foot after the other over thick tree roots and squeezing between the clinging branches of tall, scrubby-looking bushes when, suddenly, she realized that the trees up ahead had a different light to them.
Norman had noticed, too, but there was no need to say anything, for this seemed to be where the forest was leading them.
A second later Jennifer saw that the new light was coming from a clearing.
She reached into her pocket to touch the magic bottle and quietly followed Norman out of the shadow of the trees.
Before them was a thatched-roof house that took up most of the clearing.
As soon as her mind registered this, Jennifer corrected herself. Something was out of scale; the perspective was all wrong. She closed her eyes, counted to five, and looked again.
The house was not right there before them; it was still some distance away. And the clearing was enormous; it just looked small because the house took up so much of it.
The chimney reached as high as the trees, and the windows were almost as tall and wide as Norman's whole cottage. Each post of the white fence around the house was made from a hefty tree trunk pounded into the ground. There was a cobblestone walk starting where they stood and going to the front door, but it was much wider than the main road in Jennifer's village and it ended in a step that was almost as tall as she was.
"Oh-oh," Norman said.
Jennifer couldn't have put it better. She was about to take a step back into the cover of the trees when a rough, dry voice bellowed, "Hey!"
The two of them turned around and found themselves staring at the top laces of someone's boot.
Jennifer tilted her head, and leaned back,
and looked up, up—till she reached the man's face, almost ten times as high up as where she would have found it on an average man.
Now giants have never been known for their beauty. Even to other giants, they aren't very appealing. But this giant was especially ugly. He had longish, straggly hair that left greasy stains on his collar, and his huge belly strained at the belt, from which hung a ten-foot-long hunting knife. In shape, color, and texture the giant's nose resembled a moldy potato; even his ears had warts.
He leaned way down to place his face close to theirs and tapped a finger with a cracked yellow nail on Norman's chest. "What," he demanded, "do ya think yer doing here?"
The sorcerer met his red-veined eyes without flinching, though the giant's "tap" had almost knocked him over. "Just passing through," he explained.
"Well, ya can't."
"Okay," Norman agreed readily, more than
willing at this point to forget everything and go back home.
"Not so fast," the giant said. "Here youse are trespassing on my land, just traipsing through without a by-yer-leave, or an apology, or nothing."
"Sorry," Norman said.
Jennifer nodded to show she was sorry, too.
"Sorry don't pay the taxes. Now that yer already here, I gotta charge ya the toll."
Norman and Jennifer exchanged a worried look. "We don't have any money."
The giant shook his huge head in disgust. "People!" he muttered. "Always trying to get away with something. All right, I'll tell ya what I'm gonna do." The dirty finger found Norman's chest again. "I'll let you go and get the money if ya leave the girl behind as security."
Jennifer gulped.
Without hesitation, Norman said, politely, "No, I don't think so."
"Then it's into the supper pot with both of
youse," the giant said, and tucked each of them under a hairy arm.
He carried them into his house and put them in a huge pot on the kitchen table while he got the fire burning brightly.
Jennifer started to pull the magic bottle out of her pocket, but Norman shook his head. "We'd better save that in case we need it later," he whispered.
"I don't know much about these things, but just as a guess I'd say we need it now." Jennifer whispered also, but the giant was whistling to himself as he peeled watermelon-size potatoes, so he couldn't hear them anyway.
"No, not really,"
Norman had noticed, too, but there was no need to say anything, for this seemed to be where the forest was leading them.
A second later Jennifer saw that the new light was coming from a clearing.
She reached into her pocket to touch the magic bottle and quietly followed Norman out of the shadow of the trees.
Before them was a thatched-roof house that took up most of the clearing.
As soon as her mind registered this, Jennifer corrected herself. Something was out of scale; the perspective was all wrong. She closed her eyes, counted to five, and looked again.
The house was not right there before them; it was still some distance away. And the clearing was enormous; it just looked small because the house took up so much of it.
The chimney reached as high as the trees, and the windows were almost as tall and wide as Norman's whole cottage. Each post of the white fence around the house was made from a hefty tree trunk pounded into the ground. There was a cobblestone walk starting where they stood and going to the front door, but it was much wider than the main road in Jennifer's village and it ended in a step that was almost as tall as she was.
"Oh-oh," Norman said.
Jennifer couldn't have put it better. She was about to take a step back into the cover of the trees when a rough, dry voice bellowed, "Hey!"
The two of them turned around and found themselves staring at the top laces of someone's boot.
Jennifer tilted her head, and leaned back,
and looked up, up—till she reached the man's face, almost ten times as high up as where she would have found it on an average man.
Now giants have never been known for their beauty. Even to other giants, they aren't very appealing. But this giant was especially ugly. He had longish, straggly hair that left greasy stains on his collar, and his huge belly strained at the belt, from which hung a ten-foot-long hunting knife. In shape, color, and texture the giant's nose resembled a moldy potato; even his ears had warts.
He leaned way down to place his face close to theirs and tapped a finger with a cracked yellow nail on Norman's chest. "What," he demanded, "do ya think yer doing here?"
The sorcerer met his red-veined eyes without flinching, though the giant's "tap" had almost knocked him over. "Just passing through," he explained.
"Well, ya can't."
"Okay," Norman agreed readily, more than
willing at this point to forget everything and go back home.
"Not so fast," the giant said. "Here youse are trespassing on my land, just traipsing through without a by-yer-leave, or an apology, or nothing."
"Sorry," Norman said.
Jennifer nodded to show she was sorry, too.
"Sorry don't pay the taxes. Now that yer already here, I gotta charge ya the toll."
Norman and Jennifer exchanged a worried look. "We don't have any money."
The giant shook his huge head in disgust. "People!" he muttered. "Always trying to get away with something. All right, I'll tell ya what I'm gonna do." The dirty finger found Norman's chest again. "I'll let you go and get the money if ya leave the girl behind as security."
Jennifer gulped.
Without hesitation, Norman said, politely, "No, I don't think so."
"Then it's into the supper pot with both of
youse," the giant said, and tucked each of them under a hairy arm.
He carried them into his house and put them in a huge pot on the kitchen table while he got the fire burning brightly.
Jennifer started to pull the magic bottle out of her pocket, but Norman shook his head. "We'd better save that in case we need it later," he whispered.
"I don't know much about these things, but just as a guess I'd say we need it now." Jennifer whispered also, but the giant was whistling to himself as he peeled watermelon-size potatoes, so he couldn't hear them anyway.
"No, not really,"
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