فصل 15

The Great Plan

Weve absolutely got to stop them! Sophie cried. Put me back in your pocket quick and well chase after them and warn everyone in England theyre coming.

Redunculus and um-possiple, the BFG said. They is going two times as fast as me and they is finishing their guzzle before we is halfway.

But we cant just sit here doing nothing! Sophie cried. How many girls and boys are they going to eat tonight?

Many the BFG said. The Fleshlumpeating Giant alone has a most squadding whoppsy appetite.

Will he snatch them out of their beds while theyre sleeping?

Like peas out of a poddle, the BFG said.

I cant bear to think of it! Sophie cried.

Then dont, the BFG said. For years and years I is sitting here on this very rock every night after night when they is galloping away, and I is feeling so sad for all the human beans they is going to gobble up. But I has had to get used to it. There is nothing I can do. If I wasnt a titchy little runty giant only twenty-four feet high then I would be stopping them. But that is absolutely out of the window.

Do you always know where theyre going? Sophie asked.

Always, the BFG said. Every night they is yelling at me as they go booding past. The other day they was yelling “We is off to Mrs Sippi and Miss Souri to guzzle them both!”

Disgusting, Sophie said. I hate them.

She and the Big Friendly Giant sat quietly side by side on the blue rock in the gathering dusk. Sophie had never felt so helpless in her life. After a while, she stood up and cried out, I cant stand it! Just think of those poor girls and boys who are going to be eaten alive in a few hours time! We cant just sit here and do nothing! Weve got to go after those brutes!

No, the BFG said.

We must! Sophie cried. Why wont you go?

The BFG sighed and shook his head firmly. I has told you five or six times, he said, and the third will be the last. I is never showing myself to human beans.

Why ever not?

If I do, they will be putting me in the zoo with all the jiggyraffes and cattypiddlers.

Nonsense, Sophie said.

And they will be sending you straight back to a norphanage, the BFG went on. Grown-up human beans is not famous for their kindnesses. They is all squifflerotters and grinksludgers.

That simply isnt true! Sophie cried angrily. Some of them are very kind indeed.

Who? the BFG said. Name one.

The Queen of England, Sophie said. You cant call her a squifflerotter or a grinksludger.

Well… the BFG said.

You cant call her a squeakpip or a notmucher either, Sophie said, getting angrier and angrier.

The Fleshlumpeater is longing dearly to guzzle her up, the BFG said, smiling a little now.

Who, the Queen? Sophie cried, aghast.

Yes, the BFG answered. Fleshlumpeater says he is never eating a queen and he thinks perhaps she has an especially scrumdiddlyumptious flavour.

How dare he! Sophie cried.

But Fleshlumpeater says there is too many soldiers around her Palace and he dursent try it.

Hed better not! Sophie said.

He is also saying he would like very much to guzzle one of the soldiers in his pretty red suit but he is worried about those big black furry hats they is wearing. He thinks they might be sticking in his diroat.

I hope he chokes, Sophie said.

Fleshlumpeater is a very careful giant, the BFG said.

Sophie was silent for a few moments. Then suddenly, in a voice filled with excitement, she cried out, Ive got it! By golly, I think Ive got it!

Got what? asked the BFG.

The answer! cried Sophie. Well go to the Queen! Its a terrific idea! If I went and told the Queen about those disgusting man-eating giants, Im sure shed do something about it!

The BFG looked down at her sadly and shook his head. She is never believing you, he said. Never in a month of Mondays.

I think she would.

Never, the BFG said. It is sounding such a wonky tall story, the Queen will be laughing and saying “What awful rubbsquash!”

She would not!

Of course she would, the BFG said. I has told you before that human beans is simply not believing in giants.

Then its up to us to find a way of making her believe in them, Sophie said.

And how is you getting in to see the Queen anyway? the BFG asked.

Now hold on a sec, Sophie said. Just you hold on a sec because Ive got another idea.

Your ideas is full of crodswoggle, the BFG said.

Not this one, Sophie said. You say that if we tell the Queen, she would never believe us?

I is certain she wouldnt, the BFG said.

But we arent going to tell her! Sophie said excitedly. We dont have to tell her! Well make her dream it!

That is an even more frothbungling suggestion, the BFG said. Dreams is lots of fun but nobody is believing in dreams either. You is only believing in a dream while you is actually dreaming it. But as soon as you is waking up you is saying “Oh thank goodness it was only a dream”.

Dont you worry about that part of it, Sophie said. I can fix that.

Never can you fix it, the BFG said.

I can! I swear I can! But first of all, let me ask you a very important question. Here it is. Can you make a person dream absolutely anything in the world?

Anything you like, the BFG said proudly.

If I said I wanted to dream that I was in a flying bathtub with silver wings, could you make me dream it?

I could, the BFG said.

But how? Sophie said. You obviously dont have exactly that dream in your collection.

I do not, the BFG said. But I could soon be mixing it up.

How could you mix it up?

It is a little bit like mixing a cake, the BFG said. If you is putting the right amounts of all the different things into it, you is making the cake come out any way you want, sugary, splongy curranty, Christmassy or grobswitchy. It is the same with dreams.

Go on, Sophie said.

I has diluons of dreams on my shelfs, right or left?

Right, Sophie said.

I has dreams about bathtubs, lots of them. I has dreams about silver wings. I has dreams about flying. So all I has to do is mix those dreams together in the proper way and I is very quickly making a dream where you is flying in a bathtub with silver wings.

