Adventure On The Beach

When Alice looked around helplessly, she realized to her surprise that the water behind her back had disappeared. All at once she found herself on a beautiful, wide sand beach which ran into rolling dunes. The Pied Piper approached Alice with quick steps. His face looked grim and apparently he was in a bad mood. Obviously he did not recognize Alice in her little-girl's dress with red and white stripes, or he took her for somebody else.

In order to emphasize his words he threatened her grimly with his silver pipe. Without thinking much about the fact that he had addressed her with a wrong name, Alice ran immediately in the direction he had pointed with his pipe. She passed by many bathing cabins with rolls underneath, life boats that were turned upside down, and big sun tents. But nowhere could she see anybody - which amazed her because it was the most beautiful beach weather.

At last she arrived at a little beach pavillion with half closed window shutters, which was built on stilts. On a panel next to the entrance was written with big silver letters: Pavilion of the Pied Piper of her Majesty the Queen of Hearts.

So this must be the place where she was to look for the lost gloves and the fan. Alice entered the pavillion. In the middle of the room she saw instantly the items she was looking for lying on a small, richly decorated table with legs looking like the ones of the Pied Piper. But there she also found the bottle with the lable: "Drink me!" again. Alice took the bottle and smelled its contents. She looked down at her little-girl's dress and wooden sandals; then she put the bottle to her lips determinedly and took a long swig. And really, she had got hold on another magic potion; and again she changed, this time into a young bathing beauty: she wore an attractive dark bathing suit, one of those prefered by women of the world around the turn of the century. Now she would be roughly 16 years old - a young girl having a presentiment on future femininity, and conscious of her body, revealing her charms quite naturally. She went to the shutters, which nicely filtered the intruding sunbeams, and let the fresh breeze from the sea that blew gently through the wood panels play with her loose hair. The soft light and the fresh air gave her the idea of relaxing for a while and having a sunbath. So she stretched out on a deckchair that stood next to the little table.

In the meantime the Pied Piper was coming along the beach, playing a lively tune. With him were three gipsy boys aged around 10, 12, and 15. They did backflips and performed several other circus tricks. When they came near the pavillion the Piep Piper pointed towards it with his pipe, and the three boys sneaked closer to it. The Pied Piper stuck his pipe into the sand, folded his arms, and observed the following events from the distance.

Meanwhile Alice pleased herself playing the part of the idle, rich daughter. She enjoyed the sun bath and listened to the roaring of the sea. Suddenly a high pitched voice called her name.

She started and looked around her, but she could not see anybody.

Alice quickly turned around and just caught a glimpse on a head disappearing behind a shutter.

She jumped up and looked into the face of one of the boys who started and vanished. Outside, the three began to sing in a real chorus:

By now Alice had enough of it. She went to the windows and closed the shutters.

Outside, the three laughed up their sleeves. Since they could not see and tease Alice through the windows any more, they had to come up with something new. They selected a few thin sticks out of the rich flotsam and jetsam. Armed with those they crept past the stilts under the pavillion. After they had searched for a while, they found to their secret joy a knothole in the floor of the pavillion, exactly underneath the deckchair Alice was lying in. They took a particularly pointed stick, pushed it carefully up through the knothole, and picked Alice in her backside. Furiously she jumped up, pushed the chair aside, snatched the stick, and broke it in two pieces.

Laughing, the three boys crept out from under the pavillion. They collected little stones and shells, skipped around the pavillion, and threw the stones and shells against the shutters.

Alice: (Irritated) Shut up, be quiet. Otherwise I'll come out and you'll be in for it.

That seemed to do the trick as it was quiet all of a sudden. Suspicious, Alice peeped through the cracks of the shutters - she could not see anything. Carefully she went to the door, opened it quietly and peaked outside - again there was nothing. Therefore, more or less reassured, she left the door open and laid down in the deckchair again.

But her tormentors had not at all given up. They ran to the shore and fished out a huge jellyfish. The Pied Piper nodded towards them encouragingly, and the eldest carried the jellyfish with his arms stretched out in front of him. He whispered something into the ear on the youngest, whereupon the latter separated from the others. Thus they sneaked from two sides to the pavillion. The youngest positioned himself at the entry, glanced once again around insecurely, finally took heart, and knocked on the wood frame. Thereupon Alice started from her idleness.

Third Boy: Don't be mad at me, Alice. The other three are gone. They didn't want to play with me any more.

Meanwhile a shutter behind Alice, which she probably had not locked correctly, opened noiselessly. The oldest boy climbed in as if on cat paws, and had the jellyfish handed in to him from the outside. The youngest had noticed everything and went on trying to distract Alice.

Alice: I don't play with little kids.

Third Boy: We could build a sand castle.

Alice: But I don't want to play with you.

Third Boy: You're mean.

Alice: So I'm mean, so what. And now get lost!

She waved brusquely with her hand to finally get rid of him. Then she saw the little rascal's eyes widen with tense expectation. Instinctively Alice turned around, and could just about evade the slimy jellyfish, which landed, splash, on the empty deckchair.

Alice presented the thrower with a couple of fierce slaps until he had squeezed past her and ran giggling to the others outside. Alice railed at them until they were out of hearing range.

Finally she turned to the deckchair to remove the slippery jellyfish. But in the meantime it had turned into delicious jelly. As she had not had any food for a long time, she ate a handful of it. And immediately she changed once again, and stuck in the unloved little-girl's outfit again that she had entered the pavilion with. Sullenly she looked at herself - no, she did not like this outfit at all any more. Ashamed she glanced outside and checked the beach for the boys and the Pied Piper. When she did not see anybody, she plucked up courage and ran out with small clumsy steps. When she escaped in the direction of the dunes, she passed the boys, who had hidden behind a closed lemonade stand to play with marbles. As they saw Alice in her present state they turned their backs towards her boredly as if they thought that one could not play with so little girls anyway. Instead they went on with their game of marbles.

When Alice had reached the protective dunes, she slowed down. She pulled angrily at the hated child's dress and tried to take it off. But it fitted as if glued on. Then she tried to make at least ladylike movements by stalking as gracefully as if wearing stiletto heels and an evening dress. But since the sand was dry and fine and therefore gave way, she did not cut a very successful figure. Discouraged she went on, and suddenly discovered a smoke trail behind a high dune. She could not make out anything else since the smoke rose right in front of the pale sun disk, and Alice had to screw up her eyes firmly to see anything at all. She climbed up the dune towards the smoke and at last disappeared in it.