“It’s an unusual way to put it.” She laughs. “But it’s true. Insanity isn’t always a curse. For those who know how to use it, it’s a bliss. Now, I have to go, Alice.”
She pulls her hand away and I feel lost. I feel without a family. Lonely, as usual.
I can hear the crowd in the distance cheering. Again, they sound so happy. I wonder how this could be bad at all.
“One more thing,” Fabiola says. “Once you reach the end of maze, you won’t be in Wonderland anymore. The Bridge of Time will take you to the 19th century.”
“In the real world?”
“Yes.” She nods. “The circus, Alice, was in the real world. It was the first moment in history when Wonderland and the real world collided.”
Chapter 53
Meeting Hall, Buckingham Palace, London
Tom Truckle squinted at the screen in the dark.
The movie was out of this world. It was as if some loony director had made a movie about Wonderland, pushing everything up a notch. A great movie, indeed. Except that the Queen was calling it a documentary.
Everyone around Tom was sighing, and talking about how they missed the old days of Wonderland.
It should have driven him crazy, but it didn’t. Tom, unbeknownst to most, was all too aware of Wonderland, and had his own plans for finding it.
Surely he had fooled everyone with his act, that he didn’t believe that it existed—basically shocking Alice to death in the Mush Room for it—but that was all a facade.
No one really knew who he was, and he was just waiting for all the threads to come together so he could strike as hard as he planned.
But even so, watching this movie was melancholic.
What really took him by surprise was the part when the screen went black for a few seconds. Everything went silent, and then a word appeared on the screen.
A word that meant nothing to Tom, but stirred sighs among the crowd.
“And now,” the Queen said, “it’s time to look into this memory we usually hate to remember, but trust me, it’s a must.”
The movie began, and Tom was wondering about that word he had just read. Why was it so frightening to everyone in the room, including the Queen?
It was a normal word. Even funny. A word that usually instilled mirth in the hearts of kids.
The word was: circus.
Chapter 54
The circus
Time remaining: 8 hours, 34 minutes
I run like a mad girl.
I think my feet are as curious as me, wanting to see the circus. It causes me to fall, but I pick myself up again, running in the maid’s dress through the maze.
What could have happened in the circus? Why would the Wonderlanders have attended a circus? Did they work there?
Running, I imagine the Pillar as the circus ringmaster, using his wicked charm to lure kids into the tent. I imagine the Cheshire disguised as an evil clown. The March Hare, a mad knife thrower. Fabiola could be a ballerina, or a pantomime dancer luring people with the power of silence. The kids would love her. How about the rest? How about Jack?
Tears threaten to trickle down my face as I remember him. Is it possible he once lived with me in Wonderland?
I imagine us both working the trapeze. Alice Wonder, the trapeze girl, and Jack Diamond, the card magician. I imagine him climbing up the trapeze and catching me when I fall.
My mind is racing, as do my feet, as does my heart.
Suddenly, I am there. I finished the maze. I am in the center.
Slowing down, I am mesmerized by the fireworks in the sky, the crowd of families, and the endless supply of Wonderland food.
“Welcome to the circus.” A short ringmaster urges people inside. It’s not the Pillar. Someone I have never seen before. Just a normal man from the 19th century. “Please enter and see the wonders of the world!”
People start rushing inside while their kids lick on cotton candy. What could be so sinister inside? It looks so beautiful. A circus from about two centuries ago in the heart of...
Wait, is this still Scotland? London? I have no idea.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, step inside, come closer,” the ringmaster calls out. “You will not believe your eyes. You won’t believe your mind.”
I approach in my maid’s dress, worried they won’t let me in, but a few kids push me through. Everyone is about to watch the anticipated show.
“Inside this tent, you will witness something you've never seen or heard before,” the ringmaster chirps. “It’s crazier than dreams, stranger than fiction.”
I am stepping inside.
The circus is beautiful. I notice it looks uncannily like the Six O’clock Circus in Mudfog Town, only this one is well taken care of. It’s huge!
“Welcome to the most amazing show on earth.” The ringmaster follows inside and steps in the ring. “Forget about magicians. Forget about clowns. Forget about trapeze girls.”
I sit among the enthusiastic crowd, wondering what the show is going to be about. Why would you want to forget about clowns and magicians in a circus? What are we going to see, then?
And where are the Wonderlanders? I look around and see none of them.
“Ladies and gentlemen.” The ringmaster raises his hands and the crowd is all seated now. “What you’re about to see will blow your mind.”
People clap all around me. I have a feeling this circus is famous. Either they have heard of it before, or have actually seen this show already.
“From America to Brazil, China to Europe, Africa to the North Pole,” the ringmaster brags. “From all over the world, and now here for you in Britain. This is the show you all heard about.” He waves his hand behind an ear, expecting the crowd to shout the name.
“The Maddest Show on Earth!” the crowd screams.
The ringmaster smiles, and calls two of his assistants to stand side by side next to him. A bald man and big woman, heavy on her feet. That’s all I can see thus far.
“Are you ready?” he shouts.
The crowd’s response is overwhelming.
Ready for what, I wonder.
All around him, men are putting a huge steel cage together while a few cute dancers entertain the crowd.
My heart is racing. What is the cage for? A lion?
“I suppose you all have your cotton candy with you.” The ringmaster smirks. “Because you will need it.”
All around me, people pull out bags of cotton candy in all colors.
I don’t know why but I’m starting to have a bad feeling about this. Fabiola was right. I don’t think I’m going to like what I will see, although I have no idea what to expect.
Why can’t I see any of the Wonderlanders?
“We’re close to starting the show,” the ringmaster says. The man and woman next to him look familiar. I squint, hoping I can recognize them. “But like every city and town we stop by, let me tell you about the show you’re about to see. Let me tell you about the Invisible Plague.”
Invisible Plague? I wonder what that could be.
As he finishes the sentence, I recognize the two people on his left and right. I can’t believe my eyes. I think I’m going to faint. It’s Waltraud and Ogier, my evil wardens at the Radcliffe Asylum.
Chapter 55
Meeting Hall, Buckingham Palace, London
“Before I resume the video, I have to remind you of what the circus was about,” the Queen said, and Dr. Tom was listening eagerly. “What I want to remind you of is about something they used to call the Invisible Plague.”
A few squeals escape the crowd. Tom too. He had heard about the Invisible Plague before, but thought it was only a myth. He stared back at the invitation card in his hand and read the list of the guests again, breathing heavily. This couldn’t be.
“Back in the 18th and 19th centuries, when I lived in Wonderland, things were crazy,” the Queen explained. “Crazy, but beautiful in a nonsensical way. The power of imagination Lewis Carroll had gifted us with had no boundaries. Animals and flowers talked. Endless parties where we threw teacups at each other—and loved it. And more. At some point, most of us could materialize their own thoughts into reality.”