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Description
"Mommy, tell me about the giants and Jack again?" Warm brown eyes lit up with laughter as a young woman smiled at her son. Eyes just the color of hers stared back, pleadingly. "Oh, I don't know," she teased. "I told you the story last night." The small boy fidgeted on her lap. "But mommy! That was last night! Tonight is tonight!" The young mother had to laugh at that. "You are correct! Alright, I will tell you about Jack and the giants," she cleared her throat. "Once upon a time, there was a boy named Jack." The son settled on his mother's lap, listening to her every word intently, her voice comforting through the scariest moments of the story.

"Fee Fi Fo Fum! I smell the blood of an Englishman!" The boy cuddled to his mother's breast, fascinated by the story. "And Jack grabbed the golden harp and the goose and ran, but, the giant chased them all through his castle!" The boy gasped, picturing the larger than life giant chasing the hero of the story. "What happens next mommy?" The woman laughed again. "Well, Jack climbed down the beanstalk with the goose that laid the golden eggs, and the harp, and he chopped down that beanstalk so the giant couldn't come down and gobble up little boys who don't go to bed when they're told!" She grabbed her son, his dark hair bobbing as he giggled, trying to get away from her tickling fingers. "Alright Joshua! It's time for bed now." She laid him into his bed, tucking him in tight, leaning down to give him a kiss. "Goodnight my love," she whispered. "Goodnight mommy. I love you."

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He saw light! Above him from the darkness of the water filtered in rippling waves. Joshua rushed to the surface, his lungs screaming for air. He shot up from the water, sputtering and coughing as he gulped in air by the mouthful. His hand touched a solid surface and he latched onto it, his arms and legs tired. How long was he underwater? It didn't seem like so long. Maybe he had fallen asleep by the edge of the lake and had a dream? That had to be it. He rolled into the lake.

Gripping onto the solid mass, he noticed it felt strange to him. It was too smooth and slippery. Opening his eyes, Joshua nearly sunk back under from shock at the item he gripped. It couldn't be. It looked like a plate, but one his mother had used on special occasions and holidays. But this was too big to be a plate! If there were twenty of him, they would be able to fit with plenty of room.

He grabbed onto the side and hauled himself up, sitting atop this enormous plate that couldn't possibly be a plate, and looked around. Silver walls towered around him, the roof being too far above for it to be a room. There was a window, and again it looked too large to be an actual window. He looked up to the silver faucet above him, the shape familiar to him. Where in blessed Light was he? Joshua stood to try and get his bearings.

The silver walls were much too high to try and climb without a rope. and not to mention when he took a closer look, they were too smooth to try and get a hand hold. Now, he wasn't the most fit person in the world, but if he had to, he could definitely climb out of a predicament. Like the time he had gotten caught in the woods and was chased by the bear. He'd been chased all the way to a cliff, and using his luck alone, climbed over the edge far away enough from the bear to escape certain death.

But, looking at the walls, he was confused. He'd never seen anything like them before. A cool breeze came from above him and Joshua shivered, his wet clothes clinging to him. He would have to get out of here, but how? His answer came in the most unexpected and terrifying way.

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What a day. John blew a rush of air through his lips and dropped his briefcase down heavily. Walking into the living room he fell onto the couch, loosening his tie. It had been nothing but meetings and budget talk all day, and he was glad he had tomorrow off. He sighed when he took his shoes off and was about to relax when his stomach reminded him of his lack of lunch. "Might as well see what's for dinner," he joked with himself. As a bachelor, John didn't normally cook more than microwave everything. It was a wonder that he kept his apartment so clean, but then again he was barely home to even make a mess. Getting up with a groan he flexed his toes before going out to the kitchen.

"Damn. Forgot about the dishes again." He usually forgot about them for weeks with his busy schedule, but they were only from last night. So, not too dirty. He walked past the full sink without looking down, instead, going straight to the fridge to look through the freezer. Sweet and sour chicken? Sure, why not. Taking it out he ripped open the box, putting it on the counter and without reading the directions he threw it in the microwave and pressed the time. He made these dinners so frequently he didn't need directions. He wasn't aware of the wide pair of eyes watching him from inside his sink. He stood by the microwave, tapping his fingers on the counter until finally it beeped and he popped it open, but stopped.

