The calm sounds of nature were interrupted by the loud chanting of “Fight, Fight, Fight.” Two boys circled one and other surrounded by numerous others watching. The odds seemed to be stacked against one of the fighters. He was about half the size of his opponent and the smallest among the group around him. Surprisingly he didn’t seem frightened and his fierce brown eyes never left his opponents face. Without hesitation he leaped onto the bigger boy fists swinging in a frantic effort to make contact with anything.  His insane move knocked the other fighter onto his back for a moment, after recovering from his shock the bigger guy swung at his minuscule enemy making contact with his face. The force of the swing sent him backwards and onto the ground, where he laid unmoving. The owner of the winning punch stood up and kicked the unconscious form at his feet, and mumbled the word Trash as he pushed his way through the crowd.  A few of the other boys followed their champion while others imitated him by kicking the fallen fighter as they left. Once again the birds chirping and the river running were all that could be heard.

Within a dark cave a girl sat alone in the flickering darkness. A small fire crackled in the corner causing the darkness to ripple with waves of light.  She reached out and touched the flaking paint that decorated the cave’s walls; it crumpled and peeled off onto the floor, taking the present with it. Visions of priests and holey men rushing about filled the cave with life and light. Then disappeared as suddenly as they had appeared leaving the girl alone in flickering darkness once more. She looked up through the small hole in the caves ceiling at the swirling stars in the night sky and tears dripped from her golden eyes as she quietly wept alone in the night.

Nickolas opened his eyes and immediately felt pain radiating from his face. He sat up and tenderly felt his face his hand slowly moved to his swollen jaw. He took his hand from his face and pushed himself up. He walked through the field dotted with the occasional tree until he heard running water. He reached a small pool being fed by a stream and looked into the water. A thin face with black unkempt hair and dark brown eyes looked back at him. He looked like a boy still but he was going to be twenty in a few days. With no father, land, or occupation he would still be a boy as far as everyone was concerned.  He was an orphan and had been one since he was very young he had only had his mother as family and she was killed years ago. Now he survived off hand outs and by stealing. He lived on the outskirts of the village and was commonly getting into altercations with young men from the village; they called him thief and trash and would beat him if they caught him. Nickolas never backed out of a fight even though he always lost. Courage was the only thing he had that couldn’t be taken from him. The pains in his stomach reminded him that he was hungry and needed food. He reluctantly headed toward the village to find a meal.

As Nickolas entered the main part of the village he was surprised to find it rather deserted. He quietly snuck into a shop and grabbed a burlap sack and began to fill it with food. As he was leaving what looked like the whole village was exiting the town hall. Nickolas remembered hearing that there was a meeting coming up about taxes and the effect that the drought was having on the farmers. There is nothing worse than running into angry town’s people when you have a bag of stolen food. One of the men spotted Nickolas immediately and shouted to get the others attention. As he was turning to run he ran right into the shop keeper, then blackness.

Nickolas woke up for the second time that day from being hit. This time it was dark and he realized he was tied up in the back of a horse drawn cart surrounded by men. As his eyes adjusted he could make out some of their familiar faces but none of the terrain looked familiar. One man made eye contact with him and smirked at him as he whispered, “You’ve done it for the last time you little shit, this is the end of the road for you.” As they neared a dark forest a hush fell over the group. They stopped just outside the forest and untied Nickolas’s legs leaving his arms bound. Two vicious looking dogs were brought out on ropes. “Welcome to your new home brat, The Forest of Lost Souls,” Sneered one of the men.  The man with the dogs stepped forward looked at Nickolas and said, “We’ll give you a half hour to get as far as you can before we let the dogs go, now RUN.”

