THE SIZING TOWER
by Charles E. Carryl · from The Admiral's Caravan
Adapted Version
Dorothy walks in the woods. She sees a friend. The Highlander runs up. He is out of breath. "I need to talk," he says. He sits down. "What about?" asks Dorothy. "I made a poem," he says. He looks shy. "Can I hear it?" asks Dorothy. "It is called 'A Funny Poem'," he says. He reads, "There was a pickle. He had a name." Dorothy says, "That is not right. Pickles have no names." The Highlander thinks. He writes again. He reads, "There was a pickle. He had no name." Dorothy smiles. "That is good," she says. The poem is short. Dorothy laughs. Then she walks on. She finds a tower. It is big and shiny. It is made of brass. She sees her friends. They look worried. "What is it?" asks Dorothy. "Shh!" says the Admiral. "Look at Bob the Bird." Bob the Bird flies out. It is very big. It was small before. Now it is big like a goose. Bob the Bird walks away. It does not see them. "Bob the Bird went in small," says the Admiral. "Now it is big." A small door comes down. It spins around. A little mouse comes out. "What is this place?" asks Dorothy. "It is a magic tower," says the mouse. "It makes things big or small." "Were you big?" asks Sir Walter. "Yes," says the mouse. "I was big. It was scary. Then I was small again." "I know!" says Dorothy. "We can go in. We can be normal again." "You go first," says the Admiral. "No, we all go," says Dorothy. They all squeeze in. The door closes. It is dark inside. Then they are outside. They are on a street. "Where is the door?" asks Sir Walter. He looks at a wall. "I do not know," says Dorothy. "My tummy tickles," says the Highlander. "Run away!" says the Admiral. They all run. Dorothy runs too. She turns a corner. Her friends are gone. Dorothy looks around. She is back on a street she knows. She is her normal size. She feels happy and safe.
Original Story
THE SIZING TOWER
As Dorothy walked along, wondering what would happen to her next, she felt something tugging at her frock, and looking around she saw that it was the Highlander running along beside her, quite breathless, and trying very hard to attract her attention. "Oh, it's you, is it?" she said, stopping short and looking at him pleasantly.
"Yes, it's me," said the Highlander, sitting down on the ground as if he were very much fatigued. "I've been wanting to speak to you privately for a very long time."
"What about?" said Dorothy, wondering what was coming now.
"Well," said the Highlander, blushing violently and appearing to be greatly embarrassed, "you seem to be a very kind-hearted person, and I wanted to show you some poetry I've written."
"Did you compose it?" said Dorothy, kindly.
"No," said the Highlander; "I only made it up. Would you like to hear it?"
"Oh, yes, indeed," said Dorothy, as gravely as she could; "I should like to hear it very much."
"It's called"—said the Highlander, lowering his voice confidentially and looking cautiously about—"it's called 'The Pickle and the Policeman';" and, taking a little paper out of his pocket, he began:
"There was a little pickle and his name was John—"
"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Dorothy, "I don't think that will do at all."
"Suppose I call him George?" said the Highlander, gazing reflectively at his paper. "It's got to be something short, you know."
"But you mustn't call him anything," said Dorothy, laughing. "Pickles don't have any names."
"All right," said the Highlander; and, taking out a pencil, he began repairing his poetry with great industry. He did a great deal of writing, and a good deal of rubbing out with his thumb, and finally said triumphantly:
"There was a little pickle and he hadn't any name!"
"Yes, that will do very nicely," said Dorothy; and the Highlander, clearing his voice, read off his poetry with a great flourish:
"There was a little pickle and he hadn't any name—
In this respect, I'm just informed, all pickles are the same.
A large policeman came along, a-swinging of his club,
And took that little pickle up and put him in a tub.
"That's rather good about taking him up," said the Highlander, chuckling to himself; "so exactly like a policeman, you know."
"Oh, yes, indeed," said Dorothy, who was ready to scream with laughter. "What's the rest of it?"
"There isn't any more," said the Highlander, rather confusedly. "There was going to be another verse, but I couldn't think of anything more to say."
"Oh, well, it's very nice as it is," said Dorothy, consolingly; and then, as the Highlander put up his paper and went away, she laughed till her eyes were full of tears. "They are all funny," she said at last, as she walked away through the wood, "but I think he's funnier than all of 'em put together"—which, by the way, was not a very sensible remark for her to make, as you will see if you'll take the trouble to think it over.
"'THERE ISN'T ANY MORE,' SAID THE HIGHLANDER, RATHER CONFUSEDLY."