I see what you mean, Sophie said. But I didnt know you could mix one dream with another.

Dreams like being mixed, the BFG answered. They is getting very lonesome all by themselves in those glassy bottles.

Right, Sophie said. Now then, do you have dreams about the Queen of England?

Lots of them, the BFG said.

And about giants?

Of course, the BFG said.

And about giants eating people?

Swiggles of them, the BFG said.

And about little girls like me?

Those is commonest of all, the BFG said. I has bottles and bottles of dreams about little girls.

And you could mix them all up just as I want you to? Sophie asked, getting more and more excited.

Of course, the BFG said. But how is this helping us! I think you is barking up the wrong dog.

Now hold on, Sophie said. Listen carefully. I want you to mix a dream which you will blow into the Queen of Englands bedroom when she is asleep. And this is how it will go.

Now hang on a mintick, the BFG said. How is I possibly going to get near enough to the Queen of Englands bedroom to blow in my dream? You is talking dumbsilly.

Ill tell you that later, Sophie said. For the moment please listen carefully. Here is the dream I want you to mix. Are you paying attention?

Very close, the BFG said.

I want the Queen to dream that nine disgusting giants, each one about fifty feet tall, are galloping to England in the night. She must dream their names as well. What are their names again?

Fleshlumpeater, the BFG said. Manhugger. Bonecruncher. Ghildchewer. Meatdripper, Gizzard-gulper. Maidmasher. Bloodbottler. And the Butcher Boy.

Let her dream all those names, Sophie said. And let her dream that they will be creeping into England in the depths of the witching hour and snatching little boys and girls from their beds. Let her dream that they will be reaching into the bedroom windows and pulling the little boys and girls out of their beds and then… Sophie paused. Do they eat them on the spot or do they carry them away first? she asked.

They is usually just popping them straight into their mouths like popcorn, the BFG said.

Put that in the dream, Sophie said. And then… then the dream must say that when their tummies are full, they will go galloping back to Giant Country where no one can find them.

Is that all? the BFG said.

Certainly not, Sophie said. You must then explain to the Queen in her dream that there is a Big Friendly Giant who can tell her where all those beasts are living, so that she can send her soldiers and her armies to capture them once and for all. And now let her dream one last and very important thing. Let her dream that there is a little girl called Sophie sitting on her window-sill who will tell her where the Big Friendly Giant is hiding.

Where is he hiding? asked the BFG.

Well come to that later, Sophie said. So the Queen dreams her dream, right?

Right, the BFG said.

Then she wakes up and the first thing she thinks is oh what a horrid dream. Im so glad it was only a dream. And then she looks up from her pillow and what does she see?

What does she see? the BFG asked.

She sees a little girl called Sophie sitting on her window-sill, right there in real life before her very eyes.

How is you going to be sitting on the Queens window-sill, may I beg? the BFG said.

You are going to put me there, Sophie said. And thats the lovely part about it. If someone dreams that there is a little girl sitting on her window-sill and men she wakes up and sees that the little girl really is sitting there, that is a dream come true, is it not?

I is beginning to see where you is driving to, the BFG said. If the Queen is knowing that part of her dream is true, then perhaps she is believing the rest of it is true as well.

Thats about it, Sophie said. But I shall have to convince her of that myself.

You said you is wanting the dream to say there is a Big Friendly Giant who is also going to talk to the Queen?

Absolutely Sophie said. You must. You are the only one who can tell her where to find the other giants.

How is I meeting the Queen? asked the BFG. I is not wanting to be shooted at by her soldiers.

The soldiers are only in the front of the Palace, Sophie said. At the back there is a huge garden and there are no soldiers in there at all. There is a very high wall with spikes on it around the garden to stop people climbing in. But you could simply walk over that.

How is you knowing all this about the Queens Palace? the BFG asked.

Last year I was in a different orphanage, Sophie said. It was in London and we used to go for walks all around there.

Is you helping me to find this Palace? the BFG asked. I has never dared to go hide and sneaking around London in my life.

Ill show you the way Sophie said confidently.

I is frightened of London, the BFG said.

Dont be, Sophie said. Its full of tiny dark streets and there are very few people about in the witching hour.

The BFG picked Sophie up between one finger and a thumb and placed her gently on the palm of the other hand. Is the Queens Palace very big? he asked.

Huge, Sophie said.

Then how is we finding the right bedroom?

Thats up to you, Sophie said. Youre supposed to be an expert at that sort of thing.

And you is absolutely sure the Queen will not put me in a zoo with all the cattypiddlers?

Of course she wont, Sophie said. Youll be a hero. And youll never have to eat snozzcumbers again.

Sophie saw the BFGs eyes widen. He licked his lips.

You mean it? he said. You really mean it? No more disgustive snozzcumbers?

You couldnt get one if you wanted to, Sophie said. Humans dont grow them.

That did it. The BFG got to his feet. When is you wanting me to mix this special dream? he asked.

Now, Sophie said. At once.

When is we going to see the Queen? he said.

Tonight, Sophie said. As soon as youve mixed the dream.

Tonight? the BFG cried. Why such a flushbunking flurry?

If we cant save tonights children, we can anyway save tomorrows, Sophie said. What is more, Im getting famished. I havent had a thing to eat for twenty-four hours.

Then we had better get crackling, the BFG said, moving back towards the cave.

Sophie kissed him on the tip of his thumb. I knew youd do it! she said. Come on! Lets hurry!