(Through the Looking-Glass – Chapter II: The Garden of Live Flowers – by Lewis Carroll, transcribed into Ñspel, a new way of spelling devised by Frank Johnson. With audio accompaniment.)
“I
śd si ɖ gardn far betr,” sd Alis t hrslf, “f I cd gt t ɖ top v ɖt hil: n hir’z a paʈ ɖt līdz stret t it—at līst, no, it dz’nt d ɖt—” (aftr gwñ a fy yardz alñ ɖ paʈ, n trnñ sevṛl śarp cornrz), “bt I s’poz it wl at last. Bt hǎ krịsli it twists! It’s mor lîc a corcscru ɖn a paʈ! Wel, ɖs trn gz t ɖ hil, I s’poz—no, it dz’nt! Ɖs gz stret bac t ɖ hǎs! Wel ɖen, I’l trî it ɖ uɖr we.”
N so ś dd: wonḍrñ p n dǎn, n trayñ trn aftr trn, bt olwz cmñ bac t ɖ hǎs, d ẃt ś wd. Indd, wns, ẃn ś trnd a cornr rɖr mor qcli ɖn yźl, ś ran agnst it bfr ś cd stop hrslf.
“It’s no ys tōcñ abt it,” Alis sd, lcñ p at ɖ hǎs n pritndñ it wz arğwñ wɖ hr. “I’m nt gwñ in agn yt. I nǒ I śd hv t gt ʈru ɖ Lcñglas agn—bac intu ɖ old rūm—n ɖr’d b an end v ol mî advnćrz!”
So, reẓlutli trnñ hr bac upn ɖ hǎs, ś set ǎt wns mor dǎn ɖ paʈ, dtrmind t cīp stret on tl ś got t ɖ hil. Fr a fy minits ol wnt on wel, n ś wz jst seyñ, “I riyli śl d it ɖs tîm—” ẃn ɖ paʈ gev a sudn twist n śc itslf (az ś dscrîbd it aftwdz), n ɖ nxt momnt ś faund hrslf acćli wōcñ in at ɖ dor.
“Ǒ, it’s tù bad!” ś craid. “I nvr sw sć a hǎs fr gtñ in ɖ we! Nvr!”
Hvr, ɖr wz ɖ hil fl in sît, so ɖr wz nʈñ t b dn bt start agn. Ɖs tîm ś cem upn a larj flǎrbed, wɖ a bordr v deiziz, n a wilotrī growñ in ɖ midl.
“O Tîgrlili,” sd Alis, adresñ hrslf t wn ɖt wz wevñ gresf̣li abt in ɖ wind, “I wś y cd tōc!”
“W cn tōc,” sd ɖ Tîgrlili: “ẃn ɖr’z enbdi wrʈ tōcñ t.”
Alis wz so astoniśt ɖt ś cd nt spīc fr a minit: it qt sīmd t tec hr breʈ awe. At leñʈ, az ɖ Tîgrlili onli wnt on wevñ abt, ś spouc agn, in a timid vôs—olmst in a ẃispr. “N cn ol ɖ flǎrz tōc?”
“Az wel az y cn,” sd ɖ Tîgrlili. “N a gret dīl lǎdr.”
“It z’nt manrz fr s t bgin, y nǒ,” sd ɖ Rôz, “n I riyli wz wunḍrñ ẃn y’d spīc! Sd I t mslf, “Hr fes hz got sm sns in it, ɖo it’s nt a clevr wn!” Stl, y’r ɖ rît culr, n ɖt gz a loñ we.”
“I d’nt cer abt ɖ culr,” ɖ Tîgrlili rmarct. “F onli hr petlz crld p a litl mor, ś’d b ol rît.”
Alis dd’nt lîc biyñ criṭsîzd, so ś bgan ascñ qsćnz. “R’nt y smtmz frîtnd at biyñ plantd ǎt hir, wɖ nbdi t tec cer v y?”
“Ɖr’z ɖ tri in ɖ midl,” sd ɖ Rôz: “ẃt els z it gd fr?”
“Bt ẃt cd it d, f eni denjr cem?” Alis asct.
“It sz “Bǎ-wǎ!”“ craid a Deizi: “ɖt’s ẃ its branćz r cōld bauz!”
