The
ocean of soft golden wheat danced like a wave under the caress of the early
Autumn wind. Matilda plunged herself amidst the stalks, overwhelming her with
the thick scent of hay. Her breath rasped in her chest, blood pounded in her
head, her legs felt like fire. She pushed herself a few yards deeper into the
crop before she collapsed onto her side, sprawled and panting.
Delilah had been with
her until only a few moments before, but now there was no sign of her. In fact,
there was little sign of anything: no voices or screams, no birds or farm
animals, but also no booming footsteps. Sadness, anxiety, guilt, and relief bubbled
inside her. She knew she wasn’t safe, not by a long shot, but for the moment it
seemed like she had lost her pursuer.
In the wake of the
chaos, Matilda felt her throat tighten and eyes sting with tears as her
thoughts turned to Delilah. Obstinate, brusque, overconfident, witty, beautiful
Delilah... Their relationship had always been complicated, teetering between
friendship and something more, never quite crossing that line. For five years,
their shared moments were filled with longing looks, tender lingering touches,
and the stolen sweetness of secret kisses. They had dreamed of a future
together, saving to move to a new province as friends, but the unspoken hope of
something deeper had always lingered between them. Now, Matilda thought
bitterly, those dreams were chaff in the wind. With the back of her hand she
quietly dried her damp cheeks.
Exhaustion and grief
weighed on her like a blanket. Matilda shook her head hard, determined not to
lose consciousness, then forced herself up to sit on her knees. She knew that
as long as she remained on Coalwynn Farm she’d be in danger. Even if the house was still standing she
couldn’t go back there, but she wouldn’t be able to make it to a place of
safety without some supplies. Not in her current condition.
Straining, she pushed
herself up, wiped the grimy sweat from her brow, and dusted off her olive
dungarees as she considered her situation carefully. The barn was her only
remaining option, but Anna likely knew that as well. If Matilda went now then
she’d have to sneak inside in broad daylight; but… and she felt sick for even
thinking it… Anna might still be chasing after Delilah, which could give
Matilda the chance she needed.
Glancing up at the pale
sky she noted that nightfall was still hours away. The sun almost made the
decision for her. Wearily, Matilda brushed strands of blonde-streaked
mousy-brown hair out of her sun-kissed face and sucked on her broken lip as she
quietly ventured forward.
When the haughty taxman
had left angrily a week earlier in his smoke-belching horseless carriage, a
popular new transportation method amongst the wealthy, Delilah had assured her
that the pock-faced man was all bark and no bite. Little did they know that he
had recently employed a giant from the east to do his biting for him. And now
Matilda and Delilah were paying the price, and it would likely cost far more
than a few extra coins.
Matilda’s dark reverie
came to an end as she approached the edge of the yellow forest. Between
thinning stalks of wheat she could clearly see a massive glinting granary and
the barn beside. Half of the barn’s façade was covered in a fresh coat of
burgundy paint, the other a peeling motley ochre. Matilda’s heart twisted at
the knowledge that she and Delilah would never finish refurbishing it. Next to
the building stood a burgeoning apple tree surrounded by a small garden where
Matilda had practiced her hand at horticulture and botany. Surreptitiously, she
approached the border, eyes and ears straining for any sign of the giantess.
Aside from a whispering swish rustling through the grains and
the hammering of her heart inside her chest, all was quiet. Like a mouse
sneaking from its den, Matilda left the sanctity of the wheat behind and
scurried toward the barn door.
“Took you long enough.”
Icy chills ran down her
spine and her hackles stood on end. She had to run, to get away, the barn door
was right there! But her legs simply refused. Matilda twisted slowly and took
in the sight of Anna lazing on her side, head propped up with one hand. The
massive woman lay in the field only a few meters away from where Matilda had
come from. It was so close, in fact, that if it hadn’t been noon then Anna’s
shadow would have likely alerted Matilda long before she reached the barn.
“Well…?” The large woman boomed, a trickle of
mirth in her voice.
“i- I’m sorry I ran.
Please don’t…”
“Look pipsqueak, I’m just here for the money. If I leave here with the
28 gold pieces for the magistrate, then you’re off the hook for your belated
payment. But if I don’t...” She let the threat linger
in the air, and when she was sure it had sunk in, Anna climbed to her feet, the
earth shaking as she shifted her weight in the process. A huge swathe of the
once majestic field of wheat was now reduced to a patchwork of broken and
flattened grass remnants where the giantess had lounged but moments before.
