Storytime with Kray

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Alice meets a philosophical Caterpillar who challenges her identity and asks her to recite a poem. He then informs her that eating parts of the mushroom he is on will alter her size. After several attempts to control her size, she has a confusing encounter with a Pigeon who mistakes her for a serpent. Alice eventually returns to her normal height and then shrinks again to approach a nearby house.

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The White Rabbit mistakes Alice for his housemaid and sends her on an errand. Alice enters his house and drinks from a bottle, causing her to grow until she fills the house, leading to the Rabbit and other creatures trying to dislodge her. She escapes by eating a magical cake that shrinks her and finds herself in a wood, encountering a large puppy. 

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To get dry, the creatures participate in a Caucus-Race, where everyone wins prizes. Alice distributes comfits and receives a thimble as her prize.  The Mouse attempts to tell its history, but Alice's repeated mentions of her cat, Dinah, cause the Mouse and other animals to leave. 

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Alice grows to an enormous size, and her tears create a large pool. She then shrinks rapidly after picking up a fan, falls into her own pool of tears, and encounters a Mouse whom she inadvertently offends by discussing cats. Other creatures also fall into the pool, and they all swim to shore together. 

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Alice follows a White Rabbit down a hole and finds herself in a peculiar hall with many locked doors. After experimenting with a "DRINK ME" bottle that shrinks her and an "EAT ME" cake that makes her grow, she is determined to reach a beautiful garden. 

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Lewis Carroll | 1865

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland began on a “golden afternoon” in 1862, when Charles Dodgson, the Oxford mathematician known as Lewis Carroll, told an improvised tale to 10-year-old Alice Liddell as they rowed along the River Isis. Her excitement pushed him to write it down, eventually leading to the 1865 publication with John Tenniel’s now-iconic illustrations, later reissued after an initial withdrawn print. Unlike the moral-teaching children’s books of its time, Alice embraced pure imagination, blending whimsy, logic puzzles, and sharp wordplay in a way that still shapes our culture and language today.

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The child, now called Snow-white, shares a tender moment with Mark, affirming her love and his eternal role as her "own dwarf," regardless of her growing older. The chapter concludes with them walking through the peaceful wood, and Mark standing in silent prayer under the buttonwood tree, his life now guided by the child's presence.

Notable Quotes:

• "Always and always, Snow-white!" — Mark Ellery
• "Because I love you!" — The Child
• "Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me!" — Mark Ellery, in prayer
  
  

Summary:

• Mark and the child maintain a lasting, deeply loving friendship.
• They regularly return to the woodland home, cherishing special visits and traditions.
• Mark’s life becomes purposeful and joyful through the girl’s lasting affection.
• He continues to guide her morally and spiritually, fostering her growth.
• Their bond remains pure, meaningful, and unbreakable throughout their lives.
  
  

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The child continues her happy life with Mark in the woods, counting his money and asking endless questions, seemingly unaware of the external world. Meanwhile, Miss Tyler, her former governess, is actively seeking the child's guardians, and a powerful "Queen's Mirror" (an influential woman) shows a keen interest in finding the child, hinting at an impending larger conflict or revelation.

Notable Quotes:

• "You will take me in, Mark?" — The Child
• "Here is your child, madam." — Mark Ellery (imagined scenario)
• "Mr. Ellery had found the little girl." — James Phillips
  
  

Summary:

• Mark brings the child safely back home to her worried family.
• The community, previously believing her dead, rejoices dramatically at her return.
• Mark's actions redeem his image in the community, reviving hope and goodwill.
• The girl’s return symbolizes Mark’s own restoration to emotional life and purpose.
• Mark’s assistant Phillips finally understands Mark’s peculiar requests.
  
  

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Mark, often referred to as the dwarf, grapples with the encroaching outside world, despite his deep affection for the child. His actions, like refusing to wear conventional clothes, illustrate his internal conflict between his reclusive existence and the looming return of his past, signaling that their peaceful life may be threatened.

Notable Quotes:

• "Have I no right to keep it, for a little, at least?" — Mark Ellery
• "I think you are talking puffick foolishness." — The Child
• "It killed me!" — The Child, startled by a gunshot accident
  
  

Summary:

• Mark grapples with returning the child, knowing he must do so eventually.
• Deeply conflicted, Mark considers a "key," a gun symbolizing escape and despair.
• Accidentally, the child finds and fires the gun, narrowly avoiding tragedy.
• Mark, horrified by the near loss, immediately resolves to protect and return her.
• This close call drastically changes his outlook, breaking his suicidal contemplation.
  
  

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The child realizes her dress is very dirty and asks Mark for a new one. Mark searches through his belongings, finding no suitable clothing, but then locates an old, beautifully embroidered pale blue silk shawl in a carved chest. He looks at it grimly before the child's impatient calls interrupt his thoughts, implying he will use it for her.

Notable Quotes:

• "Once upon a time there was a dwarf..." — Mark Ellery
• "I think this is a stupid story." — The Child
• "You will love me just the same if I do get horribly big, Mark?" — The Child
  
  

Summary:

• Mark shares his life through an allegorical fairy tale, indirectly revealing his heartbreak.
• The child impatiently listens, humorously interrupting with her own imaginative twists.
• Through storytelling, Mark indirectly expresses his sadness over rejection and loneliness.
• The girl’s questions force Mark to face painful memories about love and loss.
• Despite not understanding fully, the child’s affection profoundly comforts Mark.
  
  

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