“You’d miss me too much,” said White Robert, “And besides, our cheeks never touched. It would be nice to try though.”

He snuggled against her cheek with his own.

“You are such a sneaky boy,” said Alice, and then they landed on a tiled floor in a very large room with no windows. It seemed to curve around and out of sight.

Robert noticed a glass table, with two small items on it. One was a small glass of liquid, labelled ‘DRINK ME’. The other was a small piece of cake, with the words ‘EAT ME’ marked on it in icing. Robert snatched up the cake eagerly and ate it. Then he offered the drink to Alice, who swallowed it all in a gulp. Robert suddenly found himself uncontrollably shrinking down to tiny size.

“You’ve shut up like a telescope,” said Alice in surprise, “In fact you’re no larger than that piece of cake now. I do wish I’d had something to eat as well. There doesn’t seem to be any more food here.”

“Maybe I should have given you half of the cake,” said Robert, “It’s just that it was so small to begin with, that it didn’t seem worth breaking in half.”

“Perhaps I might still have all of it,” said Alice, “If you have eaten the cake, then the cake is now inside you. I could have the cake inside me, simply by eating you. Besides, the cake does contain the words ‘EAT ME’ and so those words are now contained in you. It would seem that you’ve become a very suitable size for eating.”

“It does not seem suitable to me!” said White Robert.

“But I can gulp a little and you’d go down smoothly,” said Alice, “For you, going down inside my throat will be not that unlike the journey we just made down the Robert Hole, and coming to land in my tummy will be not unlike the way we came to land in this room. I should think you’ll find plenty of room inside me at your new size.”

“I was hoping to spend more time outside you,” said White Robert.

“Little Robert, it was chasing you that brought me here. You have partaken of the pleasure of my kisses and you have enjoyed the cake. Now it would be of some help to me to swallow you. I shall not cause you any discomfort, just a quick journey down into my tummy, where you shall nourish me.”

“No,” said White Robert, “Let me go!”

“I won’t!” said Alice sternly.

Her eyes bored mercilessly into him, as he looked at her mouth and then at her neck. She really meant to make a quick treat of him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nils heard the voice of the forest giantess and felt himself being lifted up along with the fish, and carried away. The big woman took him home and set a fire going at the stove, filled it with water and plopped the fish down into it. Very little water dripped in through the fish’s closed mouth. Nils would not drown. Yet he could not climb out of the fish and try to escape the pot, in case the woman was watching. She had made him only too aware that she had intended to be cooking him in that pot in the first place and eating him for her supper.

The thick flesh of the fish warmed up from the outside in. By the time the woman had satisfied herself that it felt hot enough for her to eat it, Nils was only mildly warm. He felt the fish being scooped out of the pot and placed onto a giant dish and taken to wherever the woman was going to eat her supper.

Any second now, she would most likely carve into the fish. He must try to delay being discovered as long as possible. Maybe the giant woman would have her fill and save half of the fish for the next meal. This might give him an opportunity to climb out and escape while she slept.

He was about to slide through to the tail end of the fish, when it occurred to him that the one part of the fish which she would not eat would be the head. It had eyes, teeth and other facial structures which would not sit well in her throat. He slid to the front of the fish, and waited.

Soon he saw a knife removing the tail end of the fish, and thanked his foresight that he’d not hidden in that end. Peeking through, he saw her hands tearing off the flesh from the severed tail portion and lifting it out of sight. It occurred to him that it was ironic, that he had so far avoided her throat, by hiding in the fish’s.

As time went on, little by little he saw more and more of his cover being torn away, until he had to scrunch up tight in the fish’s head, and could see her lifting the last few mouthfuls to her mouth. He looked up as her enormous maw took in the fish and despatched it down her throat. This was the fate that she had intended for Nils. If she only knew how close he had come to facing it.

