Mina

A Photographic Novella

in Twenty Episodes

Text and Makeup by Jennifer Broome

Photography by Allie Mullin

©2012. All Rights Reserved

Hatter’s Tale (as narrated by

Tatter)

(text-only episode)

“Back when Philomorphs was just startin' to appear in the Realm, every geezer thought it were a freak of chance, an’ eventually we’d get over us obsessions and go back to normal. 'Course, that didn’t 'appen. After a while, there got to be more and more of us. Blokes said it were a new plague and got scared. I don’t mean scared like when a wee kid spots a spider, I mean scared like getting ready to burn us at the chuffin' stake. It were a bad time, right, and I personally don’t want to discuss that part of it. Eventually, the persecution got so bad that some of us banded togeffer. We decided that we’d just take ourselves off to a different place and live among us own kind. Th’ others in the Realm would 'ave agreed with this plan if they’d fought to ask what we were doin'. Instead, right, they seen a bunch of us gatherin' and decided we was

formin' an army.” She snorted. “We were just a bunch of kids, right, init? We didn't know 'ow to fight a bleedin’ war. “But once they began to attack us, we learned and we learned fast. We’d grown up fightin' with us fists in the bleedin’ schoolyard, so it weren’t a stretch to start fightin' with real weapons. We was just defendin' ourselves, but things got so out of 'and, and no side would listen to the other. After a while, all of us forgot what we originally wanted and were just wagin' a war because we always 'ad. “I told yer before there were some Philomorphs as could control their changin'. It would catch up with ‘em eventually, right, but it were a dead useful skill to us when we were at war. Hatter were the best at it; she could keep from changin'

for days, right, weeks if she 'ad to. When the Philos started to figure out that this war weren’t gonna end with us alive if we surrendered, we knew we 'ad to change tactics. We were outnumbered, right, and there were no way we were gonna win in a direct confrontation. So we started an intelligence service to infiltrate the other side, see if we could end the war that way. ‘atter and another girl started it. This other one were a Sympaffizer…that’s what we called the blokes who weren’t Philos but who thought we shouldn’t be killed just because of who we were. ‘atter and this other woman was us most important assets. Thanks to ‘em, we won some direct battles and managed to prevent some others. Both of ‘em—our best agents— were set to be 'eroes wen the war ended.

“’atter and me, we should 'ave known it couldn’t last. We were winnin' too easy, like. Turned out this other spy, the Sympaffizer, was workin' for the other side. Some Philos said she'd been a plant from the beginnin', but 'atter figured she’d been turned against us. Hatter said the bleedin' Sympaffizer 'ad seen sumfink or 'eard sumfink to make 'er change 'er mind. I don’t know, myself, but I trust 'atter’s instincts about these things. “Once we found out that the Sympaffizer 'ad turned, we went to keep 'er from runnin' to the bloody other side. She knew we knew. Somehow, she managed to escape before we got there. Once she were gone, right, so were us spy network, because she knew every bloke in it. We didn’t 'ave a choice; we couldn’t win the war without

the spies, right, and we couldn’t surrender because we’d all be killed. So we ran. “Some Philos left the Realm permanently, before the borders closed. Most weren’t so lucky. They were 'unted down like dogs and killed, or else managed to find someplace to hide. When it were all over, there weren’t even enough Philos left to form a dinner party, much less an army. Once that 'appened, right, the other side decided to let the bleedin' rest of us alone, as long as we stayed with us own kind. Funny, because that’s exactly what we were tryin' to do in the first place, before the war. The city we visited, right, where yer seen The Cartographer, that’s us city, our place. When kiddies start to show changes, to turn into Philos, parents have ‘em sent to us and we raise ‘em.

“There’s not much more to tell. ‘atter, she was ruined comin' and goin’. The Philos fought she’d betrayed them, right, because she were so close to the Sympaffizer. There were some as wanted to execute 'atter as a traitor, but she 'ad enough mates to escape that punishment. There were no way 'atter could or would go to the other side; she’s not a defector. Then we lost the war and there were no goin’ anywhere. There weren’t enough Philos left to risk killin' one, so the others kind just sort of let 'er go about 'er business. She were banished from the city, o'course. Meself, I didn’t want to stay and make a life in a place with blokes who’d turn against their own, so I left with 'atter. We’ve been together ever since.”

Mina regarded Tatter with admiration mixed with pity. “You’re a good friend,” she whispered. Tatter sniffed appreciatively and Mina continued, “What happened to the Sympathizer?” “Dead, most like. If she were turned, the other side would’ve used what she had to give ‘em and then made off with ‘er. They weren’t shy about killing they own, if it came to it.” “But if things are settled—I mean, if there’s no war—then why was the Professor killed? And who’s been following us?” “The Philo coppers were the ones tracked us to The Cartographer’s shop. ‘atter’s not allowed in

the city limits under pain of death. As far as the Professor goes, I 'ave no idea. He kept 'is cards close, that one did.” And with that last pronouncement, Tatter lay down on her side, her back to Mina, and shortly began to snore.