But presently, as she strolled along, she made a discovery that quite drove the Highlander and his ridiculous poetry out of her head. It was a tower in the wood; not an ordinary tower, of course, for there would have been nothing remarkable about that, but a tower of shining brass, and so high that the top of it was quite out of sight among the branches of the trees. But the strangest thing about it was that there seemed to be no possible way of getting into it, and Dorothy was very cautiously walking around it to see if she could find any door when she came suddenly upon the Caravan standing huddled together, and apparently in a state of great excitement.
"What is it?" asked Dorothy, eagerly.
"Hush!" said the Admiral, in an agitated whisper. "We think it's where Bob Scarlet changes himself"—and as he said this there was a tremendous flapping of wings, and down came Bob Scarlet through the branches and landed with a thump a little way from where they were standing. He was as big as a goose again, and his appearance was so extremely formidable that the Caravan, as one man, threw themselves flat on their faces in a perfect frenzy of terror, and Dorothy herself hid in the grass, with her heart beating like a little eight-day clock. But Bob Scarlet fortunately paid no more attention to any of them than if they had been so many flies, and, after strutting about for a moment with his usual important air, strolled away in the direction of the toy-shop.
"Now what do you make of that?" said the Admiral, lifting up his head. "He went in at a little door not five minutes ago, and he wasn't any bigger than an every-day bird."
"I'm sure I don't know what to make of it," said Dorothy. "But where is the door?" she added, running around the tower and looking at it on all sides.
"It went up after him," said the Admiral, "like a corkscrew."
"And it's coming down again, like a gimlet!" shouted the Highlander; and, as they all looked up, sure enough there was the little door slowly coming down, around and around, as if it were descending an invisible staircase on the outside of the tower. They all watched this performance with much interest, and as the door touched the ground it opened, and, to Dorothy's amazement, out came the little field-mouse.
"What is it?" cried Dorothy, as they all crowded around the little creature. "Do tell us what it all means."
"It's a Sizing Tower," said the Mouse, its little voice trembling with agitation. "You get big at the top, and little at the bottom. I wouldn't go up there again—not for a bushel of nuts."
"Were you pretty big?" inquired Sir Walter.
"Monstrous!" said the Mouse, with a little shudder; "I was as big as a squirrel; and while I was up there, Bob Scarlet flew up and came down with the door, and there I was."
"That was a precious mess!" remarked the Highlander.
"Wasn't it now!" said the Mouse. "And if he hadn't taken it into his head to come up again and fly down, I'd 'a' been there yet."
"Why, it's the very thing for us!" cried Dorothy, clapping her hands with delight as a happy thought occurred to her. "Let's all go up and get back our regular selves."
"You go first," said the Admiral, suspiciously, "and call down to us how it feels." But Dorothy wouldn't hear of this; and after a great deal of arguing and pushing and saying "You go in first," the whole party at last got squeezed in through the little doorway. Then the Mouse sat up on its hind legs and waved a little farewell with its paws, and the door softly closed.
"If we begin to grow now," said the Admiral's voice in the dark, "we'll all be squeegeed, sure!"
"What an extraordinary thing!" exclaimed Dorothy; for they had come out into a street full of houses.
"What I want to know is what's become of the door," said Sir Walter, indignantly, staring at a high wall where the door had been, and which was now perfectly blank.
"I'm sure I don't know," said Dorothy, quite bewildered. "It's really quite mysterious, isn't it?"
"It makes my stomach tickle like anything," said the Highlander, in a quavering voice.
"What shall we do?" said Dorothy, looking about uneasily.
"Run away!" said the Admiral, promptly; and without another word the Caravan took to their heels and disappeared around a corner. Dorothy hurried after them, but by the time she turned the corner they were quite out of sight; and as she stopped and looked about her she discovered that she was once more in the Ferryman's street, and, to her great delight, quite as large as she had been when she left the Blue Admiral Inn.
CHAPTER XI
Story DNA
Plot Summary
Dorothy, still wandering, encounters the Highlander who shares his comically bad poetry. Soon after, she discovers a mysterious brass 'Sizing Tower' in the woods. She and her companions, the Caravan, observe a bird named Bob Scarlet enter the tower small and exit large, and then a field-mouse emerge, explaining the tower's magical ability to change size. Hoping to return to their normal sizes, Dorothy convinces the reluctant Caravan to enter the tower. They emerge into an unfamiliar street, bewildered, and after a moment of panic, the Caravan flees, while Dorothy finds herself back in a familiar street, restored to her original size.
Themes
Emotional Arc
curiosity to bewilderment to relief
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Part of a larger series of whimsical, Alice in Wonderland-esque stories popular in late 19th/early 20th century American children's literature.
Plot Beats (15)
- Dorothy encounters the Highlander, who is breathless and wants to speak to her privately.
- The Highlander, embarrassed, reveals he wants to share a poem he 'made up' called 'The Pickle and the Policeman'.
