《爱丽丝梦游仙境-2》第10章

Bursting out of Horunvendush Day, Alice navigated the Chronosphere back into the rippling sky above the Ocean of Time. The Tempus Fugit, with Time at the wheel, popped out mere seconds later.

Time cranked his machine faster, gaining on her. Alice pulled on a lever, steering the Chronosphereto the left, but Time was too quick.

As he drew level with her, he shouted across the gap.

"You cannot win a race against Time! Give it back. I am merciful," he wheezed between panting breaths. "But you must give it back!"

Huffing and puffing, Time had managed to catch up. Alice swung the Chronosphere straight up, then looped behind the Tempus Fugit.

Time's shoulders slumped, his arms tiring as he looked back at her.

"You don't know what you've done!" he cried desperately.

Alice tugged on a pulley and the Chronosphere suddenly accelerated. Oh, dear, Alice thought. She hadn't meant to do that. But before she could steer it away, it bumped into the Tempus Fugit. With a tremendous clang, the two machines spun away from each other.

Throwing Alice sideways, the Chronosphere hurtled into the past. The golden sun pattern rippled across the floor. In the distance, Alice saw the glint of the Tempus Fugit, plummeting toward a different part of the ocean.

EEEEEEAAARRRROOOOM! The Chronosphere sliced into a day of the past, cutting through the air with a high-pitched shriek. finally, the Chronosphere bumped up against a rock and settled to a stop.

Alice glanced around. She was standing on the outskirts of a quaint village that butted up against Tulgey Woods. It was a cozy, whimsical town—much more appealing than the stuffy rectangular homes of London.

"Now where am I?" Alice mused. "And where are the Hightopps?"

Doo doo doo dooooooo! Trumpets blared in the distance. Curious, and with no other ideas as to where to look, Alice headed toward them. As she walked through the town, she saw that it had been decorated for some occasion, but whereas the Horunvendush Day celebration had taken place in a field, that day's festivities had taken over the streets.

Ahead of her, a stream of people and creatures was flowing over a bridge toward a red stone castle. Alice followed it and soon found herself in a gorgeous chamber. Straight ahead, four figures sat on a raised platform.

Alice gasped. Mirana and Iracebeth made up half of the party on the stage. Their faces appeared much younger; they looked to be about Alice's age. Even more surprising, Iracebeth's head, while still larger than normal, wasn't quite as gargantuan as when Alice had first met her. Judging by their crowns, the two people sitting with them must be the sisters' parents—King Oleron and Queen Elsmere. They both smiled pleasantly down at the gathered villagers. The Hightopps, including Hatter, stood on the platform to one side of the royal family. Now all she had to do was stay close and wait for her chance to speak with them.

Alice made her way to the front of the crowd, watching as Zanik Hightopp crossed the stage to Mirana.

All around her, Underlandians clapped loudly as Zanik placed a delicate tiara on Mirana's head. Mirana, clad all in white, smiled sweetly at everyone. Per usual, Iracebeth's face was twisted in a scowl.

"And now," King Oleron announced, "the princess Iracebeth."

This must be some sort of coronation ceremony for the princesses, Alice thought. Zanik stepped to the side of the platform, where his son held out an oversized hatbox. Reaching in, Zanik carefully lifted an extra-wide tiara. Then he took his place behind Iracebeth and ceremoniously lowered it onto her head.

Except ... it didn't fit.

Iracebeth's head was too large. As Zanik tried adjusting the angle of the tiara, the crowd around Alice murmured and the younger Hatter tried to stifle a snort of laughter.

"You are making me look foolish!" Iracebeth hissed at Zanik.

If the princess hadn't been so testy, Alice might have felt sorry for her. Hatter was caught up in the humor of the situation and couldn't help himself a second time: he giggled as his father struggled with Iracebeth's gigantic head.

"Get on with it!" Iracebeth burst out.

Doing his best, Zanik shoved the tiara down, but the force of his movement only snapped it in half. Jewels and pearls popped off and rolled down the steps of the platform, clattering loudly in the sudden silence. Several came to rest at Alice's feet and shimmered up at her.

After a few frozen moments, the assembled Underlandians began to titter.

"Old big 'ead broke her crown!" called someone from the audience.

As the laughter grew, Iracebeth's hands curled into fists and her cheeks flushed. Alice could see the tears brimming in the princess's eyes and she felt a twinge of sympathy.

"Silence!" Iracebeth bellowed. "The next person who laughs will never laugh again!" Alice's sympathy was quashed. That sounded like the Red Queen Alice knew—irrational and cutthroat.

"Iracebeth, please!" her mother interjected. "How could you ever stop people from laughing?"