As Nickolas ran all he could think was that this was the real forest, the forest were ghosts and evil spirits roamed. Where people heard the dead weep in the night. Soon his disbelieve was shattered by the sound of hounds baying in the distance. “Damn assholes left my hands tied so I can’t even fight back once the dogs catch me.” As he ran he saw a flickering of light in the distance. “A fire? Someone must be here they’ll help me they have too,” Nickolas thought out loud. As he neared the light he realized it was coming from the inside of a huge old cave. Nickolas took a breath and darted inside the hounds barking grew quieter as they moved into the distance. He headed towards the light coming from deeper inside the cave.  As he walked he noticed the walls of the cave were covered in cracking peeling paint it appeared to be some sort of ancient religious art and writing. As he reached the fire he marveled at the size of the cave. It was covered from floor to ceiling in art and text until it reached the top of the cave which was open revealing the night sky and letting light from the moon and stars in. In the very center of the cave was an enormous statue of a woman some unknown goddess most likely.  As Nickolas looked up at the night sky he felt a warm breeze begin blowing from somewhere. As he looked for its source something about the statue caught his eye. Something was different its eyes were open now its head moved and its golden eyes locked onto his.

 For the first time since he had lost his mother Nickolas’s courage left him and overwhelmed by all that had happened to him that night he fell to his knees and began to cry. The statue reached out, and Nickolas prepared to be crushed as the hand moved over his head. He felt a slight tug on both his arms and then slack the hand moved back to its original position. He moved to wipe the tears from his eyes and realized his arms were free. He turned around and picked up the rope that had bound his arms it looked like someone had cut through it. When Nickolas looked up he saw that the statue was facing the opposite way and looking down. His courage flooding back into him he walked closer to the massive figure and began to walk to be face to face with the thing. As he came around the front the clouds moved letting the moon light shine brightly into the cave. He looked up into the face of a young woman, not a cold stone statue but a giant made of warm flesh and blood.  She looked away breaking their eye contact; Nickolas moved staring back into her eyes. She looked back at him let out a sigh and offered a sad apologetic smile.

Ann and Nickolas talked for some time and then sat in silence watching the flames of the fire leap and dance, until Nickolas dozed off under his makeshift blanket. Nickolas awoke and was instantly blinded by the bright sun of a new day. As his eyes adjusted his field of vision was filled by two giant gold eyes accompanied by an entire giant face just feet away from him. Terrified he jumped up and grabbed a large stone and threw it with all his might. As the stone left his hand the night’s events flooded back to him. He immediately began to apologize to Ann as much from the heart as to appease the anger a giant could dish out. “Oh my gosh Ann I’m so sorry, I just woke up and you scare… I mean startled me and I just acted. I didn’t think, I just threw,” Nickolas apologized. Ann looked at him smiled at his nervousness and simply replied, “No, it’s ok that was my fault I shouldn’t have been so close.” She fidgeted and continued, “I was trying to get a better look at your face, it hard for me to see exactly what you look like. It’s too small from far away. I’d be pretty scared if I saw someone as big as me when I first woke up too.”  Nickolas looked up at her and asked, “would you like to get a better look?” Ann nodded and laid down flat on her stomach her chin on the ground, causing the ground to shake like a mini earthquake. Her golden yellow eyes focused on his face and Nickolas noticed she still had to squint to get a good look and make out his features. She was so close his hair moved as she breathed. She had bizarre breath it wasn’t bad in fact it had an almost floral scent to it and it was warm but not hot like normal breath, it was like a gentle breeze on a warm spring day. After standing still for sometime he walked towards her face when he was within feet of her face he reached out. She pulled away before he made contact, “Wait” he whispered. He reached out once more and touched her skin. It was warm and unbelievably soft. His hand moved up towards the tiny gash the rock he’d thrown had made. It seemed to be healing before his eyes. A moment later Ann carefully pulled away and sat up once again towering over Nickolas.

