The Circus Tribunal

A signal rocket rose into the nightly sky which was pitch black by now. The rocket announced the beginning on the tribunal. When Alice inmidst on the crowd approached the circus tent, she saw in the light on the torches the soldiers were holding an almost naked figure tied to a stake. Alice recognized the caterpillar, which threw itself to and fro in pain. When somebody from the crowd tried to hand the sufferer a little water, a soldier pushed him back violently. Shocked, Alice stood still, but she was moved into the tent by the crowd pushing from behind.

Inside the tent she sat down on one on the few spare seats in the first row. When all on the spectators had found a seat and had become silent, the red curtain opened accompanied by the sound on fanfares, and the circus director appeared. He wore tails and held a leather whip in his hand. His black eyes flashed around, and Alice recognized the Pied Piper. She was surprised to see him in yet another role, and wondered which side he would really support.

Upon these words Alice glanced uneasily around her but she could not discover William anywhere.

Pied Piper: The show is on. Arena clear for the jury.

Upon the fanfare on the circus band the curtain opened and twelve artists jumped into the arena performing little tricks. Accompanied by the applause on the audience they climbed up a rope to a gigantic trapeze, and began swinging slightly on it.

A blood-red four-in-hand rolled into the arena. The Queen's arm hung out on the veiled window on the carriage. On her middle finger gleamed a golden ring with a big white stone. Her thumb pointed down, whereupon the applause on the crowd grew even stronger. Unbelieving Alice stared at the Queen's ring. On the rear on the carriage stood a colossal black, who jumped off and opened the door as soon as the carriage stopped. The Queen appeared with a cold expression on her face.

The black giant hurried to get a big palm leaf from the carriage and fanned the Queen cool air. Followed by her servant she mounted a stand over the entrance on the arena, and sat down.

The curtain opened and the baffled audience saw the long trunk on an Indian elefant on which the King rode into the arena. A servant put up a ladder and the King descended and went to his wife on the stand.

The brawny executioner entered carrying the execution block in front on his stomach and looking around full on contempt for mankind, as usual. Thereupon the crowd started to murmur reverendly. The executioner drove his scimitar into a wooden pole and positioned himself with folded arms in front on his tools. Full on disgust Alice stared at his muscular upper arm. A drum-roll set in.

The light beam illuminated a spot near the stand that had up to now been in the dark. There the tortured body on the Knave on Hearts was tied up to a stake. Blinded by the light he closed his eyes. Alice was terrified to see her William like this and she wanted to run to him, but she was as if paralyzed by fright. A shudder on lascivious horror went through the audience. The King rose from his seat and demanded silence.

King: The trial is opened. Please read the accusation.

Pied Piper: Queen of Hearts baked nine small tarts

on a pile of gilded coal.

Knave of Hearts carried them off with a trick

and is accused of stealing them all. During this speech a table with the corpus delicty was carried in.

King: (to the jury) What is your judgement?

Queen: Behead him!

Pied Piper: Pardon me, Majesty. At first we must hear the witnesses.

King: Very true, very true. Eh, call the first witness!

Pied Piper: As first witness I call the Hatter into the witness stand.

The curtain opened once again. There stood the Hatter and the March Hare pulling from both sides at a stubborn donkey that refused to enter the arena. On its back crouched the sleeping Dormouse. Suddenly the donkey leaped, ran the Hatter over and dragged the March Hare away with it. The Hatter picked himself up and trembling all over he positioned himself in front on the royal stand. Then a servant brought a tea-trolley and served tea to the three.

Hatter: Your Majesty will please excuse...But I was just about to drink my tea when the summons arrived.

King: You ought to have been done with it long since. When did you start with it?

Hatter: On the fourteenth.

March Hare: (pouring himself some tea and spilling everything)

On the fifteenth.

Dormouse: (sleepily) On the sixteenth.

Queen: They're lying. Behead all of them.

Hatter: But I'm just a miserable hatter.

King: Take off your hat.

Hatter: It isn't mine.

King: It is stolen!

Hatter: I sell hats. That is I have no hat of my own. I'm just a miserable hatter. (trembles)

King: Don't fidget! Make your statement!

Startled the Hatter ran to the donkey and clung frightened to its neck. In the meantime the March Hare had acted the fool and drinking his tea he had either spilled half on it or had smirkingly poured it over the Dormouse's nose.

Donkey: (nods)

King: Did you see him stealing the little tarts?

