I sat down behind my workbench, lit my pipe, and grabbed my newest project. The top hat stood almost twenty-four inches, the top flaring to a staggering sixteen. The phonograph played “Falling” by a woman that called herself “Le Lapin Blanc”.

I uncapped the glue, the mercury fumes rushing to my head. A sensation that no longer bothered me. Now the hard part, finding the right ornaments and decorations to fit. The standard leather hat band just didn’t seem right. The peacock feathers and the red silk sitting nearby caught my attention. These would be perfect.