Matilda’s eyes followed
the shadow along the ground then peered up to study the colossal woman. The sun
hanging at its zenith forced her to squint. Anna solved the problem as she
stepped forward, eclipsing the bright light entirely. She stared down at the
trembling Matilda with eyes like pools of sable, a look of contempt and
amusement flickering across her face. Now at full height, Anna was almost three
times the size of the barn. Her cinnamon coloured skin was radiant under the
afternoon sun and her black hair had a glossy sheen that reminded Matilda of
raven wings. Anna’s cream coloured blouse was similar to those worn by Delilah,
but as the material softly swayed in the wind it seemed more like sails of a
ship than a piece of clothing.
At the thought of her
missing partner Matilda felt her stomach twist. Her anxiety and worry boiled
over within her, growing far stronger than the logical voice telling her to be
meek and obedient to placate the giant.
A deep breath, and,
before she could think, the words came tumbling from her mouth, “where… Where
is Delilah?”
“Oh, the little rude one? She should be the least of your worries…” Anna said in a
lyrical voice.
“Please, I have to… I
need to know.”
The giant glared down at
her, an eyebrow raised. The seconds dragged on and Matilda knew she had said
too much. She was going to die here and now because she couldn’t keep her mouth
shut. She shut her eyes and winced, the thought of the massive boot snuffing
her out with the ease of a mill grinding grain forming in her mind. But nothing
happened. There was no pain, no crunch, no punishment. She pried an eye open
expecting the worst, but Anna only grinned.
“Alright cutie, I’ll tell you. Last time I checked in on her she was
out cold, but alive.”
“Out cold!? Is she okay?
What- what happened? Where is she?”
Anna’s expression turned
to mock-innocence, dark eyes sparkling with glee.
“Well, when I asked her where
the money was she was quite impolite and told me to ‘shove it…’ So I did.” She grinned again,
a hand settling on her waist, before she continued, “Now, unless you want to join her, you’ll bring me the money.”
Matilda’s face turned
sallow as she processed the words. She had to consciously stop herself from
sobbing and being sick on the spot. A dull numbness engulfed her mind, leaving
her lips to move in silence. All she could do was nod, and hope that that was
enough to prove her cooperation.
Too afraid to make the
giantess wait longer, Matilda turned on her heel and, with legs that felt like
jelly, once again made her way to the barn door. It slid open easily and she
could hear, and feel, Anna crouching
down behind her to peer into the ‘large’ building. In the center of the room
were the thresher and plow, and in the back a small door leading to the study.
A barrel of apples stood by the entrance and bales of hay lined the walls.
“Ooh, are those apples? I’m starving!”
Matilda had to jump to
the side as a thumb and forefinger, each almost larger than her, sped to the
barrel and plucked it up like an olive from a bowl. The giant popped the entire
thing into her mouth and a splintering crunch
rang out as she chewed. Anna swallowed the season’s worth of fruit with ease
and ran her tongue over her gums. Not willing to stick around any longer,
Matilda darted inside while Anna got comfortable. Heading straight for the
study, she only narrowly avoided falling over from the trembling of the very
earth around her as Anna moved about outside.
The study was a far
smaller and darker room than the barn. A curtain of vines had grown over the
only window, the thick foliage blocking almost all light. More importantly,
verdant tendrils sealed the hinges in place, denying her of any meager hope for
escape. She fumbled around in the gloom until she managed to tug on a thin
chain. The claustrophobic room was illuminated ever so slightly by the
guttering electric light. The convenient invention was still a puzzle to her,
but she smiled wistfully at the memory of Delilah swearing up and down that oil
lamps were now a thing of the past. She felt tears forming again and shut her
eyes. Maybe if she gave Anna everything, even more than they owed, Delilah
would be returned? She had to hope.
The thought seemed to
calm her, and soon Matilda was able to open her eyes and watch as the bulb
buzzed and gradually gained more energy, eventually becoming strong enough to
bathe the room in lambent light.
A wine carafe had fallen
over, making sodden ruddy rags of the ledgers and books that had been left on
the desk for later review. Shelves, jars of tallow, and finely painted vases
lay broken on the ground. The gardening tools also lay scattered on the floor,
now a disheveled heap of metal and wood. Matilda felt a small surge of relief
when she saw the small portrait of her and Delilah still firmly pinned to the
wall. It was that same day that they decided to save up and leave the province.