Was that a scream? Turning, his eyes scanned the kitchen. Great, now he was hearing things. Shaking his head, he grabbed his dinner. And there it was again! But this time it seemed lower, almost like a whimper. Slowly John made his way to the window and peered out, but there was nothing there. Not like anything could make it up the thirty-third floor that easily, anyway.

Shaking his head, he looked down. Something moved on a plate in the sink. Did he have bugs? It wasn't impossible, but seemingly unlikely. Leaning over to check it out, he nearly shouted when a pair of eyes stared up at him from a tiny human face. John's eyes went lower, finding an equally small human body attached, but it looked as if the tiny thing was soaked through. He brought his hand closer and jumped when the impossibly tiny human let out a scream, moving back.

Joshua could only do that; scream. It was a giant, a real life giant, and it was staring down at him with wide eyes. There was no other word for that huge face towering over him. He backed up a few paces, and, not watching where he was going, slipped from the plate surface back into the water, coming up coughing and spitting. But, that face was still there! Furiously he swam to try and get away, but was stopped by the slick silver wall. Joshua tried to climb it, his hands sliding across the smooth surface unable to grip it. A shadow fell over him and he watched in terror as a huge hand came at him.

He tried to swim away, but at the last minute fingers closed around him in a cage of flesh, trapping him in darkness. Joshua went rigid, afraid if he moved the giant would squeeze him flat, but his body shook uncontrollably. But it seemed the giant were too busy to think about that.

John felt the human-like creature shivering in his hand, marveling over the feel of it, but he also felt guilty for scaring it so badly. Keeping his hand closed as tightly as he dared, he found a large container and grabbed it. Quickly he reached in and opened his hand and the tiny thing fell to the bottom with a yelp and just as quickly, John put the lid on and took a step back. What the hell did he just find?

Unfortunately for the boy, whatever he had been dropped into, the bottom was hard and unforgiving and his arm hurt from the impact. A little unsteadily he got to his feet to try and see a way out. Everything was covered in a white fog, but the one thing he could make out was the giant. It seemed to be staring at him, causing Joshua to back up until he hit a wall. Turning, he pressed his hands against it, trying to push but it was too heavy. The texture felt rough yet smooth, and when he looked up all he saw was a circle of dark red what seemed miles above him, with an opening like a spout.

It was obvious he was trapped, and then something hit him. Would this be how a giant grinds the bones of boys to make bread? "L-let me out!" he cried, slapping his hands against the cloudy walls.

"It can speak."

Joshua jumped at the loud, rumbling voice that came from outside his pitcher prison.

"I need a drink." The giant walked away, its footsteps vibrating under Joshua's feet.

"No!" the boy cried. "Don't go! Let me out! Please, let me out!" But it seemed the giant didn't hear him, disappearing from the room.

A drink would definitely help. Then he could pretend that he didn't have what looked like a tiny boy trapped in his water pitcher. Once at the small bar table, he grabbed the strongest whiskey he could find and poured himself a double shot, swallowing it all in one gulp. When it hit his stomach it burned and then he remembered that he'd forgotten his dinner on the counter. Pouring himself another drink, he made his way back into the kitchen, and completely ignoring the now screaming pitcher, grabbed his dinner and went back to the living room.

He would eat dinner and go to bed. In the morning everything would go back to normal.

But, the poor boy trapped in the kitchen was scared out of his mind. As soon as the giant left, the room went dark, making him unable to see anything now. Joshua gasped and pressed his back against the wall, sliding down until he sat, his legs pulled up to his chest. Now what? Suddenly Charlotte came to mind. Did she know what would happen when she gave him those stones? Did she want him to die? He shook his head. That couldn't be. She liked him too much, she was his friend. He stifled a sob and hid his face in his knees. This was all too confusing.

