Land of the Giants: A Love Story
By JR Thomas
Chapter
Six: Estrangement
Sylvana awoke to some soft music from her radio alarm and beams of sunlight coming through the window. Remembering her precious little lover in bed with her, she avoided any quick, sudden movements. She carefully reached over and hit the snooze button, then closed her eyes.
“Oh Steve, what a wonderful night that was; I’ll remember it forever.” She sighed in bliss, and then dozed off.
Five minutes later the music came on again, and this time she was resolved to get up. She needed to take Captain Burton back to the park and then head to the office.
She slowly rolled over on her side. “Good morning my beautiful man, how are you this…….” Much to her surprise, she did not see the tiny Earthman. She rolled over in the opposite direction until she faced the other side of the bed, but still no Steve.
“Steve?” Sylvana said worriedly as she sat up in bed. She lifted up her pillows, and then looked under the sheets, but the little man was no where to be found.
“Steve, where are you?” By now she was starting to get very anxious. She carefully got out of bed, looking down before setting her feet on the carpet to avoid accidentally stepping on the tiny man, should he be there. Sylvana leaned over and carefully scrutinized the ground as she walked around the bed. She then dropped on her knees and looked under the bed, but Captain Burton was not there. She stood up and scanned her eyes over the entire bedroom, but it was apparent by now that the little man had departed.
“Oh Steve, where have you gone?” she said, fighting back the tears.
Still wearing her white nightgown, Sylvana walked out into the family room and searched it thoroughly. She then expanded her hunt into the kitchen, and then proceeded to the living room area; all the while moving furniture, waste cans, and anything that might obstruct her view. She was creeping along the edge of the living room wall when the ventilation duct cover caught her eye. It didn’t seem quite right. She got down on her knees to inspect it closely, and much to her surprise found it open. She peered inside but could see nothing.
Sylvana closed the ventilation cover. Slowly getting back on her bare feet, she walked over to the sofa and sat down. “Steve! Why?” She lowered her head into her hands and cried for a good ten minutes.
Sylvana reported in for work about an hour late. Fortunately the Archon didn’t question her about her tardiness due to the irregular schedule she’d been keeping of late; necessitated by their dealings with the little people. There was a close call later in the afternoon when Obek commented that she seemed rather preoccupied and had far away look about her. When she responded that it was because she was tired, he attributed it to her boyfriend keeping her up late. Sylvana thought with some amusement that the Archon was right of course, except that he had the wrong boyfriend. He let her leave early.
Shortly after arriving home, Sylvana straightened up her bedroom and prepared for a nice long beauty bath. She noticed her blue panties on the floor, and it brought back sweet memories of last night with Steve. She picked up the undergarment, and while carrying it to the laundry hamper noticed that it was badly torn. She stopped to inspect it closely. It seemed that something had shorn a piece several inches long out of it. “Now how did that happen”, she mused?
*************************
It had now been nearly one full day since Captain Burton was
lost; presumed captured by Inspector Kobick, and the
rest of the Spindrift crew were gathered around the outside table deliberating
their next course of action. It was
after dark, and with no sign of Steve, the others were becoming increasingly
worried.
Mark Wilson hovered around Dan, Betty, Valerie, and Fitzhugh sitting at table. “I think the most sensible course of action would be to contact Miss Noor and the Archon and get their help. Obek can ask the giants’ High Council to order Kobick to release Steve.”
Betty twitched worriedly in her seat. “But Mark, we don’t actually know that Steve was captured.”
Valerie reached across the table and touched the stewardess’s hand. “Now look hon, I was there. Steve sacrificed himself so Mark and I could escape.” The faces of all turned very somber at Valerie’s affecting comment.
Barry was sitting on a nearby rock with Chipper resting at his feet. Even the little dog seemed distressed at the turn of events. The boy presently joined the discussion. “But Mr. Wilson, Miss Scott, you didn’t see them capture Captain Burton, did you?”