He felt about him and hoped that there was nothing more appealing about the head structure of the fish to her palate. Then it occurred to him that, having finished the fish off after all, she would toss the head into a rubbish container, and he would have to climb out of there at a suitable moment to avoid being seen. It was still better than the alternative. There would have been no opportunity to climb out of her stomach.

Then he saw her hand approaching again!

The giantess picked up the fish head in one hand, eagerly eyeing the flesh that concealed him, and then took hold of it with both hands and raised it toward her mouth.

“She doesn’t believe in wasting anything,” he thought.

He watched as she brought the neck of the fish toward her mouth. He squeezed back, contorting himself as much as possible, as he saw her bite into the fish’s neck, tearing flesh from it with her gigantic teeth, each as big as his head. When she took another delicate bite, her full giant lips actually rubbed against his face, although she didn’t know it.

“If I stay pressed this far back, I might just make it,” thought Nils.

Then her mouth approached again!

Peeking out, he saw that her last bite had left small bits of fish hanging loose. This time it was her tongue that approached, licking and tasting what little remained, which was too small for her mouth to manipulate loose from the fish’s head. There was no way to avoid the touch of her tongue rubbing against his face.

He was elated, both because she had decided not to bite any more, and because the feel of her tongue was actually pleasant. He had come as close as any man dare to being eaten, and been surprised at the last moment by a fringe benefit.

Suddenly he was lifted a little higher than her mouth and saw her twinkling eye peeking in at him.

“No wonder the fish didn’t taste entirely like a fish,” she said, “I see that it has been seasoned with the flavour of a little lad who has made it his third hiding place.”

He stayed still, frozen in shock.

“You might as well come on out, little man. If I have to reach in to pluck you out, you might get hurt with so little space in there. I’m no longer hungry tonight, so you won’t have to worry until breakfast time,” she said.

“I’ve already started worrying,” said Nils, as he stepped out onto her palm.

The giantess laughed, cleaned up after her meal, washed Nils well and put him into a cage with a cushion to serve as his mattress, locked it and placed it beside her bed.

“Sleep well, my little breakfast. In the morning, you and I shall meet for our last meal together, and you shall be the meal.”

“I never even had the chance to eat any of your berries, and I didn’t know of your claim on them,” said Nils, “Could you not show me some mercy?”

“I already have,” said the giantess, “We have played our game and you have lost. I lie here comfortably, looking forward to swallowing the prize of my victory in the morning.”

He soon realised that there was no point in pleading with her any further, and watched her doze off to sleep. The anxiety of his situation kept him from falling asleep straight away. He finally succeeded and dreamt a mixture of replays of the events of the day just gone.

Then he heard the cage being unlocked, stirred, opened his eyes and saw that the sun had arisen.

“There’s no more time for you to be sleeping,” she said, “I’m hungry, lad.”

She took him from the cage, to the kitchen, and into a clean pot. She filled it to his shoulders with warm water, and let it heat up a little, sparing him any burning sensation, and then took him to the table and sat down.

“I told you I’d eat you if I caught you a third time,” she said, “It didn’t work out as I’d planned, but there’s nothing more you can do about it now.”

With that, she put Nils into her mouth and swished her tongue around in all directions. Nils struggled to keep from being brushed into her throat, but eventually the tongue won, and Nils slipped down and began his rapid descent into her stomach.

White Robert suddenly grew back to his full size, forcing Alice to release her grip on him.

“It seems I can’t make a treat of you after all,” she said, “I suppose I shall just go hungry for a time. Still, I do recall that your kisses were appealing. Perhaps we should rest for a moment, and enjoy a few more.”

“You were really going to eat me!” stammered White Robert.

Yet he could not bring himself to pull away from Alice’s embrace, as she kissed him. It went on for a few minutes, and then he felt that his lips were being surrounded by hers. Then they were covering his whole face. Alice was growing! She quickly lay down flat, so that the large room would still accommodate her. White Robert found himself standing on the ground.

