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Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH2Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH22 years ago in Introductions & Chapters More Like This
Chapter 2
Jacklyn woke shortly after dawn. She stretched, feeling stiff from sleeping in the straw all night. She walked outside, heading for the house when something made her stop dead in her tracks.
Just outside the farmhouse, a massive plant had grown, apparently overnight. A beanstalk, she realized. The bean her father threw out the window last night apparently germinated into this massive plant. It seemed impossible... yet there it was.
She craned her neck, trying to see how far up the stalk grew. It seemed to disappear into the clouds. Could it have possibly sprouted more beans overnight? It seemed possible... Enough beans that size
Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH5Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH52 years ago in Introductions & Chapters More Like This
Chapter 5
Wyatt's invitation to dinner had caught Jacklyn a bit off-guard at first. However, she quickly adjusted to the idea and even joined him at the table the very next day. Well, on the table, moreso. Fortunately, the dining table, like most of the castle furniture, was quite lavish and intricately carved. So scaling it had proven quite an easy task.
They had three meals together in this fashion, although conversation was minimal. Wyatt spoke a bit about the food, and how he procured it. Apparently there was only a few days worth of food stored in the castle at any given time, and every few days or so he conjured fresh food magically.
Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH3Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH32 years ago in Introductions & Chapters More Like This
Chapter 3
Jacklyn spent most of the morning exploring the castle. She kept near the walls, staying cautious and frequently pausing to listen for giants. So far, she had only seen the one. She made a point of remembering what he looked like so she might be able to keep track of how many lived in the castle. She saw him several times, though not as closely as their encounter on the staircase. Surely he couldn't be the only one though? This castle was too huge for just one giant.
She soon found her answer, or at least hints of it. She managed to squeeze into a couple rooms that appeared to be bedchambers, but they had fallen severely out of us
Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH4Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH42 years ago in Introductions & Chapters More Like This
Chapter 4
For the next few days, Jacklyn found herself quickly adjusting to life in the castle. It was hard to say if it was better or worse than her life in Revelle. Food was easy to come by, as the giant seemed to have taken to leaving bits of bread and other foods out for her. Well, "bits" to him, anyway. To her they were decent-sized portions. She got the feeling he was doing this deliberately, and at first had been hesitant tot take the food, fearing a trap. But, it seemed his only intention with the food was to keep her fed, not to lure her into the open. In fact, the food was rarely placed in the open- usually near walls or other secl
Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH7Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH72 years ago in Introductions & Chapters More Like This
Chapter 7
As usual, Jacklyn emerged from her hideaway a couple hours after dawn and made her way to the study. Wyatt was usually up by now, so she was surprised to find it empty. At first she dismissed it as him sleeping in, or perhaps her misjudging the time and getting up a bit early. However, after a few hours dragged by she began to get anxious.
It was nearly noon, and with no sign of Wyatt she decided to go upstairs and check on him. She had found his bedroom during her first days in the castle, but had never returned since then. Even before she was willing to speak to him, she had respected his privacy enough to stay out.
Jacklyn hal
Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH6Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH62 years ago in Introductions & Chapters More Like This
Chapter 6
"Have I told you how wonderful the food here is?" Jacklyn grinned, biting into a piece of bread.
"You do work it into the conversation at almost every meal, yes," Wyatt said, amused.
"But I never had food like this back in Revelle!"
"Oh? What was the food like there?" he asked.
"Stale, much of the time. Pretty bland. Seasonings were hard to come by. So were fresh ingredients," she said, shrugging dismissively.
"Oh," he said awkwardly. He had assumed she meant the food in her village was different, not worse. "It... sounds like things were hard for you," he said, concerned.
She lowered her eyes, lifting her shoulders in anothe
Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH11Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH112 years ago in Introductions & Chapters More Like This
Chapter 11
Jacklyn awoke before dawn, and was less than surprised to see Wyatt already awake. After all, he was still sick, and had to sleep on the ground on top of that.
"How're you feeling?" she asked, sliding off his chest so he could sit up.
"Tired... But aside from that, not bad."
"Sorry you had to sleep in the dirt," she said, smiling apologetically.
He chuckled. "A small price to pay."
"The stalk looks ready," she said, looking up at the tall shadow that was the beanstalk.
"Does it?" Wyatt asked, scooting closer to the stalk so he could grab onto one of the vines. "I can barely see right now," he said. "I think we should wait ti
Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH8Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH82 years ago in Introductions & Chapters More Like This
Chapter 8
"So, this is where you conjure the food?" Jacklyn asked from her perch atop Wyatt's shoulder. They were presently in a room she had not managed to find during her own explorations, in the very heart of the castle. The walls and floor were all stone, and unlike the rest of the castle, had no decorations to speak of. In the center of the room rose a stone pillar, just higher than Wyatt's waist. Atop the pillar was a stone basin which held what Jacklyn had first mistaken for green fire. But no, it was actually much more beautiful than that. A swirling fountain of liquid light danced in the basin, occasionally sending arcs of the liqui
Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH9Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH92 years ago in Introductions & Chapters More Like This
Chapter 9
That night, Jacklyn drifted into the most comfortable sleep she could remember. The bed itself was set on Wyatt's nightstand, and had been made from one blanket. Wyatt had cut a portion of the blanket into pieces, two of which served as human-sized blankets while two more were rolled up to form pillows. The rest of the blanket had been neatly folded into a makeshift mattress. The whole thing was far more comfortable than her little nook in the castle, and even superior to the worn out mattress she'd had at her farm in Revelle.