Mark looked at Barry and gave him a forced smile, then turned back to the others. “I suppose it’s possible that Steve could have gotten away in the confusion created by the storm, but I wouldn’t stake my life on it.”
Fitzhugh turned to face the Copilot. “Mr. Erickson. With Steve absent, it leaves you in charge. What says you?”
Dan got up from the table and addressed the others with his arms crossed, looking very much the authority figure. “Unless anyone has a better idea, I think we should go with Mark’s plan. We’ll travel to the warehouse tomorrow and call the Archon asking for his assistance, and if that doesn’t pan out, we’ll mount a raid on the SID headquarters.”
Fitzhugh didn’t like Plan B at all. “Let’s hope, Mr. Erickson, that your second option does not become necessary.”
Mark’s eyes suddenly lit up with an idea sparked by what Dan had said, and he faced the copilot. “Dan, speaking of making the call from the warehouse, I know we’re getting low on communicators, but I think it’s high time we gave one to Obek or his secretary.”
Dan smiled. “You’re absolutely right Mark. It would save us the potentially dangerous trips to the warehouse.”
“Yeah”, Mark replied, “and it certainly would have come in handy right now.”
 |
Dan patted the engineer on the shoulder and then addressed the entire group. “Don’t worry”, Dan said with much determination. “We’ll find Steve.” He paused to let his words sink in, and then resumed. “OK everyone. I think it’s time we turned in. Fitzhugh and Barry, you have the first watch at the outpost.”
*************************
“Mr. Erickson, Mr. Wilson, come quick!” Barry shouted.
The Spindrift crew over the years had become accustomed to sudden crises, and as a result they were all pretty much light sleepers. Dan and Betty quickly emerged from the lean-to to see what the commotion was about, followed shortly by Mark and Valerie from inside the Spindrift.
Much to everyone’s astonishment and relief, Fitzhugh and Barry traipsed into camp awkwardly supporting Captain Burton between them. Steve was coughing, visibly shaken and shivering, but what really caught the others’ attention was that the only thing he was wearing was a light blue loin cloth.
Betty was the closest thing they had to a nurse, and she immediately took charge of the situation. “Fitzhugh, Barry!” She pointed to the table, and the two sat the Captain down on one of their thread spool chairs. Steve slumped over on the table, nearly unconscious.
The stewardess looked at Valerie. “Val, go get a blanket, quickly!”
The woman ran into the Spindrift, and Betty walked up and put her hand on Captain Burton’s shoulders. “Oh Steve.” She rubbed him affectionately.
In a moment Valerie returned with the blanket, and Betty took it from her and wrapped it around Steve. The others were now milling around, unsure what to do next. Steve continued to cough intermittently, and Betty put a hand to his forehead. She gave the others a worried look. “He’s got a fever.”
Mark moved close to the stricken man. “Steve, what happened? How did you escape from Kobick? Where are your clothes?”
Steve mumbled something unintelligible, and Betty looked up at the engineer. “Not now Mark. Can’t you see he’s ill? He needs food, water, and rest.”
“Sorry”, Mark said as he backed away.
Moments later Betty resumed giving orders. “Dan, Mark, prepare a cot for Steve in the radio room. Val, Fitzhugh, Barry, bring some food and water.”
With great difficulty they managed to get Steve to ingest a meager amount of nourishment, and a short time later carried him to the cot in the Spindrift. Betty stayed with her captain through the night, comforting him by holding his hand and wiping his forehead to bring down the fever. The stewardess was in her element; a veritable Florence Nightingale. By the early hours of the morning Steve’s fever broke, and he slept peacefully.
Later that day Valerie was doing the laundry. Of course they had not been able to jury rig any kind of washing machine, so it all had to be done by hand. She was down by the giant stream, washing and rinsing their clothing items one at time, when she came across the loin cloth Steve had been wearing. She picked it up, and after a few moments feeling the soft and silky material, her eyes suddenly grew wide with astonishment. Being a woman herself, there was no doubt in her mind what the material was. A knowing smile came to her face.
