“Okay, zen master,” I muttered.
“I am absolutely a master of then,” Hatter declared. “Or is it now?” His face fell.
“Then;it's definitely then,” Hare helped.
“No, you simpleton, it's now,” the mouse argued.
“Do you know what they're talking about?” I asked Nick as I eased away from the table.
“It's the curse,” Nick said soberly. “Hatter once tried to sing for the Queen of Hearts, and she accused him of murdering time.”
“She sentenced him to death,” Warren said as he joined us.
“Off with his head!” Hatter shouted.
“But Hatter escaped,” Nick added. “He's almost cat-like in his ability to slip away.”
“He escaped?” I lifted a brow, pointedly looking at the man who was currently trying to fit an entire slice of cake into his mouth.
“He may be insane, but it's a mad genius,” Nick said. “It's why we chose to include him in our alliance.”
“All right,” I gave in. “But what is the 'then and now' all about?”
“Time got angry that Hatter was not punished for his murder,” Warren explained.
“Excuse me?” I blinked at the serious men.
“Well, to be fair, Hatterwasconvicted,” Nick said.
“Of murdering time,” I added.
“Yes,Father Time,” Warren said.
“Time is a person?” I asked.
“He is a being,” Nick clarified. “But that's neither here nor there.”
“How can it not be here or there?” Hatter asked. “If it can be anywhere, it must be in one of those two places.”
“Just so,” Nick agreed and then returned to his explanation. “Time was angry that Hatter escaped, and when he confronted Hatter about it, Hatter, being Hatter, made a few jokes and recited some poetry.”
“Oh,” I murmured.
“How Doth the Little Crocodile,” Warren said.
“How doth he what?” I asked.
“No, that was the name of the poem Hatter recited.”
“I prefer Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat,” Hare said.
“Or The Mouse's Tale,” Dormouse added.
“Yes, both are lovely.” Warren grimaced. “But Father Time does not like poetry.”
“Time halted himself in respect to the Hatter and his favorite companions, cursing them to forever live in the hour of 6 PM.”
“Tea time,” Warren said grimly.
