Free Insanity by Cameron Jace Page B

Alice.”
    "Okay," I panic again. The old woman's eyes widen. I am not sure if she heard the Pillar, but she encourages me and tells me I can do it. "Let's remove one word from ‘Door.’ Let's change the ‘R’ into an ‘M.’ ‘Doom.’" I snap my fingers.
    "No. Alice. No," the Pillar says. "You can't see ‘Doom.’ It has to be something you can see or work with where you are. Each word that will come up will help you find the real lock."
    "'Door' into 'Boor?’" I mumble.
    "Sounds good," the Pillar says.
    "What's a 'Boor?’" I wonder.
    "A person of rude and clumsy manners. Go on. You're on the right track."
    "Now we change 'Boor' into ... hmmm ... 'Book?’" I raise a finger in the air.
    "Excellent. I imagine we could find a useful book nearby. Go on."
    "'Book' into 'Look?'" I'm improvising.
    "And finally, change a single letter in 'Look' and you get 'Lock.’" The Pillar claps. "Well done."
    "And then what?" Four minutes left.
    "Look around for a boor, Alice," the Pillar says. "Come on. You don't have much time. A boor. Listen hard for a student, a professor or a tourist who is complaining, obnoxious, and ill-mannered. There are plenty of those in the world."
    "A boor who is unpleasant and rude," I remind myself as I look around.
    "My husband is definitely unpleasant," the old woman says. "He is in the next hall, arguing over the price of a book he just bought."
    "A boor and a book. Two for the price of one," the Pillar nags me in my ear. "And it's not even Christmas yet."

Chapter 25
    "Sir," I call to the man, running toward him.
    He stands arguing with the library man that they have to refund him because the book has holes in it. When I arrive, I find out that this part of the hall has been emptied for cleaning. The staff members are asking him to leave as it needs to be maintained. I whiz through and don’t let anyone stop me. They stop his wife from following me though.
    "I paid for this book," the obnoxious man protests. He looks just like I had always imagined Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol would look in my mind.
    "Please, Mr. Scrooge," the library man pleads. "We need you to leave the hall."
    I don't even let my mind consider the fact I heard his name is Scrooge. I find it too distracting, and I have a girl to save.
    "Please, Mr. Scrooge," I plead. "Could you please show me the book?"
    "Of course not," he is a tall scruffy man, and pulls the book away. "I bought it, and it's mine."
    "You have only three minutes," the Pillar reminds me. "You have to get that book. It's part of the Cheshire's puzzle."
    "Please, Sir," I plead again.
    "So it's a valuable book, eh?" Mr. Scrooge glances at it one more time with a smug look on his face. The book is about Lewis Carroll's life at Oxford University. "How much would you pay for it?"
    "Pay?"
    "Bugger," the Pillar muses. "Now you have to get a loan from the bank to save the girl. I think it takes between three and four weeks to clear. Not too shabby. You could save the girl's corpse by then. Besides, I don't think the banks give loans to girls with a record of madness. They know girls are shopaholics."
    "Shut up!" I yell.
    "You're telling me to shut up?" Mr. Scrooge frowns. "That's it. No book for you, young lady."
    "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. Listen, I can give you this," I show him the six o'clock rabbit watch. It looks expensive, even classic.
    "A watch?"
    "It's not just any watch. It is Lewis Carroll's own watch. See, the rabbit? It's even six o'clock all the time, just like when the Mad Hatter sang and froze time."
    Mr. Scrooge tilts his head and inspects the watch for a long time. His gaze is penetrating. His eyebrows arch, as if he is a British minister about to take a crucial decision. He glances back at the book, then at the watch. Time is running out.
    "You want this book for this watch?" he says.
    "Yes, please." This must be the hardest bargain I have ever had to make.
    "You got it, young lady," he hands me the book and laughs. "She wants