*************************
The next day at about
Sylvana immediately turned a whiter shade of pale. She fidgeted nervously with her hands. “Ah, no sir, I haven’t”. She looked away, not wanting to make eye-contact with her boss.
The elderly politician walked to the front of his desk, his head down in contemplation. Obek thought it strange that Sylvana would address him so formally when no one else was around. He also couldn’t help but notice that after better than a week of wearing short skirts and colorful blouses, she was now dressed in a rather dowdy grey outfit. These things along with her obvious unease aroused his suspicions.
Obek rubbed his chin. “Hmmmm…..We should have heard from the little people to arrange another visit by now. I wonder if everything is alright with them?” he said as if to no one in particular. “The scientists and engineers are eager to continue the work, and the High Council is going to want an update shortly.”
Sylvana looked up and gave him a nervous smile, but said nothing.
Obek had known Sylvana long enough to understand her moods, and he sensed that there was something important she was not telling him. He decided to force the issue.
“Sylvana, is there anything going on that I should know, or that you’d like to talk about?”
She knew she was being cornered, and tried to feign surprise. “Why, whatever gives you that idea sir?”
He smiled lightly and clasped his hands together while leaning back on the desk. “Come now my dear. We’ve known each other for a long time; in fact, you know that you’re like a daughter to me, so if anything is wrong, I hope you would feel like you could speak to me about it”, he said in his most kindly, disarming voice.
She lowered her gaze. “Why, no sir.” Sylvana gave the Archon a quick glance, and then lowered her eyes again. “Well, yes sir”, she said in resignation.
Obek got up and pulled out one of the guest chairs. “Please sit down Sylvana.”
She sat in the chair and placed her hands in her lap, still looking very uncomfortable.
Obek resumed leaning back on his desk, trying carefully not to make Sylvana feel like she was under an inquisition.
Miss Noor glanced at her boss with big, sad eyes. “The SID tried to capture the little people the other night during the storm.”
“What!” Obek stood up, startling her. “Why didn’t you tell me Sylvana? This is serious.” He gasped. “Did they succeed?”
“I, I rescued Captain Burton, and I think the others got away”, she said sheepishly.
Obek began pacing slowly back and forth in front of his desk. “Well, I’m certainly going to have a word with the High Council about this.”
She gave him a thin smile, but made no comment.
“Sylvana, I don’t understand why you didn’t tell me yesterday?” He tried to keep from raising his voice, but his secretary was leaving him bewildered.
She was by now looking very distraught, almost to the point of tears. Obek came up next to the woman and put a hand on her shoulder. “What’s wrong Sylvana? You said you rescued Captain Burton; what happened next?”
 |
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally answered. “I, I, took him home with me.” Sylvana couldn’t hold back the tears any longer, and she stated to weep. “I’m sorry Garm, I, I didn’t mean……..but I love Captain Burton.”
Fortunately she was still looking down and didn’t see Obek’s eyes grow wide with surprise, bordering on shock. It had not escaped his attention the past week that Sylvana had taken a liking to the little Earthman, and although he had thought it a bit odd, he had no idea that it would go this far. The Archon walked over to a cabinet, and producing some tissue paper, offered it to the distressed Sylvana.
He was in a mild state of shock himself. His old-fashioned, conservative mind just couldn’t fathom his secretary in bed with the tiny man. He stood in silence, attempting to comfort Sylvana by lightly rubbing her shoulder, all the while trying to come to grips with what she had confessed to him.
After a few minutes, Obek, somewhat uncomfortably, commented on her startling revelation. “Sylvana, you know that Honoria and I care a great deal about you, and we’ve always wanted the best for you. “
She glanced up at him, still sniffling.
“Now far be it from me to pry into your personal affairs, but when it involves the little people, it could be very serious”, he noted calmly.