Despite this, Jacklyn found herself awoken several hours before dawn. As she faded into awareness, she he
Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH12Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH122 years ago in Introductions & Chapters More Like This
Chapter 12
Wyatt lay in his bed, watching Jacklyn sleep. The adrenaline had faded and he now felt the exhaustion of the climb and his fading illness. Yet sleep did not come easily to him. Jacklyn's injuries, fortunately, were not as severe as he had feared. He was fairly well-versed in first aid, one of the many things his parents had taught him. After all, there had not been a practicing medic of his species in decades. Though he had never expected to use that knowledge to aid anyone but himself.
It seemed that two of Jacklyn's ribs had been cracked, though thankfully not fully broken. Breathing would be painful for several weeks, and she
Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH13Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH132 years ago in Introductions & Chapters More Like This
Chapter 13
The next couple weeks were not easy on Jacklyn, despite her recovering fairly well. She was now able to get up and walk about. Scaling the furniture or the stairs was still out of the question, so she was still confined to the nightstand, but at least she was making progress. Wyatt came up to check on her every few hours during the day, but most of his time was spent in the main library downstairs.
Once she was able to walk, at least for short periods of time, Wyatt had brought her some books so she would not have to spend the days sitting alone. The books were of course giant-sized, so Wyatt set them on the nightstand with the c
The Giant of Felrein CH1Chapter 1The Giant of Felrein CH11 year ago in Introductions & Chapters More Like This
"Welcome, Dara!" Leo said, embracing his niece. "How was your trip?"
"It was fine, thanks," Dara said. Leo was her late mother's elder sibling, although she saw only a fleeting resemblance, perhaps because her uncle wore the large, bushy mustache that was traditional to ringmasters of Alorian. He was a tall man, and of solid build. He stood roughly a head taller than his nineteen year old niece, and was finer dressed as well. Her plain white shirt, brown leather vest, green denim pants, and worn boots paled in comparison to his pristine white suit coat and polished black boots. Even his dark hair, its shade only a tad darker than
Small Comforts ~ GT"DAMN IT!" A violently, pounding, voice suddenly vibrated against the air around the small human and she jumped, squeaking in terror at the suddenness of Jason's aggressive anger. The ground beneath her rumbled furiously with each enraged impact his enormous feet took with the ground and into the house, the vibrations seeping into the pads of her own feet and rattling up her legs to send her entire body trembling violently.Small Comforts ~ GT7 months ago in Short Stories More Like This
"DAMI IT, DAMN IT, DAMN IT!!!" He hissed again, shaking Cameron's ribcage and spine with unintentional force and terrifying her into cowering behind an opposing table leg in the kitchen.
It had been three months that sh
I Was the First Chapter One I was the first and maybe the only one to see the giant's boat that day. I stood on the beach like the friendless person I was now and let my mouth hang open when they crested the horizon. It wasn't a crowded beach, it never was because the island I lived on was so remote but I still wished that at least someone was there to confirm that I was the first to seem them approach. I wished someone would have been there with me. There were three of them on the small boat and I felt my toes dig into the white sand as the three unearthly individuals approached the shoreline, their eyes all settling on the tiny female who must have only looked aI Was the First Chapter One2 years ago in Settings More Like This
Cole and Ava REWRITE Ch 1 Ava could barely open her eyes, but it was necessary. Splinters rained from the sky as branches cracked and exploded from the large, dangerous being in their wake. She lay crouching under a dense covering of brush, her body involuntarily shaking in terror. She was frozen to this spot, just as rooted as the bushes that concealed her. Her muscles ached from running as they rigidly locked in place trying to grip onto the earth as everything shook around her. It....the thing....something her mind refused to comprehend....was getting very close.Cole and Ava REWRITE Ch 15 months ago in Settings More Like This
"Where are you? You know I saw you. You should come out, I don't want to accidentally....hurt yo
Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH14Jacklyn and the Beanstalk CH142 years ago in Introductions & Chapters More Like This
Chapter 14
As predicted, Wyatt's series of spells took a little over a week to prepare. These were strong magics he was working with, and what he sought to do would make things like teleportation and food conjuring look like parlor tricks.
"Is this really necessary?" Jacklyn asked, watching Wyatt push the long dining table against the wall.
"I just don't want to take any chances," he said, returning to pick up some chairs and put them against the wall as well. "I don't know how the shrinking will shift things around. I just want you to have a large, open area in case stuff moves about unexpectedly."