In the days that followed Nickolas learned many things about Ann. She didn’t know why but she didn’t need to eat she just drank water. She healed amazingly fast. She had no memories about where she’d come from but had to be hundreds of years old and didn’t look a day older then nineteen. She had previously been worshipped and lived in this cave as a goddess to a community of holy men. After the monks all died she had only had a few visits and all had viewed her as a monster and fled back into the forest to take their chances. Nickolas was the first person she could remember who treated her like a normal person.  Ann had also never seen or heard any lost spirits in the forest; it was dangerous but only at night due to the animals that hunted there. During the days Nickolas caught fish in the deep pools and shallow streams with a pole made from a stick and a strand of Ann’s hair. Which was perfect because her hair was very strong but each strand was very fine.  At night Nickolas began to notice that Ann would leave the cave for an hour or two every night once she thought he was asleep. As tall as the cave was she had to duck to get through the opening. It was an awe inspiring event to see her standing above him. She refused to stand up to her full height the few times he’d asked. She’d said she felt big enough just sitting near him, and that he’d be terrified if he saw how big she really was. One night Nickolas decided he would follow her, just to see where she went.

Once Ann left the cave Nickolas snuck out and followed the sound of cracking trees. At one point the sound stopped and he feared he had lost her. He was about to give up and head back when the sound of splashing water caught his attention.  He followed the sound and before him was a sight he knew he shouldn’t have seen. In the deepest pool in the forest the one with the tallest water fall was Ann. She was nude and bathing. The moon reflected off the water illuminating her giant perfect body.  She was clearly unaware that anyone was there, and continued to bathe. As badly as he wanted to leave and give her privacy he couldn’t tear his eyes away. He felt his body begin to heat up and his face flush with a combination of embarrassment and arousal. Finally he tore his eyes away and turned to leave as he took his first step he tripped over a tree root and fell. Ann’s eyes shined in the moonlight and locked onto the spot Nickolas laid. “Nickolas!” she shrieked turning away in an effort to hide herself from him. As she turned her back to him he noticed her back was covered in thick scars like you see on slaves that have run away and been whipped nearly to death. Nickolas turned away and quickly got to his feet and ran back to the cave.

Nickolas sat in the cave panting from his sprint through the forest. He debated hiding in the forest to allow Ann time to cool down she was probably furious at him. A short time later the shaking of the ground announced Ann’s return. She entered the cave stepped over him and laid down in her normal spot with her back to him. Nickolas stared at her back and images of her bathing filled his mind and flushed his face a bright red with embarrassment. “I can feel you staring at me please stop looking at me Nickolas,” She pleaded. Ann continued, “I didn’t want anyone to see me like that, especially you. I’m so huge and disgusting; I wish I was tiny and dainty like normal girls, but I’m not I’m a behemoth, I’m sorry.” Nickolas was shocked he had thought she’d be furious at him not ashamed of what she was. Nickolas got up and walked across the cave until he stood facing Ann’s face. When her eyes meet his he could see the tears welled up in them. “Ann,” he whispered then slightly louder he said. “You should never be ashamed of who you are, you’re gentle and kind and I think your beautiful.” The tears in her eyes fell to the ground and she gave Nickolas a slight push with her hand until he was pressed between her face and hand her index finger wrapped slightly around him. It was as close as she could get to a hug at her size. Although he knew she would never hurt him he realized how dangerous she could be at the moment. Nickolas estimated he was about the same height as her pinkie finger, he’d never felt so insignificant and so important at the same time.

As the sun woke Nickolas he turned over in an effort to avoid its blinding rays.  As he opened his eyes adrenaline rushed through his body as he stared into the face of a sleeping Ann only feet away. “I’m never going to get used to waking up next to a giant girl,” he thought. He concluded that he must have fallen asleep and she must not have wanted to wake him and simply let him sleep next to her. Some of her hair had fallen across him during the night and he had a bit of a difficult time getting untangled from it. Once free of the hair Nickolas left the cave to go pee and stretch his legs a bit. As he headed back to the cave something whizzed by his head and stuck in a tree behind him. As he turned to look he saw it was an arrow, and the next minute he was on the ground being held down by a big dirty looking guy. As he struggled a cleaner looking guy stood above him and pointed a sword at his throat and elegantly informed him that he would be killed immediately if he didn’t quiet down.  “Were here to kill a monster boy so keep your mouth closed and we might not end up in the belly of a beast,” the swords owner informed him. Nickolas defiantly looked up and quietly said, “Ann says there aren’t any monsters in these woods just dangerous animals, now let me go.” The swordsman smiled dangerously and nodded to the man holding Nickolas. The big guy twisted Nickolas’s arm until he hollered out, after he stopped Nickolas spit at the man with the sword. “You little peasant bastard,” raged the man as he lifted his sword and sliced Nickolas across the face below his left eye.

