In The Gallery Of The Living Images

With tears all over her face Alice remained alone in the market place. The other people turned to the distractions and sensations again and did not pay attention to her any longer.

Then, all on a sudden, Alice felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw a completely veiled woman in black standing in front on her. She was obviously in mourning. Two twinkling eyes glanced at her through the veil. They seemed strangely familiar to Alice. That was not surprising as it was the Cheshire Cat hiding in this disguise. But Alice did not recognize her, especially as she spoke with a disguised voice.

The face behind the veil seemed to smile at her kindly, and so Alice followed the stranger, still bemused by the recent events. Soon they reached Emina's tent, which had a richly and colourfully decorated frontage. Over the entrance that was closed by a blood-red curtain was written with large letters: "The Living Image". The side next to the entrance was painted with golden arabic characters which stod out against the dark blue background. Beside the curtain stood a thick, bald eunuch with a huge scimitar and a grim look on his face and a dervish dressed in white silk who was talking incessantly to the curious crowd in front on the tent.

Thereupon many curious people flocked into the tent, but not without having payed their two ducats. Alice and the mysterious Emina followed them. The dervish threw a short glance at the eunuch, and the two women were allowed to pass without paying.

Inside the tent it was fairly dark, and it took some time until Alice's eyes had got used to it. Emina led her through the front fly into a room with a blue illuminated sign over the entrance: "The Future". In this room there were many cinematoscopes. In front on those stood the visitors looking through the peepholes and uttering sounds on surprise. Curiously Alice approached them and looked through one on the peepholes. She saw a yellowed film showing a rickety biplane. It came flying, apparently straight into Alice who started slightly. Then it veered away and landed. Two men with strange leather caps got out. After that many other machines were shown, increasingly bigger and faster ones... Alice watched fascinated.

Alice went over to the next cinematoscope. It carried a brass label saying: "L'Arrivee du train au gare". A glance through the peephole showed her a steam driven locomotive with many waggons that was arriving at a station. A huge crowd on people was waiting for the train and cheered at its arrival.

Alice followed the stranger into the next room. It looked exactly the same as the one before except for the label over its entrance which read: "The Past". Here too, there were many people staring as if spellbound into the magical machines. Alice went to the nearest vacant one, whose label announced: "The Paradise", and had a look. In a wonderful garden with many animals living peacefully together, a nude man and a nude woman were embracing each other. Then a snake came sliding down a tree and placed itself round the woman's shoulders. She played a while with the snake, then picked an apple from the tree and offered it to the man. At first he did not want to taste from it, but the woman snuggled closely up to him and bewitched him. In the end both on them bit heartily into the apple. At once a lightning hit the ground next to them and a bright figure appeared...

Emina attentively observed the reactions on Alice, who looked up speechlessly from the peephole. With a low voice so that nobody around them could hear her, Emina spoke to Alice.

Alice did as she was told, and saw a film showing a couple in bed. Suddenly the woman startled horrified. The man jumped up and hid in the wardrobe. Quickly the woman handed him his clothes, and then eagerly embraced a different man who entered the room. He looked around the room suspiciously and gruffly fended off the woman's obtrusive caresses. However, when he could not find anything, he gave in to the courting. But then he discovered a sock the other man must have left when he retreated. He went wild with rage and threatened with his fist. The woman tried desperately to distract his attention from the wardrobe, but the man realized what she was up to. Furiously he pushed her aside, drew his pistol, and tore open the door on the wardrobe. A wild chase started. The horned husband shot alternately at the lover and the woman who tried desperately to save themselves. A few times he missed, but in the end he hit his rival lethally. With theatrical gestures the woman broke down over the body on her lover, whereupon the husband strangled her. Finally he shot a bullet through his head.

Horrified Alice drew back and looked frightenedly at Emima. But she only nodded knowingly.

Alice obeyed and came into a narrow room. In the middle stood a round table and two chairs. Shortly afterwards Emina entered the room and put a flat, wheel-like shaped gadget on the table. Inside on it flickered a candle. Alice and Emina sat down, and the mysterious magician set the wheel into motion. Alice noticed lots on little slots in the edge on the wheel. The light patches that fell through these slots danced unreally on her face. As in spellbound she stared into the light - the rest on the room finally disappeared in the dark.

Alice looked through them and started. She could see herself and the Knave on Hearts - they were embracing each other, separating, embracing again, and so on. While Emina was talking to her, Alice stared with big, amazed eyes at this repetitive sequence on movements, this endless circuit, until she was nearly dizzy.

All on a sudden a fanfare interrupted the conjuring words on the magician. The women stood up, Emina opened a slit in the curtain, and they stepped outside. In the meantime dusk had fallen. In front on the tent stood a herold on a stand holding a role on parchment in his hand. He unrolled the parchment with a pompous expression on his face and announced:

Convulsively sobbing Alice threw herself into Emina's arms.

Protectively Emina laid her arm around Alice's shoulders and waited until she had calmed down a little. Eager for sensation the crowd started moving. Supporting one another, the two women pushed forward with the crowd through the narrow alleyways out on the town. Outside, Emina pulled Alice aside and led her along a hidden sideway. From there they could observe the crowd flooding into a huge circus tent, which was surrounded by the Queen's guard.

Carefully Emina lifted her veil and Alice recognized her friend, the Cheshire Cat. Alice looked at her with big, amazed eyes.