Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

by Lewis Carroll

CHAPTER I. Down the Rabbit-Hole

Alice sat by the river. Her sister sat there too. Alice had nothing to do.

She looked at her sister's book. It had no pictures. It had no talking parts. Alice did not like that.

The day was hot. Alice felt sleepy. She thought about picking daisies. Then something happened!

A White Rabbit ran by. It had pink eyes. The Rabbit said, "Oh dear! I will be late!"

Then the Rabbit did something strange. It took a watch from its pocket! Alice had never seen a rabbit with a pocket. She had never seen a rabbit with a watch.

Alice was curious. She jumped up. She ran after the Rabbit. She saw it hop down a big rabbit hole.

Alice went down the hole too. She did not think about how to get back out.

The hole went straight for a while. Then it dipped down fast. Alice began to fall. She fell down a deep well.

She fell for a long time. As she fell, she looked around. She saw shelves on the walls. She saw cupboards too. She saw maps and pictures.

She grabbed a jar from a shelf. It said "ORANGE MARMALADE." But the jar was empty! She did not want to drop it. She put it in a cupboard as she fell past.

"After this fall," thought Alice, "stairs will seem easy! Everyone at home will think I am brave!"

Down, down, down she fell. It never seemed to end.

"I wonder how far I have fallen," she said out loud. She talked about the center of the earth. She used big words like "Latitude" and "Longitude." She did not really know what they meant. But she liked how they sounded.

She wondered if she might fall through the whole earth. She thought about people on the other side. She thought about asking them where she was.

Down, down, down she went. She thought about her cat, Dinah. "I hope they remember her milk," she said. She wondered if cats eat bats. She got very sleepy.

Suddenly—thump! She landed on a pile of sticks and leaves. The fall was over!

Alice was not hurt. She jumped up fast. It was dark above her. But she saw a long hallway. The White Rabbit was still running. She heard it say, "Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting!"

Alice ran after it. But when she turned the corner, the Rabbit was gone!

She was in a long hallway now. Lamps hung from the ceiling. Doors lined the walls. But every door was locked.

Alice tried every door. None would open. She felt sad.

Then she saw a glass table. It had three legs. On it was a tiny gold key. Alice thought it might open a door.

She tried the key on every lock. The key was too small for most doors. But then she found a hidden curtain. Behind it was a tiny door. It was only as tall as her knee!

She tried the gold key. It fit! The door opened.

Behind the door was a small passage. Through it, Alice saw a beautiful garden. She wanted to go inside. But she was too big! Only her head could fit through.

"I wish I could fold up small," Alice thought. "Like a telescope."

She went back to the table. Maybe there was another key. Instead, she found a little bottle. It had not been there before! A tag on it said "DRINK ME."

Alice was smart. She did not drink right away. "I must check first," she said. "It might say poison."

The bottle did not say poison. So Alice took a sip. It tasted like many yummy things mixed together. She drank it all.

Alice began to feel strange. "I am shrinking!" she said. "Like a telescope!"

She was right. Now she was only ten inches tall. She was just the right size for the tiny door!

She waited a bit. She wanted to make sure she would not shrink forever.

Then she went to the door. But she had left the key on the table! She tried to climb up and get it. The table was too slippery.

Alice sat down. She began to cry.

"Stop crying," Alice told herself. "That will not help!" She often gave herself good advice. She did not always listen to it.

Then she saw a small glass box under the table. Inside was a tiny cake. On top, it said "EAT ME" in candy pieces.

"I will eat this," Alice said. "If I grow big, I can reach the key. If I grow small, I can fit under the door. Either way is good!"

She took a bite. She waited to see what would happen. But nothing happened at all! She stayed the same size.

Alice finished the whole cake.

CHAPTER II. The Pool of Tears

"Curiouser and curiouser!" cried Alice...