Adventure Stories for Daring Girls

by Khoa Le

  “I’m Alice,” said Alice.

  “Play croquet with me,” the Queen said.

  “I’m not very good,” Alice started.

  “Off with her head!” the Queen snapped.

  “I mean okay, I’ll try,” Alice said, quickly.

  She followed the queen out onto a croquet green, but to her dismay, instead of being smooth and flat, it was all bumpy. She was handed a flamingo to use as a mallet and a hedgehog to use as a ball!

  The game was impossible to play. The flamingos wouldn’t stop curling their necks, the hedgehogs kept running away, and nobody was taking turns! Alice gave up and started chatting to the Cheshire Cat, an odd creature who looked just like a tabby cat but who could disappear at will, starting at his tail and ending with his wide, smiling mouth.

  A playing card came running onto the green. “It’s time for the trial!”

  “What trial?” Alice asked, as everyone abandoned the game and rushed out of the garden. Shrugging, Alice followed them to a courthouse. The King of Hearts was the judge. As he walked in, the White Rabbit played a fanfare on a trumpet.

  “Welcome to the trial of the Knave of Hearts,” said the King.

  The Knave cowered before the court.

  As the trial began, Alice had the unpleasant feeling that she was growing again.

  “Hey, stop growing. You’re taking up all of the air,” grumbled the sleepy dormouse next to her.

  “Everyone grows,” Alice scoffed. “I can’t help it!”

  “You, tall girl, come to the witness box,” called the King of Hearts.

  Alice didn’t know why they were calling her since she’d never even seen the Knave before, but she got up anyway. On her way, she accidentally knocked over the witness box, sending the creatures inside sprawling. “Oops, sorry!” she said.

  “Right, that’s it,” the King banged his gavel. “You must leave the court for this crime.”

  “What crime?” Alice demanded.

  “Being too tall,” replied the King.

  Alice was fed up of being bossed around in this strange world. “That’s a stupid rule,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “How dare you answer back to me?” the King cried. “Hold your tongue!”

  “I will not,” said Alice. “This whole place is silly and this trial is silly too. I bet the Knave was never near those tarts.”

  The Queen of Hearts drew herself up. “I’m sure YOU took them!” she shouted. “The Knave is pardoned. Off with her head!”

  The card guards marched toward her, looking cross. Even though Alice was surrounded, she didn’t feel scared. “Pooh, you’re just a pack of cards,” she said. “You can’t do anything to me!”

  The cards launched at her face, swarming all over her. Alice brushed them away, laughing—

  And then opened her eyes to find herself lying on the riverbank. Her sister was brushing fallen leaves off her face.

  Alice sat up. “I was dreaming?”

  “Yes, for quite a while,” her sister laughed. “I think you quite wasted the afternoon.”

  Alice thought about her adventures in the strange world and how she had learned to stand up for herself, even when she was surrounded by people telling her what to do. “I don’t think so,” she said, smiling to herself.

  The Tale of Athena’s Great Contest

  Traditional story from ancient Greece

  Once, a long, long time ago, there was a girl named Athena who was very clever and wise. She was also strong; she’d been born holding a spear, and few people could beat her in a fight. Athena was famous all over the ancient world for this, because she wasn’t just any normal girl. She was the Greek goddess of wisdom and war. Her father was Zeus, the king of the gods and god of the sky. She lived with him and the other gods on top of a huge mountain, called Mount Olympus. Their palace was so high, it was in the clouds.

  Although Athena was admired and revered by the humans in the lands below, to the other gods, she was simply one of the young girls in the family. Like all families, they had their quarrels. Athena argued a lot with her uncle, Poseidon. He was the god of the sea and was known for being competitive and moody.

  Now, in those days, the country of Greece was not one nation, but many small island kingdoms. These kingdoms were beautiful but dangerous places to live. Monsters still roamed the earth, always searching for humans to capture or trick. If the humans were lucky, the gods would protect them from these monsters.