“Dd’nt y nǒ ɖt?” craid anɖr Deizi, n hir ɖe ol bgan śǎtñ tgɖr, tl ɖ er sīmd qt fl v litl śril vôsz. “Sîḷns, evri wn v y!” craid ɖ Tîgrlili, wevñ itslf paśṇtli fṛm sîd t sîd, n tremḅlñ wɖ xîtmnt. “Ɖe nǒ I c’nt gt at ɖm!” it pantd, bndñ its qiṿrñ hed twdz Alis, “or ɖe wd’nt der t d it!”
“Nvr mînd!” Alis sd in a suɖñ ton, n stūpñ dǎn t ɖ deiziz, hu wr jst bginñ agn, ś ẃisprd, “F y d’nt hold yr tuñz, I’l pic y!”
Ɖr wz sîḷns in a momnt, n sevṛl v ɖ pnc deiziz trnd ẃît.
“Ɖt’s rît!” sd ɖ Tîgrlili. “Ɖ deiziz r wrst v ol. Ẃn wn spīcs, ɖe ol bgin tgɖr, n it’s inuf t mc wn wiɖr t hír ɖ we ɖe g on!”
“Hǎ z it y cn ol tōc so nîsli?” Alis sd, hopñ t gt it intu a betr tmpr bî a complimnt. “I’v bn in mni gardnz bfr, bt nn v ɖ flǎrz cd tōc.”
“Pt yr hand dǎn, n fīl ɖ grǎnd,” sd ɖ Tîgrlili. “Ɖen y’l nǒ ẃ.”
Alis dd so. “It’s vri hard,” ś sd, “bt I d’nt si ẃt ɖt hz t d wɖ it.”
“In most gardnz,” ɖ Tîgrlili sd, “ɖe mc ɖ bedz tù soft—so ɖt ɖ flǎrz r olwz aslip.”
Ɖs sǎndd a vri gd rīzn, n Alis wz qt plizd t nǒ it. “I nvr ʈt v ɖt bfr!” ś sd.
“It’s mî opińn ɖt y nvr ʈnc at ol,” ɖ Rôz sd in a rɖr svir ton.
“I nvr sw enbdi ɖt lct stypidr,” a Vayḷt sd, so sudnli, ɖt Alis qt jumt; fr it hd’nt spocn bfr.
“Hold yr tuñ!” craid ɖ Tîgrlili. “Az f y evr sw enbdi! Y cīp yr hed undr ɖ līvz, n snor awe ɖr, tl y nǒ no mor ẃt’s gwñ on in ɖ wrld, ɖn f y wr a bud!”
“R ɖr eni mor ppl in ɖ gardn bsdz m?” Alis sd, nt ćuzñ t notis ɖ Rôz’z last rmarc.
“Ɖr’z wn uɖr flǎr in ɖ gardn ɖt cn muv abt lîc y,” sd ɖ Rôz. “I wundr hǎ y d it—” (“Y’r olwz wunḍrñ,” sd ɖ Tîgrlili), “bt ś’z mor bŭśi ɖn y r.”
“Z ś lîc m?” Alis asct īgrli, fr ɖ ʈt crost hr mînd, “Ɖr’z anɖr litl grl in ɖ gardn, smẃr!”
“Wel, ś hz ɖ sem ōcẉd śep az y,” ɖ Rôz sd, “bt ś’z redr—n hr petlz r śortr, I ʈnc.”
“Hr petlz r dn p clos, olmst lîc a deła,” ɖ Tîgrlili inṭruptd: “nt tumbld abt enhǎ, lîc yrz.”
“Bt ɖt’s nt yr fōlt,” ɖ Rôz add cîndli: “y’r bginñ t fed, y nǒ—n ɖen wn c’nt hlp wn’z petlz gtñ a litl untîdi.”
Alis dd’nt lîc ɖs îdīa at ol: so, t ćenj ɖ subjict, ś asct “Dz ś evr cm ǎt hir?”
“I derse y’l si hr sn,” sd ɖ Rôz. “Ś’z wn v ɖ ʈorni cnd.”
“Ẃr dz ś wer ɖ ʈornz?” Alis asct wɖ sm krioṣti.
“Ẃ ol rnd hr hed, v cors,” ɖ Rôz rplaid. “I wz wunḍrñ y hd’nt got sm tù. I ʈt it wz ɖ reğlr rūl.”
