Claire

She gazed at her mobile which rested in her hand. Sitting cross legged on her bed, Claire stared at the person on the screen.

He actually looks like a guy who could be a student from school. Gotta give credit though, he does looks cute.
“Uhm… do I have to speak?” Kelvin’s voice sounded faltering from the phone.
“You just did” Claire sniggered. “Always so nervous when you speak to a girl?”
“Only with the dazzling ones I am”
Claire rolled her eyes in all merriment “Don’t tell me your flirting with a Brobdingnagian now are you?”

“Since when is the truth equivalent to a flirt?”

“Fancy words for a bar boy" Claire responded

'Ah! You should hear me converse with my boss about politics. Speaking of which, I think I hear him calling, I should get back to work soon.”
“Is he a pain in the ass? Shall I crush him for ya?” Claire asked puckish and pointed up her pinky.
“Nah, don’t think that’s a good idea. You would probably annihilate half the neighborhood with that nail of yours”
Claire chuckled “I guess you’re right. So what’s it like being a Lilliputian?”
“We prefer to be addressed as people. Lilliputian is just a derogatory name the giants gave us.”
“Giants?”
“At school, I learned that some human politician started with it, and soon the Brobdingnagians took over. However, to get back at your question, I believe it’s the same as your lives. We work, we love, we enjoy, we dream…”
“What do Lilliputian… Uh sorry. I mean, what do you people dream about?”
“That’s also the same, could be anything, become famous, start a family, or aspire for the job of a fighter pilot just like my brother did.”
“What is your dream?”

Kelvin made a simpering smile “No that’s not important right now.”

“I wanna know. ” Claire nagged “Tell me”
Kelvin looked away and sighed. "I have never told that to anyone, besides my sister Ashley."
“You can trust me. Please tell me, I wanna know.” She begged
Kelvin’s eyes met Claire’s again “To become an artist, a painter. It was my dream to get to Stonecreek City’s Institute of Art next summer.”
“Wow, that’s so cool! You better show me some of your paintings next time. I just know they will let you pass!”
“They did. I was already registered as a student. I wanted to tell my parents about it, make them feel proud. It might even let me crawl from under Ralph’s majestic shadow.”
“So why you didn’t?”
“Because… Stonecreek City… doesn’t exist anymore.” Kelvin replied with a stricken look.
“Like how? An entire city just vanished?” Claire said aghast.
“It didn’t. It got wrecked, crushed to oblivion by the high heel of a Brobdingnagian woman.”
That angered Claire, she sat up straight “Who is this woman? What does she look like, tell me right now! I’ll make sure justice will be served!” She clenched her fist.
Kelvin hesitated.
“Go on, tell me. What does she look like?”
“She... she looks exactly like you, only older.”
Claire pondered about that for a moment.
Oh my God! He doesn’t mean…

Cobra

“The guy has a crush on you or what?” Millers voice whispered in Johnson’s ear.
“Huh?” Johnson shook up, he got treated by the fierce gaze of Zarbon who sat right across him on the other side of the meeting table.

