a triumphant cry. "There! See! What did I tell you? Giants try to act as if they've got class, but inside they're all the same."
"Sorry," the giant said. Even if he was about to eat these people, he didn't want them thinking badly of him. "I woulda gotten some more, but, ahm, I didn't know where to get any this time of year."
"Oh," Norman said. "In early spring? Barcelona."
"Barcelona?" the giant croaked.
"You have heard of Barcelona?"
"Well, yeah, but the distance..."
"For a giant of your size?" Norman said. "A
hop, skip, and a jump away. You'll be there and back in no time."
Every giant likes to think of himself as being the biggest and the best, and this one was no exception, so he didn't really want to argue the point. "I dunno," he started doubtfully.
"The other giants'll be green with envy."
The giant scratched his head and wondered how he had gotten into this. "Barcelona, huh?"
Norman nodded. "And that will be just long enough for us to take a nap before supper." He gave a great yawn as he sat down on the table with his back resting on the kettle. "We've been traveling all day, and we're very tired."
When Jennifer continued to stand there, just looking at him, he glared at her and repeated, more slowly, "
Very
tired."
"What?" Jennifer said in a slow, lazy voice. "I'm sorry, I'm so tired I wasn't listening." She stretched and yawned, then slowly sank down beside Norman.
The giant rubbed the stubble on his face and fought back a yawn of his own. "You'll show me how to cook this stuff?" he asked, putting on his coat.
With his eyes closed, Norman nodded. Jennifer sat very quietly by his side and worked on looking sleepy and helpless.
"I really appreciate this," the giant called from the door.
"No problem," Norman assured him. "Believe me, it's my pleasure."
He remained very still until the giant's heavy footsteps could no longer be heard, then he sprang to his feet and ran to the edge of the fifty-foot-long table.
"It's sort of high, but not too bad," he told Jennifer, pointing to the chair that was pulled up nearby.
They jumped from the table to the chair, and then climbed down the chair leg. The giant had made the furniture himself, and since he wasn't a very careful craftsman, the chair leg wasn't sanded down smoothly; there were plenty of ridges to give Jennifer and Norman firm footholds to make their descent easier.
Once on the floor, they began moving the chair toward the door. This involved quite a bit of pulling, pushing, tugging, and dragging, but finally they had it where they wanted it. They rested only long enough to get their breath back, all the while hoping that the giant wouldn't change his mind or decide that he needed his galoshes or anything like that.
Norman scampered back up the chair (tripping over his feet several times until he divided his beard in two and tied it around his neck like a woolly scarf so that he could see). From there he was able to reach the doorknob, and after considerable strain, he managed to turn the dartboard-size knob with both hands.
Jennifer, pushing against the door, felt it give, and she fell headlong into the backyard.
Then Norman was by her side and the two
of them made a dash for the trees, hoping that once they got back into the cover of the forest the giant would never be able to find them.
All the while they ran, Norman kept calculating: If the giant spotted them now and started chasing them at this very instant, could they make it to the distant trees before he reached them? How about now?
Jennifer kept one hand pressed against her aching side and the other in her pocket, clutching the magic bottle, and wondered—since their progress seemed so slow—if they were running without moving, the way it happens in dreams.
Finally they were there—among the safety of the trees, and still there was no sign of the giant. The two of them ran several steps more before tumbling, exhausted, to the ground.
Still in the Valley of Darkness and
"Sorry," the giant said. Even if he was about to eat these people, he didn't want them thinking badly of him. "I woulda gotten some more, but, ahm, I didn't know where to get any this time of year."
"Oh," Norman said. "In early spring? Barcelona."
"Barcelona?" the giant croaked.
"You have heard of Barcelona?"
"Well, yeah, but the distance..."
"For a giant of your size?" Norman said. "A
hop, skip, and a jump away. You'll be there and back in no time."
Every giant likes to think of himself as being the biggest and the best, and this one was no exception, so he didn't really want to argue the point. "I dunno," he started doubtfully.
"The other giants'll be green with envy."
The giant scratched his head and wondered how he had gotten into this. "Barcelona, huh?"
Norman nodded. "And that will be just long enough for us to take a nap before supper." He gave a great yawn as he sat down on the table with his back resting on the kettle. "We've been traveling all day, and we're very tired."
When Jennifer continued to stand there, just looking at him, he glared at her and repeated, more slowly, "
Very
tired."
"What?" Jennifer said in a slow, lazy voice. "I'm sorry, I'm so tired I wasn't listening." She stretched and yawned, then slowly sank down beside Norman.
The giant rubbed the stubble on his face and fought back a yawn of his own. "You'll show me how to cook this stuff?" he asked, putting on his coat.
With his eyes closed, Norman nodded. Jennifer sat very quietly by his side and worked on looking sleepy and helpless.
"I really appreciate this," the giant called from the door.
"No problem," Norman assured him. "Believe me, it's my pleasure."
He remained very still until the giant's heavy footsteps could no longer be heard, then he sprang to his feet and ran to the edge of the fifty-foot-long table.
"It's sort of high, but not too bad," he told Jennifer, pointing to the chair that was pulled up nearby.
They jumped from the table to the chair, and then climbed down the chair leg. The giant had made the furniture himself, and since he wasn't a very careful craftsman, the chair leg wasn't sanded down smoothly; there were plenty of ridges to give Jennifer and Norman firm footholds to make their descent easier.
Once on the floor, they began moving the chair toward the door. This involved quite a bit of pulling, pushing, tugging, and dragging, but finally they had it where they wanted it. They rested only long enough to get their breath back, all the while hoping that the giant wouldn't change his mind or decide that he needed his galoshes or anything like that.
Norman scampered back up the chair (tripping over his feet several times until he divided his beard in two and tied it around his neck like a woolly scarf so that he could see). From there he was able to reach the doorknob, and after considerable strain, he managed to turn the dartboard-size knob with both hands.
Jennifer, pushing against the door, felt it give, and she fell headlong into the backyard.
Then Norman was by her side and the two
of them made a dash for the trees, hoping that once they got back into the cover of the forest the giant would never be able to find them.
All the while they ran, Norman kept calculating: If the giant spotted them now and started chasing them at this very instant, could they make it to the distant trees before he reached them? How about now?
Jennifer kept one hand pressed against her aching side and the other in her pocket, clutching the magic bottle, and wondered—since their progress seemed so slow—if they were running without moving, the way it happens in dreams.
Finally they were there—among the safety of the trees, and still there was no sign of the giant. The two of them ran several steps more before tumbling, exhausted, to the ground.
Still in the Valley of Darkness and
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