What does starlight taste like? Is it warm and smooth on the tongue, like tea, or cold and crunchy, like a chunk of ice? Does it blaze in the belly? Does it make the heart beat faster, the eyes brighter, the hands more open to the soft, ancient light? I'll find out.
--journal of Miss Kwak
Present Day
The human loved being at sea. The air was light and fresh, cooling her face with a fine mist. The water was, as Cleone promised, diamond-white. It was so pale and glossy, so opaque and mystical, she almost expected to see young mermaids playing, or that Loch Ness-looking dinosaur with the fins and long skinny neck. But whenever Cleone thundered nearby, she resisted the urge to swear. Giants are all right, she thought, But to be stuck on a boat with one is weird. Why can't he just shrink to my size? She smiled. Or better yet, I could grow to his. He's got thick, hairy arms, a nice round belly, the dark hair I like.... he is quite handsome....
"What're you so cheery about?" he boomed, squatting to her level. Even then, the pore-speckled miles of his smooth pale flesh engulfed her vision.
The human dipped her fingers into the cool water, watching it leave frothy white ripples in the soft pink distance.
"The sea, I guess. I dunno. I've never seen the animal the Queen was talking about." She buried her hand in her tan leather purse. "Damn! I forgot my jade face-roller! You seen one around?"
"A what?" Cleone chuckled.
"Jade face-roller. A light green cylinder with a handle, that you rub on your face?"
Cleone chuckled at the uselessness of such a tool. Miss Kwak jumped; to her, his laughter was like the heart-deep, rumbling eruption of an elephant's roar.
"Most giantesses would call that a 'dust collector."'
Miss Kwak wanted to make a joke about how giantesses wore a grotesque amount of makeup without caring for their skin, but decided against it. It would be like an ant poking fun at the curl of fat under her chin, or dandruff crusts beneath her nails. This man was thirty-nine feet feet tall and still a stranger to her; who knew what he was capable of? He could crush her with one footstep! She laughed nervously.
"I also use something called a gua sha for puffiness."
She pulled out a smooth jade-colored stone. Cleone grimaced.
"Yeah. Definitely a dust collector."
"So is a coffin!"
"Not as much as yours!"
He cracked his knuckles.
"You want a bite of this mancake?!"
She laughed so hard she squealed.
"That's not as threatening as you thought!"
They stood quietly for a bit, until he broke the silence.
" 'Dust collector' was a compliment, Miss Kwak. Your face isn't puffy at all."
She rubbed the gua sha over her cheeks and chin. Her hand slipped, causing it to fall into the sea.
YOU ARE READING
Palace Walls
FantasyThis fantasy story tells the rise and fall of Queen Clotilda, and the many friends and enemies she makes along her reign. Despite her popularity, she has a blind spot when it comes to important issues, leaving her with more problems than she bargain...