“Don’t deign the guy too much attention, he might get the impression that he’s actually important. Better listen to what General Morgan has to say”
Although Morgan lacked the appearance of a true general, with his narrow face, small lips and a skin far too smooth for a real man, his leadership qualities and formidable tactical insight made him more than capable for the job. He relished the respect of every military personnel.
“Intel learns us that some young girl communicates with the blond Brobdingnagian girl.” Morgan continued his discourse. “Communicating? But how?” Some self-satisfied officer retorted.
The balding grumpy old mayor rose his hand with a cough, extinguished his cigar, rose from his chair and took position next to Morgan and showed the folks his cellphone. A sodden tobacco voice filled the room.
“With this, apparently there exists an app called BASC-T, spoken like the word ‘basket’. It creates an opportunity for us to communicate with a human or a brobdingnagian. You can even use face-time with it.”
“Really?” replied lieutenant pompous once more “Why haven’t you tried it yet?”
“We did” The mayor put the cellphone in his breast pocket “Different people have already tried to contact the girl by sending a friend request, but she denied everyone, apparently except this girl.”
“About this girl” Morgan took over. “We found out this girl’s name is Ashley, and she lives on some farm amidst the valleys. We need someone to question her, discover what she knows. Why is it the Brobdingnagian girl only speaking to her? What are her intentions? She keeps our city and its people hostage. We need a way to contact the Brobdingnagian authorities, maybe she is the answer. If you ask me, this child doesn’t even realize the earnestness of this offence. Every citizen of Tendaric has the right to live in freedom. It’s the mother who took that away from us when she single handedly invaded our proud nation, collected New Oakton and used it as a birthday present for her precious daughter. I refuse to live in some teen girl’s ant farm. So, who’s up for the task?”

Miller immediately raised his hand and put the other one on Johnson’s shoulder. “We will talk to the girl General. Cobra and I." Johnson turned his head with an appalled expression towards Miller.
“Your okay with that Cobra?” Morgan asked.
“Yeah he is!” Zorban flew in. “An interview with a teen girl? it’s the perfect campaign for these two pushing daisies, leave the hefty stuff for professionals like us.” He swaggered and gave his buddies a complacent smile.
“I’m afraid this is all I have now Zorban.” Morgan replied.
Zorban reacted aghast “So you’re telling me, I just interrupted my morning jerk off, drove the whole goddamn 2 minutes to base to learn a thing or two about how to chitchat with a Brobdingnagian?”
“That’s a little to much information about your private life there Zorban, but yes, that will be all. This meeting is dismissed, Cobra, Miller, walk with me for instructions. Mayor Dawson, care to join us?” The mayor nodded.
Everyone was about to stand up, but then a pressing voice called up.
“Mayor Dawson, I was wondering, what does the abbreviation BASC-T stands for?”
Dawson turned around and said “Big And Small Chilling Together”

????

The church bells we're ringing. He immediately darted upstairs, jumped onto his bed and hid under de woolen bedspread. It made his visual world pitch dark. In some way this blanket provided him a feeling of invulnerability, but even on his age, he recognized the illusion in it.
He curled up his knees and grabbed Mr Tanderson, his cuddle bear.

Some of its fur hairs tickled his nose when he held him tightly against the chest.

“Hide in bed, mom says, crawl under your blanket when the church bells start their play is what she says” he whispered to himself.
BOING!… BOING!… BOING!… it reverberated all around him.
He breathed agitated, suffocated Mr Tanderson with his arms and squeezed his eyes close.
“Hold your breath… don’t choke”
BOING!…
“I’ve been good… I’ve been brave… Mom says I am”

BOING!…
Distant chatter could be heard from outside. Hasty footsteps landed on crispy pebble paths. A male voice shouted commands. Car engines started, doors opening and closing. And they we’re off. All this time, the bells didn’t seize their play.
BOING!… BOING!… BOING!…
A light rhythmic vibration was felt. It became more intense with every turn. First, the windows started to rattle, louder and louder. Across the street, a couple of car alarms started to blare, their symphony joined the play of the church bells. Under all of this, he heard the muffled scream and cries of some neighboring woman. A male voice tried to comfort her. He could discern his attempts had little to no effect.
The trembling became worse, until it felt like the whole house shook on its foundation and bits of chalk rained down on his blanket.
“Stay hidden until the lamentations, and the shootings are over mom says”
BOING!
“Don’t get out of bed until the church bell stops playing mom says”
The booming feminine guffaw that followed overruled every other noise. He knew that this laughter which he heard so many times before meant imminent calamity and sorrow. Its vibrations we're punctuated with joyous maliciousness, it made him shiver to the bone.

“Her SHE comes, I’v been good though, I've been praying… mom says I did”