She nodded in guarded agreement.
He continued, being polite but firm. “I went out on the limb making contact with the little people, and it took me some time to convince the High Council to sanction it. If wind of something like this ever came to their attention, who knows what might happen?”
She looked at him with her glazed, bloodshot eyes. “I know Garm; I’m sorry.”
He smiled warmly at her. “There’s nothing to be sorry about my dear, it’s just that, well, we need to be careful. This situation with the little people is very delicate. We’ve already learned much from them, and we stand to gain a lot more.” He paused for a moment. “Providing, of course, nothing goes wrong, if you catch my drift.”
The secretary nodded her understanding.
“Sylvana, so what happened to Captain Burton? Why haven’t the little people called?”
The secretary wiped her eyes one last time, and then set the tissue aside. “I don’t’ know Garm. When I awoke yesterday morning, Captain Burton was gone.”
Obek gave her a disconcerted glance, and Sylvana continued. “I guess I didn’t say anything yesterday because I was hoping he would call.”
He shook his head, looking confused. “What could have happened, I wonder? Were they captured by the SID?”
A worried look came over Sylvana, and it came to her what she had to do. She got up from her chair, by now having regained her composure. “Garm, I have an idea.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Yes Sylvana. What did you have in mind?”
She took in a deep breath. “I think I know where I might be able to find them. After what happened, it’s the least I can do”, she added contritely.
His face brightened considerably at her suggestion. “That’s a great idea Sylvana. When did you plan on going?”
She straightened her blouse.
“With your permission Garm, I’ll leave
now. I’ll go home and get changed, then head
to
“By all means”, he replied. “And while you’re gone, I’ll make a call to the High Council about that blackguard Inspector Kobick!” He said irritably.
Sylvana walked out of the office, and Obek returned to his desk. He sat there silently for a few minutes, still contemplating Sylvana’s shocking revelation to him. He finally broke out of his daydream and picked up the phone to call the High Council. As he dialed the number, a peculiar thought came to him: “Captain Burton may only be five inches tall, but he’s still a big improvement on Tor Brazen.”
*************************
Arriving at her house, Sylvana immediately removed her office attire and put on some jeans, a loose-fitting blouse, and a pair of ankle-length boots. Although the high-heeled boots were not really meant for traversing in the woods and rough terrain, they would have to do. In a few minutes she was ready, and before leaving remembered to get Captain Burton’s clothes and the robe she had made him. She smiled as she fingered the tiny clothes, bringing back as it did fond memories of the magical night they had spent together. Her mind returned to the present; she put Steve’s clothes in her purse and headed out the door.
During the short hop to the park, she mulled over her talk with the Archon. Sylvana had not wanted to tell him about her and Captain Burton, but found that she couldn’t avoid it without lying to him, and she respected Garm Obek too much to do that. All-in-all, he had taken the news rather well. Unfortunately though, Sylvana had to admit that the Archon was right about others of her people, most notably the High Council, probably taking a very dim view of a romantic liaison between her and one of the little men. She sighed, and thought she would just have to see how things played out. It made her hopeful to think, however, that considering Captain Burton’s small size, it shouldn’t be too difficult carrying on a discrete affair with him. They would just have to be circumspect.
Sylvana arrived at
*************************
It was well past
Barry nudged his fellow guard, who appeared to be dozing off. “Mr. Fitzhugh, shouldn’t you be keeping your eyes open and watching for giants?” Fitzhugh grumbled, but otherwise remained silent with eyes closed and arms wrapped around his chest.
Barry nudged him again. “Mr. Fitzhugh!”
This seemed to startle the middle-aged man. “Wha, wha, what is it, my boy?” He said groggily.
“Mr. Fitzhugh, how can you keep a look out for giants while sleeping?” Barry asked in all seriousness.
Fitzhugh looked startled. “Me, sleeping on duty? Never, my boy, never! I’m just resting my eyes and sharpening my senses of sound and smell.”