"Alright..." she said. Trut
Cole and Ava ch 2Ch 2Cole and Ava ch 22 years ago in Settings More Like This
Once Cole returned home he reached into his pocket and fished out Ava. He was excited to get to know this little human. She was a little hard to get a hold of and he felt the spasms as soon as his hand touched his pocket. Again, he felt bad. It was weird to be looked at as such a scary monster. Once she was out he held her back up to his face. He was unaware of how much every action he took was immense and frightening to Ava.
"I'm sorry if I am scaring you. You are going to have to get used to me though. I'll go ahead and put you down for now though."
At first Ava was overjoyed by this news. Unfortunately, he placed her on his table
The Giant of Felrein CH3Chapter 3The Giant of Felrein CH31 year ago in Introductions & Chapters More Like This
"So... about the giant..."
Celia sighed, looking up from her task of scrubbing the floor of the drake cage. The drakes, of course, had been moved to a temporary holding paddock. "Dara, I told you to let it go. Trust me on this."
"But... what, uh, what makes the ringmaster so sure he's feral and dangerous? Has he ever tried letting anyone near the giant? Just... y'know, to see what would happen?"
She arched a brow, regarding Dara with suspicion. "He doesn't need to. He knows."
"What if he's wrong? What if the giant is harmless? And all this caging and beating him is-"
Celia clapped a hand over Dara's mouth. She glanced around,
I Was the First Chapter TwoHumans.I Was the First Chapter Two2 years ago in Short Stories More Like This
Humans cannot speak. Now as far as I knew at least. I stole a look at my twin brother Shai who still was standing over the frightened little girl in between us. Couldn't he see how scared she was of us? I was trying my best to be slow and gentle with my movements and keeping my voice low, but Shai wasn't attempting to change anything to make us seem any less monstrous.
I didn't know that humans could talk but I knew that my brother didn't see humans as anything more than small and easily frightened animals. However, even his face was a shocked now. Gratefully, he lowered himself to a crouch, now concealing both of us behind
Cole and Ava ch 1Ch 1 Meetings and capturesCole and Ava ch 12 years ago in Settings More Like This
Ava had no idea how this situation could even be happening. She lay crouching under a dense covering of brush, shaking in complete terror. She was frozen to this spot, just as rooted as the bushes that surrounded her. This day had started out with a completely normal hike in the woods, although getting lost, and now the earth was shaking around her. He…at least she assumed it was a he…was getting very close.
"Little one, where are you? You know I saw you. You should come out, I don't want to accidently step on you."
The words rattled through the overhead branches, created by the huge whisp
The Big Sibling ProgramMy name is Amelia Rose Moffingale. I have a younger sister named Amanda (Amanda Caridee Pasco, if you want specifics) and two big—and I emphasize 'big' for a reason—brothers. None of them are my real family so to speak...they're actually my adoptive/foster family.The Big Sibling Program5 months ago in Short Stories More Like This
Several years ago, when I had been about eight years old, I lost both of my parents to the sea; the two of them had loved to travel on the water—they had their own boat and everything. They would take me along with them too so that I could experience the beauty of the oceans and the sea. My life had been the water, but the water was what also tore my happy days apart...
It had bee
432 days Short StoryPart 1432 days Short Story2 years ago in Settings More Like This
I crossed off another day on the calendar. Day four hundred and thirty two now was diagonally cut in two by the harsh, red mark of my pen. I don't even know why I bothered to keep track of the days anymore. I guess it was just another thing to do to keep myself occupied, although the result was hardly beneficial to my goals. Keeping track of the time my parents had been gone and the number of days that held my lonely existence was hardly the plan I had in mind. Still, I felt an odd urge to keep watch, to know that I was still attached to this earth somehow or else I might mistake that I was now dreaming, or dead as well. At very least
No Way Out Part 2Yes, a stubborn hallucination indeed. There was no way that a man of epic proportions could be appearing from the horizon to the backdrop of the setting sun. Each time his feet hit the earth, the resulting shudder ensued. It only became stronger as he grew nearer. Maia blinked, still wrapped in the daze of dehydration. Her eyes must not be working correctly as well. He seemed far away, but he had to be closer. He already appeared much too large for the distance he was at......if he continued "growing" this way......no, that couldn't be right. The must have fried her brain. Maia ignored what must be an apparition and gazed at her sister. StillNo Way Out Part 22 years ago in Settings More Like This
Cole and Ava ch12Ch 12Cole and Ava ch122 years ago in Settings More Like This
Cole was overjoyed at how trusting Ava had become of him in such a short while. Her leg had mostly healed and another dusk was upon them. Unknown to Ava, Cole had been a reclusive and moody person previous to meeting her. Building the cabin out in the woods allowed for him to escape the constant drama and interruptions of society. Even though he loved his life out in the woods, he did feel lonely from time to time and Ava's presence was a blessing to him. He did all he could to make her feel at home. They settled into a comfortable routine, or at least as comfortable as their size difference would allow. Cole didn't mind making a few a
Sta.sh