"Put a bag on her head!" someone else teased.

"If you can find one that would fit," another voice added.

The room exploded in laughter and Iracebeth shot to her feet, her whole body shaking in rage.

"Off with their tongues," she screamed. "Off with their ears! Off with their ... heads! Off with their heads!" flinging her arm forward, she pointed menacingly at the villagers.

Alice had heard the threat before, many times, but clearly the crowd hadn't. The Underlandians fell into a stunned silence.

With a frown, King Oleron rose from his throne. "Iracebeth, enough!" he snapped.

The princess froze, her arm still outstretched, but she continued to glare at the crowd as her father approached.

Gently but firmly, the king took Iracebeth's arm and lowered it back to her side. Alice could see disappointment in his eyes as he addressed his daughter. "Iracebeth of Witzend. I had always hoped you would one day show the necessary qualities to become the queen you were born to be. I now realize, with a heavy heart, that day will never come."

"But, Father—" Iracebeth's voice cracked.

The king shook his head and faced the crowd. "People of Witzend, upon our passing, I hereby decree that my crown shall pass ... to the princess Mirana."

In her seat, Mirana jolted in surprise, and the Underlandians fluttered at the announcement. As Iracebeth processed his words, her expression went from hurt to shocked and furious.

"But I'm the eldest! It's not fair!" she cried.

"You're dismissed," King Oleron said. He kep this eyes averted, as though his oldest daughter weren't there.

Iracebeth lashed out. "You always loved her best!"

"That's not true, Iracebeth," Queen Elsmere began, but the princess was too angry to listen.

"I hate you," Iracebeth spat. "I hate you all!"

Right there in front of Alice's eyes, Iracebeth's head began to expand, as though it were a balloon filling with air. Iracebeth grabbed her skull with her hands, then hurriedly stalked toward a stair well next to the platform. Noticing the Hightopps, she paused.

"Zanik Hightopp," she said, her voice loaded with bitterness. "I will never forget what you and your family have done to me this day. Never."

Mirana rushed over and grabbed hold of her sister's arm.

"Iracebeth, please," Mirana said.

Iracebeth jerked away. "I'm not talking to you," she cried. "This is your fault. Everything is your fault!"

Mirana hurried after her sister as Iracebeth stomped out of the room. The king and queen exchanged troubled looks and also retreated.

The coronation over, Underlandians began to funnel out of the castle. Alice pushed forward in the opposite direction, determined to reach the Hightopps. As she drew closer, she saw Zanik round on his son, his lips pressed together in a frown.

Hatter blinked innocently at him. "All I did was laugh, Father," he said. He held up his hands. "Her head is rather ... voluminous! I couldn't help it."

"You cost the princess her crown," Zanik replied.

"Do you know what this means for us?"

"Why am I never good enough for you?" Hatter asked.

"Why are you always such a disappointment to me?" Zanik said at the same time.

Hatter pulled back, quiet for a moment, and Alice found she was holding her breath. She knew what a parent's disapproval felt like.

"There," Hatter finally said, his voice surprisingly measured. "You've said it. Well, if I'm such a disappointment, I don't suppose you'll be sorry if I leave home."

"Tarrant, no!" his mother cried, rushing to stand between the men. "Please, Zanik, tell him to stay. Zanik!"

Zanik's mouth pulled into a flat line as his wife clung to Tarrant's sleeve. "If he is to be a hatter worthy of the Hightopp name, he must be sane, sober, disciplined, prudent, punctual, punctilious." He paused, regarding his son. "Everything he is now not!"

Alice winced on her friend's behalf. Zanik was wrong! She'd never met a better or more creative hatter than Tarrant. But the Hatter's lips only trembled slightly. He stiffened his back and gently disengaged from his mother's grip. With a quick nod, he whirled and marched out of the castle.

爱丽丝驾驶着时空传送仪冲出厄朗温达石日，飞回到时间之海上方波光涟涟的空中。只过了几秒钟，“时间”就突然操纵着时光机跟了出来。

“时间”加快了速度，渐渐追了上来。爱丽丝拉动一根控制杆，使时空传送仪向左倾斜，但“时间”的速度太快了。

“时间”来到和爱丽丝齐平的位置，对着她隔空大喊。

“和‘时间’赛跑，你赢不了的！快还给我。我会放你一马，”他喘着气喊道，“但你必须还给我！”

尽管已经上气不接下气，但“时间”还是追了上来。爱丽丝驾着时空传送仪扶摇直上，又绕回到时光机的后面。

“时间”的肩膀耷拉下来，他回头看着爱丽丝，手臂已经疲惫不堪。

“你根本不知道你都做了些什么！”他拼命喊道。

爱丽丝用力拉动一个滑轮，时空传送仪突然加速了。哎呀，不妙，爱丽丝心想。这不是她的本意。还没等爱丽丝转向，时空传送仪就撞上了时光机。伴随着一声巨响，两架机器朝着远离彼此的方向旋转开去。

