It had been a couple of days since the note was read. It didn’t take a marriage counselor for all to see that Rektor and Alexis had become distant. No one except Sarah gave it a second thought. She noticed the couple went through all the motions but something had happened when they left to have the talk about the snowball mishap. They both gave the blood samples required to look for a cure, both gave information about their cutlures and clans. Their journeys after being banished but they were distant none the less.
“What are you guys doing?” Alexis had come back from one of her walks. Everyone could tell from the small rumblings of the ground from her footsteps. She slowly kneeled and offered her hand to Sarah. Sarah had become used to this and slowly climbed on and Alexis placed her in her usual spot on her shoulder and then stood straight up.
“We are having our Christmas celebration. The kids love it and the adults enjoy it too. It comes from the time before growth. For the celebration, we let the kids put one ornament.” Sarah pointed her hands towards the kids as they were picking out small rounds balls from a box and placing them on the tree.
“What’s an ornament?” Alexis had never heard of such a tradition.
“Oh, it’s just a little trinket that you place on the tree. It is just a time for the group to come together as a family, you know? We find a tree outside and get the kids all bundled up and for one day we forget that this is the world we live in. I’m not sure if the tradition is what it was before growth but it is something everyone looks forward to each year.” Sarah continued to explain the odd holiday to Alexis who was soaking it all up.
“And what about the big star over there? Where does that go?” She pointed to the huge golden star which was the size of Alexis’s palm.
“Oh, sadly this year we can’t put it up. We left the only equipment we had that can put the star on top of the tree when we evacuated. The kids will be disappointed but that’s life. We always tell them that we do our best for them but everyone has to sacrifice.” Alexis looked at the star and back at the tree. Maybe there was something we can do she thought.
“You know, I am 90 feet tall and that star is only the size of my hand. I’m sure I can put it on that tree with ease. If you let me.” The biggest smile came across Sarah’s face. The star was always the highlight of the celebration. She was always upset at all the times she had told the kids they would have to give some more, sacrifice some more. She had already told them the star wasn’t going up this year and finally she could tell them some good news.
“Of course it is ok, it’s better than ok, oh Alexis, the kids would be so happy. I could kiss you.” With that Alexis turned her head to look Sarah.
“Ok, but on the cheek.” She said with a giggle.
“You really want that?” Sarah said in shock.
“Hey you offered.” With that Sarah realizing that there was little use in talking out her 90 foot amazon friend stood up and walked along her huge shoulder blades. She carefully walked along the collar bone until she was just below cheek. She stood upon her tippy toes and kissed Alexi’s cheek which was surprisingly warm.
“You’re hot.” Was blurted out by Sarah as she finished the kiss on the cheek.
“Oh, I know I’m hot” Was the quick reply from Alexis. As she giggled to herself as Sarah took the journey back to her perch atop her shoulder.
“So what happened between you two?” Sarah didn’t know it was her place or not to ask about their relationship. She knew Alexis wouldn’t hurt her but she also knew that she may not want to talk about it.
“I don’t know, it started with the snowball thing, and then the note from some person before growth his mother gave to his father to give to him. It was going so good and, I don’t know, like, he is afraid.” Alexis turned away from the celebration and looked into the distance.
“Want to talk about it? I may not be able to give good advice but I’ll listen. Rektor and some other guards won’t be back for a few more hours from their hunt so we can have our Christmas feast tonight.” With that Alexis walked away from the compound to find a place more private to have a talk.
“I’m the biggest there is, I have never heard of anyone being bigger. Until I met you Rektor was the smallest. Maybe it was naïve to think we could be anything more than friends.” Sarah listened and watched as she picked up a boulder. Her huge muscles crushed it until a flat piece was left. She wound up and threw it along the water by the shore line. It skipped 8 to 9 times before becoming submerged. Alexis had always enjoyed skipping stones after Rektor had taught her. “I can’t always be there to protect him, and he doesn’t want my protection. He’s stubborn.”
“Have you told him this?”
“Of course I have tried.” Alexis grabbed another piece of stone and wound up before sending it skipping thru the breakers at the coast. “But, he doesn’t want to have the conversation. He just goes off drifting into thought, I know he is thinking of the picture and the note.”
“What’s this note you keep talking about?”
“Long story short it is from before growth about a man who left his lover. He thought it was the best thing to do at the time. He just left his family because he didn’t want to fight anymore. If I could fight I would.” Alexis skipped another rock.
“Of course you can fight.” Sarah replied seeing where one miss communication had occurred between Alexis and Rektor.
“What do you mean I can fight?” Alexis stopped skipping stones and leaned over onto her stomach so she could be eye level to where Sarah was sitting.
“I have just seen you pick up a boulder, not a rock, but a boulder. Crush that rock with her hand, something that would take hours if not days for one of the guards to do and it would be hard labor or the use of an explosive. You crushed it without a second thought. Fighting would be easy for you because of your size. Exactly how many people would it take between Rektor and my men to harm you? How many men and women from the clans would it take to harm you?” Alexis looked away from Sarah to the ground an embarrassment. She was right, all this time she had failed to look at it from Rektor’s perspective. She can’t remember the last time she had to look up to a person.