  One day, the gods were all sitting together in their palace. They were in a room of pure white, with marble columns around the edge, open to the bright blue sky. Clouds swirled farther down the slope, hiding the palace from the view of the mortals living far below. Zeus sat at the head of the table, his broad shoulders crackling with blue electricity. Farther down the room, Athena sat primly, in a long white gown, wishing she’d chosen a seat farther away from Uncle Poseidon, who smelled of fish.

  Hermes, the messenger god, reported that a new city was growing by the coast of the mainland. It was on a very high hill, called the Acropolis. The word was that the king there, Cecrops, wanted it to be the most beautiful city in the world.

  Zeus waved a hand to part the clouds below the palace and the gods all peered down. Athena could see that the city was indeed beautiful. There were glistening white stone temples, towers, and pathways, all overlooking the shimmering blue sea. Athena loved beautiful things, so when Zeus announced that the new city should have a protector, she immediately stood up and volunteered.

  To her annoyance, so did Poseidon.

  “This new city will need good guidance as it grows,” declared Athena. “They should look to me for that.”

  “Nonsense,” growled Poseidon, shaking his trident. “What guidance can you give them that any of us couldn’t? I am older than you, I have seen more of this mortal world, and besides, the city is by the ocean. It is mine by rights.”

  Athena laughed in her uncle’s face. “You cannot claim something because it’s next to the sea. The whole world is beneath the sky, would you like Zeus to claim it all because of that?”

  Zeus looked thoughtful at this and Athena quickly held up her hand, laughing. “Do not try, Father.”

  Zeus smiled at his daughter, indulgently. He enjoyed seeing his brother annoyed by her cleverness.

  Poseidon’s face was awash with fury as he jumped to his feet. “That city is mine and I will fight you for it, if I must!”

  Athena faced him calmly. “I’m sure that won’t be necessary. Let us ask the people whose protection they would prefer.”

  Poseidon glared at her one moment longer. Then, with confidence, he said, “Fine.” He disappeared in a swirl of seawater.

  With a roll of her eyes, Athena left the council and used her own godly powers to transport herself to the city. She appeared in front of the gates, next to Poseidon, who had already called King Cecrops out to talk.

  Poor King Cecrops was quite scared by the two arguing gods when they asked him to choose between them. He knew that whichever one he didn’t choose would be angry, and no mortal ever wanted to anger a powerful god! “Dear God and Goddess, I am so flattered that you value our opinion so,” he said, politely, bowing before them. “But we cannot possibly choose which of you we prefer. Perhaps you, in your great power and wisdom, can decide who should be our patron and protector?”

  Poseidon glared at Athena. “Very well, a battle it is then.”

  Athena calmly straightened her helmet and picked up her spear. “You are certain you wish to battle the Goddess of War for this prize?”

  Poseidon hefted his trident. “Absolutely.”

  Athena saw Cecrops scuttle back to the safety of his city walls. She saw the faces of the people peering out, looking scared. She saw the care and hard work that had gone into every brick and she knew that it would not be right to ris
k damaging the city. Battles between gods were always destructive and long. She certainly wasn’t afraid to fight her uncle, but she wondered if there might be a better way …

  “Wait,” she commanded her uncle, in a loud and clear voice. “I have a different idea.”

  “Hah!” Poseidon barked. “Scared after all!”

  “Not at all,” said Athena smoothly. “But perhaps the best way to choose who can take care of this city is to do something for its people. We each must present the citizens with a gift. Something useful for them. The people will decide whose gift is finest, and that is who will be their patron.”

  Poseidon chuckled. “Very well, a gifting contest it is. But you must know that as an elder, my powers far outstrip yours.” He marched up to the top of the Acropolis, the highest point of the city, where the white buildings gleamed in the full glare of the sun. Raising his trident high, he smashed the end down onto the ground, causing it to crack. A fountain of water burst forth from the ground and arced high into the air.