爱丽丝被甩到了一边，时空传送仪向着过往猛冲而去。金色的阳光微微波动着穿过底板。爱丽丝看见时光机在远处闪烁着，朝海洋的另一头坠落下去。

额——啊——唔——！时空传送仪撕开过往的一天，一声高亢的尖声鸣叫划破天际。最后，时空传送仪撞到一块岩石上，停了下来。

爱丽丝环视着四周。她正站在一个古老村庄的郊外，这里与屠集林相毗邻。这是个安逸而古灵精怪的小镇——比伦敦那些一本正经、四平八稳的房子要有趣得多。

“我现在在哪儿？”爱丽丝沉思道，“高帽子家族又在哪儿？”

嘟，嘟嘟，嘟嘟嘟！远处传来喇叭的喧闹声。爱丽丝顿时心生好奇，又没想到有别的地方可去，就朝他们走了过去。穿过小镇的时候，她看见整个小镇已经装饰一新，似乎要举行什么活动。厄朗温达石日的庆典是在战场上举行的，而这次是在大街上。

爱丽丝前面是如流的人群和动物，他们正穿过桥，向一座红石砌成的城堡涌去。爱丽丝跟着人流向前，发现自己来到了一处金碧辉煌的宫殿。正前方有一个突起的舞台，上面坐着四 个人。

爱丽丝倒吸一口气。台上的四人中有莫安娜和伊拉贝斯。她们看起来年轻多了，大概和爱丽丝一个年纪。更让人惊奇的是，伊拉贝斯的头尽管还是比一般人大，但比爱丽丝第一次见到她的时候小多了。至于坐着的另外两个人，爱丽丝从他们的王冠判断出，他们一定是莫安娜和伊拉贝斯的父母——奥瑞隆国王和埃尔斯米尔皇后。他们对着台下聚集的村民们致以亲切的笑容。高帽子家族，包括疯帽子，都在舞台上，正位于王室人员的一侧。现在她要做的就是靠近舞台，等待机会和他们说话。

爱丽丝挤到人群前面，望着桑尼克·高帽子穿过舞台，走向莫安娜。

桑尼克为莫安娜戴上一顶精致的王冠，爱丽丝身边的地下国人爆发出响亮的掌声。莫安娜身着一袭白裙，向大家致以一个甜甜的微笑。像往常一样，伊拉贝斯皱着眉头，脸扭作一团。

“下一位，”奥瑞隆国王宣布道，“伊拉贝斯公主。”

这一定是公主们的某种加冕仪式，爱丽丝心想。桑尼克走到舞台的一边，他儿子在那儿举着一个超大的帽子盒。桑尼克伸手进去，小心地举起一个特大号的王冠，接着来到伊拉贝斯身后，郑重其事地为她戴上。

不过……王冠并不合适。

伊拉贝斯的头太大了。当桑尼克试着调整王冠的角度时，爱丽丝周围的人群开始窃窃私语起来，小疯帽子尽力克制着自己的笑声。

“你把我的脸都丢光了！”伊拉贝斯生气地对桑尼克低声说道。

要不是这位公主如此暴躁，爱丽丝对她还有几分同情。疯帽子被眼前的景象逗乐了，看着父亲使劲摆弄着伊拉贝斯的巨大脑袋，他再也忍不住咯咯地笑出了声。

“快点儿！”伊拉贝斯大吼一声。

桑尼克用尽力气把王冠向下按，但由于用力过猛，王冠啪地断成了两半。人群突然安静下来。宝石和珍珠四下弹落，沿着舞台的阶梯往下滚动，发出哗啦啦的响声。有几颗滚到爱丽丝的脚边，对着她闪闪发亮。

几秒钟的冷场之后，围观的地下国人开始窃笑起来。

“老姑娘大头公主打破了王冠！”观众里有人喊道。

笑声蔓延开来，伊拉贝斯的双手握成了拳头，脸涨得通红。爱丽丝看见伊拉贝斯的眼眶里盈满了泪水，心里涌起一阵强烈的同情。

“安静！”伊拉贝斯怒吼道，“有谁再敢笑，我就让他永远笑不出来！”爱丽丝的同情心平复了些。这听起来才像爱丽丝所认识那个红皇后——蛮不讲理还残忍无情。

“伊拉贝斯，不许这样！”母亲打断了她，“你怎么能不让别人笑呢？”