“The cake must make people shrink, and the drink must make people grow,” said White Robert.

“This is a most awkward position,” said Alice, “If I am unable to sit up, I may be unable to swallow you.”

“Alice, please, don’t think of eating me again.”

Yet he saw her squeezing her arm around in front of her head to try to grab for him. Robert turned and ran along the floor, and around the curved room, and heard Alice crawling slowly after him.

“I’ll fetch you back!” she said. He came to the end of the building and looked back to see Alice slowly making her way around the curve. In time she would catch him and insist on using the mouth he had kissed for other purposes.

Robert looked to the side and saw a door just his height with a key in it. He turned the key and ran out the door, just in time to avoid being seized by Alice. He saw her peeking through the doorway.

“What a lovely little garden,” she said, “If I could only get out there, I would soon snatch you up and eat you up, little Robert. Contrariwise, if I could get out there, I would no longer be large enough to eat you.”

Robert ran off into the strange Wonderland under the earth, and began to explore.

In the days ahead, Jack had two things to consider. Firstly, he had been lucky to escape the prospect of being eaten by Serena’s beautiful giant mother. Secondly, he was completely in love with the woman. It was quite a conundrum. In his own safety interests, Jack resisted the urge to return to the giant land of Brobdingnag for over a week. Finally, he could contain his feelings no longer. He had to see her again, if only to admire her from afar.

How did giants become giants? It was a question which played on his mind. Were they born that way? Were they once ordinairy sized people who had found a way to grow? Could he too find a way to grow?

Jack climbed up the beanstalk again and cautiously made his way into the giant garden. He heard the sound of music, and walked a little way, until he saw Serena sitting on the grass, playing her harp.

“Jack!” she said, “What are you doing back here? You know what will happen if Mother finds you.”

 “I know,” said Jack, “And I promise I’ll be careful.”

“But why would you come back at all? Aren’t you worried about her?”

“I’m also in love with her,” said Jack.

“Oh! …” said Serena, “What can you do about it though? She has you at a major disadvantage.”

“I just thought it would be lovely to see her again, and make sure that she doesn’t see me.”

“Well I won’t stop you from trying, but I think you’re taking a very foolish risk, Jack. If she sees you and catches you, she’ll be certain to gobble you up for her dinner. Will your thoughts be as amorous, when she’s enjoying a book in her bed, while you’re lying in her stomach?”

“I honestly think they would,” said Jack, “I love her that much, even though I’ll never be able to tell her.”

“Unless she catches you,” said Serena, “In that event, you’d be wise not to waste the chance to share your feelings for her.”

“I’d tell her then,” said Jack.

“Then I wish you all the best,” said Serena, and returned to her playing.

Jack snuck into the castle and hid behind any ground level object he could find, as he made his way through the huge structure in search of the beautiful giant woman.

Alice found herself shrinking back to her regular size, which enabled her to walk out through the doorway and into the garden. She wandered for a time, and then began to grow again.

Robert ran through Wonderland until he came to an empty house, with the front door wide open. He wandered in and sat down on a seat in the front room. He stopped to think what to do next. He could not return to the world above and his home, unless he went through the curved room, and with a giant sized Alice waiting there to eat him, he could never enter that room.

“Hello Robert!” came a voice, “I’m really very hungry now.”

Robert looked up and saw Alice, giant sized and peeking through the window.

“Alice, please! Can’t you leave me alone?” he called.

“I’ll be happy to do so, as soon as I have you inside my tummy,” said Alice, and drew her head back and reached in through the window.

It was a tight squeeze for her giant hand. Robert ran through the doorway, through the house and out the back door.

“So Robert thinks he can run away, does he?” said Alice, and rose to her full height. She strode over the house and into the back garden, towering over Robert.