  All the people cheered and King Cecrops clapped his hands. The fountain was the most beautiful anyone had ever seen and water was a splendid gift! They needed it for the city to grow and thrive. Athena frowned to herself as the citizens flocked forward to play in the water. Perhaps she had underestimated her uncle?

  A small girl cupped her hands to catch some and drink it. But a moment later, she spat it out! “Urgh, salty!” she cried.

  The girl’s mother tried some of her own. Her eyes widened. “It’s seawater!”

  The mood was flattened. The people knew they couldn’t drink seawater or wash their clothes in it. Suddenly, the fountain didn’t have many uses at all. King Cecrops still bowed politely to Poseidon, not wishing to anger the sea god. Poseidon accepted his thanks, confidently.

  It was Athena’s turn. She thought deeply, willing her wisdom to help her. She knelt down upon the ground and started scratching in the earth.

  “What are you doing, Niece?” chortled Poseidon. “Trying to dig a hole to hide in? Do not feel too ashamed of your failure. I shall taunt you about it for only a century or two.”

  Athena just smiled. She placed something in the shallow hole she had dug and covered it over. Then, she stood up and stepped back.

  A moment later, a green shoot appeared. It grew incredibly quickly, thickening and browning until the people could see it was the trunk of a tree. Branches bloomed, leaves unfurled, and small green fruits could be seen hanging in the boughs.

  “It’s an olive tree!” King Cecrops exclaimed.

  The people of the city crowded around the tree, cheering. They all knew an olive tree was the most useful plant to have. They could eat the olives or press them for oil and use the wood of the trees on their fires. The leaves would provide shade during the hot summer days.

  It was clear to all that Athena was the winner. King Cecrops bowed at her feet to thank her for the gift and ask her to be the patron of the city, which would be named Athens after her. They would build a temple to worship her in, right there on the Acropolis.

  Athena accepted graciously, although she wasn’t able to resist shooting a smirk at her uncle.

  Poseidon was quivering with fury. He hated to lose, but even he could see that Athena’s gift had been the better one by far.

  King Cecrops was anxious not to anger the god of the sea since his watery realm lapped at the foot of the city. He knelt before Poseidon. “My lord. We will build you a temple also and worship your name every day.”

  Poseidon nodded curtly. “See that you do.” He glared once more at Athena. “If it had been a fight, I would have won,” he snapped. Then, he disappeared in a swirl of seawater.

  Athena shook her head, smiling to herself. She knew she could beat Poseidon in both brains and brawn, and she was sure she would have to prove that again very soon.

  And so it was that Athena became the patron goddess of Athens and watched over it through many trials as it became the legendary city that we know today.

  Dorothy’s Adventure in Oz

  Adapted from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum

  There once was a young girl called Dorothy who lived with her Uncle Henry and Auntie Em and her dog, Toto, on a farm on the wide, flat Kansas prairie. There was nothing but farmland for miles and miles. Dorothy often found life a bit dull.

  One day, a cyclone came roaring across the prairie. Dorothy and her family dashed to hide in the safety of the storm cellar.

  Just as she was about to scramble down the cellar steps, Dorothy heard Toto barking inside the house! “I can’t leave Toto!” she cried and raced back to get him. Toto was cowering under a bed and as Dorothy tried to coax him out, the cyclone hit, whisking the house up into the air! Dorothy was very scared.

  Eventually, it landed with a big bump and bright sunlight streamed through the windows. Dorothy ran to the door and opened it to see a beautiful land outside! There was green grass, tall trees filled with singing birds, bright flowers, and a babbling brook. She knew right away that she wasn’t in Kansas anymore. She spotted three very small men and a tiny lady approaching the house. They smiled and waved at her.

  They introduced themselves as the Good Witch of the North and the Munchkins. The Good Witch explained that they had come to thank Dorothy for killing the Wicked Witch of the East and setting their people free.

