The Pillar stands up and leaves. I don't see him do that, but I feel his weight lift off the bank I am sitting on. My eyes are fixed on the bathroom's entrance.
Jack hasn't returned, so I occupy myself with checking his None Fu book. I notice it’s a used copy, borrowed from the Radcliffe Science Library, which is in Oxford University. I open the book and am startled by what I see on the first page. Someone wrote a dedication to me. It says:
Alice,
I found the book you were looking for.
The handwriting is bad and the ink is thin and fading. I don't fully comprehend this, but then I look at the stamp from the library. It indicates the book was borrowed about two years ago, some time before I was admitted to the Radcliffe Lunatic Asylum. I wonder if Jack knew this about the book he gave me.
I turn the page, only to find more writing on the margins. This part is written in pencil.
Something tells me I shouldn’t read it, or at least wait a while.
I raise my head, and I see Jack coming out of the bathroom. He looks like a shining star. The smile on his face could revive me if I were dead. The grace of his walk could save me if I am crippled. His name on my lips could be my prayer against the madness of the world. He just looks so suitable for me, as if we were star crossed. I can’t believe I am asked to let him go.
Jack is approaching me as I sit looking at him with starry eyes filled with moisture. I have no idea what I will do. Will I tell him the truth and lose him, or selfishly lie to him and have him nearby.
I can't let him go, and I can't let him stay. Either way I am cursed.
Afraid that he would read my thoughts through my dilated eyes, I lower my head and peek back into the book to read the note. It says:
P.S. Don’t forget to water my Tiger Lily? Btw, I gave it a thought, and I agree we should take that bus trip you wanted to.
Love, Adam.
The End...
Thank You
Thank you for purchasing and downloading this insane book. I’m so happy to share this story with you and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
I know there aren’t many travels and riddles in book 2 like in book 1. I needed to develop the characters more. The next books will have tons of locations, riddles, and mad facts about Lewis Carroll and the world as the story unfolds. I’ve created a special Pinterest page for you, though, where you can see for yourself all the places and riddles Alice and Pillar visited. You can access it HERE
And you could check a few facts in the author’s notes.
Insanity 3 will be released in February 2015, so please stay tuned to my website http://cameronjace.com for more information. If you want to chat with me personally, please LIKE my page on Facebook; I love connecting with all of my readers because without you, none of this would be possible. http://www.facebook.com/camjace
Thank you, for everything.
Author’s Notes:
Like I said, I don’t want to give away all historical and mad facts mentioned in the series, as I plan to use them as plot devices in future books. However, here are a few facts I was asked to mention by readers who received advance copies:
1) Addresses and locations used in the series are all real, including the Fat Duck restaurant and its famous mock turtle soup—even the Kattenstoet festival is real; check the Pinterest page.
2) Fat Duck restaurant is owned by Gordon Ramsay, famously known for Hell’s Kitchen TV series. Not our Gorgon Ramstein/Muffin Man/Cook in the book.
3) Einstein’s room in Oxford University is real, and it was Lewis Carroll’s studio two centuries ago. As for Einstein’s Blackboard, it can only be found in the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford. I have no idea if it can time travel, but wouldn’t be cool if it does?
4) Lewis obsession with poor Victorian children, especially girls, is true. It shows in his photography, which will play a crucial role in future plots. They are maddeningly interesting, dark, and very mysterious if you take a look at them.
5) According to my research, particularly a few BBC documentaries, legal controversy about the double bar chocolates is true. I am sure the food companies didn’t kill the Muffin Man’s family, though. Lol. But the debate is there, and not a figment of my imagination.
6) The Iain West Forensic Suite, an extension to the Westminster Public Mortuary in London is also true. It’s high tech and was developed by the government for intricate investigations.
7) Lewis wrote the Queen of Hearts alluding to Queen Victoria. There is a lot of research that supports the fact. Alice in Wonderland isn’t just a children’s book filled with amusing mathematical facts, play on words, and nonsensical arguments. It’s also a political satire concerning the Victorian era.
8) Last but not least, the Queen of England’s case about her nuts did happen in real life. You can Google it and get the details. However, there isn’t the slightest intention to offend anyone with the possibility of her being the Queen of Hearts. (so far, we can’t really tell if she is. Further explanations will take place in book 3.) The way most of this series is written I try to stay true to Lewis Carroll’s work in its context. If the Queen of Hearts was alluding to Queen Victoria, then in a modern fictional adaptation it could be the Queen of England (which again, we aren’t really sure about yet.)
Thanks again for being mad.
Cameron.
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About the Author
Cameron Jace is bestselling author of the Grimm Diaries series and Insanity. A graduate of the college of Architecture, collector of out-of-print books, and is obsessed with the origins of folk tales and the mysterious storytellers who spread them. Three of his books made Amazon's Top 100 Customer Favorites in Kindle 2013 & Amazon's Top 100 kindle list. Cameron lives in California with his girlfriend. When he isn't writing or collecting books, he is playing music.