Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Chapter 12
21:46 Share

Hello! Welcome to Stories Podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Weldon. Today's story is a chapter from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a classic novel written for you by Lewis Carroll.

We have Stories Podcast merch available at storiespodcast.com slash shop. We're also on Cameo for all of your personalized video message needs. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram at storiespodcast. If you send us a drawing of your favorite scene or character, we'll share it on our feed. Now here's a word from our sponsors.

This episode of Stories Podcast is sponsored by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all-in-one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online. Whether you're just launching a new venture or managing a successful business, Squarespace makes it possible to create a beautiful website and engage with your audience. And Squarespace makes it so easy to sell anything from products to content to time, all in one place, all on your terms,

with Squarespace Payments. Onboarding is fast and simple. Get started in just a few clicks and start receiving payments right away. It's even easy to invoice clients and create proposals, estimates, and contracts. Simplify your workflow and manage your business on one platform. Also, Squarespace has integrated SEO tools. Every Squarespace website is optimized to be indexed with meta descriptions, an auto-generated site map, and more.

so you show up more often to more people in global search engine results. Head to squarespace.com for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, squarespace.com slash dragon to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com slash dragon for 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

The Toyota Tundra and Tacoma are designed to outlast and outlive, combining raw power with precision engineering, all backed by Toyota's legendary reputation for reliability. Climb inside a Tundra and experience the uncompromising strength. With its available i-FORCE MAX engine, the Tundra delivers exceptional power, torque, and towing capacity. Plus, the spacious and high-tech cabin keeps you connected on the run.

or check out a Tacoma. Agile, dependable, and unstoppable, the Tacoma's designed for those who go beyond the trails. Stay ahead of the pack with available off-road features like crawl control, or break out your tunes with the available portable JBL speaker. Toyota trucks are built to last, year after year, mile after mile.

So outlast every adventure and outlive the moment. Buy a Tundra or Tacoma today. Visit buyatoyota.com, Toyota's official website for deals, or stop by your local Toyota dealer to find out more. Toyota, let's go places. Thanks, enjoy the episode. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Chapter 12, Alice's Evidence.

"'Here!' cried Alice, quite forgetting in the flurry of the moment how large she had grown in the last few minutes. And she jumped up in such a hurry that she tipped over the jury box with the edge of her skirt, upsetting all of the journeymen onto the heads of the crowd below. And there they lay sprawling about, reminding her very much of a globe of goldfish she had accidentally upset the week before."

Oh, I beg your pardon, she exclaimed in a tone of great dismay, and began picking them up again as quickly as she could. For the accident of the goldfish kept running in her head, and she had a vague sort of idea that they must be collected at once and put back into the jury box, or they would die.

The trial cannot proceed, said the king in a very grave voice, until all the jurymen are back in their proper places. All, he repeated with great emphasis, looking hard at Alice as he said so. Alice looked at the jury box and saw that in her haste, she had put the lizard in head downwards, and the poor little thing was waving its tail about in a melancholy way, being quite unable to move. She soon got it out again and put it right.

Not that it signifies much, she said to herself. I should think it would be quite as much use in the trial one way up as the other. As soon as the jury had a little recovered from the shock of being upset, and their slates and pencils had been found and handed back to them, they set to work very diligently to write out a history of the accident. All except the lizard, who seemed too much overcome to do anything but sit with its mouth open, gazing up into the roof of the court.

What do you know about this business? The king said to Alice. Nothing, said Alice. Nothing whatever, persisted the king. Nothing whatever, said Alice. That's very important, the king said, turning to the jury. They were just beginning to write this down on their slates when the white rabbit interrupted. Unimportant, your majesty means, of course, he said in a very respectful tone, but frowning and making faces at him as he spoke.

"'Unimportant, of course, I meant,' the king hastily said, and went on to himself in an undertone, "'Important, unimportant, unimportant, important,' as if he were trying which word sounded best. Some of the jury wrote it down, important, and some, unimportant. Alice could see this, as she was near enough to look over their slates. "'But it doesn't matter a bit,' she thought to herself.

At this moment, the king, who had been for some time busily writing in his notebook, called out, Silence! and read out from his book. Rule 42. All persons more than a mile high to leave the court. Everybody looked at Alice. I'm not a mile high, said Alice. You are, said the king. Nearly two miles high, added the queen.

Well, I shan't go at any rate, said Alice. Besides, that's not a regular rule. You invented it just now. It's the oldest rule in the book, said the king. Then it ought to be number one, said Alice. The king turned pale and shut his notebook hastily. Consider your verdict, he said to the jury in a low, trembling voice.

"'There's more evidence to come yet. Please, your majesty,' said the white rabbit, jumping up in a great hurry. "'This paper has just been picked up.' "'What's in it?' said the queen. "'I haven't opened it yet,' said the white rabbit. "'But it seems to be a letter, written by the prisoner to... to somebody.' "'It must have been that,' said the king. "'Unless it was written to nobody, which isn't usual, you know.' "'Who is it directed to?' said one of the jurymen.'

