Present: Outside the Jabberwocky, London
O utside, I topple backward midair, wondering if my life is a long night of hallucinations.
Whether it is or not, I land on the ground almost safely, which puzzles me. Having little time to comprehend what just happened inside the Jabberwocky, I’m as confused outside.
The world is still in chaos. Nothing has been solved. The only difference is that the children chants are higher angelic voices.
It takes me a few seconds to realize that I’ve landed safely because the Jabberwocky’s head has already dropped to the ground. It wasn’t a great distance.
The Beast is still growling and aching in pain, but lying almost-dead on the ground.
Propped on my elbows, I see his pain comes from inside. Jack is still hurting him from inside-out. It’s unclear to me how long it needs. All I know is that his black heart has the capacity to heal itself unless Jack—I mean Spades keeps him in pain.
“Alice!” Constance comes running into my arms. “You did it.”
I barely lift an arm to hug her, wondering if she has enjoyed the ride on the Jabberwocky’s back. In my mind I think Constance doesn’t need supervision. She will get through this life on her own. She just doesn’t know how strong she is yet.
Her hug however is like a healing touch.
There is a bubble of light in the sky where children read the poems and books, right above the beast. Maybe this is what’s keeping him weakened. Whatever it is, I just learned a lesson. Defeating evil isn’t a one girl’s job. It takes a team. Evil only kneels to numerous hits from all sides of the good people.
“I’m born again,” the Cheshire says next to me in his priest face and outfit. “After what you’ve done, Alice. I’m an Inkling.”
“Too late,” I tell him, the one who once was my enemy—and probably still is. “We’ve done it. Inkling’s job is over.”
“Better stay a stupid cat,” Constance says, then she turns to me. “Where is Jack?”
Her question is incapable of bringing words to my tongue, only tears to my eyes. Conflicting emotions that I have no idea how to deal with at the moment.
And like all good nonsensical endings, loose ends simply tighten all of a sudden. I see Lewis and Fabiola approaching me in the distance.
Fabiola is limping. I know she has suffered greatly. That must be why they’ve disappeared. Lewis must have been tending her.
The look on Lewis’ face is priceless when looking at the sleeping, yet breathing, Jabberwocky.
“You killed him,” Lewis cheers.
“Jack did.” I say.
Fabiola feebly asks, “Jack?”
“Yeah,” I nod. “His darker side.”
Lewis pats Fabiola while telling him she was wrong about Jack. I guess Fabiola thought Jack’s dark side would never heal, like she thought about me.
She blinks, her pride taking over. She isn’t bad or reckless. She just doesn’t trust anyone anymore. Once she wanted to kill me because the evil inside me, now the evil inside Jack decided to be good.
“Son kills father,” she nods. “I didn’t expect he would do it.”
I’m not in the right mind to explain Jack Spades killed Jabberwocky with me. We should simply celebrate the win.
“So is the world better now?” I ask Lewis.
“I don’t feel Carolus inside me, so I believe it is, but it will take some time,” he says. “They will have to rebuild.”
“They?”
“We don’t belong here, Alice,” he says. “We should go back to Wonderland.”
Even though I’ve never comprehended the fine line between Wonderland and Real life, I agree. I don’t feel like I belong to this place. Wonderland is my childhood, and I’d rather go back there in the comfort of peace and naivety. Maybe I can go back to yesterday where I was someone else then. Who knows?
Then I ask about him, the one and only, “The Pillar?”
Constance taps my shoulder, “I’m sorry, Alice.”
I think she is saying he died. “How?” I ask.
“His sickness,” she says. “I tried to help but he really wanted to go,” Constance turns to Fabiola. “Which reminds me. There is something he told me to tell you?”
Fabiola is taken aback. In her darkest hour, her eyes widened with curiosity. “Me? I don’t want to know. I’m just glad he died--if he died.”
“Trust me, you have to know.” Constance says.
Fabiola looks reluctant. “Whatever.”
“I have to whisper it in your ears,” Constance says. “His orders.”
Constance scooches over and is about to tell her when the Jabberwocky spews fire again.