Just as she reached down to make a grab for him, Robert darted into a garden bed and suddenly shrank down to tiny size. Looking up at the giant sized Alice now, he could barely recognise her. To her, he was nothing but a speck that she could no longer see. For once their size differences worked to his advantage. Robert began running through the flower bed, confident that Alice would not even know which way to turn to find him. Even if she came close, there was no way that her giant finger and thumb could ever reliably grasp his tiny self. Besides that, there would be no value in putting something so tiny into her mouth and eating it. He was beneath her notice.

Then he heard her booming voice again.

“Looks like I am coming down to a more advantageous level,” said Alice.

To his surprise, he turned back to see Alice shrinking down to normal size, which was still that of a relative giantess to him. It would now be far easier for her to chase him through the garden! Running and hiding was all Robert could do.

This time Jack had been careful to wipe his feet on the grass before stepping into the house. He hoped he would not leave any footprints on the giant woman’s carpet this time. Jack made his way into the next room and under what seemed to be a long cupboard against the wall. When he was nearing the end, he suddenly bumped into something, and then stepped back and looked closely. It was an ankle and shoe.

Jack realised that the giant woman must have been standing on the other side of the cupboard for some reason, with the bottom of her dress level with the bottom of the cupboard. He turned and darted back towards what must have been the cupboard. However, he had only gone two steps when the giantess suddenly stepped back from the wall and stood towering in front of him, looking down confidently. In her hand she held a hair brush, and he turned his head quickly to see a wall mirror behind him. She had been brushing her hair, unwittingly creating the impression for Jack, that she was part of the cupboard.

Robert was exhausted from running. Soon he saw Alice doubling around and closing in on him. She stopped triumphantly, reached down into the garden and grabbed him.

“You do realise that this would have been all over, if you’d been more agreeable back in the house or the curved room,” she said.

“I don’t feel very agreeable about being eaten,” said Robert.

Just then Alice noticed a table strewn with various objects and a few empty seats around it.

“A tea party,” she said, “And there’s nobody else around. I should think it’s the perfect place to eat you.”

Alice took Robert over to the table and sat down. Licking Robert several times, she then placed him gently into her mouth and sat and enjoyed the taste. She was just about to make a final gulping of Robert, when an official from the Queen’s Court of Wonderland came running up and interrupted them.

Alice took Robert out of her mouth and greeted the newcomer.

“The Queen of Hearts requests Alice and the White Robert to attend the trial immediately,” said the Court Official.

“It won’t do to disobey a queen,” said Robert, “Looks like you won’t have time to eat me after all.”

“Then I shall have to save you for later,” said Alice, and followed the Court Official off to the court room, where the Queen of Hearts herself was presiding as judge.

“Ah, let the record show that Alice and the White Robert are in attendance,” said the Queen.

“May it please your majesty,” said the White Robert, “But which trial are we attending?”

“Why your own,” said the Queen, “White Robert, you are charged with running away from Alice and preventing her from eating you.”

“This is ridiculous,” said Robert, “Is it fair that I should be charged with not wanting to be eaten?”

“Would you think it fair if I charged you with wanting to be eaten?” asked the Queen.

“No,” said White Robert, confused.

“Then the opposite of such unfairness would be the charge that you are facing. Now, Alice please take the stand, and tell the court in your own words what has transpired between you and White Robert.”

“The White Robert and I came upon this land, whereupon we discovered that the cake and drink we’d had made our sizes change, making me much larger than Robert,” said Alice, “As his size seemed suitable for eating him, I attempted to do so. On every occasion, he ran away,” said Alice.

“And what is your relationship with the defendant?” asked the Queen.

“I met him on the way here and gave generously of my kisses,” said Alice.

“Twas silly that the tiny boy

Did shy and quibble in the way

Of flimsiest of hopes as coy

That Alice wouldst not dine as may…” began the court scribe in song.

“No time,” said the Queen, “Trials come first. Songs may follow. It is the decision of this court that the White Robert, being of sound meat and suitable size should make himself available to Alice, so that she may eat him.”