To escape to some place where your sweat wasn’t used to fatten someone else’s
already bulging pocket. And if they couldn’t find a place like that, they’d
make one, together. Just as friends… of course…
A deep groan followed by
a sharp, thunderous crack tore her from the memory. Matilda snatched up the
spade and hurried out to see what had happened.
Anna sat outside, body
blocking the quickest route into the field. She had a bored expression across
her face as she cleaned her nails with a tree branch. Beside her lay what
remained of the apple tree, uprooted, snapped in half, and with leaves and stripped
off bark littering the vegetable garden. Whether the giant decided to destroy
the tree for a branch to clean her nails with, or if it was simply a convenient
afterthought, Matilda was too horrified to ask.
Keeping her head down
she briskly walked to a dry patch in the corner of the veggie garden. Unlike
the rest of the garden, the ground here was hard-packed. Some weeds had tried
to sprout at the very edge, but wilting was all they got for their efforts.
The spade bit into the
ground with the sharp scrape of metal on densely-packed earth. It didn’t bite
in far, for all the effort she put behind it, as the soil was baked hard by the
afternoon sun. Eventually, she found a rhythm to it though, and soon she got
lost in the task. She was so engrossed in her work that when a welcoming shadow
shielded her from the sun she didn’t even think twice about it. At least not
until she heard a deafening giggle…
“What are you doing?” Anna asked, almost like
addressing a puppy digging into a carpet.
“The… the money we
saved. We buried it down here,” she replied quickly, flicking another shovel of
dirt over her shoulder.
She could feel the
giantess’ gaze as the massive woman studied her and she had to stop herself
from shivering. The minutes dragged by, the hole deepened, and Matilda was
worried she might be giving the impression that she was stalling, but a heavy thunk sound signaled she had found it. A
walnut chest, ornately decorated with copper now stained verdigris, emerged
from the ground as she cleared away the remaining sand.
Dropping to her knees,
she fiddled with the clasp until it popped open. Maps of her province and of
the country of Alryon filled the chest. They were once pristine and ivory
white, but long nights of planning had left the edges torn and weathered, the
large pale papers now a discoloured ochre, taupe, and umbre. She somberly
placed them to the side to reveal the treasure beneath.
A neat pile of
glimmering gold coins almost glowed at the bottom. Matilda felt a rush of
relief when, after a quick count, she realised there were thirty two pieces:
not only would she be able to pay the debt, she might also be able to convince
Anna to spare Delilah. Hurriedly she scooped up the coins, realised she
wouldn’t be able to carry it all, then grabbed a few of the sturdier-looking
maps to use as a make-shift tray.
She felt like a clumsy
servant bringing a platter of ambrosia to a goddess. Carefully, she stepped
over and around rows of vegetables, arms straining at the weight of the
twinkling metal.
“My my, you really don’t disappoint, do you, little one?” Anna grinned at her approach. She flicked the treebranch away then
lowered her hand, palm upraised. “Let’s
see if you have enough.”
“I- I counted thirty two
gold pieces,” Matilda squeaked, her voice sounding pathetic and scared to her
own ears. “That’s… that’s four more than what was owed,” she meekly reminded.
“Well aren’t you clever for a bug,” Anna
giggled warmly. “I’d still like to see
for myself though so hand it over.”
The hand hovered before
Matilda’s face, forcing her to stand on her toes and heave the heap of coins
with all her strength. A satisfying clink
rang out as it crested over and landed in the monolithic hand. Anna studied the
contents in her palm, pushing and prodding the money with her thumb as she
silently counted.
Matilda opened her mouth
to speak, hurriedly shut it as her anxiety overwhelmed her, then took a deep
breath to steady herself. Delilah needed her, this was their only chance, she had to
do this. She tried again, “uhm, since well… since we have a little extra gold I
thought… you see, my friend… could you maybe let her out? For uhm… the- the
extra money that is?”
Anna patiently finished
counting then peered down. She cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips.
“Let her out? But she feels so good back
there. Besides, you don’t even have enough here to save yourself.”
