MAD HATTER
Many have been taken as slaves for
the Queen’s court. Others has fled
to the Outlands. Ony a few strays
remain.
A female CAT appears in a doorway wearing a slinky dress
reminiscent of a French chanteuse. She leans against the
door.
THE CAT CHANTEUSE
Hello, Hatter.
MAD HATTER
Cauol. It’s been a long time.
(to Alice)
She’ll know where we can find
Absolem. Wait here.
He takes off the Hat and puts it on a small café table.
He goes to speak to the cat. Alice hears LOUD PURRING and sees
a very thin, very hungry feral CAT looking up at her from
below.
ALICE
Hello, kitty.
FERAL CAT #1
Hello, mouse.
ALICE
I’m, actually, not a mouse.
The cat is joined by another equally hungry cat. Alice glances
over at the Hatter who’s conversing quietly in Outlandish with
his friend.
FERAL CAT #1
I saw it first.
The second cat leaps onto the table.
ALICE
As you can see, I’m not a
mouse at all.
FERAL CAT #2 slinks toward her. Alice takes a step back as
FERAL CAT #1 leaps onto the table.
FERAL CAT #1
It’s mine.
Alice moves back to the edge of the table as a THIRD cat lands
on the table. Alice looks at the Hatter who has his back to
her.
WEAN! She’s hit by a FURRY PAW which knocks her sideways where
she’s hit by another FURRY PAW, knocking her the other way.
The CATS toy with her, amusing themselves as they bat her
between them. Alice stumbles to the edge of the table and
falls, landing on the chair. She tries to get the Hatter’s
attention.
AL I CE
Hatter!
A cat lands on the chair. Alice jumps to the floor. She lands
hard with the cat right behind, followed by the
other two. She
turns to face them as they stalk her.
FERAL CAT #3
Run, mouse.
FERAL CAT #2
We like it when they run.
Alice runs. She dives behind table and chair legs.
The cats
enjoy the chase, catching her and batting her between them.
She finally breaks free and runs toward the Hatter.
ALICE
Hatter I
But a paw lands on her dragging dress
tail, stopping her. She
struggles to pull free as another cat stalks her from the
front. And another from the side. She yells.
ALICE
TARRANT HIGHTOPPI
She can’t get away. The cats move in for the kill, all
playfulness gone.
MAD HATTER
SSSSSSTT!
The Hatter’s foot kicks a cat away. He stomps at the others.
They hiss and back off. He picks Tiny Alice up. She’s fuming.
ALICE
There are starving cats here! I’m
the size of a mouse! What didyou
think would happen?
MAD HATTER
I didn’t remember the feral ones.
Forgive me.
He puts her in the pocket of his coat and picks up his hat.
THE CAT CHANTEUSE
By the way, have you seen Chessur?
MAD HATTER
Only briefly. You know how he comes
and goes.
THE CAT CHANTEUSE
If you see him, tell him he’s
slurking- urpal s]ackush scrum.
ALICE
What does that mean?
MAD HATTER
(embarrassed)
It means…be glad you don’t speak
Outlandish right now.
EXT. IPLAM – BEYOND THE DESERTED TOWN
Alice sits in the Hatter’s coat pocket as he walks across the
blackened plain dotted with shriveled stumps and trees.
MAD HATTER
We’ve half a day’s walk to reach
Absolem.
The sky turns suddenly dark, tinged with red. He ducks under a
large tree with wide gnarled branches.
ALICE
Why are we stopping?
MAD HATTER
Red storm coming.
The sky opens and red hail stones pelt the earth.
MAD HATTER
It won’t last long.
He sits down with his back to the tree. He takes Tiny Alice
out of his pocket and puts her on his knee. Seeing his face
looming above her, she realizes where she’s seen him before.
ALICE
I know why you look familiar to me.
You’re in my dream. I’ve had the
same dream all my life. There’s a
an egg man on a wall, you in your
hat, a blue caterpillar…
MAD HATTER
(knowingly)
Blue caterpillar. Did you ever think
this dream is trying to tell you
something?
ALICE
I don’t know what it would be.
MAD HATTER
Perhaps something you already know.
ALICE
Possibly. My father used to say…
dreams are the way we whisper
into our own ears.
MAD HATTER
An excellent way of putting it.
Your father is saganistute.
ALICE
Wsaganistute. And that had
better be a compliment!
MAD HATTER
It means a wise man of poetry and
vision.
She smiles. They sit in silence for a moment. The hail stops.
The Hat holds his hand out for her.
MAD HATTER (cont.)
Shall we on to Absolem?
EXT. IPLAN – DAY – CaNT.
They cross the barren plain until they reach a wide field of
mushrooms. The Hatter puts the hat on the ground.
MAD HATTER
You’re your own from here.
ALICE
You’re not coming?
MAD HATTER
Absolemcan be temperamental.
I’ll wait here.
EXT. THE FIELD OF MUSHROOMS – DAY
Alice walks through a misty field of thick mushrooms the size
of trees.
THE CATERPILLAR (0.5.)
Who are you?
She squints throuugh the thick mist.
ALICE
Ab sol em?
THE CATERPILLAR (0.5.)
Who ARE you?
She still can’t see the speaker.
ALICE
I’m not who you think I am.
THE CATERPILLAR (0.5.)
Who do I think you are?
She can see a form ahead where the mist rises in a steady
plume from top of a mushroom. The mist is coming from a
hookah. There’s a CATERPILLER smoking it. He’s blue. Alice
stops dead, her mind reeling.
ALICE
Absolem?
THE CATERPILLAR
I don’t think you’re Albsolem,
I think I’m Absolem. I think
you’re Alice.
ALICE
You cannot be real.
THE CATERPILLAR
Of course, I’m real.
He blows smoke rings in her face. She coughs.
ALICE
Have we met before?
THE CATERPILLAR
You don’t recall? You were young
then, although larger than you
are now. You called it “Wonderland”.
