The Giant Forest - COMPLETED - True to life adventures of preteens.

Where Giants Find Help When Needed

Gobble and his friends, Munch, Chomp, Swallow, Gorge, Wolf, Gulp and others were delighted with their catch. They giggled as only giants could. The sound was more a combination of squeaky hinges, creaky gates, squealing tires and scratchy grates.

"We ... are ... going ... to ... have ... a ... feast," Gulp yammered.

Munch, "We ... haven't ... had ... children ... to ... eat ... for ... since ... I can't ... remember ... when."

"It's ... our ... first ... time ..." Chomp chimed.

Writers from long ago until now have often pondered why there are times when the worst of us appear to feast on the most innocent of us. The Bunch was facing that very prospect on this day.

Roci, Aimi, Sybil and Mousi each were good Bible students. They had learned Old Testament stories where evil kings had actually made unthinkable sacrifices. Unable to speak to one another to learn what each was thinking, it was still clear to each that they knew they were in a dire predicament. What wasn't clear to them was how they had ended up in this land in the first place.

The day started by them going to church camp. Church camp! People get closer to God, not farther away from Him at church camp. How had they ended up in a place where they were about to be devoured by if not the devil himself, some giant manifestation of that serpent of old. Was their church camp experience really going to end in a feast where they were the main course?

"Let's ... tell ... the ... girls. They ... are ... waiting ... for ... us" one of the giants said out loud.

A couple of the giants who were not engaged in carrying one of the four kids took off, making double time. Watching giants run is similar to watching your aged grandpa cross the street.

The four friends had no chance to communicate verbally or nonverbally with one another other than to make eye contact between bounces. Even though they were able to talk with one another there was nothing to be said other than something like, "Do you want to be eaten with salt and pepper? Or do you prefer to be dipped in ketchup? Sweet and sour or hot and spicy?"

"Here ... come ... the ... boys!" Hilda screeched.

"Worsh! ... Worsh!" Melba chirped up.

"We've ... got ... a ... treat," Gobble squawked. "Fire ... up ... the ... pit!"

"YOU FORGOT ONE!" came a booming voice out of the darkness.

Everyone froze in place. Giant heads spun around. The dangling children their mouths gagged, twisted, turned and tried their best to look behind them to see where the voice had come from ... and whom.

As Gobble lifted one foot to start walking again the voice rang out again.

"I SAID, 'YOU FORGOT ONE!' I AM OVER HERE."

Everyone looked in the same direction this time. There standing tall, waving his arms above his head to the left and right for the clear purpose of being seen by instead of being hidden from the enemy.

Who does that? Tries to not be eaten ... with his friends?

It was Sycamore.

"You forgot me. I am the biggest one. You want a full meal? You need to include me on the menu. Here I am. Come and get me."

The giants looked at one another and showed one another their green teeth. In unison they said, "Let's ... get ... him!"

"Girls! ..........You'd .......... better .......... bring .......... the .......... fire .......... with .......... you .........." Chomp, it was clear, spoke much more slowly than the others.

"I ... am ... pretty ... sure ... I ... know ... what ... those ... guys ... are ... up ... to," Gobble, the now obvious leader sung out. " Someone ... get ... Ceasar .... We ... might .... You ... never ... know .... Just ... in ... case."

Gorge turned to fetch Ceasar. The other giants made out for Sycamore.

None of the kids knew who or what a Ceasar could be. But from the name they imagined the worst.

Sycamore made just enough noise and was able to stay just far enough ahead of the giant armada that the giants knew where he was but weren't quite able to catch him.

It wasn't long that the giants realized that they were going to end up back in the same field where they had captured Roci, Sybil and Aimi. The same field where Mousi had thought she could persuade Gobble to be a friend.

Mousi had never met someone who personified the word - incorrigible - until she ran into Gobble. Now all the kids knew the word ... what it meant and what it looked like.

By the time Gobble and his friends wore worn down from chasing Sycamore they realized they hadn't gone anywhere but had returned to the edge of the same field. Sycamore was already on the other side ... standing tall, with three dogs from small, Senti, to large Mounty, and Bligh in the middle on his right. On his left was a badger, a beaver. On Sycamore's left shoulder sat a butterfly. None of the giants noticed the butterfly.

Sycamore took one giant step toward the center of the field. Gobble took a small step to match Sycamore.

The rest of the giant tribe joined Gobble and his friends on the edge of the field just behind them. Other giants who were carrying the makings of the pit for cooking reached the field as well. Some were carrying torches. The groups that were carrying Sycamore's four friends lined up to the left and the right of Gobble. The female giants stepped into the field with baskets filled with utensils hanging at their sides. They had giant forks and claws, tongs and turners and scariest of all ... skewers. Big skewers.

Even more frightening, however, was Gorge and what he brought into the field with him.

So big, so terrifying, so horrifying that had Sycamore and his friends knew that the giants had this kind of help, Sycamore and company might have or most certainly should have considered a different strategy.

Too late now. On one side of the field was Sycamore and his loyal friends. On the other side was Gobble, his comrades ... and ... Ceasar!

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