disguis .
‘no. it’s cake. not upelku-eugh.’ he has no idea what upelkuchen is. i have no idea what upelkuchen is. but i’m smart enough to put together that it’s a type of cake. count olaf is not. didn’t he say it was cake already? don’t you like cake?– some people just never listen!
‘that sounds disgusting. stop speaking spanish.’
he’s barely listening to her, the way he barely listens to anyone except his own voice. he removes one cake from the packet, and presses it into his mouth in one, swift, movement. (his mouth bulges, and there’s cake and icing that clots the whispery edges and stubborn hairs of his beard.)
he sucks on a finger, draws pink icing from its tip, and grins through half-chewed cake crumbs that settle between rotting teeth. has he mentioned that he hates children? because he does. and it shows. his upper lip curls, his one, thick brow tightens, and he glares down at her with those shiny, shiny eyes.
something terribly funny about young children is that they seem to have no fear . no matter how much you may grimace & try to intimidate little alice , it simply won’t work any more . ( this isn’t an admirable trait , of course , & no one should try it . but that’s neither here nor there . ) she imitates his unpleasantly hateful expression .
❛ it actually tastes QUITE LOVELY , though -- only , it has a funny way of making you grow . i surely thought you’d eaten some ! ❜ she pauses for a moment . she doesn’t know any spanish , but she’s certain upelkuchen also isn’t spanish . ❛ upelkuchen isn’t spanish . it’s OUTLANDISH , actually . ❜
of course , while the upelkuchen did explain this giant’s size , it did not quite explain anything else . alice had never heard of a cake that made you at all ugly . or so angry . but as unhappily admitted as it must be , she does not know everything .