“Surely I have the right of appeal,” said Robert.

“But you don’t have a peel,” said the Queen, “You are made of meat, are you not?”

Suddenly Alice grew to gigantic size again.

“Your Majesty,” said Alice, “I am ever so hungry, and Robert is no longer a suitable meal for me. May it please your Majesty to tell me the age of your court official?”

“He is fourteen,” said the Queen, “It saves us adult wages.”

“Then your Majesty, since I am now of a size suitable for eating your court official, may I ask if you would be able to spare him?”

“Well let me see,” said the Queen, “The matter of White Robert’s trial is concluded. So I have no further need of the court official at the moment. You have my royal permission to eat him.”

Tiny Robert looked up as Alice snatched up the court official and lowered him into her giant mouth and gulped and swallowed. Robert looked on at what had almost been his own future on several occasions. Then Robert grew back to normal size.

“Thank you, your Majesty,” said Alice, “Robert, I no longer feel hungry. Would you like to resume your courtship of me now?”

“I guess so,” said Robert.

“You are both dismissed from these proceedings,” said the Queen.

Alice and Robert began walking until Alice shrank back to normal size and held hands with Robert, as they made their way through Wonderland and into Looking-Glass Land.

“You must be the little boy who left footprints in my house the other day,” said Serena’s mother.

“I’m sorry about that,” said Jack.

“Think nothing of it,” said the giantess, smiling down at him without a care in the world, “You have more important considerations to concern yourself with. I’m going to gobble you all up for my dinner.”

She had not made a move to reach down and grab him, and he had made no move to run back under the cupboard. It seemed best to just continue looking up at her, for as long as it amused the beautiful giantess to make conversation. Jack wasn’t sure whether he was making this decision out of tactical wisdom or the mere fact that he was mesmerized by the sight of her towering beauty.

“I’m Jack. I’m pleased to meet you,” he said, for want of a more distracting comment.

“Not nearly as pleased as I am, to be sure,” said the giantess.

Then Jack saw the slightest movement of her dress, as she began to bend her legs. He turned and sprinted the few paces needed and dived and rolled under the cupboard. He kept going until he was under the centre of it, and saw the giantess lie down and reach in with her hand. Soon she could reach no further, as her arm was too wide. The sight of her trying was quite magnificent. He looked at her full smiling lips and the confident amusement in her eyes.

“I don’t think there’s anywhere you can go from here,” said the giantess.

“You’re probably right,” said Jack, and then he remembered Serena’s advice: to tell her of his feelings if she caught him.

Technically she hadn’t caught him yet, but there was nothing to be lost by telling her now. She was already well and truly alerted to his presence.

“Forgive me. I didn’t return your introduction. My name is Mrs Grimble,” she said.

“I was hiding in the house last week, when you found my footprints on the carpet,” he said, “I heard your verse about wanting to eat me, and I know that you’re going to do it. I stayed away for as long as I could, but today I wanted to come and see you again, even with the risks involved, because I am completely in love with you, Mrs Grimble.”

“Really?” she said, her face beaming more adorably than ever in at his hiding place, “I’m very very flattered, Jack. I’ll be very grateful for the ramifications of your feelings, when I’m eating you up soon.”

Suddenly he felt something on his back and turned to see that she had reached under the front of the cupboard with her other hand and the hairbrush, which had the narrow shape and suitable length to cut off his escape. She brushed him towards her other hand, smiling at the way she had surprised him.

“That was a clever trick, Mrs Grimble. I forgot about the hairbrush,” said Jack.

“You’re very gracious in defeat,” said Mrs Grimble, taking him in her hand and lifting him as she stood up, “If I’m going to look my best while cooking and eating my little admirer, I think I’d better finish brushing my hair, don’t you?”

“Thank you for the thought,” he said, as she gently placed him on top of the cupboard.

Jack watched the beautiful giantess styling her hair all for his benefit.