“Ś’z cmñ!” craid ɖ Larcspŕ. “I hír hr ftstep, ʈump, ʈump, ʈump, alñ ɖ gravl wōc!”
Alis lct rnd īgrli, n faund ɖt it wz ɖ Red Qīn. “Ś’z groun a gd dīl!” wz hr frst rmarc. Ś hd indd: ẃn Alis frst faund hr in ɖ aśz, ś hd bn onli ʈri inćz hî—n hir ś wz, haf a hed tōlr ɖn Alis hrslf!
“It’s ɖ freś er ɖt dz it,” sd ɖ Rôz: “wundrf̣li fîn er it z, ǎt hir.”
“I ʈnc I’l g n mīt hr,” sd Alis, fr, ɖo ɖ flǎrz wr inṭrestñ inuf, ś flt ɖt it wd b far grandr t hv a tōc wɖ a riyl Qīn.
“Y c’nt poṣbli d ɖt,” sd ɖ Rôz: “I śd advîz y t wōc ɖ uɖr we.”
Ɖs sǎndd nonsns t Alis, so ś sd nʈñ, bt set of at wns twdz ɖ Red Qīn. T hr s’prîz, ś lost sît v hr in a momnt, n faund hrslf wōcñ in at ɖ frunt dor agn.
A litl pṛvoct, ś drù bac, n aftr lcñ evrẃr fr ɖ qīn (hūm ś spaid ǎt at last, a loñ we of), ś ʈt ś wd trî ɖ plan, ɖs tîm, v wōcñ in ɖ oṗzit d’rex́n.
It s’xidd bytifli. Ś hd nt bn wōcñ a minit bfr ś faund hrslf fes t fes wɖ ɖ Red Qīn, n fl in sît v ɖ hil ś hd bn so loñ emñ at.
“Ẃr d y cm fṛm?” sd ɖ Red Qīn. “N ẃr r y gwñ? Lc p, spīc nîsli, n d’nt twidl yr fngrz ol ɖ tîm.”
Alis atndd t ol ɖz d’rex́nz, n xplend, az wel az ś cd, ɖt ś hd lost hr we.
“I d’nt nǒ ẃt y mīn bî yr we,” sd ɖ Qīn: “ol ɖ wez abt hir b’loñ t m—bt ẃ dd y cm ǎt hir at ol?” ś add in a cîndr ton. “Crtsi ẃl y’r ʈncñ ẃt t se, it sevz tîm.”
Alis wundrd a litl at ɖs, bt ś wz tù mć in ō v ɖ Qīn t disḅliv it. “I’l trî it ẃn I g hom,” ś ʈt t hrslf, “ɖ nxt tîm I’m a litl lêt fr dinr.”
“It’s tîm fr y t ansr nǎ,” ɖ Qīn sd, lcñ at hr woć: “opn yr mǎʈ a litl wîdr ẃn y spīc, n olwz se ‘yr Maɉsti’.”
“I onli wontd t si ẃt ɖ gardn wz lîc, yr Maɉsti—”
“Ɖt’s rît,” sd ɖ Qīn, patñ hr on ɖ hed, ẃć Alis dd’nt lîc at ol, “ɖo, ẃn y se ‘gardn,’—I’v sìn gardnz, cmperd wɖ ẃć ɖs wd b a wilḍnis.”
Alis dd’nt der t argy ɖ pônt, bt wnt on: “—n I ʈt I’d trî n fînd mî we t ɖ top v ɖt hil—”
“Ẃn y se ‘hil’,” ɖ Qīn inṭruptd, “I cd śo y hilz, in cmpaṛsn wɖ ẃć y’d cōl ɖt a vali.”
“No, I śd’nt,” sd Alis, s’prîzd intu contṛdictñ hr at last: “a hil c’nt b a vali, y nǒ. Ɖt wd b nonsns—”
Ɖ Red Qīn śc hr hed, “Y me cōl it ‘nonsns’ f y lîc,” ś sd, “bt I’v hŕd nonsns, cmperd wɖ ẃć ɖt wd b az snṣbl az a dix́nri!”
