Poppet didn’t seem to be worried. Then the canvas ceiling came down.

“All dark,” complained Poppet.

Carlo felt sick with fear, but he managed to find his voice and shouted, “Stop! Let us out. Let us out!”

A tremendous jolt threw them up into the air and down again. As the three of them rolled helplessly about on the soft canvas bag floor, Poppet giggled again. Carlo and Stephen were silent. They both knew what was happening. The giantess was on the move. After a sudden swoop and a bump, the jolting stopped. Their dark ceiling was off again, and light streamed in.

“Maybe she’s going to put us back,” said Carlo.

“Maybe she’s hungry,” said Stephen.

“Maybe we’re supper and Poppet is breakfast,” said Carlo.

Stephen started picking away at a loose corner of the bag as they jolted along.

“What are you doing?” asked Carlo.

“I can feel a little hole here, where the stitching has come loose. If I can make it bigger, maybe we can escape.”

“But we’d get killed jumping.”

“She might put the bag down again,” said Stephen, still tugging away, “There, it’s big enough to look through at least.”

He lay on his tummy and put his eye to the hole.

“Oh no,” he said.

“What is it?” asked Carlo.

“You’d better have a look.”

So Carlo looked through the hole and was overcome with dizziness and fear.

“Is it what I think it is?” she said.

“Yes. We’re going up a beanstalk.”

After a long time, they heard a door open.

“I think we’ve arrived,” said Stephen.

Then they heard a second voice. It was the giant girl’s mother.

“Maybe she wants to know what her little girl has collected for supper,” said Stephen.

At last the boys found themselves on the move again, and the mother hadn’t looked into the bag. They heard the opening and closing of another door, and then the ceiling came off the bag again.

Poppet stretched out his arms, as the enormous fingers curled around her and lifted her towards the giant Jumbeelia’s mouth. Her mouth was touching Poppet now. Soon it would be opening.

But it didn’t open. Instead, a sort of sucking smacking noise came from it.

“All wet,” said Poppet.

“That was a kiss,” said Stephen.

Before Carlo could speak, it was his turn. He was lifted up and brought towards the shining pink lips. The next second he felt a dampness all over his cheek. He dared to open his eyes, which he had momentarily closed. Then he was lowered into a dolls house on the giant girl’s floor. Then Stephen was thrust towards the giant lips and given a big wet kiss as well.

“Thank you,” said Stephen to the giantess, “We thought that you were going to eat us.”

“Oh no,” said Jumbeelia, “I want to play with you.”

“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing,” said Carlo.

“Thank you,” said Jumbeelia, “And I won’t eat any of you for a few days yet.”