The BFG Chapter Thirteen: A Trogglehumper for the Fleshlumpeater Summary

  • Sophie and the BFG have a chat about sleep. The BFG says giants don’t need very much of it: they just catch a snooze for two to three hours per afternoon.
  • Humans, as you well know, are the opposite. The BFG says humans spend so much time sleeping that if you only count their waking hours, they’re a lot younger than in number years.
  • For example, Sophie is eight, but he says that if he doesn’t count her time sleeping, she’s actually four. Which is a mind-boggling thought.
  • All this chatter about sleep gives the BFG an idea. He runs to his cave and puts the trogglehumper in his dream-blowing trumpet. Then he heads back out to the giants and blows the nightmare at Fleshlumpeater. Sneaky, sneaky!
  • Then he runs Sophie away to a safe place where they can hide and watch.
  • The Fleshlumpeater starts thrashing and yelling in his sleep about someone named Jack. The BFG explains to Sophie that Jack is a famous giant killer—the only human that giants are afraid of. Sophie thinks this is very funny. She’s probably thinking something about beanstalks.
  • In his sleep, The Fleshlumpeater punches the Meatdripping Giant and kicks the Gizzardgulping Giant. Let’s pause a second over those happy, heartwarming names.
  • Pause over. Soon they wake up and start fighting the Fleshlumpeater and each other.
  • According to the BFG, these fights are pretty common.
  • The BFG and Sophie leave, feeling proud of themselves.