Boarding School for Giants (G/T)

Part 2

My mind went numb. I couldn't properly process or understand what my mother had just told me. Giants? I had heard of them, of course. I knew of their existence. But I had never seen one before, since they didn't live anywhere near us. I never thought in a million years I'd ever come into contact with one for real. They seemed to exist more in fantasy than reality. And yet, here my mom was, telling me that I was now enrolled in a school full of giants. I gulped nervously.

She opened the door with an agitated creak, as if the door hinges were rusty from disuse. Bright sunlight flooded into the darkness, momentarily blinding us. Covering my eyes with the shadow of my hand, I stepped out into the light. As my eyes slowly adjusted to the change, I saw a vast expanse of concrete that made up a giant sidewalk. Before I could feast my eyes on anything else, my mom pulled on my sleeve and guided me to some big, weirdly-shaped metal poles that were alongside the tremendous wall.

I was confused at first, as to what I was looking at. I had no frame of reference for any of these foreign designs. Next to the poles was a big black thing as large as a van, partially obscured by black cloth that draped high into the sky, out of my vision. Upon closer inspection, I saw the object was soft like leather. It shifted slightly, as if alive, and my heart stopped. The realization hit me like a bucket of ice water. I was looking at a shoe. A gigantic shoe. I slowly, fearfully cast my eyes skyward. The metal poles were the legs of a bench. And sitting on the bench... must have been a giant. I couldn't see him, only the great pillar of his leg, because the underside of the bench was blocking my view of the rest of him.

"Mr. Henderson? Is that you?" my mother called up to the sky, projecting her voice as best she could.

The giant shoe moved, and I couldn't help but squeal in terror and gripped my mom for protection like a small child. How was she not afraid? Had she been around giants before? She seemed oblivious to my fright. The wood of the bench squeaked and a great shadow fell over us. I broke into a cold sweat as I stared up. Looming above us, hundreds of feet high, taller even than the wall of stone, was a giant man. He was dressed smartly in a black business suit and tie. He was looking down at us, standing like tiny insects on the concrete between his two massive shoes. I felt like I was going to faint.

"Hello there," he said in a booming sonorous voice that made me tremble. He crouched down on one knee to be closer to our level. Seeing such a gargantuan being lower himself down, seeming to grow even larger as he got closer, filled me with panic, and I nearly fell over backwards flat on my rear end. "Yes, I'm Mr. Henderson. And you must be Eren." His eyes, a coffee-brown color, met mine and my heart seized into my throat. I couldn't speak, couldn't move: I was terrified.

"She's never been around giants before, so she's a little shy," my mom explained. A little shy? Was she joking? My mom directed her attention to me. "This nice giant is the vice principal of your new school. We can't drive through the giant side of town in a human car, so he's going to take you the rest of the way to your school." She spoke calmly, as if this was a perfectly normal thing, to hand your unsuspecting child off to a giant. I could only gape at her in horror.

The giant laid his enormous hand flat on the ground, palm up, and invited me to climb up with an encouraging gesture of his fingers, thick and tall as trees. There was no way I was getting into his hand. My mother must have gone insane, thinking this was safe and rational. I desperately wanted to run but my legs were rooted to the spot, paralyzed in place like a tiny creature trying to avoid the attention of a monstrous predator.

I studied the giant's face with wild, frightened eyes. He had neatly-trimmed, light brown hair, ears that stuck out slightly on the sides of his head, a bold nose, a gentle smile with polished white teeth, and a hint of stubble on his chin. If not for his ridiculous size, I might have believed, based on his physiognomy, that he was a normal, kind, affable gentleman. But this was no ordinary man, no ordinary situation. He could easily crush me to a pulp in his huge hand if he wished. I shuddered and shrank behind my mother further. The giant's smile faded as he realized how frightened I was.