Within Looking-Glass Land, Alice and Robert came to a house and went inside. The floor of the main room was made up like a giant chess board, with life size pieces in various positions. Against the eighth row was a wall which was in fact a looking-glass. Alice and  Robert walked over to the looking-glass wall and found that they were able to pass through the looking-glass wall and into an identical room with other chess pieces in the reverse positions, to make a mirror image of the room that they had just left.

Suddenly the roof was lifted off the house, and they saw a giant woman holding the roof. She gently lifted them out of what, in this world, was a dolls house, set them down on the carpet and replaced the roof in its position.

“Is this your house?” asked Alice, as she suddenly grew to giant size.

“No. I just stop by to help visitors from Looking-Glass Land out of the house,” said the lady, “Nobody lives in the house actually. You’re welcome to use it, if you keep an eye out for visitors now and then.”

“Thank you,” said Alice.

“Does your friend grow to my size too?” asked the lady.

“No. Sometimes he shrinks even smaller,” said Alice, “Thank you very much for this nice house.”

“See that you enjoy it then,” said the lady and left.

Alice put Robert on her shoulder and took a walk out into the garden. The property was expansive. They walked for a while, and then noticed that a girl was sitting in the neighbouring garden, quite a long way off, even to Alice, playing a harp.

While Alice and the White Robert were making themselves at home in Brobdingnag, Mrs Grimble finished styling her hair, and then took Jack into the dining room. She put him on the table, which had golden legs with several stylish designs patterned into them. Mrs Grimble was clearly used to enjoying the best of everything. She had eaten a number of boys before Jack, and would not be about to spare him because of his crush on her.

She sat down and lifted Jack up towards her face.

She kissed Jack affectionately several times. The feel of her giant lips against his face went a long way to making the whole experience worthwhile.

“You thought you’d only dream of that, didn’t you?” she asked.

“It was wonderful,” said Jack, “I love you so much, Mrs Grimble.”

“In a way I love you too, Jack, but it won’t be long now before I really love eating you. I’ll just go and let Serena know I’ve caught another little boy and ask her to leave us in privacy. I’ll see you soon, you delicious little darling.”

“Could I have a few licks to prepare me for …?”

“I’d love to,” said Mrs Grimble.

She put Jack in front of her mouth again, and out came her marvellous tongue. It licked him, almost passionately several times, and then withdrew completely inside her mouth again.

Jack was sure that he had won her trust. She would not guess that he had been studying the golden legs, as she approached the table. Jack had noticed that the designs made excellent hand and foot holds. If he could climb the beanstalk, he would have no trouble climbing down those legs.

He watched the beautiful giantess walk out of the room, and knew that she would be headed in the direction of the beanstalk, in order to briefly interrupt Serena’s harp playing. He darted across the table, climbed quickly down the golden leg and ran out a different way, taking a wide route around the garden, so that Mrs Grimble would not see him on her way back to the dining room and recapture him. By the time he was nearing the beanstalk, she had gone back into the castle, noticed his absence, and come running out again.

Serena, it seemed, was not there. She had finished playing her harp and gone inside to her own room after her mother had finished talking to her.

Jack saw Mrs Grimble running through the garden. He was much closer to the beanstalk, but she had much longer legs. It would be a fairly even race. Jack ran for his life, and just made it to the beanstalk ahead of her. He quickly descended below the clouds, and then heard her voice.

“You’d better come back. I could climb down after you, Jack!” she called.

“Your weight would easily break the beanstalk, and you’d fall to your death,” he said.

“It was worth a try,” said Mrs Grimble.

“I’ll miss you very much,” called Jack.

“I’ll miss you too, especially at meal times,” said Mrs Grimble, “You’re not just the only one who loved me. You’re the only one who got away.”

“Maybe I’ll chance sneaking back some time,” he called.

“I’ll be waiting, Jack,” said Mrs Grimble, “… I’ll be waiting.”