- Dorothy gently corrects the Highlander's initial line about a pickle having a name, leading him to revise it.
- The Highlander proudly reads his short, nonsensical poem, which Dorothy finds hilarious.
- Dorothy discovers a tall, shining brass tower in the wood with no apparent entrance.
- She finds the Caravan huddled nearby, agitated, believing it's where Bob Scarlet changes himself.
- Bob Scarlet, previously small, flies out of the tower as big as a goose, terrifying everyone.
- The Admiral explains Bob Scarlet entered small and exited large, and the door disappeared after him.
- The door slowly descends like a gimlet, and a field-mouse emerges, explaining it's a 'Sizing Tower' that makes things big at the top and small at the bottom.
- The mouse recounts its terrifying experience of growing large and being trapped until Bob Scarlet flew down.
- Dorothy realizes the tower could help them return to their normal sizes and convinces the reluctant Caravan to enter.
- The entire party squeezes into the small doorway, which then closes.
- Inside, they emerge onto an unfamiliar street, bewildered by the disappearance of the tower door.
- The Highlander complains of a tickling stomach, and the Admiral urges them to run away.
- The Caravan flees, and Dorothy, following, finds herself back in the Ferryman's street, restored to her original size.
Characters
Dorothy ★ protagonist
A young girl, likely of average height and build for her age, with a generally pleasant and curious demeanor. Her size fluctuates due to magical circumstances, but her natural state is that of a child.
Attire: Wears a 'frock,' which suggests a simple, comfortable dress suitable for a young girl, likely made of cotton or linen in a practical color. The specific color or pattern is not mentioned.
Wants: To understand the strange world she finds herself in, to help her companions, and ultimately to return to her normal state and perhaps home.
Flaw: Can be easily bewildered by the magical occurrences around her, sometimes leading to momentary indecision or confusion.
She learns to adapt to the absurdities of her environment and takes on a leadership role among her companions, ultimately regaining her normal size.
Kind-hearted, curious, easily amused, resourceful, and a natural leader. She is polite but also direct when necessary.
Image Prompt & Upload
A young girl standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. She has a curious and kind expression, with bright, inquisitive eyes. Her hair is styled simply, perhaps in two neat braids. She wears a simple, practical cotton frock in a muted color like light blue or green, with a modest collar and long sleeves. Her posture is attentive and slightly leaning forward as if observing something. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Highlander ◆ supporting
A man of average height and build, characterized by his traditional Scottish attire. He appears easily fatigued and somewhat flustered.
Attire: Wears a traditional Scottish Highlander outfit, including a kilt (likely in a tartan pattern), a sporran, and possibly a jacket or waistcoat. The specific colors are not mentioned but would be earthy tones or clan-specific tartans.
Wants: To share his poetry and connect with others, to understand the strange events around him.
Flaw: Lacks self-awareness regarding his poetic talent, easily flustered and confused by complex situations.
He remains largely consistent, providing comic relief and demonstrating his unique perspective on the world.
Poetic (though not very good), easily embarrassed, somewhat naive, prone to chuckling at his own jokes, and easily confused.
Image Prompt & Upload
A man of adult age standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. He has a ruddy complexion and a face prone to blushing, with a slightly confused or earnest expression. He wears a traditional Scottish kilt in a green and blue tartan pattern, a leather sporran hanging at his waist, and a simple cream-colored linen shirt. He holds a small piece of paper and a pencil in his hands. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Admiral ◆ supporting
A man of authority, likely of a sturdy build, though his size fluctuates. He is prone to agitation and suspicion.
Attire: Wears a naval admiral's uniform, likely a dark blue coat with brass buttons, gold braid, and epaulets, perhaps a white shirt underneath. The specific details are not given, but it would be formal and indicative of his rank.
Wants: To ensure his own safety and that of his companions, to understand and navigate the strange world.
Flaw: His suspicious nature and tendency to panic can hinder progress or lead to hasty decisions.
He remains a figure of authority and caution, reacting to events rather than initiating them.
Agitated, suspicious, prone to panic, but also decisive in his own way (e.g., suggesting they run away). He is cautious and often suggests others go first.
Image Prompt & Upload
A man of adult age standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. He has a stern and slightly agitated expression, with a neatly trimmed beard and dark, watchful eyes. He wears a dark blue naval admiral's coat with gold braid on the cuffs and collar, brass buttons, and epaulets on the shoulders. A white shirt is visible beneath the coat. His posture is rigid and authoritative. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Bob Scarlet ○ minor
A bird that can change size dramatically, appearing as big as a goose or as small as an 'every-day bird.' He has a formidable appearance when large and struts with an important air.