The boy wasn’t buying it, and he gave the portly man a disappointed look.
Fitzhugh feigned indignation. “Now see here boy. I can smell a giant a mile away!”
All at once a shadow fell across them, and they heard the unmistakable sound of giant feet steeping on the jetsam scattered about the forest floor. They quickly ducked for cover, and looked up just in time to see a pair of giant blue pants legs pass within thirty feet of them.
When the giant had gone by, Barry looked at his visibly shaken partner. “You were saying, Mr. Fitzhugh, about being able to smell the giants?” Before he could answer, Barry grabbed his arm and started pulling him up to his feet. “Come on Mr. Fitzhugh, we’ve got to warn the others!”
They ran back to the Spindrift, and as they did saw the giant pass out of site heading north of their position. Within a few minutes they were in site of the camp, and Fitzhugh started yelling frantically. “Giants! Giants!”
Dan, Mark, and Valerie were outside, and upon hearing Fitzhugh’s clarion call, Dan ran up to meet them. “Fitzhugh, will you please shut up! If the giants haven’t found us yet, they’re sure to with that big mouth of yours!” The man didn’t reply, as he was busy heading for the Spindrift door.
Mark and Valerie quickly doused the campfire that they had going to heat some water, and Dan ushered everyone into the ship. Once he had confirmed that the entire Spindrift crew was inside, he hit the close button, and the door shut with a “woosh”.
Betty huddled Valerie, Fitzhugh, and Barry and Chipper into the passenger compartment, and Dan and Mark entered the pilot’s cabin. Dan turned on the radar, and it immediately picked up a large moving mass roughly a quarter mile away. Moments later, Captain Burton entered, putting on his jacket as he walked in.
“How are you feeling Skipper”, Dan asked quietly.
“Better, thank you”, he replied. “What’s going on?”
“We’ve got company”, Mark said.
The three men peered anxiously at the radar scope. For a time the giant appeared to maintain its distance, and just as they thought it was going to keep on an easterly trek, it suddenly turned south in their direction. Beads of perspiration could be seen on their foreheads. There was nothing they could do but wait.
The giant presently closed to within an eighth of a mile. “If it doesn’t turn soon, it’s going to walk right on top of us”, Dan said worriedly.
“Maybe it will think the ship is an abandoned toy and move on”, Mark said, although they all new he was grasping at straws.
*************************
Sylvana had by now figured she’d come far enough. It was unlikely the little people’s camp was located further out than this. She turned south, intending to go a short distance and then head back in the direction of the park. She had walked about thirty paces when she spied something out of the corner of her left eye. Sylvana stopped. It was a small patch of clearing in the thickets. She moved closer, and began to notice a reddish-orange object loosely covered by some small branches. She advanced slowly, and after a few paces there was no doubt in her mind that she had found what she was looking for.
Sylvana stopped suddenly; nearly steeping on what looked like a miniature table, surrounded by some thread spools. A short distance to her left was what appeared to be some kind of tiny shelter. The real object of interest, however, was the futuristic-looking aircraft/spaceship, maybe two-and-half or three feet long and eight or nine inches high. It had a large translucent dome on top, two tiny windows along the side, a door maybe six inches high, and some kind of grill-mesh intake towards the rear. She thought it looked like some large toy model from a science fiction movie that her son Gard would have played with when he was a child. Sylvana put a hand to her mouth and gasped; partially in awe of the Earthmen’s apparently advanced technology, but also because she couldn’t get over how cute it was. This little ship that had carried Steve and the other little people to her world could fit easily on her bedroom vanity!
So far there was no sign of the little people, so Sylvana decided to call out to them. “Steve? Steve? Are you in there?” Moments later she called again, but still nothing stirred.
