What It's Like To Be Small

Gwen woke up and stretched. "What do you know, we're back in the castle!" she exclaimed. "And the floor seems to be back, too," she added, looking over the edge of the couch. "Do you suppose it's safe to walk on?"

Lance yawned. "How do you know it's even the same room?" he asked.

"Silly-of course it's the same," she said. "The wallpaper is the same."

"How did you notice wallpaper when you were falling through the floor?" grumbled Lance. Before she had time to answer, he went on, "Anyway, where do we go next?"

"Through the door next to this one," said Gwen. "Unless you want to try to find your way through more of the maze."

Lance was agreeable, so they went next door after checking the floor carefully.

"So now what?" said Gwen. "Nothing's happening. I want to go somewhere-somewhere with food. I'm starving."

"I thought you said I was the one always thinking of food," Lance pointed out. "Anyway, there's never anything to eat in this castle."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a tray of food magically appeared on the table next to him. Gwen burst out laughing at the look of surprise on his face.

"I wonder if it's safe to eat?" she asked when she was able.

"Of course it's safe!" said a voice. Gwen turned and saw Org sitting behind her.

"Org!" cried both children.

"Up close and in person," he agreed, eyes twinkling. "Eat up, kiddoes. You deserve a feast. Excellent work, getting off that beanstalk. None of the other earth children ever managed it. Those parachutes! Brilliant idea!"

"Yes, well, we could have died, you know," said Gwen severely.

"Ah, but you didn't," said Org happily. "You two are the best ones I've chosen so far. Enjoy this new gateway. It's lots of fun." And in a twinkling, he was gone.

"How rude!" exclaimed Gwen. "He never stays around to answer any questions!" But she and Lance ate as much as they could hold, and stuffed their pockets with extra cookies. Gwen accidentally dropped a cookie on the floor. Reaching to pick it up, she was astonished when the room began to grow larger. Looking up, she saw that the ceiling was rapidly growing higher and farther away, until it was just a blur.

"What's happening?" she cried, as the furniture grew huge and towered over them..

"We're shrinking!" yelled Lance.

Gwen saw something large and tan growing rapidly beside her. Soon it was many feet taller than she was. It was covered with brown spots and smelled delicious.

"My chocolate chip cookie! I'm smaller than it is!" she said in delight. But she grew afraid when the cookie grew even bigger, to the size of a mountain! "We're smaller than a crumb!" she cried. "Are we going to disappear? It really seemed that way. The crumb grew so huge, (or they grew so tiny) that it disappeared. They were the size of a cell-the size of an atom.and finally, the shrinking stopped.

"I wonder how small we really are," said Gwen.

"Incredibly small," said Lance. "Thousands of times smaller than a crumb!"

"We're just like the 'Who's'!" said Gwen.

"The who?" asked Lance.

"Not who. Who's," said Gwen impatiently. "Remember, in the Dr. Seuss story, Horton Hears a Who? He found a clover, and there was a crumb or something on it, and a whole civilization of teeny weeny people on the crumb. That's how small we are!"

"You mean we're in the world of the Who's?" asked Lance.

"Not Who's. Whats," said a voice. They both turned and saw a man. He wore in very bright colors, had bright green skin and bright yellow hair.

"What are you?" asked Gwen.

"Yes! Exactly!" the man beamed.  "Correct!" said the man. "You've guessed it!"

"Guessed what?" asked Lance, bewildered.

"Yes. I am!" said the man.

"But who are you?" sputtered Lance impatiently.

"No, no, not a Who!" said the man earnestly. "A What!"

"That's what I want to know!" yelled Lance, his face red as fire.

"Lance, wait!" cried Gwen. "I understand! This man's name is "What"!

"Perfectly right!" said the man in delight. "But it's not just my name-it's what I am! All the people in my homeland are called Whats."

"In the Dr. Seuss story, all the people were called Whos," said Gwen. "And their home was called Whoville, I think. Is your home called Whatville?"

"No, my homeland is called Whataworld. Are you earth people?"

"We are," said Lance. "But I don't see Whataworld anywhere."

"I'll take you to it!" said the What happily. "Through a gateway I have only just now discovered! I am an explorer! My people will be so happy that I have found earth!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Gwen, "but I'm afraid this isn't earth!"

"It's not?" he cried in disappointment.

"No! It's just a room in Adventure Castle, in Adventure Storyland."

"How very confusing. But never mind, at least I have found someone who knows how to find earth. Would you come to Whataworld with me and tell my fellow scientists everything you know about it? We are most anxious to learn about earth!"

