tiny white cake.

"Look," Iracebeth said, taunting⁸ them. "How close you are to your salvation⁹! I'm talking to you." She bent¹⁰ down and tapped on the glass, jostling the sand.

When the tiresome¹¹ beasts didn't move fast enough, Iracebeth picked up the whole ant farm and shook it. "Earthquake! Ha-ha!" She laughed shrilly¹².

From far away, she heard a screeching¹³ sound. Curious, Iracebeth set down the ant farm, oblivious¹⁴ to the now frantic¹⁵ movements of its occupants. The Red Queen sauntered to the window and pulled back the curtain.

Up in the sky, a wooden and metal machine was squeaking¹⁶ toward her castle. As it neared, she recognized Time pumping hard at several levers. What was he doing?

The machine wobbled in the air, then dropped toward the very window where she stood.

Iracebeth leapt back as Time's contraption careened through the window.

"Where the devil have you been?" she snapped.

"Where is Alice? Where's my Chronosphere?"

"She's gone." Time gasped¹⁷ for breath, each word a struggle. "She took it!"

"What?" Iracebeth exploded. "You let her get away?" She needed that Chronosphere! It was the key to her revenge on Mirana.

Time reached out and used part of his ruined Tempus Fugit to climb to his feet.

"You don't understand," he said. He peeled back his vest and pointed¹⁸ anxiously at his heart clock. It was ticking slowly and softly, its face almost entirely¹⁹ obscured by rust²⁰.

"I must find her! Where is she?" Time asked.

"How should I know where she is?" Iracebeth said irritably²¹. He was the one who'd lost her.

"She's your enemy! She—" Time broke off. "Hightopps!" he cried. "She kept talking about Hightopps! She says she knows where they are. She said she was going to rescue them. Do you know what that means?"

As Time looked at her with desperate hope, Iracebeth pursed her lips and turned to consider the room, her eyes resting on the ant farm. Several new tunnels had already been constructed. She smiled grimly, a plan clicking into place in her clever, oversized brain.

"I know exactly what it means," she said. She raised her voice. "Guards!"

"Put him in the dungeon²²!" the Red Queen commanded, pointing imperiously at Time.

"What?" Time's jaw²³ dropped. "Wait! My dearest, you can't! It will not work, it is impossible to stop Time!"

The soldiers grabbed his arms and wrestled²⁴ him toward the door. Time's eyes rounded in surprise and he collapsed²⁵ between them.

"Oh, it is possible. I see," he observed. Iracebeth loomed²⁶ above him, a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"From now on, I'm in charge," she declared.

Triumphant²⁷, the Red Queen led the way down the stairwell, her soldiers dutifully following her with their prisoner. Time had finally been caught.

Alice burst through the door into Hatter's house, too excited to bother knocking.

"Hatter!" she shouted. "Your family! They're alive!"

His main room was empty and he didn't emerge from the back. After a quick glance around, she ran up the bright blue spiral staircase to the second floor.

It opened directly into the bedroom, where she found her friends clustered around Hatter's bed. Hatter himself was stretched out on the mattress²⁸, his eyes closed, his once vibrantly²⁹ orange hair now a limp white.

"We fear you are too late," the White Queen said softly from her place by the bed.

Alice couldn't—wouldn't—be lieve that to be true. She hurried forward to sit on the edge of the bed, and took Hatter's hand. His skin was clammy and cool and his pulse was faint.

"You were right," she whispered fiercely. "They're alive!"

But Hatter didn't even twitch³⁰ at her voice.

Slipping away, they left Alice alone with the comatose³¹ Hatter.

A patch of color caught Alice's eye and she turned to find the blue paper hat on Hatter's nightstand.

Gently picking it up, she fingered the spiraling paper.

"I know what this means, Hatter," she said softly. "You made it for your father when you were young."

She looked up, but there was no change. Undeterred, she continued.

