Land Of Giants (Discontinued)

Chapter 2

Malissa

"Mom!" I shouted as I pulled my coat around my neck. "I'm heading out!"

I heard clattering and then watched as my mother dashed down the stairs and towards me. My hand was on the door handle as she gave me a quick hug. "Be safe," she said. "Don't get into any trouble. I don't want a repetition of what happened last time."

"It wasn't that bad," I lied.

She glared at me as I gave her a fake smile.

"Ok, love you!" I pulled the door open and waved at her as I closed it behind me. I let out a sigh and lightly rested my head against the door. "Don't let tomorrow ruin your night," I repeated that to myself multiple times before I pushed myself from the door.

I started with a walk, but slowly it turned into a jog. The tall grass surrounding our kingdom came into view and I pulled my hood up over my head to hide from the night watchers: birds that are sent out by the guards to make sure no one leaves.

Apparently, it's dangerous to go into the woods, but my father used to go out all the time when I was younger and I guess I just thought that it was normal.

I slowed when I got deep enough into the woods and double checked for my pouch and dagger. They were both very important to me. The pouch was my father's and I use it to hold my journals, ink bottle, and pen. I use my dagger to cut plants easily so I can take them back with me if I want to know more about their properties. I also use it to protect myself, but I've rarely had to do that.

I skipped over a few boulders and even a small stream that ran right next to where I usually hunt before finding myself at my little hideout. It was a large tree that had a small burrow like entrance that led to a small hidden room underneath the ground.

Climbing down into the small room, I made out the handmade bed in the left corner. In the middle, to the far back was my fireplace. A chair and table sat on the opposite side in the far left corner of the room. Then, there was my large wooden trunk that sat next to the bed which used to be my dad's.

I made my way to the dusty trunk and lifted the lid. All my old journals that I've written in were scattered around. Most were filled with information about plants and animals. Maybe a few sketches here and there from places that I've seen.

I reached into my pouch and grabbed my journal, tossing it into the trunk with the other finished ones before letting the trunk lid fall closed.

I wandered over to my bed, sitting down. I pulled off my muddy sandals and dropped them near the fireplace to let the mud dry, so I can pick it off later. Then, I reached over and grabbed my boots, pulling them on.

I quickly tied them up and moved towards the table. All the journals that I have yet to fill were stacked and I grabbed the closest one to me. Quickly, I flipped through the pages to make sure that nothing was scribbled in it before placing it in my pouch.

I snatched an apple from a nearby fruit bowl, along with my compass and exited the small space.

I stared down at my compass as I bit down on my apple and made my way slowly through the forest. The moon was finally in sight through the trees and the wind kept me cool as the night critters kept the forest alive.

As I wandered around, I found a waterfall where many wild berries grew. It was so beautiful; I had to take a quick sketch. While there, I took a sip of water, buried my apple core and picked a few berries to eat along the way.

As I walked farther and farther into the forest, some things started getting larger. The berries got to the size of my hand, the trees towered over me like giants, and the bushes were almost the size of houses. Each difference was written in my journal for later references.

I finally got to a point where I was just wandering. It wasn't even like I was looking for something specific. Everything was just so... strange.

"This doesn't make any sense," I muttered, flipping through the pages, looking back on observations and images I made. "None of these are right.... Why doesn't it make sense? It always makes sense!"

I slammed my book closed and leaned against a nearby boulder.

This night was just getting harder and harder. Not because I didn't understand, but it was because I couldn't maneuver around as easily.

There was a crunch of leaves and I stiffened.

Slowly, I looked around the corner of the boulder. But when I realized that I wasn't looking high enough, my jaw dropped, along with my stomach. There was a man moving through the forest that was bigger than anything I had ever seen! He was giant!

I quickly ducked and watched as the man looked around for a moment, turning his head side to side before folding his arms. He stood in place for a good few minutes before I realized that he wasn't going to move anytime soon.

As soon as he turned his back to me, I took off running.

I tripped a couple of times, but when I finally got back to my little tree home, I threw my boots off and set everything to the side. My heart was pounding insanely fast and I was taking large gasps of air, trying to calm myself down. I walked around the little house for a couple seconds, running my hands through my hair while trying to comprehend what I had just seen.

I looked around, my eyes landing on my journals. I looked at them for a second before moving over to them. I pulled up the chair and sat down as I grabbed my ink bottle and quill from my pouch. I opened the book to the first page and started writing down everything that I could remember.

When I was done, I slammed the journal closed, dating the back of the journal before setting it into my pouch. I was going to keep this book, quill, and ink with me until I figure out what the heck happened out there.

I grabbed my sandals and took a deep breath before heading back to the house in calm like manner. I passed through the tall grass before getting to my front door in a flash. I took in one deep breath before opening the door quietly, moving to my bedroom without making a sound.

When I finally got to my bed, I was as calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside I was panicked. What was that? How long have those things been out there for?