A roar of immense sound accompanied by a blur of motion crashed through the forest. A massive fist smashed into the ground the force of impact knocking the swordsman of his feet. When the dust cleared Nickolas saw a furious looking Ann crouched before him fist still imbedded in the ground. She turned and looked at the man holding Nickolas down and seethed, “Let him go right now.” Sheepishly the man let go and backed away from the angry giant. The swords man got to his feet and laughed out loud and looking at Nickolas said, “I told you there were monsters in this woods, I guess I didn’t realize that you belonged to one boy.” With that he turned and looked at Ann, cleared his throat and began to recite, “I knight Paul have come to slay the monster that resides in the Forest of Lost Souls on behalf of my noble lord. So prepare to be slain beast of the wood.” After delivering his speech he raised his sword and lowered it pointed directly at Ann. In a flash Nickolas’s world went dark as his eyes adjusted he realized he was beneath Ann’s cupped hand and he could hear the sound of arrows flying through the air and some making contact with their marks. “Ann! Let me out!” Nickolas hollered. A minute later Nickolas felt his world turned upside down and felt himself bouncing around in Ann’s closed hand and could feel himself moving faster than he ever had in his life.  After what felt like forever they began to move slower and Nickolas started to get bumped around a bit rougher than before. With a loud crash and a rough landing they stopped completely. Ann’s hand opened and allowed Nickolas to step out. Nickolas was frantic over what he saw before him. Ann was breathing in a heavy ragged kind of way, and covering her face neck and hands were strange looking arrows. Each arrow had a small container full of some liquid attached to it. Apparently the arrow was made to allow the liquid to drain into the tip and into the wound. Nickolas rushed to pull an arrow out but Ann whispered in a weak voice, “don’t I think there full of poison if you cut yourself on one it’ll kill you. They’re nearly empty leave them in I’ll pull them out after I take a nap. Were really close to a town so if you need anything head that way and go into town.” “Ann! Hey don’t go to sleep you need to stay awake! Ann!” Nickolas frantically shouted.

Nickolas shouted until his throat felt like it would bleed but no amount of shouting would awake the unconscious Ann. Not knowing what else to do Nickolas gathered some fire wood and set up camp near his downed friend. “Tomorrow I’ll wake up and she’ll be fine. She heals fast and she’s survived this long, a little poison wouldn’t kill her…would it?” After a fitful night of sleep Nickolas awoke praying that he’d see Ann up and about. No such sight greeted his eyes she lay in the same spot she’d fallen.  As he walked closer a quiet moan escaped her lips, and Nickolas could see that she was soaked in sweat. Nickolas looked at Ann and calmly felt her face she was burning up.  “Ann I’m going to leave you for a little while I’m going into town and I’ll be back with a doctor, I’ll get help just hold in there,” Nickolas shouted.  Nickolas nearly ran the whole way to town, he frantically asked the first person he saw where the town’s doctor lived. He rushed into the doctor’s home and breathlessly asked to see the doctor.  A short middle aged man walked through the door turned to Nickolas and said, “I’m doctor Hemlock how can I help you boy.” Finding his voice Nickolas explained that his friend was hurt and probably poisoned out in the woods. Hemlock looked at Nickolas and asked, “If I was to go help this friend of yours how would you be paying for my services young man.” Nickolas looked in disbelief at the doctor and quietly said, “I don’t have any money so I can’t pay you, please help her anyway, I’ll work it off or something. Please just help her.” The doctor turned and walked out of the room he called to his housekeeper, “Please show this young man the way out.” He stood outside the doctor’s house in shock staring at the closed door in silence.  As he walked back toward the woods someone pulled him into an open doorway. A young woman closed the door behind him looked him in the eyes and said, “I’ll help your friend for no pay, I’m medically trained I’m sure I can help. Don’t say anything just lead the way, oh and my name is Mary.” Nickolas quickly left the house and he and Mary headed into the woods.

