A relatively plump man stands in front of the class. His college English class fading in and out of what he’s talking about continually. All of the people. Yawns pass back in forth over the bored poor students. The teacher speaks on despite the sleeping students.

“…finally we’ll end the class with the final chapter of Lewis Carroll’s defining piece…”

The teacher turns to his board. And in fact almost falls asleep himself. The rooms grows a hush as the teachers head starts to bob.

And a knocking echoes the room.

No one responds.

A second knocking.

A few heads rise from there desks and the teacher realizes the door.

A third knocking as the teacher walks toward the door. Three chances. The teacher answers the door and a strange man, without the permission, sidesteps him into the room. This odd man with no shirt on, lots of piercing, brown dress pants, black boxers up to his belly button long straggly hair and a large top hat with a playing card in the strap. The odd thing about the playing card is that it was the 10/6 of black diamonds. The teacher would not stand for this.

“EXCUSE ME SIR! What are you doing here!?”

The man in the top hat pulled out a hookahs mouthpiece from his pocket. He took a deep breath from the tube, held it in and blew a circle of purple smoke into the teachers face.

“I’m here to sing a song.” and he starts to pace the room, scoping out the students. “Aunties wooden leg! Aunties wooden leg! We‘ll paint it red and call it Fred! It‘s aunties wooden--”

“I WILL NOT stand for this nonsense!”
The happy demeanor on the top-hat mans face vanished in a wink. It was replaced by the most infuriated look any man could muster. He jerks his head at one homely looking student in the front row.

Nerdy.

Lonely.

Unloved.

He knew the signs. He walks to this boy and reaches into the opposite pocket as the hookahs tube and pulls out a small playboy bunny pin. The top hat man hands him the pin and puts it on his sleeve.

“you’ll be my little ‘March hare’ heh-heh-heh…”

He immediately turns his head surprisingly not loosing his hat. And a split second was in front of the teacher again. The top-hat man grabs the teacher by the collar and lifts him against the wall and screams.
“WHY IS A RAVEN LIKE A WRITING DESK!!!!!!”

“What!?”

“ANSWER IT!!!!!”

“But he never answered the riddle!”

“What riddle?”

“The riddle you just asked! Why is a raven like a writing desk?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“What?”

“How is a raven like a writing desk? You asked it. What’s the answer?”

“I DON’T KNOW! YOU ASKED FIRST!”

“It’s a shame when a teacher can’t answer a simple question. Tsk tsk tsk…. MOVE DOWN!” screaming at the class. “MOVE DOWN! MOVE DOWN! MOVE DOWN!MOVE DOWN! MOVE DOWN!MOVE DOWN! MOVE DOWN!MOVE DOWN! MOVE DOWN! MOVE DOWN!MOVE DOWN! MOVE DOWN!”

The class didn’t move. At this the top hat man laughed. And looked back at the teacher who was still propped against the wall.

“ok then, lulz, just, lulz. I will see all of you down the rabbit hole my friends, in the meantime, I’m late for a VERY important date. HA!”

And with one last puff of smoke in the teachers face, the Mad Hatter leaves.

The next day…

Wayne manor.

A large plasma screen TV. Turned to channel 340 CNN.

“a terrible tragedy struck today. As a college student at G.C.C. unfortunately took low level explosives and hid them underneath the grassy area in front of the school campus and pulled the fire alarm. When everyone inside went to the grassy area to escape what they thought was a fire, he activated the explosives killing up to 200 students at once and injuring severely another 100. And on the walls of the main building he spray painted ‘only the mad survive’. its been a depressing day for the school and the families of those students. Police speculate that the event was orchestrated by a young Adam Westwell. Police are investigating a small playboy bunny pin left at the scene that was, reported by one of the survivors, given to him by a man roll playing as the Alice in Wonderland character Mad Hatter. Adam Westwell, has disappeared and no one has herd from him since yesterdays events. Police give an overview of the investigation.”

“Adam was apparently bullied a lot growing up. He was ready to snap even before this wacko-with-a-hat showed up. From what we’ve gathered, this hat-guy took advantage of a young mans depression for his own sick games. Who ever we find first we will deal with to the full extent of the law and trust me----”

The TV blips off.

“God! Alfred! Turn that crap off!”

Bruce Wayne sits alone on his couch with Alfred behind him.

“Troubling sir?”