Description
"Mommy, tell me about the giants and Jack again?" Warm brown eyes lit up with laughter as a young woman smiled at her son. Eyes just the color of hers stared back, pleadingly. "Oh, I don't know," she teased. "I told you the story last night." The small boy fidgeted on her lap. "But mommy! That was last night! Tonight is tonight!" The young mother had to laugh at that. "You are correct! Alright, I will tell you about Jack and the giants," she cleared her throat. "Once upon a time, there was a boy named Jack." The son settled on his mother's lap, listening to her every word intently, her voice comforting through the scariest moments of the story.

"Fee Fi Fo Fum! I smell the blood of an Englishman!" The boy cuddled to his mother's breast, fascinated by the story. "And Jack grabbed the golden harp and the goose and ran, but, the giant chased them all through his castle!" The boy gasped, picturing the larger than life giant chasing the hero of the story. "What happens next mommy?" The woman laughed again. "Well, Jack climbed down the beanstalk with the goose that laid the golden eggs, and the harp, and he chopped down that beanstalk so the giant couldn't come down and gobble up little boys who don't go to bed when they're told!" She grabbed her son, his dark hair bobbing as he giggled, trying to get away from her tickling fingers. "Alright Joshua! It's time for bed now." She laid him into his bed, tucking him in tight, leaning down to give him a kiss. "Goodnight my love," she whispered. "Goodnight mommy. I love you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He saw light! Above him from the darkness of the water filtered in rippling waves. Joshua rushed to the surface, his lungs screaming for air. He shot up from the water, sputtering and coughing as he gulped in air by the mouthful. His hand touched a solid surface and he latched onto it, his arms and legs tired. How long was he underwater? It didn't seem like so long. Maybe he had fallen asleep by the edge of the lake and had a dream? That had to be it. He rolled into the lake.

Gripping onto the solid mass, he noticed it felt strange to him. It was too smooth and slippery. Opening his eyes, Joshua nearly sunk back under from shock at the item he gripped. It couldn't be. It looked like a plate, but one his mother had used on special occasions and holidays. But this was too big to be a plate! If there were twenty of him, they would be able to fit with plenty of room.

He grabbed onto the side and hauled himself up, sitting atop this enormous plate that couldn't possibly be a plate, and looked around. Silver walls towered around him, the roof being too far above for it to be a room. There was a window, and again it looked too large to be an actual window. He looked up to the silver faucet above him, the shape familiar to him. Where in blessed Light was he? Joshua stood to try and get his bearings.

The silver walls were much too high to try and climb without a rope. and not to mention when he took a closer look, they were too smooth to try and get a hand hold. Now, he wasn't the most fit person in the world, but if he had to, he could definitely climb out of a predicament. Like the time he had gotten caught in the woods and was chased by the bear. He'd been chased all the way to a cliff, and using his luck alone, climbed over the edge far away enough from the bear to escape certain death.

But, looking at the walls, he was confused. He'd never seen anything like them before. A cool breeze came from above him and Joshua shivered, his wet clothes clinging to him. He would have to get out of here, but how? His answer came in the most unexpected and terrifying way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What a day. John blew a rush of air through his lips and dropped his briefcase down heavily. Walking into the living room he fell onto the couch, loosening his tie. It had been nothing but meetings and budget talk all day, and he was glad he had tomorrow off. He sighed when he took his shoes off and was about to relax when his stomach reminded him of his lack of lunch. "Might as well see what's for dinner," he joked with himself. As a bachelor, John didn't normally cook more than microwave everything. It was a wonder that he kept his apartment so clean, but then again he was barely home to even make a mess. Getting up with a groan he flexed his toes before going out to the kitchen.

"Damn. Forgot about the dishes again." He usually forgot about them for weeks with his busy schedule, but they were only from last night. So, not too dirty. He walked past the full sink without looking down, instead, going straight to the fridge to look through the freezer. Sweet and sour chicken? Sure, why not. Taking it out he ripped open the box, putting it on the counter and without reading the directions he threw it in the microwave and pressed the time. He made these dinners so frequently he didn't need directions. He wasn't aware of the wide pair of eyes watching him from inside his sink. He stood by the microwave, tapping his fingers on the counter until finally it beeped and he popped it open, but stopped.