Right before Ann came into sight Nickolas stopped and turned to Mary, “About my friend she’s a little different than most people she won’t hurt you though. Just promise me here that you’ll try and help her no matter what,” Nickolas pleaded. Mary looked him in the eyes and said, “I promise I’ll do my best.” Nickolas brought Mary right next to Ann without her realizing she was next to her patient. Mary looked confused and asked, “Where’s your friend at?” Before she could say another word a giant hand smashed into the ground next to her. Ann had turned over and simply let her hand slide of herself and land on the ground. Mary stood staring at the hand and at the giant girl in front of her frozen in awe and fear. Shaking off her fear Mary turned and ran, Nickolas reached out and grabbed her as she tried to run past him.  He looked Mary in the eyes and said, “This IS my friend her name is Ann she really needs help and you gave me your word, please.” Surprisingly Mary took a deep breath and walked up to Ann who was laying on her back. Without a word Mary grabbed hold of Ann’s clothes and began to climb. As she reached the top of Ann she hiked towards her face and stopped on Ann’s chest. She laid down and listened to Ann’s heart then stood up and shouted down to Nickolas. “What’s her name again? Ann right?” turning away from Nickolas she shouted “Ann I need you to look at me ok?” Ann tipped her head up and looked directly at Mary. “Follow me with your eyes ok Ann,” Mary advised. Ann followed Mary’s every movement with her eyes then looked directly at her and said, “You’re a very strange little bug…bugs don’t talk where I come from.” With that statement Ann’s head fell back to the ground and she remained quiet. Mary climbed down walked over to the giant hand resting on the ground and pulled an arrow from it. She carefully examined the arrow smelled it and turned to face Nickolas. “It’s a very strong poison there is an antidote but there’s not enough of it in our world to make the dose she would need. Her heart sounds strong and the fever proves she’s fighting the poison. All we can do is make her comfortable and hope she’s strong enough to fight through it. They both turned and stared at the massive sleeping form in front of them.

Right before dusk Mary explained that she had to be back home before it got dark, her uncle would be furious if dinner wasn’t on the table.  She promised she would come back tomorrow morning to check on Ann, and said good night. Nickolas sat near Ann and gently talked to her willing her to get better and keep fighting. Eventually he fell asleep. Nickolas was awakened by someone calling his name, he opened his eyes to see Mary standing over him. She seemed rather pretty in the morning light her brown hair glowing amber in the suns new rays. She had delicate features and kind blue eyes. “Did you sleep on the cold ground all night?” Mary questioned. Nickolas rubbed his sore neck and answered, “Yeah, I guess I did. Hey how’s Ann doing today?” Mary looked over her shoulder at Ann and said, “I’d say she’s a bit more active today but her fever hasn’t broke yet.” A moment later a massive hand reached out and tree sized fingers closed around Mary’s waist. She was lifted off the ground and brought close to Ann’s face. Ann’s fever glazed eyes looked at Mary.  Shockingly Mary didn’t scream or struggle she remained calm and stared back at Ann. In an incoherent kind of way Ann began to speak, “Who are you? Are you Nickolas’s girlfriend? That’s good he needs someone to take care of him, and he needs someone he can have a family with. He doesn’t have any family and everyone needs family. I don’t know if I have any  but I’ve never heard of any other giant people so I probably don’t have one.  Oh and you should know he’s seen a naked woman before…it was me, he saw me naked you know.” Nickolas cut her off at that point and shouted “Put Mary down right now Ann, you’re scaring the crap out of her, and she’s my new friend not my girlfriend.” Ann stared at him a moment and gently set Mary back on the ground next to Nickolas, and promptly fell back to sleep. “Sorry about that, she’s normally more courteous about staying out of people’s space. The only time she’s ever picked me up was in a life and death situation. She didn’t hurt you did she? Nickolas questioned. Mary smiled and said, “I might be a little bruised but she was pretty gentle, was that all the fever talking or was some of that true?” Nickolas looked at the ground and his face began to burn with embarrassment and finally he explained, “I saw her bathing one night so yeah that’s true…I wasn’t being a pervert it was a onetime thing, just an accident.”  Mary smiled at his discomfort over the situation and said, “Well would you like to tell me everything you know about Ann, something you know may help me find some kind of treatment.” The two sat down and Nickolas began to tell Mary everything he knew about Ann.