"And remember the magic tree, Hatter? It wasn't magic, it was him." Alice pictured Zanik sneaking³² out in the dark of night to leave candy for his son. "All those years, it was your father. And on the day the Jabberwocky attacked, he left the blue hat there as a message that they'd survived!"

At a flicker³³ of movement beneath Hatter's eyelids³⁴, Alice sat forward eagerly.

"Because he kept it, Hatter," she said. Taking Hatter's hands in her own, she cupped them around the paper hat. "That blue hat you thought he threw away. All his life, a token of his love, his love for you, his son."

Hatter's body shivered slightly.

"And he still does, Hatter. Because he's alive!"

Alice finished emphatically.

At her words, Hatter's eyes blinked open slowly. He gazed at the blue hat in his hands.

"He ... kept it?" he asked tentatively.

"Yes!" Alice nearly shouted. She jumped up and grabbed Hatter's shoulders. "Yes, I was there. I saw it. He picked it up and kept it. Your family is alive!"

Hatter propped³⁵ himself up on his elbows and peered at Alice, recognition dawning in his eyes.

"It is you, isn't it? I'd know you anywhere. You're Alice!" he said.

Bursting with joy, Alice flung her arms around him. "Oh, Hatter!" she cried. "I've missed you so much!"

Color crept back into Hatter's face and hair. He patted Alice's back as she hugged him. But when she leaned away, his gaze was sober.

"Why have they not come home?" he asked.

"Because they are being held captive," Alice explained. "By the only person cruel enough to keep them locked up all these years—"

"The bloody³⁶ big head!" Hatter bolted upright, his head nearly brushing the canopy³⁷ over his bed as he stood on the mattress. His eyes were bright with purpose, his shoulders set.

"I'm going to find the Red Queen," Hatter proclaimed, grabbing Alice's hand and stepping down to the floor. "And bring my family home!"

Alice squeezed his hand. They would do it together.

With a high whistle, Alice summoned the Bandersnatch, and a few moments later, he bounded out of the woods. Hatter pulled out some riding equipment, and together they saddled the Bandersnatch.

"Come on, we've got a family to save," Alice said. She turned the Bandersnatch down the path into Tulgey Woods and clucked her tongue.

The beast gathered his muscles and leapt forward. As they rode into a clearing, they found their friends gathered under a tree.

"Hatter!" Mallymkun cried joyfully³⁸ as the Bandersnatch clawed to a stop in the grass.

"He's altogether back in pieces," the Tweedles exclaimed together.

Hatter swept off his helmet and bowed, his orange hair almost aglow³⁹.

"The very same," Hatter said. "Now, if you will excuse us, there are urgent matters of rescue and vengeance⁴⁰ ahead."

Without hesitation⁴¹, Bayard sprang up. "I cannot let you face this danger alone," he said. "You have my nose."

"And my sword," the Dormouse offered.

"And my brother," the Tweedles said, pointing at each other.

The White Queen smiled and stroked the Bandersnatch's nose fondly as she looked up at Hatter. "We are all coming with you."

 

蛮荒之地深处的城堡里，伊拉贝斯正在阳台上踱步。没有什么地方比她之前的宫殿更舒服自在了，而且墙上有一股霉味。伊拉贝斯不悦地吸了吸鼻子，把双筒望远镜举至眼前，环视四周。

