Five Children and It

say, 'Aren't we nearly there?' And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?' But it never was, till they reached the very top of th

he house is,

the roses,'

plums,' s

r decent,' C

lky'; and the fly stopped w

chard and the thorny, thistly, briery, brambly wilderness beyond the broken gate and the dry fountain at the side of the house. But the children were wiser, for once. It was not really a pretty house at all; it was quite ordinary, and mother thought it was rather inconvenient, and was quite annoyed at there being no shelves, to speak of, and hardly a cupboard in the place. Father used to say that the ironwork on the roof

everything in London is the wrong sort of shape - all straight lines and flat streets, instead of being all sorts of odd shapes, like things are in the country. Trees are all different, as you know, and I am sure some tiresome person must have told you that there are no two blades of grass exactly alike. But in streets, where the blades of grass don't grow, everythin

e flower, and smelling like a bottle of the most expensive scent that is ever given for a birthday present; and when they had seen the lawn, all green and smooth, and quite different from the brown grass in the gardens at Camden Town; and when they had found the stable with a loft over it and some old h

hings. In London almost everything is labelled 'You mustn't touch,' and though the label is in

l plain, with queer-shaped white buildings where people burnt lime, and a big red brewery and other houses; and when the big chimneys were smoking and the sun was setting, th

hings that happened, and you may leave the book about quite safely, for no aunts and uncles either are likely to write 'How true!' on the edge of the story. Grown-up people find it very difficult to believe really wonderful things, unless they have what they call proof. But children will believe almost anything, and grown-ups know this. That is why they tell you that the earth is round like an orange, when you can see perfectly well that it is flat and lumpy; and why they say that the earth goes round the sun, when you can see for yourse

t in a great hurry, and when they were gone the house seemed dreadfully quiet and empty, and the children wandered from one room to another and looked at

des and go and dig in the gravel-p

a said; 'he says there are shell

t for fear father should say they mustn't play there, and the same with the chalk-quarry. The gravel-pit is not really

by, and they called him that because 'Baa' was the first thing he ever said. They called Anthea '

t is like a giant's wash-hand basin. And there are mounds of gravel, and holes in the sides of the basin where gravel has been taken ou

you have no hope of the swishing tide ever coming in to fill up the moat and wash aw

rk to dig a hole through the castle to Australia. These children, you see, believed that the world was round, and that on the other side th

en he found that it was not, as he had supposed, brown sugar, that he was now tired out, and was lying asleep in a warm fat bunch in the middle of the half-finished castle. This left

' she said, 'and you tumbled out among the little

stones at us, and not let us see the kangaroos, or op

using the spades and go on with their hands. This was quite easy, because the sand at the bott

ll sloppy and shiny,' said Jane, 'with fis

h treasure. I wish we could find a gol

get carried awa

and the sea had to slip off, like the blankets do off us, and the shoulder was left sticking out, and turned into dry land. Let's go and look for shells; I

finish a thing when she had once begun it. She felt it would be a

broken end of a pickaxe handle, and the cave party were just making up their minds that the sand makes you thirsti

h, come quick! It's

ic

l hurri

er says they infest old places - and this must be pr

a snake,' said

f snakes. I like them. If it is a snake I'll tame it, and it will

Robert firmly. He sh

may if it

bigger. And it's not a snake. It's got feet; I saw them; and

instead! That's so l

seizing

DON'T. I - it sounds silly, but it sa

ha

"You let m

le Anthea sat on the edge of the hole, jumping up and down with hotness and anxiety. They dug carefully, an

l on her knees and began to scratch like a dog does when he

indeed! I did!' when suddenly a dry husky voice in the sand made th

eryone heard the voice and looked a

see you,' said

out,' said Anthea,

ttered, and something brown and furry and fat came rolling out into the hole and the sa

dropped asleep,' it s

horns like a snail's eyes, and it could move them in and out like telescopes; it had ears like a bat's ears, and its tubby body was

t?' Jane said. 'Sha

d said: 'Does she always talk nonsense, or is it

fully at Jane's

; we none of us do, whatever you may think! Don't

, you talk as if I were nobody in particular.' All it

could think of something to say that wouldn't make you cross. Everything we've said

changed - but - well, really - do you mean to tell me

? That's Gr

ly. 'Well, in plain English, then, a SAND-FAIRY

ned to say, 'Of course I see you are, now. It

ntences ago,' it said crossly, begi

I didn't know you were a Sand-fairy, but I knew directly I saw

ed a shade less dis

But I'm not going to make polite conversation for you. If you talk nicely

say, but at last Robert thought of 'How long

thousand years,' r

all about

all in

ything you can about yourself! We don't kn

is long rat-like whiskers

' said the child

e children had had no more idea than you that there was such a thing as a sand-fairy in the world, and

