THE DANCING ANIMALS
by Charles E. Carryl · from The Admiral's Caravan
Adapted Version
Dorothy walked down a bright, quiet street. The houses had small doors. The windows had green glass. She heard happy music. She heard shuffling feet.
She saw tall birds dancing. They were storks. They danced in the street. The music got faster. The storks danced faster. They bumped into each other. Then they flew away. The music went with them.
But the shuffling sound stayed. It came from the houses.
Dorothy wanted to know. She went to a window. She peeped inside. She saw shadows dancing. She opened the door. She went inside.
Many beasts were dancing. They saw Dorothy. "Here she is!" they shouted. An elephant and a sheep took her hands. They all danced in a circle.
Dorothy looked around. All the beasts were the same size. She talked to the sheep. "You all look the same," said Dorothy.
"We all dance the same!" said the sheep. It pointed at some pigs. "Those are pigs. The pigs wore 'PIG' signs."
"Did you come from Noah's Ark?" asked Dorothy.
"Yes! A big one!" said the sheep. "You are clever."
The elephant shouted, "Recess!" The beasts stopped dancing. They fanned themselves with papers.
"Now," said the elephant. "She can dance with Camel Sarah."
The camel looked sad. She came over. Her name was Sarah. She was grumpy.
The elephant shouted, "Ladies change!" The beasts danced. They passed Dorothy from one to the next. It was a fun game.
Dorothy was passed through a hearth! She slid into the next house. It was full of dancing beasts too.
The elephant shouted, "All cross over!" The beasts ran out. They ran across the street. It was a big rush.
Dorothy hid behind a big pot. When they were gone, she ran away. She ran down the street.
She was out of the street. She was in the country. She felt happy. She was clever. She had escaped.
She saw a white thing by the road. It was a letter. Dorothy smiled. She picked it up. She wondered what was next.
Original Story
THE DANCING ANIMALS
It seemed to be evening again, and, although the Ferryman was nowhere in sight, Dorothy knew the place the moment she looked up and saw the peaked roofs outlined against the sky. The houses were quaint, old-fashioned-looking buildings with the upper parts jutting far out beyond the lower stories and with dark little doorways almost hidden in the shadows beneath; and the windows were very small casements filled with diamond-shaped panes of shining green glass. All the houses were brilliantly lighted up, and there were great iron lamps swung on chains across the street, so that the street itself was almost as bright as day, and Dorothy thought she recognized it as a place she had once read about where nobody but astrologers lived. There was a confused sound of fiddling going on somewhere, and as Dorothy walked along she could hear a scuffling noise inside the houses as if the inhabitants were dancing about on sanded floors. Presently, as she turned a corner, she came upon a number of storks who were dancing a sort of solemn quadrille up and down the middle of the street. They stopped dancing as she came along, and stood in a row gazing gravely at her as she passed by and then resumed their quadrille as solemnly as before.
The strangest thing about the fiddling was that it seemed to be going on somewhere in the air, and the sound appeared to come from all directions at once. At first the music was soft and rather slow in time, but it grew louder and louder, and the fiddles played faster and faster, until presently they were going at such a furious rate that Dorothy stopped and looked back to see how the storks were getting on in their dancing; and she could see them in the distance, scampering up and down the street, and bumping violently against one another in a frantic attempt to keep time with the music. At any other time she would have been vastly amused at this spectacle; but just then she was feeling a little afraid that some of the astrologers might come out to see what was going on, and she was therefore quite relieved when the storks presently gave up all hope of finishing their quadrille, and rising in the air with a tremendous flapping of wings, flew away over the tops of the houses and disappeared. Strangely enough, the sound of the fiddling followed them like a traveling band, and grew fainter and fainter until it finally died away in the distance.
But the scuffling noise in the houses continued, and Dorothy did just what you'd suppose such a curious little child would have done—that is, she stole up and peeped in at one of the windows; but she could see nothing through the thick glass but some strange-looking shadows bobbing confusedly about inside. Of course you know what she did then. In fact, after hesitating a moment, she softly opened the door of the house and went in.
The room was full of animals of every description, dancing around in a ring with the greatest enthusiasm; and as Dorothy appeared they all shouted, "Here she is!" and, before she could say a single word, the two nearest to her (they were an elephant and a sheep, by the way) seized her by the hands, and the next moment she was dancing in the ring. She was quite surprised to see that the elephant was no bigger than the sheep; and, as she looked about, it seemed to her, in the confusion, that all the animals in the room were of precisely the same size.
"AN ELEPHANT AND A SHEEP SEIZED HER BY THE HANDS, AND THE NEXT MOMENT SHE WAS DANCING IN THE RING."
