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Mina

A Photographic Novella

in Twenty Episodes

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Text and Makeup by Jennifer Broome

Photography by Allie Mullin

©2012. All Rights Reserved

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Escape

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It was during their thirty-second round of ‚Greensleeves,‛ when Mina assumed she was in a very special hell, that a thought came to her. ‚Tatter,‛ she whispered, ‚how does Hatter know what to do? How is she so sure she can get us out of this dungeon? Has she been here before?‛ She picked up the tune again.

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Tatter finished the verse and answered. ‚If so, it musta been durin' the war. She musta been keepin' 'erself from changin', so the bloomin' Derklings don't recognize 'er now.‛ She picked up the chorus as another faint popping sound came from Hatter’s corner of the dungeon. Verse. Chorus. Verse. Chorus. Whenever Mina felt like stopping and collapsing on the floor, she recalled everything these two very odd women had done for her. The thought gave her flagging energy enough guilt to fuel another round.

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After an eternity, or so it seemed to Mina, Hatter sauntered over to them and joined in the chorus. She caterwauled so loudly that the Derkling guards banged something ominously against the door. Hatter put a finger to her lips and all three fell silent. Hatter turned, motioning to Tatter and Mina to follow her.

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Where several hours ago there had been a rat-sized hole, there was now a Hatter-sized one, surrounded by rocky debris. The three picked their way across the pebble-strewn floor, Hatter in the lead.

On the other side of the wall there appeared…another wall. Mina was about to sink to the new floor and cry when she saw Hatter move. If they each turned sideways and sidled

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along, she saw, there was just enough room to walk. Mina scrambled up and sandwiched herself between the Two Philomorphs, feeling like a joint in an articulated skeleton. ‚Where do we go?‛ whispered Mina. Hatter said nothing, but pointed to Mina’s pocket, where the pearl-map was once again pulsating with light. Mina slipped the sphere out of her pocket and rolled it to the stone floor. It bounced once and then began to roll down the small path. It took the better part of three hours to navigate the myriad twists and turns of the narrow passage. The pearl-map urged the group unerringly through the labyrinthine passages deeper into the mountain. Finally, the orb rolled

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to a stop against a wall. It continued to radiate the space around it, but seemed disobliged to move around the obstacle. The trio craned their necks to look at the others, but no one seemed to have a solution.

After enduring multiple jabs of Tatter’s parasol, Hatter squeezed her way around Mina and Tatter so that she was closest to the wall. She reached out a hand and began to prod the stone,

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feeling for some indication that the slab could be moved. After a few minutes, Hatter plucked a couple of pins from the improbable hat and wedged herself as parallel to the stone as was possible. Mina couldn’t see very much over the rather suspicious movement of Hatter’s shoulders. Finally, with a satisfying ‚click,‛ the slab of stone began to move laterally. ‚It’s a pocket door!‛ exclaimed Tatter. ‚It’s right clever, ‘at is.‛ Once the stone had retreated from view, the trio was greeted with the obverse side of a rich tapestry. Tatter used her parasol to swat it aside and stepped forward. Mina shrugged and followed as Hatter trundled behind her.

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The three found themselves is a cavernous space at least a furlong from end to end. The intricately carved rock ceilings soared almost past seeing. The columns supporting the ceiling were likewise inscribed with images of innumerable unsettling creatures. Mina shivered and tried not to look at the grotesque engravings. Instead, she fixed her eyes on the throne that occupied the opposite end of the room from the tapestry.

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The throne was set upon a series of shallow stairs, and upon that throne reposed a figure. The figure wasn’t human and wasn’t Derkling, but some combination of the two. Mina tugged Tatter’s hem and pointed towards the throne. For once, Tatter was rendered speechless.

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Tune in tomorrow at 10 a.m. EST for the next episode, ‚The Derkling Queen,‛ at http://literaturecouture.com/mina