Was that a scream? Turning, his eyes scanned the kitchen. Great, now he was hearing things. Shaking his head, he grabbed his dinner. And there it was again! But this time it seemed lower, almost like a whimper. Slowly John made his way to the window and peered out, but there was nothing there. Not like anything could make it up the thirty-third floor that easily, anyway.

Shaking his head, he looked down. Something moved on a plate in the sink. Did he have bugs? It wasn't impossible, but seemingly unlikely. Leaning over to check it out, he nearly shouted when a pair of eyes stared up at him from a tiny human face. John's eyes went lower, finding an equally small human body attached, but it looked as if the tiny thing was soaked through. He brought his hand closer and jumped when the impossibly tiny human let out a scream, moving back.

Joshua could only do that; scream. It was a giant, a real life giant, and it was staring down at him with wide eyes. There was no other word for that huge face towering over him. He backed up a few paces, and, not watching where he was going, slipped from the plate surface back into the water, coming up coughing and spitting. But, that face was still there! Furiously he swam to try and get away, but was stopped by the slick silver wall. Joshua tried to climb it, his hands sliding across the smooth surface unable to grip it. A shadow fell over him and he watched in terror as a huge hand came at him.

He tried to swim away, but at the last minute fingers closed around him in a cage of flesh, trapping him in darkness. Joshua went rigid, afraid if he moved the giant would squeeze him flat, but his body shook uncontrollably. But it seemed the giant were too busy to think about that.

John felt the human-like creature shivering in his hand, marveling over the feel of it, but he also felt guilty for scaring it so badly. Keeping his hand closed as tightly as he dared, he found a large container and grabbed it. Quickly he reached in and opened his hand and the tiny thing fell to the bottom with a yelp and just as quickly, John put the lid on and took a step back. What the hell did he just find?

Unfortunately for the boy, whatever he had been dropped into, the bottom was hard and unforgiving and his arm hurt from the impact. A little unsteadily he got to his feet to try and see a way out. Everything was covered in a white fog, but the one thing he could make out was the giant. It seemed to be staring at him, causing Joshua to back up until he hit a wall. Turning, he pressed his hands against it, trying to push but it was too heavy. The texture felt rough yet smooth, and when he looked up all he saw was a circle of dark red what seemed miles above him, with an opening like a spout.

It was obvious he was trapped, and then something hit him. Would this be how a giant grinds the bones of boys to make bread? "L-let me out!" he cried, slapping his hands against the cloudy walls.

"It can speak."

Joshua jumped at the loud, rumbling voice that came from outside his pitcher prison.

"I need a drink." The giant walked away, its footsteps vibrating under Joshua's feet.

"No!" the boy cried. "Don't go! Let me out! Please, let me out!" But it seemed the giant didn't hear him, disappearing from the room.

A drink would definitely help. Then he could pretend that he didn't have what looked like a tiny boy trapped in his water pitcher. Once at the small bar table, he grabbed the strongest whiskey he could find and poured himself a double shot, swallowing it all in one gulp. When it hit his stomach it burned and then he remembered that he'd forgotten his dinner on the counter. Pouring himself another drink, he made his way back into the kitchen, and completely ignoring the now screaming pitcher, grabbed his dinner and went back to the living room.

He would eat dinner and go to bed. In the morning everything would go back to normal.

But, the poor boy trapped in the kitchen was scared out of his mind. As soon as the giant left, the room went dark, making him unable to see anything now. Joshua gasped and pressed his back against the wall, sliding down until he sat, his legs pulled up to his chest. Now what? Suddenly Charlotte came to mind. Did she know what would happen when she gave him those stones? Did she want him to die? He shook his head. That couldn't be. She liked him too much, she was his friend. He stifled a sob and hid his face in his knees. This was all too confusing.