Life With Giants

Chapter 1

I woke up from that same dream again. I've had it for the past three days. I know I have been screaming when my dad comes in looking panicked.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"I had that dream again dad."

"I think we need to take you to your therapist."

"No Dad, I'm fine. But, what am I? Each time in my dream there is a creature that looks like you. It is way shorter and has a kinder, softer face. It also has long hair like mine."

"...that's your... your mother."

"What's a mother?"

"Your mother was beautiful. She was my other half. A human."

"A human? Don't they kill us?"

"Yes, but she was unlike any other. She was kind and compassionate. You are half of her and half of me."

"Dad, you have some serious explaining to do. I have no idea of what you are talking about; her, she, mother?"

"It is the opposite gender of me and all the other giants, except you."

"What so I'm some weird hybrid?"

"No, that's not what I mean. Your half human, half giant. That's why your shorter than the rest of us. That's why your a girl. You're the only female giant."

"Ugh, dad. You just don't understand what..." he looks at me with a sad look in his eyes. I can tell he knows what I'm thinking. I need to leave before I break down. He's always raised me to be strong like the other boys but I just can't. I don't fit in. The other boys know that. I'm changing, my body is changing, my dad is starting to cut my hair short because it's longer than the other boy's. That's not the only change. I... I... Just don't want to think about the others. "I just need to go."

I grabbed my brown leather jacket that's missing a button and ran out the front door. I went to Namishuk's house.
Namishuk is my best friend. He is always there when I need him. He is about three feet taller than me, but that's normal around here. Everyone is taller than me. He asked me what was wrong. When he did I got a glimpse of myself in the mirror. There were pale streaks coming from my eyes and going down my face. The rest of my face was dark from the dirt, my hair was matted, and my clothes were too big. I looked like a small injured frago being hunted by a large minso.

Fragos are like the deer from the human world except that they have the head of what humans call a rabbit. They are cute and ugly at the same time. Minsos are like what a human would call a tiger. They are very similar to human tigers, but they have wings and teeth so long that they almost touch the ground.
Namishuk's traga, or what humans call home, is large and hangs from a tree in the center of our town. It is transparent and doesn't allow you to see it or what is inside it. I always have a hard time getting into his house when I come over.
"Minowick, what are you doing? It looks as if a great river flooded your eyes and ran down your cheeks," said Namishuk.

"I had that dream again. I don't know what it means and now my dad is going to take me to a mental institute for it."
"Maybe it involves you coming to age." At a certain age us giants receive special abilities. It usually happens at around the age of sixteen. I'm fourteen. Some people get the ability to shrink, some can speak all languages, some can read minds (like my dad), etc. etc.

"I don't think so. I'm only fourteen, not sixteen."

"But your different. I don't think I need to name all of your strange differences, but you are."

"Well, thanks for making me feel better," I say annoyed.

"At least your great at solving problems, unlike the rest of us," he says noticing my irritation. "You wanna go get some queny?"

"Sure, I guess." We left his annoyingly invisible traga and went to get some yummy queny. Queny has a sweet taste. It is a liquid made from honey and lightning that was farmed from the lightning fields. Sometimes if the Lightning isn't tended to properly, it gets too large for the clouds to carry and falls through the sky. What stinks about it is that it take five years for it to grow to just a small size. The queny was so yummy. I love it!

After getting some queny a loud thundering sound erupted from beneath us. Screams came from all around us. The large green vine that connected our world and the human world shook violently. A man that was six feet taller than me arose from the stalk. He was carrying at least ten humans. His scruffy black beard and one eye gave him away. He, my father was taking, I hope innocent, humans from their world. Whenever humans are brought here they are made into slaves, and after six months of labor are ground into bits and pieces then are put on food as a topping. I can't believe him.

I ran up to my dad and slapped him in the face. He should not be torturing those poor humans. He looked at me sternly, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me along with him. I was terrified. His tight grip tightened as I tried to loosen it. There was no escape. When a boy, or in my case a girl, assaults an elder they are held in trial and the most merciful punishment for it is banishment. Namishuk ran towards him and shoved him trying to get him off of me. My dad put the humans in his pocket and grabbed Namishuk. Namishuk was going to be punished because of me. We were dragged by my father to the cage made for humans that were brought here and was locked up. We were doomed. Never to see another day.