MsCharlotte's Stuff: Christmas

Chapter 7: The Giant

What did it matter, thought Claus, if the magic of the elves' marvelous gifts would work but once? Each weapon was so powerful that it could destroy the Pigwidgen. And once only would it be needed.

Claus thanked the elves and climbed aboard the Sopchoppy River Ferry. Patrick Tweedleknees poled the raft back through the dark and perilous currents.

At the river's end they clambered out of the hole and started on their way to the land of frost and never-endling snow where the Pigwidgen was said to dwell.

Day and night they traveled north. They stopped only for a few hours' sleep or to hunt for a bit of food in the forests. One night they came upon a mansion standing dark and empty against the moonlighted sky.

It was a cold night and so they crept through the doorless entrance of the mansion to find warmth. Using Tweedleknees' fire-fly flashlight they found themselves in an empty hall from which four long and one short corridors led. They tiptoed into the short corridor and lay down on the floor and fell asleep.

When dawn came they went back to the hall and out the flapping, doorless entrance. Tweedleknees stood there yawning noisily. Claus clapped his hand over the elf's mouth. He pointed at a nearby hill.

"What is it?" sputtered Tweedleknees behind Claus' hand.

"It's not a hill!" gasped Claus. "It's a sleeping giant!" He pointed at the mansion where they had spent the night. "And that isn't a mansion. It's the giant's glove!"

Suddenly the mighty hump stirred. "L-let's get out of here!" stuttered Tweedleknees. He and Claus started off as fast as their trembling legs could carry them.

Unfortunately the only place to run was straight up a mountainside. They had hardly started when a grinding, crunching roar split their ears. They fell to the ground and shivered and shook. When they peered daown at the hump they saw the giant had merely turned on his back and was now peacefully snoring.

"What an oaf!" grumbled Tweedleknees. He was ashamed to have been so afraid. "I should have given him a good clouting while we were there."

"Come on," urged Claus. "He may wake soon."

They scrambled up the rocky mountain. They had to disappear on the other side to be safe and the giant would never know they had been there.

But when they reached the top Tweedleknees turned and glared down at the hump far below. "I'm not afraid of giants," he bragged. "In fact, I think I'll just finish off that giant before we go."

Before Claus could stop him, Tweedleknees put all his weight behind a colossal boulder and shoved it off the top of the mountain. The boulder rocketed down the mountain side and hit the sleeping giant.

"What have you done?" cried Claus in alarm.

"Demolished a giant!" said Tweedleknees gleefully.

But the boulder had done the giant no more harm than an acorn dropped from a tree. It had merely awakened him and he was very annoyed. He lumbered to his feet. Seeing Claus and Tweedleknees at the top of the mountain he gave a bellow and started after them.