"And we want to see Whataworld!" said Lance. "Let's go!" They followed the man across the vast floor until they came to a towering wall. "It must be the wall of the room," said Lance, and when the man led them into a large cave, Lance added, "and this must be a tiny crack in the wall, smaller than the human eye can see." They were again surrounded by mists, and they knew they were again being transported to another world. Sure enough, when the mists disappeared, they found themselves in a world of brilliant color. The grass was emerald green, the sky full of dazzling light, and ahead of them was a small but bright city that was every color of the rainbow.

"Welcome to Whataworld!" said the man proudly. "This is our main and only city. Come in, come in!" and he led them into a city full of the strangest people they had ever seen. Every person was a different color, they wore clothes in bright jewel-like hues, and their hairstyles were every possible color as well.

"Oh, what kind of people are these?" cried Gwen in amazement.

"Exactly, Miss! They are all people of the What kind. Over there." he pointed, "is What R.U. Doing. He's our nosiest citizen. He's always asking questions. And over there," he pointed to an unhappy-looking fellow, "that's What A. Grouch. He never smiles. And there's I Dunno What. He's a nice fellow, but not too smart."

"Is everyone here named 'What'?" asked Lance.

"Of course. We all have the word 'What' somewhere in our names. I myself am called What Didyoufind. That's because I'm a scientist and an explorer."

"Pleased to meet you," said Gwen. "I'm Gwen and this is Lance. But your name is kind of hard to say. Do you mind if I just call you WDYF. for short?"

"Not at all, go right ahead," said WDYF generously.

They were strolling through the town as he spoke. They passed several bright-colored shops with signs in the windows. One sign said, "The Good Luck Shop. Lucky Pennies, Lucky Horseshoes, Lucky Clovers, Etc. What Luck, Owner and Proprietor." Another shop had a sign that said, "Clock Shop. What Timeisit, Owner and Clock Repairman". Another shop had a sign that said, "Tailor Shop."

"That's where Sew What works," said WDYF. "And next to his shop is the shop of What Didyousay. He makes hearing aids."

"So many 'whats' must be confusing," remarked Lance, looking at a sign that read, "Whatameal Restaurant. What S. Fordinner, Head Chef."

"Are the women called 'What' as well?" asked Gwen.

"Actually, they are mostly named 'Whatta'. There's Whatta Snob, our richest citizen," he said, pointing to a pink-haired woman wearing lots of jewels. And there is Whatta Brain, the schoolteacher, Whatta Gooddeal, who owns a department store, Whatta Lottamoney, the banker...oh, and the librarian, Whatta Storyteller."

By this time they had reached the town square at the center of town. "Over there on the steps of the town hall," he pointed out, "Is our new mayor, Whatta Leader. She's much better than our former mayors, Whatta Liar and What A. Bunchabaloney. We never could believe anything they said."

Gwen looked around the square. She saw an imposing medical building, with a sign that read, "Whatswrong Medical Clinic." A smaller sign in a window read,

"What Sup (Doc)

"I'm not sure I can take much more of this," muttered Lance to Gwen.

She giggled. "What's the problem?" she asked, and he gave her a dirty look.

Just then they saw a strange woman crossing the square. She wore overalls and carried tools. She was covered with mud, oil, grease, and paint.

"Who's that?" asked Lance.

"Oh, she's our handiest citizen," said WDYF. "That's Whatta Mess. She does all the dirty work, so the rest of us don't have to. Everyone is very fond of her."

He pointed out the down jail. "It's run by our sherriff, What A. Toughguy." On the front steps a man in a black-and-white striped suit slowly swept the steps. "That's our one and only prisoner, What A. Shame. He takes all the punishments. If anyone gets a parking ticket, or a speeding ticket, What A. Shame takes the punishment for us. But no one ever commits a really serious crime. We wouldn't do that to him. This way he only stays in jail for a few hours, and always gets to go home for dinner."

"I see," said Gwen, who really didn't see at all.

"Well, her we are," said WDYF proudly. They saw a large building with a giant telescope on its roof. "This is the What's Out There Science and Exploration Center, where I work.. We've made some incredible discoveries. We've discovered what makes flapjacks flap. And we're very close to finding out what makes bubble gum bubble."

Gwen choked back another giggle. Lance poked her. "Be quiet," he whispered.

"Our greatest triumph," said What Didyoufind seriously, "Is the great telescope on the roof. Using it, we have made a Major Discovery. But it is too secret to talk about here in public," he lowered his voice, "so please come inside to the Conference Room.". They found themselves in a room with a large table where three other Whats were sitting. Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "these are the earth children. They've come to help us."

