Living Rainbow
Start writing here…The Mad Hatter was walking through the forest listening to the trees whispering to each other. Many couldn’t speak tree, but Hatter had learned when they were the only company he’d had all those years ago. There was a whoosh of wind that curled around his body and a soft chuckle filled his hearing.
“What are they saying, Hatter?” the Cheshire Cat asked in a whisper.
“Well,” Hatter replied, “they’re talking about me again. To me actually. They’re telling me I should go back. Back to the others. But I don’t want to Chessur. There are no others without her. I-I miss her dearly, my friend. I just wish she would come back already. It’s been two years.”
“Yes, and for most of those two years, you’ve hidden yourself away. You’ve stayed in that clearing since a week after Frabjous day. It’s not fair to your friends Hatter,” the Cheshire Cat said lazily.
“Oh, they don’t understand! They don’t miss her as I do. They’ll never miss her as I do,” Hatter sighed softly.
The Cheshire Cat didn’t answer content on vaporating and evaporating around the Hatter as he walked. They went along in companionable silence for about half an hour before breaking through the trees quite suddenly and into a clearing. The Cheshire Cat tilted his head.
“The clearing is star-shaped today,” he said in a bored tone of voice.
“Oh, yes,” Hatter said absentmindedly. “I didn’t tell you? It’s been star-shaped since I woke up this morning. You know it was bottle-shaped for three days. Before that it was a circle.”
“You know that I’ve found time to visit you every day since you came out here. I know ever shape of the clearing for the past month, Hatter. No need to remind me.”
“Oh yes, terribly sorry,” Hatter said shaking his head. He sighed softly. “Why is the raven like the writing desk?”
“Hatter...”
“I’m sorry Chess. I-I do believe I’ll take a bath. Perhaps that will help me think better.”
The Cheshire Cat evaporated then reappeared beside a rock shaped like a waterfall beside the river. He pressed his paw against it and the water in the river started to steam. While the Cheshire Cat did that, the Hatter started to disrobe. He slid his jacket off and a tree’s branches dipped down in front of him.
“Why, thank you, my friend,” Hatter said as he hung his jacket on a couple of the branches.
Hatter unbuttoned his waistcoat and took it off, hanging it with his jacket. He unbuttoned his cufflinks and slid the sleeves down to see the end of his homemade gloves. He undid the knots and unwrapped the cloth. Underneath the cloth was one of the biggest secrets the Hatter had. The skin that covered his palms was a multitude of colors that swirled together, but didn’t mix. The Hatter carefully set the pieces of cloth that were his gloves in the pocket of his waistcoat. He then started to unbutton the pink dress shirt. When he parted it, the skin on his chest was exactly the same as his hands, just more colorful. The colors literally swirled across his skin, shifting in the light. He stared at his skin until a soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Hatter, don’t dwell on it,” the Cheshire Cat said gently. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”
Hatter just nodded and slid the shirt off his shoulders to hang it beside his other garments. He sat down and took his shoes and different colored socks off and sat them in a pile beneath the branches. He slipped out of his trousers easily and stood there naked; he had never seen the point of those silly undergarments. To him, they restricted certain things that shouldn’t be restricted. He suddenly felt very self-conscious about his nakedness even though the Cheshire Cat had seen him naked before. His entire body, except for his face and fingers, was covered in the swirling colors, including his genitals. He quickly hung the trousers in the branches and set his hat down then walked to the river and dipped his feet in.
“Mmm,” Hatter murmured. “It’s so warm.”
Hatter slid all the way in and gave a purr. The Cheshire Cat gave a soft chuckle at the sound, but said nothing. Hatter relaxed into the warm water and lay there on surface for a few minutes in relaxation. He finally sighed and reached for some soap and a rag that the Cheshire Cat had brought over for him.
Hatter soaped up the rag then started to rub it up and down on his arms. When they were nice and bubbly he reached around and started to rub down his back. He bathed completely then glanced up and threw the rag at Chessur. The Cheshire Cat just kept the smile on his face and flicked the soap back at the Hatter before evaporating and reappearing in the tree behind Hatter. Hatter snorted and picked the soap up out of the water. His reflection stared back at him. He hated his body, hated it with every fiber of his being. He remembered when his village had first seen his nakedness and… Hatter felt anger blind him briefly and he threw the soap and rag away with a yell.
“Hatter!”
“So sorry,” Hatter mumbled as he came back to himself.
He kept his eyes on the water and felt the tears fill them. He looked up towards the east, where the door that lay between him and his heart was. He dearly wished that he were brave enough to tell Alice how he felt about her, but alas the courage would not come to him. The fear of rejection was too great.
“Oh, Alice, I do miss you so. I wonder if you’re missing me as much…”