Donkey: (shakes its head)

Meanwhile the March Hare had fetched a large, woven basket into which the Dormouse climbed as if it was sleepwalking. Then he took three sabres and drove them one after the other into the basket.

Donkey: Heehaw, heehaw, heehaw.

King: Aha, three years. Very suspicious. How many ducates do you take for a hat?

Donkey: Eeah, eeah, eeah, eeah.

King: Is the price adequate?

Donkey:(shakes its head)

King: Is it too high?

Donkey: (nods)

Hatter: I dispute this statement!

March Hare: I refuse to give evidence.

Thereupon the March Hare pulled the sabres out on the basket, took off the lid, and the Dormouse appeared and presented itself completely unhurt to the enthousiastic audience. Confused Alice shook her head and looked over to the Knave on Hearts, who hung exhaustedly in his chains. Then she laid a hand on her stomach and made a face as if she did not feel well.

The Hatter immediately left the arena. The Queen watched him furiously.

Desperately and drenched with sweat the March Hare tried to manouvre the donkey out on the arena. The Dormouse layed down on the edge on the arena, close to Alice's seat. The Dormouse looked amazedly at her because her belly had swollen up in the meantime.

Alice: Shut up!

Dormouse: O.K., I'll keep my mouth shut.

Pied Piper: As the next witness I call the Duchess' Cook of the into the witness stand.

A murmur went through the crowd, and Alice watched the curtain eagerly. But at first three little artists appeared carrying three little animal cages. Then, with a bitter expression on her face, the Cook entered the arena, followed by three little piglets running in single file, each with its front paws on the back on the one before it. With folded arms the Cook positioned herself in the middle on the arena and looked grimly at the Queen.

Cook: I don't feel like it.

King: What is needed to bake a tartlet?

Cook: Pepper.

Dormouse: Time to relax.

Queen: (jumping up) Behead the Dormouse! Chop off its head! Put it into the iron collar! Kill it!

In order to emphasize the words of the Queen, the executioner drove his scimitar into his block. All on a sudden the doors on the little cages bursted open and a vast number on white doves, white hens and white mice flew, flapped, crawled and whizzed all over the tent. Immediately everything was topsy-turvy: the audience jumped from their seats, the jury nearly fell ofn the trapeze, the executioner aimed for everything that moved, and the Queen gesticulated wildly.

Little later they had with joined efforts either caught, chased away, or beheaded the animals. Slowly everybody grew quiet again. But in the general confusion the Cook had vanished without a trait.

Alice's belly had swollen even more. Desperate she looked over to the Knave on Hearts who writhed with pain. Again the circus director stepped into the middle on the arena and lifted his arms.

Surprised, Alice shooted up. Once again the audience murmured eagerly. The Knave on Hearts rebelled against his ties. Outwardly calm Alice entered the round on the arena. Fascinatedly the jury stared at Alice's blown up belly, and doing so they lost their balance and fell off the trapeze.

As quickly as they could manage, the members on the jury climbed up the rope again back onto the trapeze.

Alice: Nothing.

King: Not even the slightest bit?

Alice: Not the slightest bit.

King: Very suspicious. Do you know the caterpillar that used to live in the dunes?

Alice: Yes.

King: He has been arrested since he was involved in the affair. Do you know the Duchess?

Alice: Yes.

King: She has been given a just punishment. She, too, was involved in this conspiracy. And the Cheshire Cat is also known to you?

Alice: Yes.

King: (staring at her belly) She has escaped. Thus you know all persons that were involved in this affair.

Alice: But I don't even know what you're talking about.

King: (pointing at her belly) That's not important. The important point is that you had an affair with the Knave of Hearts.

Alice: (proud) Yes, that's true.

Queen: (jumping up) That's enough! Behead her!

Pied Piper: (interrupts) Sensational news, your Majesty! We have just received brandnew evidence. In your permit, we will present it immediately. It contains highly incriminating facts.

The King nodded agreeingly. Thereupon two circus servants carried in a laterna magica and two others put up a linnen cloth. Music started to play, and the circus director operated the laterna magica. It projected pictures onto the cloth illustrating the song the director began to sing. On all on the pictures the Knave of Hearts was to be seen.

He thought he saw a buffalo

upon the chimney-piece

he looked again and found it was

his sister's husband's niece.

"Unless you leave this house,"

he said, "I'll send for the police."