A few hours later Ann’s fever had broke and she was introduced to Mary. After talking for a while Mary asked, “What are you two going to do now, are you planning on staying here or are you going to keep moving to stay ahead of the people that attacked you?” Nickolas looked up at Ann and said, “I think we’ll stay here for awhile Ann needs to gain her strength back and we need to figure out our game plan.” For the next few weeks things remained peaceful and a strong friendship formed between the three. The weather had remained peaceful for the time of year but it was only a matter of time before the rains came. Mary looked out the window of her uncle’s tavern at the cold rain that fell from the angry sky. As Lightning flashed and thunder cracked Mary’s concern for her new friends deepened. She was sure Nickolas could find shelter but there was nothing even remotely big enough within miles to shelter Ann from the torrential downpour. As lightning flashed again the tavern door slammed open a troop of wet tired looking men walked in and sat down. “We’d like some rooms and some Ale” they informed Mary. After serving the men their first round of drinks Mary’s mind wandered back to her friends until something one of the men said caught her attention. A rugged looking man with a beard was arguing with a slight framed man. “How could that monster still be alive, that many arrows, that much poison should have brought down a beast three times its size,” the bearded man argued. The slight man replied, “Well we didn’t kill it, it and that boy are alive and camped out in the woods just outside this town. I’d hate to be that behemoth on a night like this; it must be drenched to the bone. But like Sir Paul said tomorrow bright and early we’ll finish this nasty bit of business for good.” With a clink of their glasses and a burst of laughter the men finished their conversation. Holding back her tongue Mary grabbed her coat and a lantern and rushed out into the night to warn her friends.

As Mary reached the clearing in the forest she saw the rather sad form of a soaked and miserable looking Ann. As Mary approached she saw no sign of Nickolas. Suddenly Ann turned and with gold eyes shining like a wild beasts in the dark asked, “Who’s there?” Squinting through the rain Ann smiled and sighed, “Oh it’s only Mary, what are you doing out in this weather at this time of night?” As Mary got closer she could make out the figure of Nickolas sleeping on Ann’s lap her massive hand poised above him like a roof protecting him from the rain. Even with such terrible news weighing on her mind Mary had to smile at Ann’s kindness and Nickolas’s trust.  Mary looked up at Ann and explained to her what she had overheard and that tomorrow morning the men would attack. Ann looked at Mary and said, “I have to leave then, I have no choice. My life is worth nothing but to stay would mean putting Nickolas in danger, I’d never forgive myself if he came to harm under my watch. We need to leave tonight, thank you for your help and friendship Mary. I’ll wake Nickolas up so you two can say goodbye.” After a heart wrenching goodbye Ann lowered her hand to Nickolas and standing up smiled down to Mary and began to walk away. Mary’s last moments with her two friends were awe inspiring she’d never seen anything so big as when Ann stood up to her full height and shock the ground as she walked away.

