Dormouse: First Encounters

"C'mon, Dani, it'll be fun!" my friends cajoled me, practically dragging me onto the platform.

"Guys, I don't think this is such a good idea…" I complained, pulling back hesitantly. We were at Six Flags, and they were making me go on those stupid teacups. It just didn't seem like a very good idea, especially considering that I was prone to really terrible motion sickness. But there was really no talking them out of this; believe me, I had tried.

They eagerly pushed me into the nearest teacup, a light blue one, and shut the little door behind us. I nervously sat down, hoping desperately that I wouldn't end up losing my lunch in public like this. I just really didn't do well with spinning things, especially rides that spun two directions at once.

"Let's go!" my best friend yelled, throwing her hands up in the air. With a groan the ride started, and we began turning slowly. I shut my eyes and moaned as we started to gain speed, already feeling my stomach doing flips. A wave of nausea hit me, and when I opened my eyes I saw spots. I quickly shut them again, trying not to throw up. The loud sounds of the ride around me began to fade away, and I felt myself sliding down to the bottom of the teacup. Crap, I'm blacking out! I thought in a panic. And then everything was gone.

* * * * *

I came to rather quickly, sitting up and putting my head in my hands. The teacup was no longer moving. Thank god they stopped the ride I thought, rubbing my face and looking around. Relief turned to confusion as I tried to take in my surroundings. My friends, the ride, everything was gone. I was still sitting in a teacup, but it was a real one. A giant, china teacup.

"Little Dormouse, were you sleeping again?" a loud, booming voice announced from above me. I looked up and saw, to my absolute and utter shock, a giant face looking down at me with a smile. I screamed and scrambled backwards, tipping the teacup over and tumbling out of it.

The giant's bright green eyes watched me as I tried to get away. I stood up and stumbled backwards; my heels hit empty space and I pinwheeled, losing my balance. I looked down and screamed as I fell off of the edge of the giant table. Suddenly a hand flew down and scooped me up, halting my fall before I could hit the ground.

Fingers curled around me and I froze, my breathing completely halted and my eyes wide. I was lifted up and held at arm's length from the giant, whose green eyes now looked concerned and understanding. I clutched at the warm, thick walls of flesh surrounding me, my heart pounding madly against my chest.

"Oh," the giant said, looking at me, "You're the new Dormouse, aren't you?" My eyes scanned him, the only part of me that was still functional after the shock. He had green eyes and flamingly red hair, which peeked out in every direction from his hat. This hat was tall, black, and brimmed, with a card reading 10/6 stuck in the band. The giant sighed, and added, "Ever since Alice came everything has been crazy around here."

Wait a moment… Alice? 10/6? Teacups? Either this was a crazy wicked Disneyland ride, or I was stuck in some sort of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland dream. The thing was, it didn't feel like a normal dream. I could literally feel his fingers wrapped around me. But if he is the Mad Hatter and I'm the Dormouse, then who-

"You might want to put her down now," a second voice said, interrupting my thoughts. My head snapped around, and I saw another giant seated at the table. This one looked like a normal man… except for the enormous rabbit ears protruding from his head.

The first giant set me down on the table again and I stood up, swaying slightly as I tried to focus. "You're the March Hare?" I asked the second giant, my voice sounding distant and ungrounded.

"Call me March," he said with a smile, sticking out his hand. I took his index finger in both hands and shook it, still quite a bit in shock.
I turned about to face the first man, who was looking at me with a bit of a smile. "Then you must be the Mad Hatter," I said, with a bit more confidence this time.

He smirked. "Just Hatter," he said. "'Mad' is merely a title." Hatter's smile faded as a thought struck him. "You are the new Dormouse. Shame, I did quite like the last one. And he didn't even say a proper goodbye."

"There was someone else here before me?" I asked, my curiosity overcoming my fear.

Hatter smacked his head down on the table, causing me to fall over from the force of it. "Yes. When Alice left the Dormouse snuck in with her; we haven't seen him in decades. And ever since, new Dormice from your world have kept coming. They stay here for a while, and then they are given the option to return to their own world. Every single one has."

March patted him on the back comfortingly as Hatter buried his face in his arms. "There there," he said. "It's your un-birthday today, you shouldn't be getting upset."

Hatter's head snapped up and he grinned. "You're right!" he exclaimed. "Today is my un-birthday! We have preparations to make!" The two of them got up and switched chairs, reorganizing the tea things as they went. I couldn't help but laugh at their antics; they were just so ridiculous, and innocent, that I couldn't imagine them hurting a fly. A good deal of my original fear had been replaced by merriment.

Then March picked me up without warning and moved me, sitting me down inside of another teacup. The very real touch of his fingers took my breath away again, and sent my brain into overdrive. Until I felt them, it was easy to believe that this was all just nonsensical fantasy. But when they touched me… logic wanted to slap me full in the face.

Suddenly I was overwhelmed by emotion as the comparative reality of all of this struck me. What if it was somehow real? What if I was stuck in an alternate reality? Or worse, what if I wasn't? I would have to be crazy to make up this.

"I'm going mad," I groaned, collapsing down and throwing my head in my hands.

Hatter chuckled and playfully bopped me on the head with a finger. "We're all mad here!"