like old times. Where do you g

ifficult always to remember that 'what' is not poli

lentiful now?' the

n were unab

ast?' the Fairy said impatie

bread-and-milk, and

. What are Mega-wh

all-thems? And does

akf

ple used to send their little boys down to the seashore early in the morning before breakfast to get the day's wishes, and very often the eldest boy in the family would be told to wish for a Megatherium, ready jointed for cooking. It was as big as an elephant, you see, so there was a good deal of meat on it. And if they wanted fish, the Ichthyosaurus was as

heaps and heaps of col

to be a good hou

at sunset what was left over turned into stone. You find the stone bones

he Sand-fairy frowned and began to

ll cried; 'tell us mor

eakfast! Was the wo

pped d

e turned into stone. We sand-fairies used to live on the seashore, and the children used to come with their little flint-spades and flint-pails and make cast

op living in the ca

, and of course as soon as a sand-fairy got wet it caught cold, and generally died. And so there got to be fewer and fewer, and, whenever you found a

get wet?' Rob

ce, but it was quite enough for me. I went away as soon as the sun had dried my poor dear whisker. I scurried away to the back of the beach, and dug myself

' said the children. 'C

'didn't I give you y

sh you'd come o

mayn't we h

ick about it. I

black-pudding story, and felt certain that if you had the chance you could think of three really useful wishes without a moment's hesita

manage to remember a private wish of her own and jane's which they had never told the

eautiful as the day,' sh

an usual. The Psammead pushed out its long eyes, and seemed to be holding its breath and swelling it

age it,' it said apologeticall

were horribly

y again!'

give the rest of you your wishes with. If you'll be contented with one wish a day a

did not believe the Sand-fairy could do it. You can alway

arther than ever, and swell

on't hurt itsel

skin,' Robert

etting so big that it almost filled up the hole in the sand,

id, panting heavily. 'It'

t much?' as

u,' said he, 'but you're a kind

in the sand. Then the children looked at each other, and each child sudden

d sisters had wandered off, and that these strange children had stolen up unnotic

enormous blue eyes and a cloud of russet hair, 'but have

sk you that,' said Jan

he Panther; I can see your dirty handkerchief that you forgot to change after you'd cut

ook like the picture of the young chorister, with your golden hair; you'll die young, I shou

that's all - silly Christmas cards,' said Robe

Venetian tint so muc

Anthea; 'let's get the Lamb and lug it home to dinner.

the children but was relieved to find that he at least w

oung to have wishes n

mention him spec

rward and hel

Panther, duck

, and put a sandy pink thumb in his m

hen,' s

ng!' said

wn Pussy,'

d the Lamb dismally,

an,' said Robert, 'co

y's

,' howled the Baby, g

ew the worst. THE BA

rgency, to meet only the beautiful eyes of perfect strangers, instead of the merry,

cratched like a cat and bellowed like a bull. 'We've got to MAKE FRIENDS with him! I can't carry

r, and the task was not rendered any easier by the fact that the La

im home by turns, but as he refused to hold on to such n

gate to where Martha, the nursemaid, stood at the front door shading

ed the Baby f

. 'Where are the others, and whoever

of course,'

you're at home?' ask

aid Cyril. 'I'm Cyril, and these are the others, and we'

l's impudence and tried to

I'm Anthea, and we're so tired,

can tell them from me they'll catch it, so they know what to expect!' With that she did bang the door.

at precious sharp, I'll go and fetch the

. 'Oh, do, do come away bef

't put you in prison for just being as beautiful as the day,

r selves after sunset,

yn't be like that now - things have chan

to stone at sunset, like the Megatheriums did, so that

Even the boys turned pale. No o

were afraid to go to the village, because they had seen Martha go down there with a basket, and there was a local constable. Tru

n Robert went alone, hoping to be able to climb in at one of the back windows and so open the door to the others. But

, you nasty little

sun did set, they would turn into stone, or only into their own old natural selves; and each of them still felt lonely and among strangers, and tr

long miserable silence, 'because the Sand-fairy said he'd give us

o,' but they weren

I don't want to frighten you girls, but I believe it's beginning with me already. My

e only stone one, and the rest of us will be all right,

rough his sitting too long with it under him, and when it came to

fright for nothi

e DO come out of this all right, we'll ask the Sammyadd to make it so that t

hey were too wretched even

bring one nice thing, and that was sleep. The children lay asleep in a row, with their beautiful eyes

ound she could still feel pinching she decided that she was no

, Cyril, how nice and ugly you do look, with your old freckles and your brown hair an

much scolded by Martha, who told

ot, I must say, b

experience how hopeless it would be

u been all this time, you n

the

you come hom

ecause of THEM

ho

l after sunset. We couldn't come back till they'd gone. You don't know

picking up with strange children - down here after measles, as likely as not! Now mind, if you see them again, don't you s

d Robert, fixing his eyes fondly on the cold beef that was bei

y good care we never

ey nev