The following day Nickolas had made up his mind as to how he would tell Ann his decision. Ann was washing her face at the wide part of the river that ran near their camp. As he walked toward her Nickolas’s mind flashed back to that night he saw Ann bathing. His mind kept replaying the moment before she saw him, the water cascading down her body the moonlight draping itself over her womanly curves. She was gorgeous and no difference in size changed that fact, if anything it magnified it. As he neared Ann she finished up and stared at him with a smile beaming on her face. Nickolas knew that smile was for him and him alone. It left a feeling inside him that was a mixture of  joy and longing. He smiled back up at her and as he looked into her intense golden eyes his heart nearly let go and he had to fight to not confess his feelings for her. Instead he just laughed and wondered why she was always so happy to see him. Nickolas walked down to the river edge and splashed his face with the cool water. As he wiped his face he turned and addressed Ann. “I’m staying with you Ann, whether you let me tag along or not I’ll follow you as best I can even if you tell me not to and leave me behind, I’ll follow you for as long as I can,” Nickolas finished with a defiant yet nervous look on his face. Ann’s eyes welled with tears and she whispered, “Ok, I’m glad we can stay together.”

As Nickolas packed his meager bag of belongings and camp necessities he took a mental tally of what he had and the things he was out of that he would have to acquire before too long. He needed some salt, a new kettle since the handle had broke off his, some bread, and some meat other then fish would be a true treat. Nickolas shouted up to Ann, “Hey I’m out of a few things if we get close to a big enough town lets stop so I can pick up what I need.” Ann nodded down at him in confirmation. Going into town was always stressful for Nickolas he had to walk into town alone, and find someone to work for to make the necessary money to buy what he needed. How long he worked depended on what the actual work was, how well it paid, and how much money he needed. If he couldn’t find work he had to steal what was needed. Needless to say he was always tired and sore when he returned to Ann. Normally when they travelled there was a lot of walking involved for Nickolas and a lot of waiting for him to catch up for Ann.  Not to say that Ann hadn’t offered nearly every day to carry him, but Nickolas refused every time. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her, he trusted her with every fiber of his being. But there was something similar to pride that kept Nickolas from accepting her offer. He wanted to prove that he was capable of keeping up that he was literally able to stand on his own two feet. Manly principals aside Nickolas hated to admit it but he was terribly claustrophobic and the idea of traveling miles clutched in a hand worked at his nerves to say the least. As they continued on their way Nickolas worried about keeping up didn’t see the tree root sticking up from around its bed of dead leaves. The ground quickly rushed up to meet him as fell. Nickolas sat up and muttered a brief “Shit! Hey Ann wait up.” Before he could get up Ann was already crouched down next to him her face filling his view. Nickolas tenderly felt his ankle it was already swelling. Ann anxiously looked at him and questioned, “Its not broke is it.” Nickolas attempted to get up and Ann instantly extended a finger to help steady him. Nickolas managed to get up and holding on to Ann’s finger gently applied his weight onto his ankle although painful it wasn’t unbearable. Nickolas looked up at Ann and breathing a sigh of relief said, “No its not broke just sprained I think.” Ann’s look of concern changed to slight annoyance “You never would have hurt yourself if you weren’t trying so hard to keep up, If you’d just let me carry you, you wouldn’t be tired all the time and you wouldn’t be hurt right now.” Nickolas looked down at the ground and quietly said, “I don’t want to be carried around like some kind of lap dog or something, I may be smaller then you Ann but I’m still a man.” Ann thought for a second then replied “I have an idea, I’m going to pick you up ok.” Ann’s fingers gently wrapped themselves around Nickolas’s waist. He marveled at the dexterity of her massive digits. Each finger was at least as big around as him but they were somehow still very feminine each slender and long with a soft un-callused womanly touch about them. He was lifted off the ground and placed on her shoulder as her hand guarded him from falling she said, “Take a few strands of my hair and tie them around your waist, they’ll keep you safe and you don’t have to be afraid of falling.” Nickolas did as he was asked and as they began to walk he had to agree that this was a better alternative to running behind Ann or being carried in her hands. Sure he was technically still being carried but he was able to walk around on her shoulder and hold a conversation with Ann with ease. And the view didn’t get much better, he was seeing the world from a point of view no man had ever seen before. It was a point of view that only he and Ann could see something that sealed their bond and connected the two on yet another more intimate level.