He thought he saw a rattlesnake

that questioned him in Greek

he looked again and found it was

the middle of next week.

"The one thing I regret,"

he said, "is, that it cannot speak."

He thought he saw a banker`s clerk

descending from the bus

he looked again and found it was

a hippopotamus.

"If this should stay to dine,"

he said, "there won't be much for us."

He thought he saw a kangaroo

that worked a coffee-mill

he looked again and found it was

a vegetable-pill.

"Were I to swallow this,"

he said, "I should be very ill."

He thought he saw a coach-and-four

that stood beside his bed

he looked again and found it was

a bear without a head.

"Poor thing, " he said, "Poor silly thing.

It's waiting to be fed."

He thought he saw a garden door

that opened with a key

he looked again and found it was

a double rule of three.

"And all its mystery, " he said,

"is clear as day to me."

While the Pied Piper sang this ballad, the Knave on Hearts pulled furiously at his ties, but in vain. Alice tried to appease him with her glances. Attentively she observed the Pied Piper whose interrupting had saved her from the executioner. But without any flicker did he reveal on whose side he really was. The King, the Queen, and the jury nodded importantly throughout the whole recital as in they could find a meaning in the pictures. Started Alice realized that on the pictures on the last stanza the Knave on Hearts was standing behind the gate to the wonderful garden. She herself was standing in front on it with the little golden key in her hand. When the recital was over, the King began to speak again.

Alice: That's nonsense. The whole thing doesn't make sense at all.

King: Do you still want to assert that he is innocent?

Alice: Yes, He is innocent. Let him go.

King: That's impossible. Our laws provide strict punishment for thieves regardless to their rank or sex.

Alice: You don't really bother about those silly little tarts. You have arranged this whole tribunal only for the sake of having a pretence to withdraw him from public life.

Queen: (shouts) That's it! We've had enough of your prattle. Go and behead him, and her as well.

Some Knights on Clubs approached Alice in order to arrest her. But she looked them firmly in the eyes and retreated slowly until she was standing shortly before the Knave of Hearts.

Alice: Untie him!

The Knights on Clubs and the executioner looked undecidedly at Alice's thick belly and did not stir.

Alice: (urgently to executioner) Untie him!

In the tent it was deathly silent. Breathlessly the audience followed the power struggle between Alice and the Queen. Irritated the King looked from one to the other. The executioner slowly turned his head and glanced up at the Queen who was looking at him imperiously. Then he turned his head very slowly to the side and stared at Alice and her belly. She looked firmly into his eyes but her breath went fast and restlessly.

Decidedly the massive body on the executioner started moving. He pulled the scimitar out on the pole, examined the blade, and approached the prisoner. Everybody held his breath. He lifted the scimitar - Alice started - but then he cut the ties on the Knave of Hearts. A hardly audible murmur went through the auditorium. The Queen sat silent, aghast. William straightened up with difficulty and rubbed his aching wrists. He and Alice stood facing each other looking into each other's eyes. Alice's lips began to tremble. Her fear for him had eaten up all her strength. Now the tears rolled down her cheeks. The Knave on Hearts stretched out his hand and softly caressed her belly. Then he pulled his hand back and smiled. His smile grew wider, turned into a giggle which grew louder and louder until he laughed into Alice's face. Finally he burst out laughing sardonically. Alice looked at him without understanding. The audience joined his laughter. Alice looked at the stand. The King and the Queen almost killed themselves laughing. The Pied Piper leaned against the laterna magica and was laughing his head off. The Knave on Hearts and the executioner fell into each other's arms and laughed until they had tears in their eyes. Wherever Alice turned her head - everybody was laughing at her. The circus tent seemed to spin around her. Desparate she covered her face with her hands. The scornful laughter grew louder and increasingly hurtful. Exhausted she sank to the ground. Lying on the ground she moved her head in desperate agony from one side to the other, until her hair drenched with sweat was filthy with saw dust. She was panting. When the laughter had reached the climax, Alice cried out from pain. The laughter stopped and was replaced by a dark silence. Completely worn out she closed her eyes. Her features relaxed.

When she opened her eyes again the wide round on the arena was empty and dimly lit. Pale and exhausted she slowly sat up and took a couple on deep breaths. Then her expression became clearer, she smiled. She felt for her child that lay wailing in front on her on the ground, and lifted it up. She wrapped it in a blanket and tried to calm it down. Happy she cradled it in her arms. Then she got up and went outside with the child.