“The note also said something about a fight with a neighbor and a relocation day or act.” Alexis was still looking down ashamed of herself for not looking at it from Rektor’s point of view. How could she be so stubborn.
“Good heavens, the relocation act? The note was written right before the relocation act?” Sarah blurted out in shock.
“Yes, that’s what it said.” Sarah realized that both had no idea what the relocation act was so they didn’t understand the motives of this man.
“Alexis, the relocation act was given by an all female government. It was given in the disguise of helping men. To put them into a place where they could be safe from woman because of the size differences. But it was a lie, it was nothing more than camps for reproduction. The men who refused to go were killed. If they were harbored by a woman at first the family would be placed on house arrest. But as the complaints of the act became to fade house arrest became forcibly removing the men. Eventually if the men were not turned over from the few women who viewed men as equals were branded as traitors to the cause and the whole family was killed.” Alexis looked in shock as Sarah told the story.
“How awful, how could they do such a thing?” Alexis didn’t know whether to feel sorrow, anger or both.
“Humankind has a history of oppression. Many men knew the plan because of the spies they had planted. They knew from the start that the plan all along wasn’t to help men but to dominate men. They also knew that eventually this radical fray of woman was going to attack the woman who protected them. They left right before the act became law and they became our founders. I mean that is, they started the existence that I live in today. It is very possible that this man in the note started this organization.” The two-woman looked at each other for a few moments.
The story that Alexis had just learned had rocked her to her core. She knew that the teachings of her clan were wrong but to the point that her kind had been part of a genocide had sickened her. What was worse was that young girls who were being raised with in the clans were being taught this lie. After the suggestion of Sarah, the two started back to base. When they arrived, Alexis saw Rektor but he quickly entered the facility and walked to a room that was too small for her to enter.
“I’ll go talk to him Alexis, I’m sure he is just as upset as you are and want to move on. You two are both equally as stubborn.” With that Sarah gathered her thoughts and walked after Rektor.
“We had a tougher hunt than I can imagine but we were able to bring back from deer for tonight. It’s being prepared now and should be good to go in the next couple of hours.” Rektor said to Sarah as she entered the room. “But I’m sure you didn’t come to talk to me about the hunt, I could see how you two looked at me before I walked I here.”
“I’m not one to beat around the bush, Alexis wants me to talk to you about the note.” Sarah explained the relocation act and the history. It made Rektor a little better knowing that this Kevin may have helped much more than the note let on. “So what are your concerns Rektor?”
“I’m in love with a 90-foot woman, she could easily kill me if I fall asleep in her arms and she rolls over in her sleep. How could I do half of what she offers me? With a quick snap of her finger she could destroy something that I spent days building.”
“Or her and her 90-foot body could take what you spent days building and added more to it, to not make it just yours but make it both of yours. Have you ever thought about how much effort it takes her to not hurt you or I or anyone else here?” Alexis saw the same thing she saw before with Alexis, neither side was willing to look at the different perspective.
“No, she can do what she wants because who can stop her?”
“It’s not about stopping or anything to her, to her it is about just being here with you. Unlike when she was with her clan she must be mindful of every step she takes, every motion she makes must be done not with herself in mind but because of everyone else. Thank about it, she loves being with you so much and that she must walk miles away from this place before she even starts to run for fear of the power of her foot steps will cause damage to this place. She eats alone taking the food we fathered for her because she doesn’t want to have the children see her eat something their size in one bite because she thinks they may see her as a monster. She has sacrificed so much of her free will to just be here with you.” Rektor couldn’t help but feel ashamed he had never thought of what she had given up, some of her liberty to be with him. Rektor held up the picture of the couple from the box. Sarah walked around and looked at it as well and then saw something odd on the back.
“Rektor, the back of that picture has a cover on it, can I see it?” Rektor did as he was asked and Sarah delicately peeled the cover away revealing another note. After reading it to herself she gave it to Rektor.
“How is it possible? How could Shannon write a note Kevin when she was over 50 feet tall?”
“Rektor, even thou many women grew not all of them did, I am proof of this, before women started turning on the other woman who didn’t grow and enslaving them as well they worked together. It’s most likely she had a normal woman wrote down her own thoughts before they put it this box. The box may have been passed down from generation to generation. It’s possible that this Shannon in the picture could be related to you.”
“I need to read this to Alexis.”
“I think that’s for the best Rektor, but tonight is the Christmas celebration and I expect to see both of you there to have a good time. We have found some beer and a huge barrel of rum for Alexis.”
“I don’t know what those are but we will be there and you don’t need to tell me where Alexis is, I’ll know how to find her.” With that Rektor left Sarah and headed out of the facility. Alexis was in her usual spot outside watching the kids play. She had used her size to create a huge snow hill that the kids were sledding down right now. Alexis said she likes watching the kids, that one day she wanted kids of her own.