Careful to avoid stepping on the tiny table, she slowly walked around to the front of the craft. Getting down on her knees, she lowered her head and looked inside the front windshield. Sure enough, just inside the glass she could make out Captain Burton, the man called Mark, and a black man. The tiny Earthmen looked up at her in surprise and horror, and they instinctively backed away from the windshield.
 |
She laughed lightly. “Don’t be afraid, I won’t harm you. It’s me, Sylvana.” She playfully tapped a finger on the glass, and waved at the tiny men inside. Sylvana was so happy to find her little lover that, without thinking, she tenderly placed a kiss on the windshield of the ship.
The three little men regarded the two-foot long lipstick impression now adorning the Spindrift’s windshield in shocked silence. After a few awkward moments, Dan felt compelled to comment on the situation: “Well guys, I thought I’d seen everything.” Mark and Dan regarded their Captain with very curious stares.
Miss Noor figured that they had to know who she was by now and would be coming out presently, so she got up and moved to a position just outside the camp perimeter. Sure enough, moments later the tiny door opened, and out came Steve, Mark, and the black man. Even at their small size and her standing up, Sylvana could sense that they were not happy to see her.
Captain Burton moved forward slightly and put his hand on his hips. “Sylvana, what are you doing here? How did you find us?” He said with much annoyance.
“Now look Steve, we hadn’t heard from you in a couple of days, and the Archon and I were worried.”
The little Earthman shook his head. “You shouldn’t have come here Sylvana. You could have been followed, you risk all of us!”
She sighed, feeling slightly hurt by her little lover’s surprising hostility. “Steve, with the SID out looking for you, and your disappearance from my house yesterday morning, we didn’t know what was going on.”
Mark and Dan looked at Steve with astonishment, as it was now plain to them that he had not been captured by the SID, but had spent the night with this giant woman. Mark walked up to the captain, addressing him in a very accusing tone. “Steve, would you mind explaining to me what’s going on?”
Captain Burton glanced at him with more than a little embarrassment, and then returned his gaze to the giant. “Sylvana, we need to talk, in private!”
“Why of course Steve.”
Dan and Mark looked at each other and shrugged.
Sylvana reached down, and picking up the tiny man, headed away from the Spindrift camp. Finding a suitable clearing well out of site of the other little people, Sylvana set him down on the low, dry grass, and then lay on the ground in prone position facing him.
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“Steve, why did you run away? You can’t believe how much I’ve missed you”, she said affectionately, moving her fingers close to him.
Steve crossed his arms. “Sylvana, what we did was wrong.”
She licked her lips. “That’s not what you were saying then Steve.” He looked away, and before he could react, Sylvana leaned over and kissed him on the side of the face.
He angrily backed away, wiping her lipstick off his face. “Sylvana, cut it out! Don’t you understand that it can’t work? We’re literally worlds apart!”
“Steve, be that as it may, I thought it was the best sex I’ve ever had, and I was under the impression you liked it too”, she said in a low, sultry voice.
He shook his head in vexation, and pointed a finger at her. “Now look Sylvana, I’m a man, not your little plaything.....…….” Steve checked himself, sensing that he might have gone a bit far, but it was too late.
“What did you say???” Her response was so loud that it nearly knocked him off his feet. Sylvana looked at him with big bulging eyes and mouth open a mile wide. She couldn’t believe Steve had said what he did. If he was trying to hurt her, he had done a great job. Steve could see her eyes redden and tears forming within them.
He tried some quick damage control. “Now look Sylvana, I didn’t….”
She angrily cut him off as she got to her feet. “Oh yes you did!” By now she was crying heavily, and one of her tear drops landed right on Steve’s head. He moved close to her massive high-heeled boot, and the fact that his head just reached as high as her ankle brought home to him how small he was compared to her. The irony was, however, that with his thoughtless words to this beautiful lady, he had shown just how small he could be.
She spoke in broken phrases between sobs. “I thought…I thought.…you loved me?”
He reached out and touched her boot, trying to look up and see her face. “I’m sorry Sylvana.”
