Nils ran to the lake side, found a hollow reed and climbed inside.

“She will never find me this time,” he laughed.

Once again it was too soon, as the giantess came along to collect reeds to take home to her own garden. She pulled at the reeds and plucked several at once, including the one which was concealing Nils.

“Found you!” she laughed, as Nils tumbled out onto the grass, “Now run and hide once more. Next time I find you, I shall put you into my cooking pot.”

Nils was in despair, but determined to outwit her yet. Nils found a fish, which had washed up on the shore of the lake and drowned out of water. He climbed inside the fish and hid himself.

When the giantess came along, she searched everywhere for Nils, but was unable to find him. Then she noticed the fish.

“I think I shall have this for my supper instead,” she said aloud, “I’m sure it will fill me up nicely, but it won’t be half as appetising as that plucky young man.”

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

Late in the golden afternoon, Alice was sitting in the garden of her mother’s huge estate, reading a book. She wondered to herself, what was the point of a book without pictures?

Then she saw a midget teenaged boy, around her own age, or perhaps slightly younger, running through the garden. He saw her and called out:

“I’m late. I’m late! I just can’t get a date!”

“Who are you?” she asked.

“The White Robert,” he said, “Must rush.”

“Hey!” called Alice, and chased after the boy. He only came up to some point between her knees and waist, but was surprisingly nimble in outrunning her. He ran into some thick undergrowth. Alice got down on all fours and crawled in after him and grabbed hold of him.

She had no sooner seized him in her arms, than the ground opened up beneath them, and she found herself slowly floating down through a surprisingly well lit vertical tunnel.

“We’ve fallen down my Robert Hole,” said the White Robert.

“I wonder how far down it goes,” said Alice.

“Down to the room,” said the White Robert, “Very nice of you to carry me like this.”

“You’re welcome,” said Alice, “Though I have you in my arms because I caught you.”

“It feels like a nice cuddle though,” said White Robert.

“For me too,” said Alice, “Though I might suggest that, the next time you wish to secure the company of a girl, you might consider taking her somewhere other than halfway down to the Antipodes. I feel like I’m on a journey to the centre of the-“

“Never that one! Jules rush in, where young girls fear to tread!” said White Robert.

“I’m older than you, I should think,” said Alice.

“Then you must be old enough to be kissed,” said White Robert, and landed one squarely on Alice’s lovely lips.

As she was holding him up with her hands, she could not use them to respond in any way, positively or otherwise. Alice could only ride out the kiss until he stopped.

“Such cheek!” said Alice, “Perhaps I should just let go of you.”