except for the soft thud of the BFG’s footsteps as he hurtled on through the fog.
Suddenly he stopped. ‘We is here at last!’ he announced. He bent down and lifted Sophie from his pocket and put her on the ground. She was still in her nightie and her feet were bare. She shivered and stared around her at the swirling mists and ghostly vapours.
‘Where are we?’ she asked.
‘We is in Dream Country,’ the BFG said. ‘This is where all dreams is beginning.’
Dream-Catching
The Big Friendly Giant put the suitcase on the ground. He bent down low so that his enormous face was close to Sophie’s. ‘From now on, we is keeping as still as winky little micies,’ he whispered.
Sophie nodded. The misty vapour swirled around her. It made her cheeks damp and left dewdrops in her hair.
The BFG opened the suitcase and took out several empty glass jars. He set them ready on the ground, with their screw tops removed. Then he stood up very straight. His head was now high up in the swirling mist and it kept disappearing, then appearing again. He was holding the long net in his right hand.
Sophie, staring upwards, saw through the mist that his colossal ears were beginning to swivel out from his head. They began waving gently to and fro.
Suddenly the BFG pounced. He leaped high in the air and swung the net through the mist with a great swishing sweep of his arm. ‘Got him!’ he cried. ‘Ajar! Ajar! Quick quick quick!’ Sophie picked up a jar and held it up to him. He grabbed hold of it. He lowered the net. Very carefully he tipped something absolutely invisible from the net into the jar. He dropped the net and swiftly clapped one hand over the jar. ‘The top!’ he whispered. ‘The jar top quick!’ Sophie picked up the screw top and handed it to him. He screwed it on tight and the jar was closed. The BFG was very excited. He held the jar close to one ear and listened intently.
‘It’s a winksquiffler!’ he whispered with a thrill in his voice. ‘It’s… it’s… it’s… it’s even better. It’s a phizzwizard! It’s a golden phizzwizard!’
Sophie stared at him.
‘Oh my, oh my!’ he said, holding the jar in front of him. ‘This will be giving some little tottler a very happy night when I is blowing it in!’
‘Is it really a good one?’ Sophie asked.
‘ A good one? ’ he cried. ‘It’s a golden phizzwizard! It is not often I is getting one of these!’ He handed the jar to Sophie and said, ‘Please be still as a starfish now. I is thinking there may be a whole swarm of phizzwizards up here today. And do kindly stop breathing. You is terribly noisy down there.’
‘I haven’t moved a muscle,’ Sophie said.
‘Then don’t,’ the BFG answered sharply. Once again he stood up tall in the mist, holding his net at the ready. Then came the long silence, the waiting, the listening, and at last, with surprising suddenness came the leap and the swish of the net.
‘Another jar!’ he cried. ‘Quick quick quick!’
When the second dream was safely in the jar and the top was screwed down, the BFG held it to his ear.
‘Oh no !’ he cried. ‘Oh mince my maggots! Oh swipe my swoggles!’
‘What’s the matter?’ Sophie asked.
‘It’s a trogglehumper!’ he shouted. His voice was filled with fury and anguish. ‘Oh, save our solos!’ he cried. ‘Deliver us from weasels! The devil is dancing on my dibbler!’
‘What are you talking about?’ Sophie said. The BFG was getting more distressed every moment.
‘Oh, bash my eyebones!’ he cried, waving the jar in the air. ‘I come all this way to get lovely golden dreams and what is I catching?’
‘What are you catching?’ Sophie said.
‘I is catching a frightsome trogglehumper!’ he cried. ‘This is a bad bad dream ! It is worse than a bad dream! It is a nightmare!’
‘Oh dear,’ Sophie said. ‘What will you do with that?’
‘I is never never letting it go!’ the BFG cried. ‘If I do, then some poor little totder will be
Suddenly he stopped. ‘We is here at last!’ he announced. He bent down and lifted Sophie from his pocket and put her on the ground. She was still in her nightie and her feet were bare. She shivered and stared around her at the swirling mists and ghostly vapours.
‘Where are we?’ she asked.
‘We is in Dream Country,’ the BFG said. ‘This is where all dreams is beginning.’
Dream-Catching
The Big Friendly Giant put the suitcase on the ground. He bent down low so that his enormous face was close to Sophie’s. ‘From now on, we is keeping as still as winky little micies,’ he whispered.
Sophie nodded. The misty vapour swirled around her. It made her cheeks damp and left dewdrops in her hair.
The BFG opened the suitcase and took out several empty glass jars. He set them ready on the ground, with their screw tops removed. Then he stood up very straight. His head was now high up in the swirling mist and it kept disappearing, then appearing again. He was holding the long net in his right hand.
Sophie, staring upwards, saw through the mist that his colossal ears were beginning to swivel out from his head. They began waving gently to and fro.
Suddenly the BFG pounced. He leaped high in the air and swung the net through the mist with a great swishing sweep of his arm. ‘Got him!’ he cried. ‘Ajar! Ajar! Quick quick quick!’ Sophie picked up a jar and held it up to him. He grabbed hold of it. He lowered the net. Very carefully he tipped something absolutely invisible from the net into the jar. He dropped the net and swiftly clapped one hand over the jar. ‘The top!’ he whispered. ‘The jar top quick!’ Sophie picked up the screw top and handed it to him. He screwed it on tight and the jar was closed. The BFG was very excited. He held the jar close to one ear and listened intently.
‘It’s a winksquiffler!’ he whispered with a thrill in his voice. ‘It’s… it’s… it’s… it’s even better. It’s a phizzwizard! It’s a golden phizzwizard!’
Sophie stared at him.
‘Oh my, oh my!’ he said, holding the jar in front of him. ‘This will be giving some little tottler a very happy night when I is blowing it in!’
‘Is it really a good one?’ Sophie asked.
‘ A good one? ’ he cried. ‘It’s a golden phizzwizard! It is not often I is getting one of these!’ He handed the jar to Sophie and said, ‘Please be still as a starfish now. I is thinking there may be a whole swarm of phizzwizards up here today. And do kindly stop breathing. You is terribly noisy down there.’
‘I haven’t moved a muscle,’ Sophie said.
‘Then don’t,’ the BFG answered sharply. Once again he stood up tall in the mist, holding his net at the ready. Then came the long silence, the waiting, the listening, and at last, with surprising suddenness came the leap and the swish of the net.
‘Another jar!’ he cried. ‘Quick quick quick!’
When the second dream was safely in the jar and the top was screwed down, the BFG held it to his ear.
‘Oh no !’ he cried. ‘Oh mince my maggots! Oh swipe my swoggles!’
‘What’s the matter?’ Sophie asked.
‘It’s a trogglehumper!’ he shouted. His voice was filled with fury and anguish. ‘Oh, save our solos!’ he cried. ‘Deliver us from weasels! The devil is dancing on my dibbler!’
‘What are you talking about?’ Sophie said. The BFG was getting more distressed every moment.
‘Oh, bash my eyebones!’ he cried, waving the jar in the air. ‘I come all this way to get lovely golden dreams and what is I catching?’
‘What are you catching?’ Sophie said.
‘I is catching a frightsome trogglehumper!’ he cried. ‘This is a bad bad dream ! It is worse than a bad dream! It is a nightmare!’
‘Oh dear,’ Sophie said. ‘What will you do with that?’
‘I is never never letting it go!’ the BFG cried. ‘If I do, then some poor little totder will be
Similar Books