It isn't directed at all, said the White Rabbit. In fact, there's nothing written on the outside. He unfolded the paper as he spoke and added, It isn't a letter after all. It's a set of verses. Are they in the prisoner's handwriting? asked another of the jurymen. No, they're not, said the White Rabbit. And that's the queerest thing about it. The jury all looked puzzled.

He must have imitated somebody else's hand, said the king. The jury all brightened up again. Please, your majesty, said the knave. I didn't write it, and they can't prove that I did. There's no name signed at the end. If you didn't sign it, said the king, that only makes the matter worse. You must have meant some mischief or else you'd have signed your name like an honest person. There was a general clapping of hands at this. It was the first really clever thing the king had said that day.

That proves his guilt, of course, said the queen. So off with his! It doesn't prove anything of the sort, said Alice. Why, you don't even know what they're about. Read them, said the king. The white rabbit put on his spectacles. Where shall I begin, please, your majesty? He asked. Begin at the beginning, the king said very gravely. And go on till you come to the end, then stop.

There was a dead silence in the court whilst the white rabbit read out these verses. They told me you had been to her and mentioned me to him. She gave me a good character but said I could not swim. He sent them word I had not gone, we know it to be true. If she should push the matter on, what would become of you? I gave her one, they gave him two, you gave us three or more. They all returned from him to you, though they were mine before.

If I or she should chance to be involved in this affair, he trusts to you to set them free exactly as we were. My notion was that you had been, before she had this fit, an obstacle that came between him and ourselves and it. Don't let him know she liked them best, for this must ever be a secret kept from all the rest between yourself and me.

Now for a quick ad break. We'll be back with the rest of the story after this. If you'd like Stories Podcast and other favorite kid podcasts ad-free, subscribe to Wondery Plus Kids on Apple Podcasts. This episode of Stories Podcast is sponsored by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all-in-one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online.

Whether you're just launching a new venture or managing a successful business, Squarespace makes it possible to create a beautiful website and engage with your audience. And Squarespace makes it so easy to sell anything from products to content to time, all in one place, all on your terms with Squarespace Payments. Onboarding is fast and simple. Get started in just a few clicks and start receiving payments right away. It's

It's even easy to invoice clients and create proposals, estimates, and contracts. Simplify your workflow and manage your business on one platform. Also, Squarespace has integrated SEO tools. Every Squarespace website is optimized to be indexed with meta descriptions, an auto-generated site map, and more, so you show up more often to more people in global search engine results.

Head to squarespace.com for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, squarespace.com slash dragon to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com slash dragon for 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

The Toyota Tundra and Tacoma are designed to outlast and outlive, combining raw power with precision engineering, all backed by Toyota's legendary reputation for reliability. Climb inside a Tundra and experience the uncompromising strength. With its available i-FORCE MAX engine, the Tundra delivers exceptional power, torque, and towing capacity. Plus, the spacious and high-tech cabin keeps you connected on the run.

or check out a Tacoma. Agile, dependable, and unstoppable, the Tacoma's designed for those who go beyond the trails. Stay ahead of the pack with available off-road features like crawl control, or break out your tunes with the available portable JBL speaker. Toyota trucks are built to last, year after year, mile after mile.

So outlast every adventure and outlive the moment. Buy a Tundra or Tacoma today. Visit buyatoyota.com, Toyota's official website for deals, or stop by your local Toyota dealer to find out more. Toyota, let's go places. Thanks, and now back to the story. That's the most important piece of evidence we've heard yet, said the king, rubbing his hands. So now let the jury...

If any one of them can explain it, said Alice. She had grown so large in the last few minutes that she wasn't a bit afraid of interrupting him. I'll give him six pence. I don't believe there's an atom of meaning in it. The jury all wrote down on their slates. She doesn't believe there's an atom of meaning in it. But none of them attempted to explain the paper.

If there's no meaning in it, said the king, that saves a world of trouble, you know, as we needn't try to find any. And yet, I don't know. He went on, spreading out the verses on his knee and looking at them with one eye.

I seem to see some meaning in them after all. Said I could not swim, you can't swim, can you? He added, turning to the knave. The knave shook his head sadly. Do I look like it? He said, which he certainly did not, being made entirely of cardboard.

"'All right, so far,' said the king, and he went on muttering over the verses to himself. "'We know it to be true,' that's the jury, of course, "'if she should push the matter on, that must be the queen, what would become of you? What indeed? I gave her one, they gave him two, why, that must be what he did with the tarts, you know.' "'But it goes on, they all returned from him to you,' said Alice.'

Why, there they are, said the king triumphantly, pointing to the tarts on the table. Nothing can be clearer than that. Then again, before she had this fit, you never had fits, my dear, I think, he said to the queen. Never, said the queen furiously, throwing an inkstand at the lizard as she spoke.

