Esio Trot – in fact – does know of a way to make a tortoise grow bigger. He writes the following words on a slip of paper, and lowers it down to Mrs Silver: <poem> ESIO TROT, ESIO TROT, TEG REGGIB REGGIB, EMOC NO, ESIO TROT, WORG PU, FFUP PU, TOOHS PU, PU, WOLB PU, LLEWS PU, EGROG! ELZZUG! FFUTS! PLUG, TUP NO TAF, ESIO TROT, TUP NO TAF, TEG NO, TEG NO, ELBBOG DOOF.</poem> Mr Hoppy explains that these magic words, when whispered in Alfie's ear three times a day, will cause Alfie to grow bigger and bigger. Mrs Silver is
Roald Dahl: Collected Stories collections: Introduction by Jeremy Treglown Select Bibliography Chronology Appendix: Dates of Composition and First Publication There are other works that are arguably short stories, which are not included in this volume. The two halves of "Two Fables" were excluded by request of Felicity Dahl for unknown reasons. When the stories were next compiled, in 2012's two-volume "The Complete Short Stories" (an expansion/amendment of "Collected Stories"), the above seven stories were finally included, slotted chronologically into place, this time in publication rather than composition order. This brought "Two Fables" back into print for the first time in over 25 years and