"Well, not exactly," began Lance. But he never finished, for suddenly there was a tremendous roaring noise. The whole building shook, and plaster fell from the ceiling.

"EARTHQUAKE!" screamed the scientists, and they all dived under the table. The roaring was like thunder in their ears. The walls began to sway. A giant cracking noise was heard, and the walls began to fall apart. Outside, they could hear screams and cries. WDYF grabbed Gwen and pulled her underneath the table.

"Lance!" screamed Gwen. "Under here!" But it was too late. The roof crashed in, burying Lance under tons of plaster and wood. It seemed as though the awful shaking would never stop. But at last it stopped, and there was deathly quiet everywhere.

Cautiously, the scientists tipped over the table and stood up. One leg was broken off the table, but they were not hurt. Gwen cried, "We have to find Lance!"

"I'm under here," came a voice from beneath a pile of rubble in the corner.

"Lance! Thank heavens!" gasped Gwen. "Are you hurt?"

"No," said Lance. "But there's a beam on top of me. I can't get out."

"Never fear!" said WDYF cheerfully. "Help is on the way. What A. Disaster and his rescue team will save us. Only it may take a few days."

Gwen looked around. "We could use the table legs as a ladder to climb out. But we have to get Lance unstuck first. We can use the broken-off leg as a lever!"

"A what?" asked the scientists.

"A lever! You know-wedge one end under the beam, and put all our weight on the other end, and maybe we can pry the beam up far enough for Lance to crawl out."

The scientists looked amazed. "Remarkable! A lever! We never heard of one!" they murmured. The plan worked perfectly. They all piled on one end, and the other end pushed the beam up just enough for Lance to squeeze out. "Thanks!" he said gratefully to Gwen. Then they all used the table legs as a ladder and climbed out of the rubble.

The town was a mess--collapsed roofs and fallen walls everywhere, but amazingly, it seemed no one had been hurt. And the Whats were already busy cleaning up the mess.

"You'd think they'd been through an earthquake before!" said Lance admiringly.

"Oh, they have-many times," said the mayor. "We have many earthquakes."

What Didyoufind whispered, "Come with me. I need your help!" He led them to where the giant telescope lay on its side. They managed to stand it up again.

"This is what I brought you here for," he said to Lance and Gwen softly. "Remember that Great Discovery I told you about? We looked through this telescope and." he swallowed hard, "we discovered that our world is part of another, much bigger world, inhabited by enormous giants, as big as you earth people. Our whole world is built on something huge that belongs to those giants. We believe it is like something you have on earth. We think it may cause the earthquakes. Would you please take a look through our giant telescope, and see if you can tell us what this thing is?"

"Sure," said Lance. He looked and saw a vast expanse of metal. He saw giant knobs and buttons, and an enormous metal contraption that looked like a handle. And off to one side, he saw some sort of giant bag attached to the side. The bag looked like.it looked like.a grass catcher, that was it!

"A lawnmower!" shouted Lance in triumph. "It's a giant lawnmower!
"Their world is built on top of a giant lawnmower?" asked Gwen in disbelief.

"That's what causes the earthquakes," said Lance, climbing down. "Every time

the giant starts up his lawnmower, they have an earthquake!"

The What scientists had never heard of lawnmowers. "A machine that cuts grass? This is truly a wonder!" they said. A few hours later, they all stood on the steps of the town hall, while Mayor Whatta Leader made a speech. She announced that the Whats would move their city to a new location, and declared that Lance and Gwen were heroes for solving the mystery. She presented them with a proclamation, stated that statues of them would stand in the new town square, and invited them to stay.

"Thanks," said Gwen. "But we have to go back now." They followed What Didyoufind back through the mists and the cave to the castle. They had barely said goodbye when they felt themselves begin to grow. The cave shrank into a tiny crack and disappeared, and the cookie soon fit into Gwen's pocket again. Soon they were full size..

"Well," said Gwen, "at least the mayor's proclamation grew with us." She unrolled it and read,

"You reached our city though a cave,
And our whole world you did save!"

"Lousy poetry," Lance. "But it must be our clue. It makes as little sense as ever."

"Oh, well," said Gwen, "What an adventure we had, anyway!" She giggled as Lance gave her a dirty look. "Sorry!" she apologized. "I couldn't help it."

"Let's get out of here," he growled.

Together, they pulled open the heavy door and stepped out into the castle corridor.