Alice stepped out of the mirror into thick darkness, disturbed only by a weak glow in front of her and close to the ground. The air was laden with dust and carried the scent of upholstery starting to deteriorate. While she waited for her eyes to acclimate to the dim light leaking from beneath the closed door, she thought she could pick out the smells of cedar, wood lacquer, and musty fabric.
When she could see the outlines of the boxes lining the shelves and floor, she reached her arm back, letting it sink into the mirror behind her.
There was a sucking sensation and pressure against her skin, the Looking Glass drawing her back. But she fought it, found what she was looking for, and grabbed hold of a belt strap. She gave the belt a firm tug, and without letting go, she withdrew her arm.
There was a slurping noise and then a distinct pop as a figure came tumbling through the mirror. Alice released the leather-wrapped corset just in time to avoid being toppled over. The stack of hat boxes next to the door was not as fortunate.
The woman that came through the mirror had careened into the boxes, her weight and the force with which she was propelled crushing the paper containers and sending the wooden ones crashing noisily. Alice grimaced and moved closer in concern. Despite the dim light, she was able to see snapped feathers, lace snagged in buckles, and a crushed paper flower beneath the Hatter’s form. The other woman had put the heel of her boot in a bolo, and while thrashing, her elbow crushed a wide-brim lady’s hat made of carefully woven straw.
The Hatter’s green and orange-streaked hair covered her eyes, and she blew out a breath, sending strands upwards like so many ribbons. Alice groaned as the woman righted herself, knocking over more and more boxes in the process.
“So much for being quiet,” she muttered. Alice picked up a black top hat with a bright pink ribbon and dusted it off. The woman on the floor extricated her arm from the straw hat and lamented the state of the room.
“Oh, how awful!” Her horrified words made Alice flinch as they filled the compact storage room.
“Hatter, keep your voice down. Please.” Alice hissed the words, and the Hatter whirled around, her hazel eyes flashing in anger as she spread her arms to encompass their surroundings.
“Do you see these? They’re ruined!” The last word came out as “roo-eeend” and Alice sighed when the Hatter snatched her top hat back indignantly from Alice’s hands. Jamming the pink ribboned hat back onto her head, the Hatter paid little attention to her tousled hair sticking out at odd angles around her ears.
“I’m sorry.” Alice started to speak but was cut off by a glare from the Hatter. The other woman pushed the top hat at a jaunty angle, the pink ribbon clashing terribly with the vibrant orange and forest green shades of her locks. The trip through the Looking Glass had given her hair a static charge, and when she turned to assess the damaged hats, the Hatter’s hair twinkled with a dozen tiny arcs of light.
“Sorry? Sorry? Just look at the state of these.” Her pitch rose with each word. “Do you have any idea how long it will take to-” The rest of her words were muffled as Alice was forced to cover her mouth with her hands. The Hatter blinked, then affronted, the glare returned. She continued speaking into Alice’s palm, and even with her words muffled, her tone was indignant.
“Hatter, please.” Alice implored. “We really must be quiet. If someone heard-”
“Hello?” They both froze at the faint voice on the other side of the door. Alice put a finger to her lips and studied the Hatter’s face pleadingly until the other woman, still glowering, finally nodded. Alice removed her hand and crept to the door, pressing golden curls against the smooth wood.
Alice waited, holding her breath. After a few heartbeats, the voice came again, muffled but clear from the other side of the wooden door.
“Is-is anyone there?” The voice wavered, and Alice winced, resisting the urge to give the Hatter a dirty look. Alice looked around frantically, but there was no other visible exit from the hat closet. The Hatter was stretching out her arms, and the belts that crisscrossed her torso creaked as they rubbed together. Alice ignored this for the moment, her eyes straining as she searched shadow-cloaked shelves, broken hat boxes, and the crumpled mass of cloth that had been concealing the Looking Glass. There had to be some way out of this mess, and the prospect of going back through the Looking Glass was starting to look appealing.
The pocket watch that the Hatter had pulled from a pocket was ticking along steadily; however, there was no indication of how another trip through the Looking Glass would affect things here. Hatter had said something about a tight window for the mission but had been strangely silent on what the mission entailed when Alice had pressed her for details.
“I don’t want any trouble.” Alice jumped and stepped back as the voice filtered through just on the other side of the door. Maybe they could talk their way through this. She just had to think of-
Alice’s thoughts flew out of her head as the Mad Hatter slammed her shoulder into the door, rattling the wood in its frame. There was a yelp from the other side and the sound of a thud and crash. Lines of light flared beneath the door, sending shadows to scamper across the mutilated hats.
The sound of scrambling reached the pair, and the Hatter slammed her shoulder into the door again. The two of them heard footsteps receding quickly and loudly down the hallway along with the voice yelling “Help! Someone help!”
“Hatter, are you mad?” Alice asked incredulously. The Mad Hatter looked at Alice calmly in the dim light as she reached for the door, turned the knob, and opened the door to the now empty hallway.
“I should think that was obvious,” she said in response. “Now we had best hurry. That daft old man is bound to rouse someone from their sleep to investigate, and I don’t want us to be here when he does.” With a final lamenting look at the massacre of hats, the Hatter shoved Alice into the hallway and closed the door behind them.
Like it or not, Alice was now following Hatter’s lead.
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