The unfortunate little bill had left off writing on his slate with one finger, as he found it made no mark, but he now hastily began again, using the ink that was trickling down his face, as long as it lasted. Then the words don't fit you, said the king, looking round the court with a smile. There was a dead silence. It's a pun, the king added in an angry tone, and everybody laughed.

"'Let the jury consider their verdict,' the king said, for about the twentieth time that day. "'No, no,' said the queen. "'Sentence first, verdict afterwards.' "'Stuff and nonsense,' said Alice loudly. "'The idea of having the sentence first.' "'Hold your tongue,' said the queen, turning purple. "'I won't,' said Alice.'

Off with her head, the queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody moved. Who cares for you, said Alice. She had grown to her full size by this time. You're nothing but a pack of cards. At this, the whole pack rose up into the air and came flying down upon her.

She gave a little scream, half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat them off, and found herself lying on the bank with her head in the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing away some dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees upon her face. "'Wake up, Alice dear,' said her sister. "'Why, what a long sleep you've had!'

Oh, I've had such a curious dream, said Alice. And she told her sister, as well as she could remember them, all these strange adventures of her that you have just been listening to. And when she had finished, her sister kissed her and said, It was a curious dream, dear, certainly. But now run into your tea. It's getting late. So Alice got up and ran off, thinking while she ran, as well as she might, what a wonderful dream it had been.

But her sister sat still just as she left her, leaning her head on her hand, watching the setting sun and thinking of little Alice and all her wonderful adventures, till she too began dreaming after a fashion. And this was her dream. First, she dreamed about little Alice herself. Once again, the tiny hands were clasped upon her knee, and the bright eager eyes were looking up into hers.

She could hear the very tones of her voice and see that odd little toss of her head to keep back the wandering hair that would always get into her eyes. And still, as she listened, or seemed to listen, the whole place around her became alive with the strange creatures of her little sister's dream.

The long grass rustled at her feet as the white rabbit hurried by. The frightened mouse splashed his way through the neighboring pool. She could hear the rattle of the teacups as the March Hare and his friends shared their never-ending meal and the shrill voice of the queen ordering off her unfortunate guests to execution. Once more, the pig baby was sneezing on the duchess's knee while plates and dishes crashed around it.

Once more the shriek of the griffin, the squeaking of the lizard's slate pencil and the choking of the suppressed guinea pigs filled the air, mixed up with the distant sob of the miserable mock turtle. So she sat on, with closed eyes, and half believed herself in Wonderland, though she knew she had but to open them again, and all would change to dull reality.

The grass would be only rustling in the wind and the pool rippling to the waving of the reeds. The rattling teacups would change to tinkling sheep bells and the queen's shrill cries to the voice of the shepherd boy. And the sneeze of the baby, the shriek of the griffin, and all the other strange noises would change, she knew, to the confused clamor of the busy farmyard, while the lowing of the cattle in the distance would take the place of the mock turtle's heavy sobs.

Lastly, she pictured to herself how the same little sister of hers would, in the after time, be herself a grown woman, and how she would keep through all her riper years the simple and loving heart of her childhood, and how she would gather about her other little children and make their eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago.

and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child life and the happy summer days. The End Today's story was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a classic novel written for you by Lewis Carroll. It was edited and produced for you by Andrew Martin and performed for you by me, Amanda Weldon.

If you would like to support Stories Podcast, you can leave us a five-star review on iTunes. Check out all of our merch available at storiespodcast.com slash shop, commission a special video on Cameo, follow us on Instagram at storiespodcast, or simply tell your friends about us.

In case you missed it, Dan and I have a new show. On Stories RPG, we play games just like Starsworn with all your Max Goodname friends and Giga City Guardians featuring the brilliant Firefly. Click the link in the episode description or go to patreon.com slash stories RPG to get ad-free episodes, play along games, and coloring books. We've already got a bunch of episodes over there, so check them out now. Thanks for listening.

The Toyota Tundra and Tacoma are designed to outlast and outlive, combining raw power with precision engineering, all backed by Toyota's legendary reputation for reliability. Climb inside a Tundra and experience the uncompromising strength. With its available i-FORCE MAX engine, the Tundra delivers exceptional power, torque, and towing capacity. Plus, the spacious and high-tech cabin keeps you connected on the run.

or check out a Tacoma. Agile, dependable, and unstoppable, the Tacoma's designed for those who go beyond the trails. Stay ahead of the pack with available off-road features like crawl control, or break out your tunes with the available portable JBL speaker. Toyota trucks are built to last, year after year, mile after mile.

So outlast every adventure and outlive the moment. Buy a Tundra or Tacoma today. Visit buyatoyota.com, Toyota's official website for deals, or stop by your local Toyota dealer to find out more. Toyota. Let's go places.