17.Gulliver's Travels

Once upon a time in England, there lived a man called Gulliver. He dreamed of sailing the ocean and seeing all the wonders of the world. Oh how I long to spend my life travelling and seeing distant lands. The ocean looks so inviting today! As he watched the sunlight sparkle on the surface of the waves, and saw the silver dolphins darting through the water, he knew that to sail upon those waves made him the happiest man on earth. The ocean calls to me...

One night, there was a storm at sea. Everyone, watch out. Oh... is this how I shall meet my untimely Where am I... is this heaven? What? What are you doing... Ha ha ha! That tickles! Ha ha ha! Stop... stop that... Ha ha! What are these? They're tiny! / Careful! The living mountain has awoken! Lifting his head for a better look, Gulliver was amazed to see countless tiny people climbing over his body. What are you! Let me go! Ugh... They would not respond, and Gulliver was unable to get away from them. Attention! We will bring this living mountain to the king at once! One, two, hyah! One, two, hyah! Err.. Hey! What are you doing? I apologize for keeping your restrained, but we have no way of knowing your intentions in coming to our kingdom. If you come in peace, you shall be set free. Make way, all... let us through...

When Gulliver was brought into the capital city, he could see the entire population of Lilliput in the streets, jostling to get a better look at him. He could hear them commenting about him. Look how enormous he is! Why, his little finger is bigger than me! How much do you think I'd have to eat to grow so big? He must eat entire armies for breakfast... You must ignore the people's jests. We have never seen anything quite like you before. At that instant, a fanfare sounded, and the king appeared. Greetings, Giant. I am the king of Lilliput. Good morning, Your Majesty. My name is Gulliver. Forgive me for not saluting you properly, but as you see I am tied up. You do not appear particularly evil to me... Should I release him? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.. What was that for? We will see whether he is dangerous or not... Excellent! Release the living mountain at once! Gulliver was thrilled to hear that the king was setting him free. How could you be sure I wasn't dangerous? Ah, I have a very efficient method for determining character. If I jump over a rope an odd number of times, you are good, an even number and you are bad. How... interesting... Gulliver thought that sounded rather funny, but as the king looked so confident and the method had turned out so beneficially for him, he did not want to argue.

The Lilliputians let Gulliver stay in a large, ruined temple. It was the only place in town that was big enough for him to sleep in. From that day on, the Lilliputians were very kind and welcoming to him. They brought him large amounts of delicious food everyday, and even measured him for a new outfit. You do have a mighty appetite, Gulliver. Your dishes are all so tiny! I have to eat hundreds of them to satisfy my hunger. It's all due to his monumental size. Look, my tape measure isn't long enough to measure him! That tickles. Ha ha. One day, disaster struck...

Fire! Fire! The palace is burning! We must save the queen! Help!

Gulliver was awakened by the screams and rushed to help. He came up with an unusual way to put out the fire immediately. Hurray for Gulliver! He has saved out Queen! The Lilliputians cheered and applauded and the king thanked him for his resourcefulness . The Queen however, was less pleased. I would have preferred a more... traditional approach. .. Forgive me, Your Majesty, it was the fastest way to stop the fire.... Very well, thank you for rescuing me. The day when Gulliver's new clothes were completed was a celebration for all of Lilliput. All the Lilliputians gathered in the street to see him in the new outfit that they had made together with their own hands. Thank you, good people of Lilliput! They did not have any fabric big enough for him, so the entire thing was pieced together out of different fabrics. It did not look particularly elegant, but Gulliver was touched by their care and generosity.

Suddenly, a cannon blast rent the air! The neighboring kingdom had brought over its fleet to invade Lilliput. Oh, what misfortune has befallen us! War! Have courage, my people! We must stand and defend our homeland! Follow me into battle! The king attempted to rally the Lilliputians, but they were so frightened that they wouldn't stop running. Seeing the situation, Gulliver came up with a plan. Gulliver waded out into the sea and began to grab the invaders' ships one by one and toss them aside. Retreat !!! Retreat!!! Let's fall back! Retreat! Gulliver has saved us from the invaders! You're a hero, Gulliver! Hurray!!!! You have our eternal gratitude for saving our country! Yes, thank you. To reward you for your heroic act, I will grant you any wish you may name.

Gulliver considered for a moment, trying to decide what he really wanted. Please build me a ship large enough to sail home. Gulliver wished he could stay with the friendly Lilliputians forever, but there were so many more lands to see and adventures to experience. Farewell, Gulliver! We will never forget you! Goodbye! Good luck to all of you! May Lilliput prosper and thrive! Guliver knew that he would always remember the people of Lilliput.

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