"Isn't it rather unusual—" she said to the Sheep (it seemed more natural, somehow, to speak to the Sheep)—"isn't it rather unusual for different animals to be so much alike?"
"Not in our set," said the Sheep, conceitedly. "We all know who's who. Of course we have to mark the pigs, as they're so extremely like the polar-bears;" and Dorothy noticed that two pigs, who were dancing just opposite to her, had labels with "PIG" on them hung around their necks by little chains, as if they had been a couple of decanters—"only," she thought, "it would have been 'SHERRY' or 'MADEIRA' instead of 'PIG,' you know."
"I suppose you all came out of a Noah's Ark," she said presently, at a venture.
"Of course. Largest size, I believe. How very clever you are!" said the Sheep, admiringly. "By the way," she added, confidentially, "do you happen to know what a tapir is?"
"I believe it's something to light, like a candle," said Dorothy.
"Does it ever go out of its own accord?" inquired the Sheep.
"It ought not to," said Dorothy.
"Then that accounts for the trouble we've had," said the Sheep, with a satisfied air. "Those two tapirs dancing over there are always in everybody's way, and we've had to put them out over and over again."
This sounded like a joke; but the Sheep was so serious that Dorothy didn't dare to laugh, so she said, by way of continuing the conversation, "I don't see any birds here."
"Oh dear, no!" exclaimed the Sheep; "you see, this is really a quadrupedrille. Of course you're all right, because it's precisely as if you were dancing on your hind feet. In fact," she added, nodding approvingly, "you look almost as well as if you were."
"Thank you!" said Dorothy, laughing.
"There was a seal that wanted to join," the Sheep went on. "He pressed us very hard, but he never made the slightest impression on us;" and there was a twinkle in the Sheep's eyes as she said this, so that Dorothy felt morally certain it was a joke this time; but, before she could make any reply, the Elephant called out "Recess!" and the animals all stopped dancing and began walking about and fanning themselves with little portfolios which they produced in such a mysterious manner that Dorothy couldn't see where in the world they came from.
"Now, look here," said the Elephant,—he seemed to be a sort of Master of Ceremonies, and the animals all clustered about him as he said this,—"why can't she dance with the Camel?" and he pointed out Dorothy with his portfolio.
"She can!" shouted the animals in chorus. "Come on, Sarah!"—and the Camel, who had been moping in a corner with her head against the wall, came forward with a very sulky expression on her face.
"Her name is Sahara," whispered the Sheep, plucking at Dorothy's frock to attract her attention, "but we call her Sarah to save time. She's kind of grumpy now because the other Camel stayed away, but she'll titter like a turtle when she gets to dancing."
"I don't know what relation she is to Humphrey," thought Dorothy, as the Camel took her by the hand, "but she's certainly big enough to be his great-grandmother ten times over." Before she had time to think any more about it, however, the Elephant called out, "Ladies change!" and the dancing began again harder than ever.
It was a very peculiar dance this time, and, as near as Dorothy could make it out, consisted principally in the animals passing her along from one to another as if they were each anxious to get rid of her; and presently she discovered that, in some unaccountable manner, she had been passed directly through the fireplace into the next house; but as this house was quite as full of dancing animals as the other, this didn't help matters much except that it got Sarah out of the way—"and that," said poor little Dorothy to herself, "is certainly something!"
THE ANIMALS CROSSING OVER.
Just then the Elephant, who had mysteriously appeared from a pantry in one corner of the room, shouted out, "All cross over!" and the animals began to crowd out of the house into the courtyard, and then, pushing in great confusion through a large gateway, rushed across the street and into the house on the other side of the way. Dorothy was quite taken off her feet in the rush, but, watching her chance, she hid behind a large churn that was standing conveniently in the middle of the street; and when they had all passed in, she ran away down the street as fast as she could go.
She ran on until she had got quite out of the Ferryman's street, and was walking along in the open country, feeling quite pleased with herself for having so cleverly escaped from the dancing-party without having to take the trouble of saying "Good night" to the Elephant, when she saw, in the moonlight, something white lying beside the road, and going up to it, she discovered it was a letter.
CHAPTER XII
Story DNA
Plot Summary
Dorothy wanders into a strange town where storks dance to invisible fiddling. Her curiosity leads her into a house filled with dancing animals of all kinds, who immediately pull her into their chaotic 'quadrupedrille.' She endures nonsensical conversations and peculiar dance instructions from the animals, who seem to operate on their own absurd logic. When the dance becomes a frantic passing game, Dorothy is passed through a fireplace into another identical house. During a mass 'crossing over' of animals into yet another house, Dorothy seizes the opportunity to hide and escape, eventually finding a mysterious letter in the open country.