放眼望去，数英里内只有岩石和草地。伊拉贝斯咒骂着妹妹把自己流放到这等极恶之地，转身昂首阔步地走进屋里，礼服的裙摆沙沙作响。

“嘀嗒嘀嗒？”她叫道，“嘀嗒嘀嗒！”还是没人回答。“那个老呆瓜跑到哪里去了？”她喃喃自语，继续向自己的寝宫走去。

伊拉贝斯转过身来，对着边桌上的蚂蚁农场挑了挑眉毛，这是她小时候就放在这儿的。

“你们感觉如何呀，我的宠物们？”她油腔滑调地问道。

她踏过边桌，用两只手指提起了不远处的一个圆顶餐盘盖，盘内盛着一块小小的白色蛋糕。

“看看，”伊拉贝斯嘲弄地对它们说道，“你们马上就能得救了！我跟你们说话呢。”她弯下身，敲打着玻璃，摇晃着沙堆。

不过这些讨厌的动物们移动得还是不够快，伊拉贝斯抓起了整个蚂蚁农场，不停地摇晃。“地震啦！哈哈！”她尖声大笑起来。

远处传来一阵刺耳的声音。出于好奇，伊拉贝斯放下蚂蚁农场，已然忘却了那些慌乱的蚂蚁们还身处其中。她漫步走向窗户，拉开窗帘。

一架由木头和金属共同制成的机器尖叫着朝她的城堡驶来。机器慢慢靠近时，她认出“时间”正在奋力地上下抽动几根控制杆。他在做什么？

机器在空中摇摇晃晃，然后朝着她所在的那扇窗户坠落下来。

“时间”的机器冲进了窗内，伊拉贝斯也跟着向后跳开。

“你到哪个鬼地方去了？”她厉声问道。

“爱丽丝呢？我的时空传送仪呢？”

“她走了。”“时间”上气不接下气，吃力地说道，“她还拿走了传送仪。”

“什么？”伊拉贝斯爆发了，“你就这样让她逃走了？”她正需要那个时空传送仪啊！这是她向莫安娜复仇的关键之物。

“时间”伸手去抓毁坏的时光机残骸，借力站了起来。

他说：“你不明白。”他脱下马甲，焦急地指着自己的心钟。它还在缓慢地、轻轻地嘀嗒作响，但钟面上却几乎布满了铁锈。

“我一定要找到她！她在哪儿？”“时间”问道。

“我怎么会知道她在哪？”伊拉贝斯恼火地说。他才是那个把爱丽丝跟丢的人。

“她是你的敌人！她——”“时间”突然停住，又继续大声说道，“高帽子家族！她一直在说高帽子家族！她说她知道他们在哪。她说过她要去救他们。你听得懂她在说什么吗？”

看到“时间”充满希望的眼神，伊拉贝斯噘了噘嘴，转身打量着房间，她的目光落在了蚂蚁农场上。几条新的通道已经建起来了。她冷冷一笑，她那聪明又巨大的脑袋里，突然想出了一个点子。

“我很清楚那是什么意思。”她又抬高了音量说道，“警卫！”

“把他关进地牢！”红皇后傲慢地指着“时间”命令道。

“什么？”“时间”惊得下巴都要掉下来了。“等等！亲爱的，你可不能这样！这行不通的，你是无法阻止时间的！”

两位士兵抓住他的手臂，架起他朝门口走去。“时间”惊讶得瞪圆了双眼，在士兵之间瘫了下去。

“哦，有可能，我知道了。”他明白过来了。伊拉贝斯赫然出现在他头顶，眼中闪现着邪恶的光芒。

“从现在开始，我来指挥。”她宣布道。

红皇后得意扬扬地走下了楼梯，两位士兵带着他们的囚犯跟在后面。“时间”终究还是被抓住了。

爱丽丝冲进疯帽子的房间，兴奋得连敲门都顾不上。

“疯帽子！”她喊道，“你的家人！他们都还活着！”

客厅空空如也，疯帽子也没有在身后出现。爱丽丝快速向四周扫了一眼，就沿着宝蓝色的旋转楼梯跑上了二楼。

楼梯正对着卧室，进屋后她发现朋友们都簇拥在疯帽子的床前。疯帽子躺在床上，闭着双眼，他之前充满活力的橙色头发也变成了一头毫无生气的白发。

“恐怕你来得太晚了。”白皇后在床边轻声说道。

爱丽丝无法也不能——相信这是真的。她奔上前，坐在床边，拿起疯帽子的手。他的皮肤变得湿冷，脉搏也很微弱。

“你说得对。”她激动地压低声音说，“他们都还活着！”