Attire: His 'wardrobe' is his plumage, which is not described in detail but would be typical of a bird, perhaps with a striking color given his name 'Scarlet' (though this is not explicitly stated to be his feather color).
Wants: To use the Sizing Tower for his own purposes, likely related to his 'toy-shop' destination.
Flaw: His self-importance makes him ignore others, which could be a vulnerability.
He serves as a plot device, demonstrating the function of the Sizing Tower and driving the other characters to use it.
Important, self-absorbed, oblivious to others, and somewhat mysterious due to his size-changing abilities.
Image Prompt & Upload
A large, formidable bird, the size of a goose, standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. It has a proud, important posture, with its chest puffed out. Its feathers are a rich, deep red, with sharp, intelligent eyes and a strong beak. Its wings are slightly spread, as if it has just landed. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Mouse ◆ supporting
A small field-mouse, capable of becoming as big as a squirrel after using the Sizing Tower. Its normal size is very small.
Attire: Not applicable, as it is an animal.
Wants: To warn others about the dangers of the Sizing Tower and to avoid using it again.
Flaw: Its small size makes it vulnerable and easily frightened.
It serves as an informant, explaining the function and potential dangers of the Sizing Tower.
Agitated, fearful, cautious, but willing to share information about the Sizing Tower.
Image Prompt & Upload
A small field-mouse, brown fur, sitting on its hind legs, facing forward, full body visible head to toe. Its tiny face shows an agitated and fearful expression, with wide, beady black eyes and twitching whiskers. Its small paws are held up, as if gesturing or waving. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Sir Walter ◆ supporting
A man of some distinction, likely of average height and build, though his size fluctuates. He is inquisitive and prone to indignation.
Attire: Likely wears attire befitting a knight or a gentleman, perhaps armor or fine clothes, though specific details are not provided. Given the context of a 'Caravan' of characters, it would be distinct.
Wants: To understand the strange phenomena and to regain his normal state.
Flaw: His indignation and confusion can make him less adaptable to the absurdities of the world.
He remains a consistent character, reacting to events with his characteristic indignation and curiosity.
Inquisitive, indignant, easily confused by the magical world, and prone to questioning.
Image Prompt & Upload
A man of adult age standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. He has a distinguished face with a thoughtful yet indignant expression, perhaps with a neatly trimmed beard. He wears a dark, formal tunic with a high collar and a belt, suggesting a knightly or noble background, possibly with a subtle embroidered emblem. His posture is upright and slightly rigid. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
The Wooded Path
A winding path through a dense, green wood, likely in a temperate European climate, with sunlight filtering through the canopy. The ground is soft, suitable for sitting.
Mood: Initially pleasant and conversational, then shifts to a sense of wonder and anticipation as the tower is discovered.
Dorothy encounters the Highlander, listens to his poetry, and then discovers the Sizing Tower.
Image Prompt & Upload
A winding dirt path through a dense, old-growth forest, with tall, straight tree trunks reaching upwards. Soft, dappled afternoon sunlight filters through the thick green canopy, creating shifting patterns of light and shadow on the forest floor, which is covered in fallen leaves and moss. The air is still and peaceful, with a sense of quiet discovery. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Sizing Tower in the Wood
A remarkably tall, slender tower made entirely of shining brass, its summit disappearing into the tree branches. It stands mysteriously in the middle of the wood, initially appearing to have no entrance. A small, corkscrew-like door descends and ascends on its exterior.
Mood: Mysterious, magical, awe-inspiring, with a touch of apprehension due to its unusual function.
The Caravan discovers the tower's magical sizing properties, observes Bob Scarlet and the field-mouse using it, and then enters it themselves to regain their original sizes.
Image Prompt & Upload
A towering, slender structure of highly polished, gleaming brass, rising dramatically from the center of a dense, ancient European forest. Its smooth, metallic surface reflects the surrounding green foliage and the soft afternoon sky. The very top of the tower is lost among the thick, dark green canopy of the trees. A small, circular door, also of brass, is slowly spiraling down the exterior like a corkscrew, just above ground level. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Ferryman's Street
A bustling street lined with houses, familiar to Dorothy. It's the place she returns to after leaving the Blue Admiral Inn, now restored to her normal size.
Mood: Relief and familiarity, a return to normalcy after a bewildering experience.
Dorothy emerges from the Sizing Tower's effect, finding herself back in a familiar street and at her normal size.
Image Prompt & Upload
A lively, sunlit European street scene, with two-story timber-framed houses lining both sides of a well-trodden dirt road. People are bustling about, and small shops with open windows display their wares. The sky above is a clear, bright blue, casting warm afternoon light across the scene. The overall impression is one of a busy, everyday town. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
