MUSHROOMLAND, COLUMBIA
W ith the gun’s barrel in my mouth, I can only speak in nonsensical vowels.
And even though no one understands me, the Executioner ends up curious to know what I have to say before I die.
“I was only coughing.” I wipe the gun’s staining powder from my lips. From the corner of my eye, I can see the kids aren’t hurt.
The Pillar raises an eyebrow at me, probably impressed with my comeback.
The Executioner loads his gun again, ready to finish me.
“Wait,” I say. “Since you’re a Wonderlander, you must be looking for the keys like everyone else.” My look is sharp and challenging. “The Six Impossible Keys.”
The Executioner pulls his gun to a halt. I believe I caught his interest. Behind him, the Pillar scratches his temples.
“Continue...” The Executioner waves the gun at me.
“I know where one of them is,” I say, reminding myself I’ll never tell about the one key I have hidden in my back pocket. The one Lewis Carroll gave me. “Last week, the Mad Hatter took it from me.”
“From you?” The Executioner seems skeptical. “Why would you have a key to Wonderland?”
“Well.” I rub the back of my neck. “Like I said before, I am Alice from Wonderland. I just don’t remember a lot of it. I had the key hidden in a bucket in the basement of my family’s house.”
The Executioner scans me from top to bottom.
“You don’t want to kill me, in case I know of the whereabouts of the other keys,” I follow up, not sure if the Pillar will back me up if I mention him to the Executioner, so I don’t. He wanted me dead a minute ago.
The Executioner gazes back at the Pillar and then back at me. His eyes are sharp as if he’s trying to read through my soul.
It’s a long moment. I take advantage of it and smile at the children behind me, assuring them they will be all right.
The moment stretches even more, and I begin to worry the Executioner won’t believe me.
But he breaks the long silence with a spitting laugh. His men laugh with him. He lowers his head toward me and says, “You’re the maddest girl I have ever seen.” He raises his eyebrows. “I love mad people. That’s why I will not kill you until I’m thoroughly entertained by your hallucinations.”