Alice's Adventures under Ground by Lewis Carroll

"The first thing I've got to do," said Alice to herself, as she / wandered about in the wood, "is to grow to my right size, and the / second thing is to find my way into that lovely garden. I think / that will be the best plan."

It sounded an excellent plan, no doubt, and very neatly and / simply arranged: the only difficulty was, that she had not the / smallest idea how to set about it, and while she was peering / anxiously among the trees round her, a little sharp bark just / over her head made her look up in a great hurry.

An enormous puppy was looking down at her with large round eyes, / and feebly stretching out one paw, trying to reach her: "poor / thing! " said Alice in a coaxing tone, and she tried hard to / whistle to it, but she was terribly alarmed all the while at the / thought that it might be hungry, in which case it would probably / devour her in spite of all her coaxing. Hardly knowing what she / did, she picked up a little bit of stick, and held it out to the / puppy: whereupon the puppy jumped into the air off all its feet at / once, and with a yelp of delight rushed at the stick, and made / believe to worry it then Alice dodged behind a great thistle to / keep herself from being run over, and, the moment she appeared at / the other side, the puppy made another dart at the stick, and / tumbled head over heels in its hurry to get hold: then Alice, / thinking it was very like having a game of play with a cart-horse, / and expecting every moment to be trampled under its feet, ran round / the thistle again: then the puppy begin a series of short charges / at the stick, running a very little way forwards each time and a / long way back, and barking hoarsely all the while, till at last it / sat down a good way off, panting, with its tongue hanging out of / its mouth, and its great eyes half shut.

This seemed to Alice a good opportunity for making her escape. / She set off at once, and ran till the puppy's bark sounded quite / faint in the distance, and till she was quite tired and out of / breath.

"And yet what a dear little puppy it was! " said Alice, as she / leant against a buttercup to rest herself, and fanned herself / with her hat. "I should have liked teaching it tricks, if -- if I'd / only been the right size to do it! Oh! I'd nearly forgotten that / I've got to grow up again! Let me see; how _is_ it to be managed? / I suppose I ought to eat or drink something or other, but the / great question is what?"

The great question certainly was, what? Alice looked all round / her at the flowers and the blades of grass but could not see / anything that looked like the right thing to eat under the / circumstances. There was a large mushroom near her, about the / same height as herself, and when she had looked under it, and on / both sides of it, and behind it, it occurred to her to look and / see what was on the top of it.

She stretched herself up on tiptoe, and peeped over the edge of / the mushroom, and her eyes immediately met those of a large blue / caterpillar, which was sitting with its arms folded, quietly / smoking a long hookah, and taking not the least notice of her or / of anything else.

For some time they looked at each other in silence: at last the / caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and languidly / addressed her.

"Who are you? " said the caterpillar.

This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation: Alice / replied rather shyly, "I -- I hardly know, sir, just at present -- at / least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I / must have been changed several times since that."

"What do you mean by that? " said the caterpillar, "explain / yourself!"

"I ca'n't explain myself, I'm afraid, sir," said Alice, "because / I'm not myself, you see."

"I don't see," said the caterpillar.

"I'm afraid I can't put it more clearly," Alice replied very / politely, "for I ca'n't understand it myself, and really to be so / many different sizes in one day is very confusing."

"It isn't," said the caterpillar.

"Well, perhaps you haven't found it so yet," said Alice, "but / when you have to turn into a chrysalis, you know, and then after / that into a butterfly, I should think it'll feel a little queer, / don't you think so?"

"Not a bit," said the caterpillar.

"All I know is," said Alice, "it would feel queer to me."

"You! " said the caterpillar contemptuously, "who are you?"

Which brought them back again to the beginning of the / conversation: Alice felt a little irritated at the caterpillar / making such very short remarks, and she drew herself up and said / very gravely "I think you ought to tell me who you are, first."