Alice was sitting by the river with her sister. She had nothing to do and was feeling very bored.
Then she saw something amazing! A white rabbit ran past wearing a little coat. And the rabbit had a watch! Alice had never seen a rabbit with a watch before.
The rabbit looked at his watch and said, "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!"
Alice ran after the rabbit. She wanted to see where he was going. She followed him right to a big hole in the ground.
Alice fell into the hole! Down, down, down she went — falling slowly, like floating. She saw shelves and jars and books all around her as she fell.
Finally — THUMP! She landed at the bottom, all safe and not hurt at all.
At the bottom, Alice found a tiny door. Behind it was the most beautiful little garden she had ever seen. But the door was too small for Alice to go through.
On a glass table she found a small bottle. It said "DRINK ME." Alice drank it — and started to get very, very small!
Alice was growing very tired of sitting beside her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it — what is the use of a book, thought Alice, without pictures or conversations?
Suddenly, a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her. That was not so very remarkable — but the Rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, looked at it, and then hurried on. Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it.
Burning with curiosity, Alice ran across the field after it and was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge. In another moment, down went Alice after it — never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.
The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down what seemed to be a very deep well. Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to wonder what was going to happen next.
Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end? The sides of the well were lined with cupboards and bookshelves; here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She took down a jar from one of the shelves; it was labelled "ORANGE MARMALADE," but to her great disappointment it was empty.
Thump! Thump! Down she came upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves, and the fall was over. Alice found herself in a long, low hall, lit up by a row of lamps. There were doors all around the hall, but they were all locked.
On the glass table she found a tiny golden key, and a little bottle labelled "DRINK ME." After careful consideration — for Alice was a sensible child — she tasted it and found it had a pleasant sort of mixed flavour of cherry-tart, custard, pineapple, roast turkey, toffee, and hot buttered toast. She began to shrink, and soon she was the right size to pass through the little door.
Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice 'without pictures or conversations?'
So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.
There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, 'Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!' (when she thought it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but when the Rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.
In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again. The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.
Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to wonder what was going to happen next. First, she tried to look down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything; then she looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves; here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed; it was labelled 'ORANGE MARMALADE,' but to her great disappointment it was empty: she did not like to drop the jar for fear of killing somebody underneath, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as she fell past it.
'Well!' thought Alice to herself, 'after such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they'll all think me at home! Why, I wouldn't say anything about it, even if I fell off the top of the house!' (Which was very likely true.)
Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end? 'I wonder how many miles I've fallen by this time?' she said aloud. 'I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth. Let me think: that would be four thousand miles down, I think—'
Thump! thump! down she came upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves, and the fall was over. Alice was not a bit hurt, and she jumped up on to her feet in a moment. There was a long passage, and the White Rabbit was still in sight, hurrying down it. There was not a moment to be lost: away went Alice like the wind, and was just in time to hear it say, as it turned a corner, 'Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting!' She was close behind it when she turned the corner, but the Rabbit was no longer to be seen.
She found herself in a long, low hall, which was lit up by a row of lamps hanging from the roof. There were doors all round the hall, but they were all locked; and when Alice had been all the way down one side and up the other, trying every door, she walked sadly down the middle, wondering how she was ever to get out again.
Suddenly she came upon a little three-legged table, all made of solid glass; there was nothing on it except a tiny golden key, and Alice's first thought was that it might belong to one of the doors of the hall; but, alas! either the locks were too large, or the key was too small, but at any rate it would not open any of them. However, on the second time round, she came upon a low curtain she had not noticed before, and behind it was a little door about fifteen inches high. She tried the little golden key in the lock, and to her great delight it fitted!