“在她头上套个袋子好了！”有人取笑道。

“你要是能找到那么大的也行呀。”另一个人补充道。

房间里爆发出一阵笑声，伊拉贝斯垂头看着自己的脚，气得浑身发抖。

“割掉他们的舌头，”她尖叫着说，“割掉他们的耳朵！砍掉他们的……头！砍掉他们的头！”她猛地将手臂向前一挥，气势汹汹地指着村民们。

爱丽丝之前听到过这样的威胁，听到过很多次，但显然这些村民们是头一次听到。地下国民众陷入了惊恐的沉默。

奥瑞隆国王皱了皱眉，从王座上站起来厉声说道：“伊拉贝斯，够了！”

伊拉贝斯公主愣住了，她的手臂依然向前伸着。不过她还是怒视着底下的人群，尽管她的父王正一步步朝她走去。

国王温柔但坚定地抓住伊拉贝斯的手臂，将它放了下来。爱丽丝可以看出他眼中的失望，他对女儿说：“奥特兰的伊拉贝斯，我一直希望，有一天你能展现出作为一位皇后应有的品质，那是你生来就肩负的使命。但现在我终于发现，这一天将遥遥无期，对此我深表遗憾。”

“但是，父王——”伊拉贝斯带着哭腔说。

国王摇摇头，面向人群说道：“奥特兰的子民，请你们共同见证，我在此昭告，将王位传给……莫安娜公主。”

莫安娜坐在位子上，惊讶不已，而地下国民众则因为这个消息十分激动。伊拉贝斯听完国王的话，先是一副受伤的表情，转而变为惊讶和愤怒。

“但我才是长女！这不公平！”她大声喊道。

“你被废黜了，”奥瑞隆国王说道。说罢，他将自己的视线移开，仿佛大女儿不存在似的。

伊拉贝斯大声斥责道：“你总是偏心！”

“不是这样的，伊拉贝斯。”埃尔斯米尔王后开始劝慰她，但伊拉贝斯公主已经气得听不进任何话。

“我恨你，”伊拉贝斯啐了一口说，“我恨你们所有人！”

伊拉贝斯就站在爱丽丝的面前，她的头好像一只正在充气的气球，开始慢慢膨胀起来。伊拉贝斯双手捧着脑袋，急匆匆地走向舞台旁边的阶梯。看见高帽子家族时，她停了下来。

“桑尼克·高帽子，”她的声音充满了怨恨，“我永远不会原谅你和你的家人今天对我的所作所为。永远不会。”

莫安娜急忙跑过去，抓住她姐姐的手臂。

“伊拉贝斯，别这样。”莫安娜说道。

伊拉贝斯猛地推开莫安娜。“我不想和你说话，”她嚷道，“都怪你，全都怪你！”

伊拉贝斯跺着脚跑出了房间，莫安娜急忙追了上去。国王和王后交换了一下苦恼的眼神，也退出了房间。

加冕仪式结束了，地下国民众开始涌出城堡。而爱丽丝则朝相反方向移动，决心要找到高帽子家族。当她靠近时，看见桑尼克皱着眉头，抿着嘴唇，正在批评他儿子。

疯帽子无辜地向父亲眨着眼。“我只是笑了笑，父亲，”他一边说，一边还举起了双手，“她的头实在是……太大啦！我实在忍不住了。”

“你让公主丢掉了王位。”桑尼克回答。

“你知道这对我们意味着什么吗？”

“你为什么总是对我不满意？”疯帽子问道。

“你为什么总让我失望？”桑尼克同时说道。

疯帽子退后几步，沉默了好一会儿。爱丽丝觉得自己快要喘不过气了，她知道父母对自己失望是怎样的感觉。

“好吧。”疯帽子最后说道，他的声音出奇地平静，“既然你已经这样说了。好，如果我这么让你失望，那就算我离家出走，你应该也无所谓吧。”

“别，塔兰特！”他母亲喊着，冲到丈夫和儿子中间。“求你了，桑尼克，让他留下来。桑尼克！”

看到妻子紧紧拽着疯帽子的袖子，桑尼克的嘴抿成了一条线。“想要成为一名帽子匠，对得起高帽子家族的名声，就要理智，冷静，遵守规矩，谨言慎行，严守时间，还要一丝不苟。”他停顿了一下，凝视着儿子说道：“这些品质他现在都没有！”

爱丽丝替她朋友抽搐了一下。桑尼克错了！塔兰特是她遇见过的最棒、最有创造力的帽子匠。然而疯帽子只是微微颤抖了一下嘴唇。他挺直了后背，轻轻地拿开母亲的手，快速点了下头，转过身，大步走出了城堡。