“Alexis, babe? I need to read this to you.” Rektor jumped right up on her shoulder which was not normal as he normally waited her to extend her arm. A fact that wasn’t lost on Alexis.
“What is it?”
“It’s another letter this time it is from that woman from the picture, Shannon. Sarah explained to me that normal sized woman helped the giantesses who grew and writing stuff was one of the things they did. Do you want to hear it?”
“Of course, I think I need to say I’m sorry before you read it thou, I understand you better.” Alexis said while blowing a kiss to him.
“I’m sorry as well, I never thought to think about what it’s like for you here with me. How I feel normal but you must sacrifice. Ok, here is what the letter says:
Kevin,
It’s been one month since you left that night. I thought you had been taken or worse killed by me until I found someone mall enough to read me your note. I was at first angry with you, how could you be so selfish abandoning your family. How could you leave without even a good bye? The girls cried when I told them daddy would never be back. I remembered when we first met, how you took me out to Applebee’s on the first date because we were both broke and they had the half price appetizers. How you would hold me in your arms and tell me you would never let me cry. Then I remember how I picked you up the first time, so many men were terrified of their wives but you looked at me with so much faith that I would never hurt you. I watched as the world turned and changed but you never doubted me or saw me as a monster because of my size, you didn’t see me as a deity as some saw, but you saw my as Shannon your wife. Then the incident with Janet our neighbor. You simply asked if she could keep an eye on the girls while you went to pick up some milk. I was walking home when I heard your scream. I had never heard you scream ever in our time together. I saw her holding something in her hands and she was squeezing and I heard that scream again followed by bones breaking. The sound was faint but was deafening to me. I ran over as she tossed your limp body to me saying I must train my man better for asking her a question without respect. Respect? We used to play cards every Friday night before the growth hit, getting drunk and telling dirty jokes. I looked down upon your limp body hoping you weren’t dead. Her quiet moans of pain were reassuring that at least you weren’t dead. I placed you in our house and went back to Janet’s and broke her jaw, arms, ribs. The police came and wouldn’t do anything because we were both so huge compared to them.
As I said I was angry with you at first, but now I know that as you healed in your casts you had already started to think you needed to leave. I was willing to protect you when the relocation act was going into law. I didn’t think much of it at the time but when you said I’ll always loved you, that was you saying good bye to me and the girls for months.
On the day before you left I scolded you, it was the only time I used my size to make a point and I’m so sorry I did it, thinking back it brings me to tears. I had just gotten back from work and you were walking into the house with flowers and two teddy bears. I slammed my foot on the ground causing you to stumble and fall and yelled at you causing you to cover your ears from the pain. I yelled how stubborn could you be, the news reports talk about men being killed every day when not accompanied by a woman. The world was changing and you had to accept that to me and women like me I could kill you with a flick of the wrist. My anger was from fear of having another incident like the Janet one. But what did you do? Did you yell, talk, get angry? No, you simply stood to your feet and raised up the flowers you had risked your life to get for me. I broke down in tears right in front of you and you said you would never let me cry.
I don’t know why I’m having a person write this, I can’t even write you a love letter anymore but I need to say this for some closure. But I love you, the girls love you, I understand now hearing the reports why you left. I know you are still alive, other reports are coming in of non-growth people leaving and hiding in the mountains. The media can’t even ay people the new politically correct term is mundanes, but I know you are one of them in the mountains. I believe in you Kevin and will always love you. I just wanted a chance to say that before you left.
Love,
Shannon.
“Wow, Rektor.” Alexis had cleared away her tears.
“I understand now why you worry so much for me, I will be with you, I love you and” Rektor pointed to the kids who were still playing on the snow hill. “And, one day you will make a snow hill for our kids to play in, my love.” Alexis and Rektor gave a long embrace until Sarah got their attention.
“Alexis, if you want to help with the star it is time for it to be placed on top of the tree.” Alexis with Rektor on her shoulder walked to the tree. It came up to only her belly button but it was a marvelous Christmas tree with all the lights and ornaments lied upon it.
Alexis carefully picked up the gold in color star and slowly to the astonishment of the children placed it upon the top of the tree. Something which would have taken thirty minutes by the men last year was done within 30 seconds. Rektor then did what he was asked and Alexis held out her arm and Rektor slid down it until he found the wire extending from the tree. He climbed down the tree and found what they had called an extension cord. He climbed up the tree and connected the two halves. The whole tree came to light in red, white, blue, green, orange and the star was illuminating nice and bright. The crowd erupted in applause for the tree and the two who made it possible. Rektor and Alexis gave a nervous wave back not used to the applause.
“Rektor, Sarah gave me a weird greeting today, I’m not sure what it means, but Merry Christmas lover.”
“Merry Christmas Alexis with all my heart and love, Merry Christmas.” They said looking back at the crowd and their new family.