Themes
Emotional Arc
curiosity to mild apprehension to relief
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Part of a larger work, 'Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There' by Lewis Carroll, which this story heavily echoes in its style and themes of nonsense and logic puzzles.
Plot Beats (13)
- Dorothy arrives in a brightly lit, old-fashioned street, hearing fiddling and scuffling from houses.
- She observes storks dancing a solemn quadrille in the street, which becomes frantic as the music speeds up, then they fly away.
- The fiddling follows the storks and fades, but the scuffling in the houses continues.
- Dorothy's curiosity leads her to peep into a window, then open the door and enter a house.
- Inside, she finds animals of all descriptions dancing in a ring and is immediately pulled into the dance by an elephant and a sheep.
- She notices all animals appear to be the same size and engages in a peculiar conversation with the Sheep about their 'quadrupedrille' and identifying pigs.
- The Elephant, acting as Master of Ceremonies, calls for a recess, during which animals fan themselves with mysterious portfolios.
- The Elephant then directs Dorothy to dance with a grumpy Camel named Sarah (Sahara).
- The dance resumes, becoming a chaotic passing game where animals pass Dorothy from one to another.
- Dorothy is passed through a fireplace into an identical house, still full of dancing animals.
- The Elephant shouts for all animals to 'cross over,' leading to a confused rush out of the house, across the street, and into another.
- Dorothy seizes the opportunity to hide behind a churn in the street and then runs away.
- She escapes the street of dancing animals and finds herself in the open country, where she discovers a letter by the road.
Characters
Dorothy ★ protagonist
Small, curious, and observant child. Her exact height and build are not specified but she is described as 'little'.
Attire: Not explicitly described, but the Sheep plucks at her 'frock', suggesting a simple, child's dress, likely made of cotton or linen, appropriate for the late 19th/early 20th century setting of the author's other works.
Wants: To understand the strange things happening around her and to escape uncomfortable or frightening situations.
Flaw: Her timidity can make her hesitant, and her politeness can make her endure awkward situations longer than necessary.
She navigates a bewildering social situation with strange animals, learns to assert herself (by escaping), and continues her journey.
Curious, observant, polite, a little timid (afraid of astrologers), clever (escapes the party), and imaginative.
Image Prompt & Upload
A small, curious young girl standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. She has a round face, bright, inquisitive eyes, and fair skin. Her light brown hair is styled simply, perhaps in a bob or short braids. She wears a simple, light-colored cotton frock, possibly with a small collar and short sleeves, and plain, sturdy shoes. Her expression is one of wide-eyed wonder and slight apprehension. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Sheep ◆ supporting
A sheep, but of the same size as an elephant in this fantastical setting. Its wool is likely white or off-white, fluffy and well-kept. It is described as being 'conceited'.
Attire: None, as it is an animal, but its wool is its 'coat'.
Wants: To maintain the social order of their dancing 'set' and to engage in witty banter.
Flaw: Her conceit can make her overlook others' feelings or be overly proud.
Remains consistent as a conceited and witty character, serving to explain the world to Dorothy.
Conceited, talkative, confident, enjoys making jokes (especially puns), and is somewhat gossipy (whispering about the Camel).
Image Prompt & Upload
An anthropomorphic sheep standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. It is the size of a small human child. Its wool is thick and creamy white. It has intelligent, slightly narrowed eyes with a knowing twinkle, and a confident, slightly smug expression. Its mouth is slightly open as if speaking. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Elephant ◆ supporting
An elephant, but of the same size as a sheep in this fantastical setting. Its skin is grey and wrinkled. It is described as a 'Master of Ceremonies'.
Attire: None, as it is an animal.
Wants: To manage and direct the dancing activities of the animals.
Flaw: His abruptness can be startling, and his mysterious appearances are unexplained.
Remains consistent as the authoritative figure, driving the plot forward through his commands.
Authoritative, organized, decisive (calls 'Recess!' and 'Ladies change!'), and somewhat mysterious (appears from a pantry).
Image Prompt & Upload
An anthropomorphic elephant standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. It is the size of a small human child. Its skin is grey and wrinkled, with small tusks. It has an authoritative expression, with intelligent eyes. It holds a small, dark leather portfolio in its trunk. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Sarah (The Camel) ◆ supporting
A camel, but of the same size as the other animals (elephant and sheep). Dorothy notes she is 'certainly big enough to be his great-grandmother ten times over' despite being the same size, indicating a sense of inherent largeness or imposing presence. She has a hump and sandy-colored fur.
Attire: None, as it is an animal.
Wants: Initially, she is motivated by her sadness that 'the other Camel stayed away', leading to her grumpiness. She participates in the dance out of obligation.
Flaw: Her moodiness and reluctance to engage.
