S urprisingly, I do remember this part in the book, when Alice tells the King of Hearts, ‘I see nobody on the road.’ It’s in the chapter called The Lion and the Unicorn in Alice Through the Looking Glass.
In the book, the King of Hearts replies and says, ‘I only wish I had such eyes. To be able to see Nobody! And at a distance too!’
The whole idea of that part is that Lewis Carroll had listed Nobody as a character at the end of the book. Talk about Carrollian madness.
“One of the most underestimated characters of Wonderland.” The Pillar points toward a hazy figure arriving on a bicycle on the horizon.
“That’s Mr. Nobody, I assume,” I say. “The man who we’re supposed to meet.”
“Here is the catch,” the Pillar explains, flashing a wide fake smile at Mr. Nobody. “Those few men who pass valuable information through the desert are all called Nobodies in the drug industry. Why? Because you’re not supposed to know their names or see them again. Get it?”
“So you drug people used Lewis Carroll’s book references in your sick business.”
“On the contrary,” the Pillar says. “Nobody and the Executioner lived in Wonderland once.”
Before I can comprehend this, Nobody arrives.
He is a bald man, sweaty, too heavy for the meek bicycle he’s riding. He grips a large handkerchief, the size of a beach towel, and uses it to mop sweat off his forehead.
Who drives a bicycle in the desert?
“Nobody looks exhausted,” I comment.
“That’s a double entendre, dear Alice.” The Pillar amuses himself. “Do you mean Nobody looks exhausted, or nobody looks exhausted?”
“What’s your business here?” Nobody demands in a suspicious tonality.
“The Executioner sent us,” the Pillar begins. I assume the word hasn’t spread yet about the Executioner’s death. “We want to ask you about a certain man you met here two years ago. The one who asked you to cook that hookah plague.”
“Ah.” Nobody grins. “I remember him. I’ve also seen the plague’s effect on the news. So what’s in it for me? Why should I tell you about him?”
“What do you want?” I say. “Money?”
“I have enough of that,” Nobody says. “Offer me something I can’t resist, or I will tell you nothing.”
The Pillar and I exchange brief glances.
“What can a somebody offer a Nobody?” The Pillar rubs his chin.
“If I were you, I’d make it fast,” Nobody says. “In case you haven’t heard, the plague has wreaked havoc all over the world. At this moment, people are killing each other in the streets. Whole towns are at war with their neighboring towns.”
“What?” I haven’t had the chance to check the news since I landed in Mushroomland.
“The world is ending much sooner than you think.”