“ugh… even the youth of this city is corrupted! I can always stop crazo’s like the joker… but how do I stop something like that!? That could’ve been anyone…. Anyone…”

“I suppose that’s the hazard of living sir. There are those that are fine and then there are others. it’s the ones that think there not what they are the scary ones I think. I wouldn’t worry about it though, sir. What would you do? Go as batman and beat up all the bullied kids? I think not. Just relax a bit for once. This kind of thing will drive you nuts.”

“yeah… I guess. -sigh-… what’s on my regiment today.”

“you’ll laugh at this one sir… the Knights ball.”

“why would you think I would find that funny?”

“because sir, the primary beverage served there will be tea…”

“Alfred…”

“yes sir?”

“I hate you…”

“heh, I’ll arrange your things for the evening….”

Later on that night…

The knights ball.

Suits of armor line the walls of a massive chamber room. Dozens of butlers with serving trays bouncing to and fro. Everyone is laughing and having fun. Even Bruce Banner. Who was enjoying a tall vodka with a young girl. She wasn’t drinking. This little girl was the daughter of the guest of honor, the head of the Gotham yacht club, who had been enjoying his time with his wife at the time.

“so what’s your name little girl.”

“don’t call me that. And my name is Alice.”

“oh, like in the book by Lewis Carroll?”

“no, not like the stupid book. Alice as in Alice.”

“excuse me, I didn’t think that would-”

“exactly. You didn’t think.”

“you’re very precocious for such a young lady. How old are you?”

“I think it’s a bit rude of you to ask, but I’m twelve.”

“and you’re father lets you come to his parties like this?”

“well he says as long as I don’t drink, but that’s easy. I think people who drink are stupid…”

Bruce looks down at his foot high vodka that’s already a quarter empty. He decided that this little girl was a bit to much to handle sober so he got up to fetch another drink. He walks off into the crowd bidding the young Alice adieu and disappearing.

As the night drags on Bruce rubs elbows with more of the rich and famous. Its in places like this he feels most normal. Everything is quit until the younger members of the party start congregating around the doors locking people in. then four young men carry in a small TV with a top hat on it. Bruce looked at the young men as they set up the video. They all took of their jackets to reveal sleeveless madras’s. Bruce took another look and saw on the left shoulder of each of them was a tattoo of a random playing card. No two with the same card tattoo. They turned on the TV and press -play- on the VCR they had it hooked up to. The screen lights up to reveal the same man as in the classroom with a wide grin on his face.

“twinkle twinkle little BAT!
How I wonder what you at.
Up above the world so high,
like a tea tray in the sky.

I’ll show you what ill do to you bat, I’ll do to you like I did to the queen of hearts! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!”

Just then a door in the ceiling opens and a little girl, no older than Alice, falls to the ground dressed in an extravagant gown and a rope around her neck. The blood profusely seeped on the floor. And the rope had been dyed red. Thousands of red roses dropped from the ceiling after her. A closer look at her shoulder revealed a card tattooed on her left shoulder.

A queen of hearts.

In the confusion, the man now known to the world as Mad Hatter stepped out from behind the TV. He was there the whole time. And it seemed that the TV recording was in sync with his own speech.

“we know he’s here!”

“at least we know the one who is not him is here so the one who is not here to listen better perk up.”

“I’m not asking him to come forward. I’m asking to get ready.”

“ready for the new world!”

“YES! My new world! My wonder world!”

“and oh what a wonderful world it will be!”

“all you ‘normal people’ are about to see a largest small change you’ll ever not see.”

“crumbs in the butter I say!”

“time is dead and so be it the rest of us.”

Then in a blitzkrieg, swat troopers storm in and subdue some of the young men. But not yet Mad Hatter.

“Playing cards! 52 pick up! NOW!”

Immediately every one of the men with playing card tattoos subdued or not pulled a white pill from their pocket and swallowed it. Seconds later they all fell down dead. Last there was Mad Hatter. He pulled out his pill and called,

“join me down the rabbit hole boys and girls! Because the ripened cherry just spoiled!”

And he falls down dead just like the rest of them. But the TV screen still talks.

“don’t think that just because I’m dead that I’m gone. Oh contraire, in fact, I have this hat in three different sizes! HAHAHAHAHA! -Beep- HAHAHAHAHA! -beep- HAHAHAHAHA! -beep- HAHAHAHAHA!--”

And it repeats over and over until one of the swat officers presses -stop- on the VCR. The swat all move out and several detectives move in and tell every one to go home and the restless mummer fills the room as they file out.

“oh god!!!! Oh No!!! ALICE IS GONE!!! I CAN’T FIND ALICE!!!!