Not responding, she reached in her purse, pulled out his clothes and the bath robe she’d made him, and let them fall to the ground. The toe of her boot nearly knocked Steve over as she turned on her heel and walked away. “THUMP! THUMP! Thump! Thump! thump…..thump. The giant woman receded in the distance, and then was gone. Steve picked up his clothes, and as he walked back to camp reflected on how although he had made some stupid remarks in his life, this one really took the cake. As he entered the camp, he found himself surrounded by six sets of piercing eyes, running the gamut from extreme curiosity to borderline hostility. Captain Burton had the unpleasant feeling that he was fresh out of friends.
Sylvana Noor cried on and off all the way back to Obek’s estate. She’d thought she had something really special going with Captain Burton, but much to her distress, it seemed to have come and gone like a summer cloud. Upon arriving at the office, she straightened herself up as best she could, and then reported in to her boss. She told him that the little people were safe, and that she supposed they would call to arrange another visit in a day or so. Much to the politician’s bewilderment, she also requested to be released from the duty of picking up and dropping off the little people in the park.
Late that evening as Sylvana was lying in bed, the phone rang. She stared at it for a moment, and then picked up the receiver.
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The sun was setting, and most of the Spindrift crew had bedded down for the evening. Steve remained outside, sitting at the table and contemplating recent events. Dusk had always been his favorite time of day. The sky dimmed and the stars came out, the giant birds and insects chirped and clicked away, creating a pleasing background ambience, the cool night breeze left a pleasurable feeling on his face. His fellow crewmates were for the most part still feeling a bit shocked at the revelation that he’d had an affair with the giant secretary, but they would get over it, and in any case it was finished. If not at peace, Steve Burton was feeling more or less content at the moment.
His reverie was suddenly interrupted. “Captain Burton, do you mind if I join you?” He looked over his shoulder to see Barry, sans Chipper for a change. He smiled at the boy and motioned him to have a seat.
Barry sat down and played nervously with his hands. “It sure is a nice night, isn’t it sir?” he said, trying to make small talk.
Steve nodded, but remained silent.
Barry took a breath, and then proceeded to say what was on his mind. “Captain Burton, I just wanted to say that I know I’m only seventeen, but I think I know how you feel.”
“Thanks Barry, but I’m alright”, he calmly replied.
“Captain Burton, do you remember the giant girl Shiva Torridge?”
Steve shook his head in the affirmative, recalling the giant teen that had taken Barry under her wing for a time.
“I loved her Captain”, he said nervously. “I still do.” He paused a moment to let the words sink in. “She was the nicest girl I’ve ever met, and my first crush.”
“I know Barry”, he replied with a warm smile.
“Sometimes when I’m walking around by myself away from the camp, I imagine Shiva and her dog Ratch returning for me, and Shiva taking me home to live with her forever.”
Steve thought he saw a tear in the boy’s eye, and he put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Yes son, from what you told us, Shiva seemed like a charming girl.”
The boy sniffled as he replied. “Yes Captain Burton, she was more than a friend, and I miss her.” He looked down for a moment in contemplation, and then got up from the thread spool chair. “I think I’d better give chipper some food and water”, he said animatedly, trying to act as if nothing was wrong.
Steve stood up as well. “Thanks Barry for coming out. I know it’s been a while since we’ve had time for a chat.”
“Thank you sir for listening, and Captain Burton?”
“Yes Barry?”
“I wanted you to know that I think Miss Noor is a very nice lady.”
Steve grinned. “Chipper is waiting Barry.”
“Good night Captain.” The boy scurried off to the lean-to.
Steve strolled slowly around the camp perimeter, and looking down noticed a pair of two large indentations in the ground, one much bigger than the other. Eyeing them closely, he realized that it was one of Sylvana’s huge footprints from her visit earlier that day. The sole and heel from her boot formed an interesting symmetry. It presently brought back memories of the very pleasurable foot massage he had given her. He shook his head in disbelief, and then turned around and headed for the lean-to to retire for the evening.