  Dorothy was confused and told them she hadn’t killed anyone, but they showed her that her house had crushed the Wicked Witch. Her feet were sticking out from beneath it, wearing silver shoes.

  Unnerved, Dorothy asked them where she was and how she could get home to Kansas. The Good Witch told her the only way was to follow the Yellow Brick Road all the way to the Emerald City and ask the Wizard of Oz for help. Then, she touched Dorothy on the forehead to protect her from evil magic, and gave her the silver shoes to wear, explaining that the shoes were magic but nobody knew what they did.

  Dorothy thanked them, then put on the silver shoes and set off down the Yellow Brick Road with Toto trotting next to her.

  On the way, Dorothy met three strange creatures—a scarecrow with no brains, a tin man with no heart, and a cowardly lion. All three of them wondered if the Wizard of Oz could help them with their problems, the way that Dorothy hoped he might help her with hers. They joined her to walk to the Emerald City together.

  Eventually, they arrived at the gleaming green Emerald City and asked to see the Wizard. He appeared as a giant, stern floating head. After he listened to their requests, he spoke in a loud, booming voice. “I will only grant what you have asked if you first defeat the Wicked Witch of the West. Do that and then return.”

  The friends left the city.

  “But nobody has ever managed to defeat the Witch of the West,” whimpered Lion.

  “We can do it,” said Dorothy. “After all, I defeated one witch in Oz without even trying. How hard can another one be?”

  As the friends set off toward the Witch’s castle, they had no idea that the Witch had already spotted them. She had only one eye, but it was as powerful as a telescope.

  “Who are these intruders?” she muttered.

  She sent her flying monkey servants to kill them. The monkeys swooped down and picked up all of the friends. They pulled the stuffing out of Scarecrow and dropped Tin Man on the rocks so that he was all dented.

  They took Lion and Dorothy back to the Witch’s castle. The Wicked Witch saw the Good Witch’s mark on Dorothy’s forehead and knew she couldn’t hurt her, so she decided to keep her prisoner instead.

  The Witch locked Lion up in a cage and made Dorothy clean her castle. She noticed Dorothy’s silver shoes and wanted them for herself. She waited for a moment to steal them, but Dorothy thought they were very pretty, and she never took them off. So, the Witch came up with a plan.

  She laid an iron bar across the kitchen floor and used a spell to make it invi
sible. When Dorothy came walking through, she tripped and one of the shoes flew off her foot. The Witch caught it with a cackle.

  Dorothy was annoyed by the Witch’s trick. She picked up a bucket of water and threw it on the Witch, crying, “How dare you try to steal my lovely shoe?”

  The Witch squealed as the water hit her and she began to melt away.

  “How did you know my secret weakness?” she wailed as she melted into nothingness.

  “I—didn’t!” Dorothy gasped. But a moment later, she skipped with glee. “We did it!”

  She and Lion ran out of the Witch’s castle. They collected Scarecrow and put all his stuffing back in, then they picked up Tin Man and hammered out all of his dents.

  They ran back to the Emerald City and crashed into the Wizard’s reception hall. “We did it! We defeated the Wicked Witch! Will you help us now?”

  “No,” said the Wizard.

  Dorothy stamped her foot and a screen toppled over to reveal a little old man speaking into a microphone. “I can’t grant your—oh.”

  The man stopped as he saw them all staring at him.

  “You’re the Wizard of Oz?” Dorothy asked.

  The man’s face fell. “Well, yes, and no. I’m just a simple showman from Ohio. I used to take my hot air balloon around all the country fairs but one day I got blown far away and I landed here. The Ozians thought I was a wizard and I never corrected them. But really, I have no magical powers. Please don’t tell anyone my secret!”

  “But, our wishes …” said Dorothy, sadly.

  Now, the Wizard knew that the Scarecrow did have brains—the poor creature just didn’t know it yet. And Tin Man had heart and Lion had courage, they just didn’t feel it. If he could find a way to make them realize that, then their wishes would be granted.