但是疯帽子没有半点反应。

他们悄悄离去，留下了爱丽丝和昏迷的疯帽子。

一抹亮色吸引了爱丽丝的注意，她转身看到了疯帽子床头柜上的蓝色纸帽子。

爱丽丝轻轻地拿起帽子，抚摸着帽子螺旋状的弧线。

“我知道这意味着什么，疯帽子。”她轻柔地说，“这是你小时候给你父亲做的。”

爱丽丝抬头看了看，疯帽子没有任何变化。她没有灰心，继续说道。

“还记得那棵魔法树吗，疯帽子？不是因为它有魔力，而是因为你父亲。”爱丽丝描绘着桑尼克夜色中偷偷溜出来为儿子留下糖果的场景。“那么多年，都是你父亲所为。炸脖龙发起进攻那天，也是他留下了蓝帽子，作为他们还活着的信号！”

疯帽子的眼皮突然跳动了一下，爱丽丝急切地向前坐了坐。

“因为他一直留着它，疯帽子。”她说。她牵着疯帽子的手，一起握着那顶纸帽子。“你认为他丢掉的那顶蓝帽子，是他生命的全部，是他爱的象征，是他对他的儿子——也就是你——的爱呀。”

疯帽子的身体轻微地颤抖了一下。

“而他依然爱着你，疯帽子，因为他还活着！”

爱丽丝强有力地说完了结尾。

她话音刚落，疯帽子的眼睛缓缓地睁开了。他盯着手中的蓝帽子。

“他……一直留着？”他试探地问道。

“是啊！”爱丽丝几乎是喊出来的。她跳起来，抓着疯帽子的肩膀：“是啊，我当时就在场，我看到了。他把帽子捡了起来，一直留着。你的家人还活着啊！”

疯帽子用双肘支撑起身子，凝视着爱丽丝，慢慢认出了她。

“是你啊，是吗？我就知道你无处不在。你是爱丽丝啊！”他说。

爱丽丝一阵狂喜，张开双臂搂住了他，喊道：“哦，疯帽子！我真是想死你了！”

渐渐地，疯帽子的脸庞和头发又恢复了往日的光彩。爱丽丝拥抱着他，他轻轻拍了拍她的后背。当爱丽丝直起身子时，疯帽子的目光已经清晰起来。

“那他们为什么不回家呢？”他问。

“因为他们一直被囚禁着。”爱丽丝解释道，“他们被一个残忍至极的人关了这么多年——”

“那该死的大脑袋！”疯帽子猛地站了起来，他站在床垫上，头几乎要碰到床上方的华盖了。他的眼神明亮而坚定，肩膀绷得笔直。

“我要去找红皇后。”疯帽子宣布道，他抓起爱丽丝的手，走下了楼梯。“我要救回我的家人！”

爱丽丝紧紧握住他的手。他们要一起来完成。

爱丽丝吹了一声响亮的口哨，召唤着大毛兽。片刻之后，他就从林中疾驰而来。疯帽子拿出一些骑行装备后，他们就一起骑上了大毛兽。

“来吧，有一个家族等着我们去解救。”爱丽丝说。她驾着大毛兽掉了个头，跑进了屠集林，嘴里发出嗒嗒的声音。

大毛兽收紧全身肌肉向前奔去。当他们跑进一片空地时，发现朋友们都聚集在一棵树下。

“疯帽子！”睡鼠高兴地欢呼起来，只见大毛兽抓着草地停了下来。

“他又活过来了。”双胞胎一起喊道。

疯帽子摘下帽子，鞠了个躬，他橙色的头发仿佛在发光。

“说得不错。”疯帽子说，“现在，能否允许我们先行一步，还有人正等着我们去救，还有仇等着我们去报呢。”

贝亚德毫不犹豫地跳出来说：“我可不能让你独自面对危险，你可以用我的鼻子。”

“还有我的剑呢。”睡鼠也主动帮忙。

“还有我们兄弟。”双胞胎互相指着对方说道。

白皇后笑了，她怜爱地摸了摸大毛兽的鼻子，抬头看着疯帽子说，“我们都和你一起去。”

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