diff --git a/src/main/java/graphql/parser/GraphqlAntlrToLanguage.java b/src/main/java/graphql/parser/GraphqlAntlrToLanguage.java
index 2a07f04d47..8461a5e55f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/graphql/parser/GraphqlAntlrToLanguage.java
+++ b/src/main/java/graphql/parser/GraphqlAntlrToLanguage.java
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 
 public class GraphqlAntlrToLanguage extends GraphqlBaseVisitor<Void> {
 
-    Document result;
+    private Document result;
 
     private enum ContextProperty {
         OperationDefinition,
@@ -109,6 +109,9 @@ private void newField(Field field) {
         ((SelectionSet) getFromContextStack(ContextProperty.SelectionSet)).getSelections().add(field);
     }
 
+    Document getResult() {
+        return result;
+    }
 
     @Override
     public Void visitDocument(GraphqlParser.DocumentContext ctx) {
@@ -688,9 +691,12 @@ private Value getValue(GraphqlParser.ValueContext ctx) {
         throw new ShouldNotHappenException();
     }
 
-    private String parseString(String string) {
+    static String parseString(String string) {
+        assert string.length() >= 2;
         StringWriter writer = new StringWriter(string.length() - 2);
         int end = string.length() - 1;
+        assert string.charAt(0) == '"' : "string did not start with '\"'";
+        assert string.charAt(end) == '"' : "string did not end with '\"'";
         for (int i = 1; i < end; i++) {
             char c = string.charAt(i);
             if (c != '\\') {
diff --git a/src/main/java/graphql/parser/Parser.java b/src/main/java/graphql/parser/Parser.java
index 6aed97b204..a029b6211d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/graphql/parser/Parser.java
+++ b/src/main/java/graphql/parser/Parser.java
@@ -24,9 +24,8 @@ public Document parseDocument(String input) {
         parser.setErrorHandler(new BailErrorStrategy());
         GraphqlParser.DocumentContext document = parser.document();
 
-
         GraphqlAntlrToLanguage antlrToLanguage = new GraphqlAntlrToLanguage();
         antlrToLanguage.visitDocument(document);
-        return antlrToLanguage.result;
+        return antlrToLanguage.getResult();
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/test/groovy/graphql/parser/GraphqlAntlrToLanguageTest.groovy b/src/test/groovy/graphql/parser/GraphqlAntlrToLanguageTest.groovy
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..081d005c66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/groovy/graphql/parser/GraphqlAntlrToLanguageTest.groovy
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+package graphql.parser
+
+import spock.lang.Ignore
+import spock.lang.Specification
+/**
+ * Created by jiayu on 9/3/16.
+ */
+class GraphqlAntlrToLanguageTest extends Specification {
+
+  def "parsing quoted string should work"() {
+    given:
+    def input = '''"simple quoted"'''
+
+    when:
+    String parsed = GraphqlAntlrToLanguage.parseString(input)
+
+    then:
+    parsed == "simple quoted"
+  }
+
+  def "parsing escaped json should work"() {
+    given:
+    def input = '''"{\"name\": \"graphql\", \"year\": 2015}"'''
+
+    when:
+    String parsed = GraphqlAntlrToLanguage.parseString(input)
+
+    then:
+    parsed == '''{\"name\": \"graphql\", \"year\": 2015}'''
+  }
+
+  def "parsing quoted quote should work"() {
+    given:
+    def input = '''"""'''
+
+    when:
+    String parsed = GraphqlAntlrToLanguage.parseString(input)
+
+    then:
+    parsed == '''"'''
+  }
+
+  @Ignore("sadly this does not work yet")
+  def "parsing emoji should work"() {
+    given:
+    def input = '''"\\u1f37a"'''
+
+    when:
+    String parsed = GraphqlAntlrToLanguage.parseString(input)
+
+    then:
+    parsed == '''🍺'''
+  }
+
+  def "parsing simple unicode should work"() {
+    given:
+    def input = '''"\\u56fe"'''
+
+    when:
+    String parsed = GraphqlAntlrToLanguage.parseString(input)
+
+    then:
+    parsed == '''图'''
+  }
+
+}