Alis crtsid agn, az ś wz afreid fṛm ɖ Qīn’z ton ɖt ś wz a litl ofndd: n ɖe wōct on in sîḷns tl ɖe got t ɖ top v ɖ litl hil.
Fr sm minits Alis std wɖt spīcñ, lcñ ǎt in ol d’rex́nz ovr ɖ cuntri—n a most krịs cuntri it wz. Ɖr wr a numbr v tîni litl brŭcs runñ stret acrs it fṛm sîd t sîd, n ɖ grǎnd btwn wz dvîdd p intu sqerz bî a numbr v litl grīn hejz, ɖt rīćt fṛm brŭc t brŭc.
“I dcler it’s marct ǎt jst lîc a larj ćésbord!” Alis sd at last. “Ɖr òt t b sm men muvñ abt smẃr—n so ɖr r!” Ś add in a ton v dlît, n hr hart bgan t bìt qc wɖ xîtmnt az ś wnt on. “It’s a gret hyj gem v ćés ɖt’s biyñ pleid—ol ovr ɖ wrld—f ɖs z ɖ wrld at ol, y nǒ. Ǒ, ẃt fun it z! Hǎ I wś I wz wn v ɖm! I wd’nt mînd biyñ a Pōn, f onli I mt jôn—ɖo v cors I śd lîc t b a Qīn, bst.”
Ś glanst rɖr śîli at ɖ riyl Qīn az ś sd ɖs, bt hr cmpańn onli smîld plezntli, n sd, “Ɖt’s īẓli manijd. Y cn b ɖ Ẃît Qīn’z Pōn, f y lîc, az Lili’z tù yuñ t ple; n y’r in ɖ Secnd Sqer t bgin wɖ: ẃn y gt t ɖ Etʈ Sqer y’l b a Qīn—” Jst at ɖs momnt, smhǎ or uɖr, ɖe bgan t run.
Alis nvr cd qt mc ǎt, in ʈncñ it ovr aftwdz, hǎ it wz ɖt ɖe bgan: ol ś rmembrz z, ɖt ɖe wr runñ hand in hand, n ɖ Qīn wnt so fast ɖt it wz ol ś cd d t cīp p wɖ hr: n stl ɖ Qīn cept crayñ “Fastr! Fastr!” bt Alis flt ś cd nt g fastr, ɖo ś hd nt breʈ left t se so.
Ɖ most krịs part v ɖ ʈñ wz, ɖt ɖ triz n ɖ uɖr ʈñz rnd ɖm nvr ćenjd ɖer plesz at ol: hvr fast ɖe wnt, ɖe nvr sīmd t pas enʈñ. “I wundr f ol ɖ ʈñz muv alñ wɖ s?” ʈt pur puzld Alis. N ɖ Qīn sīmd t ges hr ʈts, fr ś craid, “Fastr! D’nt trî t tōc!”
Nt ɖt Alis hd eni îdīa v dwñ ɖt. Ś flt az f ś wd nvr b ebl t tōc agn, ś wz gtñ so mć ǎt v breʈ: n stl ɖ Qīn craid “Fastr! Fastr!” n dragd hr alñ. “R w nirli ɖr?” Alis manijd t pant ǎt at last.
“Nirli ɖr!” ɖ Qīn rpitd. “Ẃ, w pást it ten minits ago! Fastr!” N ɖe ran on fr a tîm in sîḷns, wɖ ɖ wind ẃiṣlñ in Alis’z irz, n olmst blowñ hr her of hr hed, ś fansid.
“Nǎ! Nǎ!” craid ɖ Qīn. “Fastr! Fastr!” N ɖe wnt so fast ɖt at last ɖe sīmd t scim ʈru ɖ er, hardli tućñ ɖ grǎnd wɖ ɖer fīt, tl sudnli, jst az Alis wz gtñ qt xōstd, ɖe stopt, n ś faund hrslf sitñ on ɖ grǎnd, breʈlis n gidi.
Ɖ Qīn propt hr p agnst a tri, n sd cîndli, “Y me rest a litl nǎ.”
Alis lct rnd hr in gret s’prîz. “Ẃ, I d b’liv w’v bn undr ɖs tri ɖ hol tîm! Evrʈñ’z jst az it wz!”
“V cors it z,” sd ɖ Qīn, “ẃt wd y hv it?”