She starts sulky but is expected to become more cheerful once she starts dancing.
Grumpy, sulky, reluctant, but capable of becoming animated ('titter like a turtle') when dancing.
Image Prompt & Upload
An anthropomorphic camel standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. It is the size of a small human child. Its fur is sandy brown, and it has a single hump. Its face holds a distinctively sulky and grumpy expression, with downcast eyes. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Storks ○ minor
Tall, elegant birds with long legs, long necks, and large beaks. They are white with black wing feathers. They are capable of dancing a solemn quadrille.
Attire: None, as they are birds.
Wants: To participate in the dancing, initially with decorum, then with increasing desperation to keep time.
Flaw: Their inability to keep up with the increasingly fast music, leading to comical chaos.
They transition from solemn dancers to frantic, bumping figures, then escape by flying away.
Initially solemn and grave, but become frantic and clumsy when the music speeds up. They are persistent in their dancing until it becomes impossible.
Image Prompt & Upload
A tall, elegant stork standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. It has long, slender red legs and a long, pointed red beak. Its body is covered in pristine white feathers, with striking black primary and secondary flight feathers on its wings. Its eyes are dark and hold a grave, serious expression. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Pigs ○ minor
Pigs, of the same size as the other animals. They are so similar to polar bears that they need labels.
Attire: None, but they wear labels.
Wants: To participate in the dance.
Flaw: Their indistinguishability from polar bears.
Remain consistent as background dancers.
Not explicitly described, but their need for labels suggests a lack of distinctiveness or a tendency to blend in.
Image Prompt & Upload
An anthropomorphic pig standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. It is the size of a small human child. Its skin is pinkish-grey, with a short, curly tail and a prominent snout. Around its neck hangs a small, rectangular label with the word 'PIG' clearly written on it, attached by a thin chain. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Tapirs ○ minor
Tapirs, of the same size as the other animals. They are described as being 'always in everybody's way'.
Attire: None, as they are animals.
Wants: To participate in the dance, despite their clumsiness.
Flaw: Their tendency to get in everyone's way.
Remain consistent as background dancers who cause minor disruptions.
Clumsy, obstructive, and perhaps a bit oblivious, as they are always in the way.
Image Prompt & Upload
An anthropomorphic tapir standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. It is the size of a small human child. Its fur is dark brown or black with a white belly and legs, and it has a distinctive short, fleshy snout. Its eyes are wide and slightly bewildered, as if perpetually confused. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
Astrologers' Street
A quaint, old-fashioned street at evening, brightly lit by great iron lamps swung on chains. The houses have peaked roofs, upper stories jutting out, dark little doorways, and small casement windows with diamond-shaped panes of shining green glass. A confused sound of fiddling and scuffling emanates from inside the houses.
Mood: eerie, mysterious, lively, whimsical
Dorothy arrives in the astrologers' town, observes dancing storks, and hears music and scuffling from within the houses.
Image Prompt & Upload
A narrow, winding street in a medieval German town at dusk, illuminated by glowing iron lanterns hanging from chains across the street. The half-timbered Fachwerk houses have steeply pitched, dark tiled roofs and upper stories that overhang the lower ones, casting deep shadows. Small, leaded casement windows with diamond-shaped green glass panes glow warmly. The cobblestone street is wet, reflecting the light. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Dancing Animal House Interior
A room with sanded floors, filled with animals of every description dancing enthusiastically in a ring. It has a fireplace, and a pantry in one corner. The thick glass of the windows only shows bobbing shadows from outside.
Mood: chaotic, lively, surreal, bewildering
Dorothy enters the house and is immediately pulled into a dance with the animals, discovering their peculiar rules and interactions.
Image Prompt & Upload
An interior view of a rustic, timber-framed room with a wide, stone fireplace on one wall and a simple wooden pantry door in a corner. The floor is made of wide, sanded pine planks, showing scuff marks. Warm, flickering firelight casts dancing shadows on the rough-hewn timber walls. Various anthropomorphic animals, all appearing to be the same size, are mid-dance in a chaotic circle. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Courtyard and Street Escape
A courtyard outside the dancing house, leading to a large gateway that opens onto the street. The street itself is still brightly lit, with a large churn conveniently standing in the middle.
Mood: chaotic, urgent, relief
The animals rush out of the house into the courtyard and across the street, allowing Dorothy to hide behind a churn and escape.
Image Prompt & Upload
A chaotic scene in a medieval German town courtyard at evening. A large, arched stone gateway opens onto a brightly lit cobblestone street. Animals of various kinds are pushing and crowding through the gateway. In the middle of the street, a weathered wooden churn stands prominently. Overhead, iron lanterns cast pools of light. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
