Parousia

The Giant

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Mom, what's that sound?

I'm not sure but Thyone hears it too and she's heading your way.

Good. It seemed to begin when the giant showed up.

Be safe, honey. We're trying to figure out how the giant appeared.

We?

But, before Avodus could answer Araceli, the ground rumbled again. Shimmering skin shook as the giant took a step. Araceli could have sworn the giant's matte eyes looked straight through her.

"Stand back, Araceli," Tristan said as he tied a glowing vine around a rock.

"Tristan, what are you doing?" Araceli asked. She began walking toward him despite his warnings. During their Power Plant extravaganza he'd proven to be free, jovial, and ... irresponsible. She worried for him now.

Once Tristan finished tying the rock to the vine he began spinning it in circles. It was as if he were looping a lasso. He looked at the giant and took aim...and released. The rock flew in the air directly at the giant's head. Araceli froze. She knew she should be grabbing Tristan's hand to make him run and flee from this area but she couldn't get her feet to move.

The rock hit the giant with a thud and Tristan grabbed another rock from the ground. Before he could place the rock in the glowing vine contraption he'd made, the giant's large hand was around Tristan. The rock had not done any damage to the giant except cause irritation. Araceli woke from her shock seeing Tristan so easily fit in the giant's hand.

She was afraid to startle the giant but she had to do something.

"Hey, Giant."

The giant's head turned her way.

"I'm sorry Tristan hit you. He thought he was protecting me. Can you please put him down?"

Tears were welling in her eyes. Tristan looked so vulnerable. Then, the giant opened his fist and Tristan fell to the ground. Luckily he had not been too high but Araceli knew he'd have at least a bruise from the drop. Next, the giant's hand approached Araceli. She inhaled sharply expecting the worst. But nothing happened. She opened her eyes as they had squinted shut and saw that the giant was pointing at her.

"Me?"

The giant's index finger pointed to her head again and then he grabbed his own hair and then pointed to Araceli's hair again.

"Oh! Do you like my braid?"

The giant shook his head up and down.

"Would you like me to braid your hair?"

Again, he shook his head. Then he placed his hand on the ground in front of her palm faced up. With the variety of emotions she'd just encountered, Araceli hesitated a second before moving forward but began to step anyway.

"No, step back, Araceli, now," Thyone was screaming as she ran in their direction.

"It's okay, it's okay. He's a friendly giant. A friendly, alien giant," Araceli said with a smile.

Thyone slowed. She couldn't believe her eyes. When Araceli smiled the huge alien smiled too and shook his head.

"I'm going to braid his hair. Want to help?" Araceli asked.