Chapter 2: The River to Red

"More shocking things." This was true. The mermaid swam through the vortex and a tunnel opened up. She saw bubbles of different shapes and even a jellyfish and a rabbit. The rabbit still hopped but the jellyfish twirled. "My goodness me, where is the end?"

And the end came. The waters were much more wider. She tried to view the mermaid and the mermaid had no head. "More shocking questions. The opposite of dead is alive; so she must be alive. But how can she see?"

As the mermaid kept swimming, without a neck to hold her head. They came under another pool of water. The mermaid went through the pool and she saw little fishes with rainbow scales. "What do fish swim in besides water?" she remembered, as did her father, Weldon Liddell. Taught her about chemicals. She repeated to herself, "H is for hydrogen, and the first one is the table, next is beryllium, and that starts with B or Be; next is sandium, and that starts with a S or SM or is SC?" she pondered. 

Though they went through the smaller pool, the bubbles follo 

What was in water?

"Molecules are Lego pieces that build everything. Water has iron in and oxygen. And bubbles have oxygen or else they wouldn't float." she told herself. Soon, a fish came to her. "Girl, what are you bladdering about now? And you aren't a fish."

"Do I have to be a fish." Alice understood that being a fish also meant she was a mermaid but if mermaids were half human. Was she still a fish. "I can't e a fish. I'm a girl. A human girl at that."

"Yes dear. and we call them mermaids." the silver fish rolled his eyes. "Why aren't you a fish?"

"What is a mermaid if itDunn's half human?"

The fish slapped itself with its fins. "What is a seal if not a water dog?"

"I don't know." she pouted. "Exactly! It is not a fish and I am a fish; you are not a fish!"

Clearly this conversation wasn't a conversation. She felt the fish was being too critical. "What is your name?" she asked ever so politely. "My name is Ka-en-nets Gaut Norbert - Dunn" he answered passionately. "What is your name, you non fish!"

"My name is," for but a moment, she forgot she threw away the name Alice. "I don't have a name."

"Then I will call you human, because you look like a human and not a fish."

"Ok..."

"Get out the pool! It's your fishes not non fish like you and that woman is not a fish but a Great Fish!" Nothing made sense. "She is the great fish of all because of her multicolored scales. Which are a million."

"You mean they cost a million?" she narrowed her eyes. "No! What is cost?"

"Cost means you pay a million."

"No, I mean she has a million scales."

She looked at the Great Fish. "But she is human at the top." she said. "Because she lost her legs to the Old Shark. He lives in a room filled with water and the Great Fish is bad at breathing." His name was far too long and Alice called him, Norbert instead. "He lives in water but walks on legs. To find them you must follow the river to red." And the little silver fish floated away in a bubble.

"Why do I have to follow the river to red?" she yelled at the fish in a bubble. "Don't!" the fish yelled back. "She'll be legless forever!"

She held her throat. The fish was too far gone. She looked at the great fish. The Great Fish leaned over the pool and sulked. She swam over and at her in wonder. More fishes of color gathered around The Great Fish. Alice saw red, blue, and yellow fish. But the Great Fish was a rainbow. "My oh my, Lauretta is crying again." said a Blue fish with large glasses and thin lips. "Mama she has no head." said a small silver fish popping up beside her. "It's not a magic trick!"

"Some tricks aren't tricks aren't all dear." she finned the small silver fish. Alice turned around. "She's a mermaid because of a trick?"

The fishes of color jumped. "Oh dear, you must understand. Once there was a bottle and it read Drink Me and that bottle was next to another Bottle but in small letters, it read, 'Drink Me Too'." explained the Old Blue Fish. "You see, in Blightland, the wonder is gone. Even the Mad Hatter doesn't drink tea anymore."

"What does he drink?" she asked. "The Bath!" she exclaimed. "He dips his cup in bathwater."

"No ma'am!" said the little silver fish. "He drinks liquor."

"And the bath!"

"That was grandpa." the little fish lamented. "Grandpa was the oldest fish in Blightland. He went down the drain."

"Or the toilet." said grandma frowning. The little fish shook his head. My name is Summer Footman, this is my grandma Elva Footman. Lauretta isn't her name." he said. "Her name is Alice the Fifth. And the Sixth Alice was named Alice but the seventh Alice killed Eight and Ten."

"Where is the ninth Alice?"

"Nineth?" the little silver fish was shocked. "We don't talk about Poker Face Hertha. She's the Hatter's first daughter." The little fish put his fin in his cheek. "Or is it a daughter?" 

Alice, Marielle—as she remembered. Refused to introduce herself. Though, if Lauretta was Alice the Fifth. Maybe she knew Alice the Fourth. Though, again she was Alice the Fourth and Marielle the First. Maybe she was Alice-Marielle the First out of all the Alices that existed. She was the only Alice that had a head because the rest were dead. It made her curious what happened to Alice the Ninth. She dare not ask. 

"What happened to Alice the Fifth's legs?" she asked. "The Great Shark, The Old Shark took them and gave up his tail. But she didn't want that tall and we gave her grandma's tail. Now she's a mermaid with a rainbow tail but the lobster down the red river keeps taking her scales. Also," grandma pointed at the mermaid. "She has no head."