“Wel, in ǎr cuntri,” sd Alis, stl pantñ a litl, “y’d jenṛli gt t smẃr els—f y ran vri fast fr a loñ tîm, az w’v bn dwñ.”
“A slo sort v cuntri!” sd ɖ Qīn. “Nǎ, hir, y si, it tecs ol ɖ runñ y cn d, t cīp in ɖ sem ples. F y wont t gt smẃr els, y mst run at līst twîs az fast az ɖt!”
“I’d rɖr nt trî, plīz!” sd Alis. “I’m qt cntnt t ste hir—onli I am so hot n ʈrsti!”
“I nǒ ẃt y’d lîc!” ɖ Qīn sd gd-nećrdli, tecñ a litl box ǎt v hr pocit. “Hv a biscit?”
Alis ʈt it wd nt b sivl t se “No,” ɖo it wz’nt at ol ẃt ś wontd. So ś tc it, n ét it az wel az ś cd: n it wz vri drî; n ś ʈt ś hd nvr bn so nirli ćoct in ol hr lîf.
“Ẃl y’r rfreśñ yrslf,” sd ɖ Qīn, “I’l jst tec ɖ meźrmnts.” N ś tc a ribn ǎt v hr pocit, marct in inćz, n bgan meẓ́rñ ɖ grǎnd, n sticñ litl pegz in hir n ɖr.
“At ɖ end v tū yardz,” ś sd, ptñ in a peg t marc ɖ distns, “I śl gv y yr d’rex́nz—hv anɖr biscit?”
“No, ʈanc y,” sd Alis: “wn’z qt inuf!”
“Ʈrst qnćt, I hop?” sd ɖ Qīn.
Alis dd nt nǒ ẃt t se t ɖs, bt luc̣li ɖ Qīn dd nt wêt fr an ansr, bt wnt on. “At ɖ end v ʈri yardz I śl rpit ɖm—fr fir v yr fgetñ ɖm. At ɖ end v for, I śl se gdbî. N at ɖ end v fîv, I śl g!”
Ś hd got ol ɖ pegz pt in bî ɖs tîm, n Alis lct on wɖ gret inṭrest az ś rtrnd t ɖ tri, n ɖen bgan slǒli wōcñ dǎn ɖ ro.
At ɖ two-yard peg ś fest rnd, n sd, “A pōn gz tū sqerz in its frst muv, y nǒ. So y’l g vri qcli ʈru ɖ Ʈrd Sqer—bî relwe, I śd ʈnc—n y’l fînd yrslf in ɖ Forʈ Sqer in no tîm. Wel, ɖt sqer b’loñz t Twīdldúm n Twīdldī—ɖ Fifʈ z mostli wōtr—ɖ Sixʈ b’loñz t Humti Dumti—Bt y mc no rmarc?”
“I—I dd’nt nǒ I hd t mc wn—jst ɖen,” Alis fōltrd ǎt.
“Y śd hv sd, “It’s xtrimli cnd v y t tel m ol ɖs”—hvr, w’l s’poz it sd—ɖ Sevnʈ Sqer z ol forist—hvr, wn v ɖ Naits wl śo y ɖ we—n in ɖ Etʈ Sqer w śl b Qīnz tgɖr, n it’s ol fīstñ n fun!” Alis got p n crtsid, n sat dǎn agn.
At ɖ nxt peg ɖ Qīn trnd agn, n ɖs tîm ś sd, “Spīc in Frenć ẃn y c’nt ʈnc v ɖ Ñgliś fr a ʈñ—trn ǎt yr toz az y wōc—n rmembr hu y r!” Ś dd nt wêt fr Alis t crtsi ɖs tîm, bt wōct on qcli t ɖ nxt peg, ẃr ś trnd fr a momnt t se “gdbî,” n ɖen hurid on t ɖ last.
Hǎ it hapnd, Alis nvr ń, bt xacli az ś cem t ɖ last peg, ś wz gn. Ẃɖr ś vaniśt intu ɖ er, or ẃɖr ś ran qcli intu ɖ wŭd (“n ś cn run vri fast!” ʈt Alis), ɖr wz no we v gesñ, bt ś wz gn, n Alis bgan t rmembr ɖt ś wz a Pōn, n ɖt it wd sn b tîm fr hr t muv.
