the decayed

The Mad Hatters

She's strange. She's exotic. She's a marvelous hatter. Have you heard of her? The Mad Hatter? 

There are rumors about her. She was a baby, found in a hat of weird cloth with pins, scissors and little things a hatter needed. Her face changes every time. She always wore only one hat. She was awake at any time of day or night. She had no other known name than The Mad Hatter. She was immortal. She was a witch. She was innocent. She was guilty. 

The most important rumor of all, sprang up just today. Every hat she had made, every hat she had loved, every hat she had sold turned out to be deadly. All the customers were found dead. With that particular piece of clothing. With fear etched on their faces. With the cuts spelling out 'MH', the Mad Hatter's initials. And she was gone when the police came at her door. 

Everyone think she's guilty. Everyone thinks that the gossip about her being innocent is bogus. Everyone hates her now. 

Except for me. Why? I love the Mad Hatter. I love the person behind the Mad Hatter. I love her. I know she's not guilty, because someone else is guilty. They murdered them. Her customers didn't care for her. They didn't accept her. All they wanted were the hats. I make hats too, hats only for my queen, the Mad Hatter. She must love me. Now she will know who is on her side. No one, except for me. I have given her a path to righteousness, to acceptance, to love. To me. Is she not proud? Is she not happy? T'is I who loved her so much as to do anything and everything for her. 

I clap my hands together, hearing the leather of my gloves slap each other. I raced down the stairs. I go down into the basement, my workplace. I walk to the bed. It is softer than cashmere, divinely, perfect for my bride. White veils sweep the floor. Light, perhaps from the high heavens, beams on her as if it's a huge halo for this angel. Her dark eyelashes stand out against the pale of her skin, the tresses of her red hair cascade flowing on her bare shoulders and back. 

My bride's dress glistens like mermaids' tails. Her eyes flutter open. Bright green pupils stare inquisitively at me. ''W-who are you? What am I doing here?'' 

I laugh in pure joy. She is awake. She is awake! ''I, am your ticket out of this chaos, this world, this life. I, am the righteousness, the acceptance, the love you want. You need. I have done anything and everything for you. I will do anything and everything for you. I have killed those people, those scum that you call customers. Are you not proud? Are you not happy?'' 

''W-what? You're the reason why my life was destroyed? My wonderful life? The reason why the people out there think I'm guilty? Why they want to chop off my head? Why they want to cut out my heart? Why they want to see me bleed? Why they want me dead? And you expect me t-t-to be happy? Let alone love you!'' she exclaims, her eyes widening and she paces back and forth before marching to me. She holds her skirts with every step and as rage blossoms as color on her face, she raises a white finger and points it at me. 

What? How could this be? She should love me. She has to! She must! ''B-but, I love you. You have to love me. I am the Mad Hatter.Your other half, your perfect other half. Why. Don't. You. Love. Me!'' 

''...You. Are. A Monster,'' she says quietly, her chin up. Her lips are set in a thin line and her shoulders are slightly back and up, guarded. 

I blacked out during the next part. I saw on my hands, pale skin, specks of pink flesh and blood, red hair. My bride laid. She was in heaven now. She could have had everything. All! Yet she chose not to love me, she would learn. When I ascended to heaven, there we could love each other, together forever. Together forever. 

I walked around and inspected my masterpieces on the shelves, before selecting the ultimate one. The crown. The diadem. I placed the diadem on my queen's head. I slipped the crown on my head, a satisfied smile tugged at my lips. I grasped her hand and stroked it, hoping to spark some warmth back into it. When I heard the slightest of breath from my love, I pulled out the pair of scissors from my hat and plunged into her heart. As I kissed her on her cold clammy lips one more time, the utensils pierced into my heart. 

Two Mad Hatters. Together forever.

~