If the Mad Hatter was throwing a Haunted Tea Party for his daughter what would it look like?An image immediately popped into my head and I knew there was no way I could describe it in the mere space of a Facebook comment. If I had my aunt's artistic talents I would have immediately drawn it up, but alas, I don't have those skills.
So what would a Haunted Tea Party, thrown by the Mad Hatter, for his daughter look like?
First, my version of the Mad Hatter looks very much like Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. The large eyes, crazed with the agony the Red Queen put him through. His hair is more a silvery grey though, his over-sized top hat a battered crushed velvet in deep purple. The velvet is worn in places and he has a piece of tattered, yellowed lace as a hat band. His coat used to be a bright Kelly green, but it has faded with time, the elbows are worn through, the collar and hemmed edges are raveling a bit. His pants are also tattered, black, a bit too short, and shiny with wear. His shoes are over-sized wing tips, one is black, the other brown. His nails are bitten down and there is dirt until the very short nails. He has a threaded needle holding a dead rose boutonniere on his lapel. His grin is rather schizophrenic, with crooked yellow teeth. But he is happy, after all his daughter is alive!
Next, there's the white rabbit. His fur has dirty spots, one of his ears hangs down while the other is straight up through his top hat. The hat is a glossy black, while his vest is a deep forest green with black embroidery used to depict a scary forest scene of dead trees with reaching, leafless limbs. His pocket watch is tucked safely in a small pocket on the vest, the watch fob is a tarnished gold that attaches to his paw. His eyes occasionally go in different directions as he laughs in a psychotic fashion.
The door mouse is simply adorable, with the plain brown fur of a field mouse. His hat is a teapot lid, his only clothing a black lacy tutu. He holds the teeniest tea cup I've ever seen in his paw. It's chipped on one side, covered in an intricate, yet tiny depiction of lilacs. The saucer is a mismatch, bright red with cobwebs hanging from one side.
Tea is set on a large, uneven, wooden table. Large black spiders are at the corner of every table leg (there are six), most are working on their webs or winding up their prey. The largest is sitting in the middle of her web watching the going-ons. Treats are scattered about on plate stands holding anywhere from three to eight plates. Tiny sandwiches are scattered across those plates, some showing definite signs of mold, some with ants and cockroaches crawling over them, others draped in cobwebs.
Additional treats include cupcakes topped with crunchy crickets and spiders, candies in bright primary colors are scattered across the table top, all guarded by an army of somewhat friendly scorpions. A variety of teapots, many being held to the table by yet more cobwebs, are all filled with varieties of tea. Some have tea bag tags hanging out the side, others have metal chains showing from the diffusers hidden inside them.
I am fascinated with the teapots. Each has it's own pattern. A yellow one has depictions of the Red Queen playing croquet with a flamingo, beheading a peasant, and petting the Jabberwocky. A beautiful silver one has airy pictures of the White Queen working on various potions and healing an injured citizen. A blood red teapot has dancing skeletons across the entire body of the pot. An ivory colored teapot shows pictures of a little girl, her chest pierced by a sword, blood dripping down her white lace dress. On the opposite side is the same girl, sword in hand, piercing the Jabberwocky's chest with a triumphant smile on her face. Tea cups are scattered about, none with matching saucers, all showing signs of wear and damage, most are covered in flowers, one is covered in spiders.
Trees ring the entire scene, their leaves are either gone or shades of red and orange. The sky is a gloomy grey, bits of grass stick up between the leaves on the ground. A light breeze makes the air feel more chilly than it is. A few of the trees have bits of fabric blowing from their branches, as if they were banners announcing some big event.
A sweet, heart shaped faced, young girl sits at the head of the table. The adorable door mouse is to her left, the White Rabbit to her right. The Mad Hatter is at the other end of the table, smiling broadly as he sings an unrecognizable song. She smiles and the scene is less gloomy. Sun seems to peek through the clouds. Her dress is a bright red lace overlay, a black shift underneath. The blood red sash at her waist is tied in large bow on her back.
Her honey colored locks lift lightly in the breeze. She has a very pale face, tinged with grey and with large inset deep green eyes. She has smudges of dirt on her cheeks, her hands are clean, but her fingernails are still dirty as if she just dug herself out of the grave. Scuffed Mary Janes are on her feet, her anklets are mismatched, one black with black lacing edging the top, the other a dirty white with red lace on top. She swings her legs casually underneath her too-tall chair as she hums along with her daddy's uneven song, clearly enjoying herself.
In the clearing Alice appears, Cheshire cat in tow. They wave hello to the odd conflagration at the table. Smoke from the catepillar's hookah pipe swirls up among the tree branches. Just another Halloween in Wonderland.
