Nodwin and the Pixie’s Curse - 8 - The Smallest Giant

The Smallest Giant

All trace of anger fled Nodwin’s mind when in an instant (the instant in question was the instant that the giant person plucked the spear from its ankle and glared back in Nodwin’s direction, fury on its face). Nodwin froze. It seemed he had not yet been spotted. The unfortunate owner of the foot bellowed, “Who threw this, this … toothpick at me?”Nodwin didn’t move a muscle.”Whoever you are, I can hear you breathing, so I know you’re still there. Are you going to come out or are you going to make me look for you?”Nodwin weighed his options. If he fled, it would likely only further anger the giant, and there was a good chance his movement would be easily spotted. There was no way he could outrun someone that big. If he stayed silent, it was only a matter of time before he would be seen. After all, he wasn’t exactly hidden, and the only reason he’d not yet been spotted was likely his small size. He sized up the giant.”I’m waiting,” said the giant in a sing-song voice. It didn’t look particularly fierce. It was big, to be sure, but looking past its size, Nodwin began to notice other things, such as the fact that it was dressed in a sort of frock bespotted all over in polka-dots, and instead of a brutal club in its fist was an odd assortment of wildflowers. Its hair was in pig-tails. It looked very much like the little girls from Nodwin’s village, just a lot bigger and without any fur or tail.

Nodwin stepped forward and called out, “I am very sorry! It was me, and I didn’t really mean to. I have had a bad day yesterday, and not enough sleep last night, and when you stepped in that puddle it splashed me. I was angry, and I’m sorry.”

The little human girl bent down to see Nodwin better. “It hurt a lot! You should be sorry, you know.” Then she smiled. “But it stopped hurting mostly now and I think you are too little for me to be angry with you much. What are you, anyway? You don’t look like any Faerie I’ve ever seen.”

“I’m a Pim, and my name is Nodwin. What are you?” Any Faerie she’s ever seen?

“I’m a girl, a human girl, I suppose you mean, and my name is Stella. I’ve never seen a Pim before. You have funny hair, and I like your tail.”

“Umm, thank you. I like your spotted frock. And your flowers.” Nodwin was trying very hard to comprehend that something so large could behave so much like a child. “Uh, may I please have my spear back?”

“Of course,” said Stella, then her face darkened. “Do you promise not to hurt me with it again?”

“Yes, absolutely! I promise.” She hand him the spear; it really did look like a toothpick in her hands. Nodwin was glad his enemy was a Pixie and not anything larger. “You said something about Faeries earlier. Do you know any?”

“Sure! Well, I don’t really know them know them, because they always seem to run away whenever I see one, but there are Faeries near my house all the time. I wish they would play with me like you.”

“Stella, my father is sick, and he needs help from the Faeries. Would you please take me to your house?”

“Your daddy is sick? Oh no! Yes of course I’ll take you to my house. You are sure to find a Faerie nearby.” With that, Stella plucked Nodwin unceremoniously off the ground and dropped him gently in the front pocket of her frock. Before his head had stopped spinning, she was skipping down what Nodwin had briefly glimpsed was a huge path between the trees. The world was a much bigger place than he’d ever known.

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