Confusion and terror
surged inside her as she took an involuntary step back, “but… but you said if I
brought you 28 pieces then we’d be safe, you’d let us-”
“I said if you had 28 pieces for the magistrate, but this only barely covers half of my service fee. So little one, I take it
this is all of it…?” A cruel and knowing smile spread
across her face as she dumped the money into her pocket, eyes never wavering
from Matilda.
Matilda bolted, running
as hard and fast as her legs would allow. She didn’t care where she was running
as long as it was away from Anna, she had to get away. Her foot snagged on the
fronds of a carrot. She rolled and caught herself, letting the momentum carry
her up and forward again. A wagon sized knee crashed to the ground on her left,
dust from the impact blasting into her tear stained eyes. She reeled away and
the second knee slammed down to her right. Away, she had to get away.
A shadow crept over her
and a chortle thundered from behind. Something yanked her ankle, tripping her
over and slamming her into the earth. She squealed as she felt herself being
dragged back, her fingers instinctively clawing at the ground. She screamed and
kicked and thrashed, snatching at radishes, at carrots, at gourds, but nothing
would slow the pull of the giantess.
The floor fell away and
Matilda found herself grabbing at air. Hair whipped in her face as she blindly
fought against the pinching fingers. To and fro, to and fro, she swung, her
struggles not slowing for a second. The rush of air around her slowed, and soon
she felt herself merely dangling in the air, the gentle wind plucking at her.
Still squirming, but
nearing exhaustion, Matilda pushed hair out of her face. She nearly choked when
she saw how high up she was. Slowly the world turned as she surveyed what used
to be her home. Wheat rolled out into the distance, flowing over hills like
waves. The main house and cistern were easily visible from here and she could
even see the neighboring farm’s windmill poking out from the horizon. The silo
drifted into view, then the half-painted barn, then the grinning face of Anna.
She whimpered as she saw
full lips parting to reveal perfect marble-white teeth. Anna’s fragrant breath
washed over her, the faint scent of fruit reminding her of the power of those
giant jaws.
“You know little one, it’s a pretty long road back to the city, even
for someone like me. Those apples weren’t nearly as filling as I’d hoped, got
any other food hanging around?”
“N-no, don’t don’t
please don’t! I don’t wan-”
“Oh there must be something…
you wouldn’t want me to go back on an empty stomach, would you?”
“This is wrong, I’m a
person! Please don’t do this, I’ll do anything, I just-”
“You’ll do anything…?” Anna smiled and bit her
lip before she continued, “This was a
fun game but I think we both know you lost it with those words. Thanks for
volunteering!”
Anna’s mouth widened as
Matilda was carried higher. Her protesting turned into unintelligible wails as
the giant tongue extended out, a slide leading to the abyss. The giantess’
humid breath billowed over her again, sticky moisture clinging to her skin and
frizzing her hair. A strand of saliva webbed from tongue to teeth, warping and
twisting.
A booming, sultry “Aaaah,” filled the air.
The grip on her ankle
vanished, her insides lurching as she plunged through the air. The world rushed
by in a dizzying blur. She landed on the tongue with a wet splat, but her momentum barely slowed. She hugged and grabbed and
flailed, anything to slow her descent, the sight of Anna’s throat flexing as
she breathed and readied herself for her meal sending Matilda into a frenzy.
She somehow twisted around, fingers clinging to Anna’s tastebuds. Spit soaked
into her clothes, warm, viscous, wet seeping through and spreading across her
skin. The revolting feeling made her heave in disgust, then she tried to
scramble forward, away from the throat.
Teeth, tongue, and lips
framed a clear and sunny autumn sky. Her vision became blurry and she had to
blink spit and tears out of her eyes. She was so tired, her arms could barely
hold on, let alone drag her forward. Her knee slipped, her face slamming into
the spongy flesh before her. She was so close, she just had to pull herself
forward.
The red cavern dimmed.
Beyond the ridge of teeth Matilda could see lips beginning to seal. She let out
a scared and weak, “please…” before
the world went black.
The tongue rolled
beneath her and she found herself pinned against the hard ceiling of Anna’s
palate. Rough tastebuds slick with drool enveloped the front of her body,
grinding into her, tasting her, savouring
her. Desperately, she tried to push the tongue away, but the fleshy leviathan
flexed and rolled her back into place. An unbearably loud “mmmmm” nearly deafened
her before the tongue undulated and she felt herself move back. Her terror
reached its peak, saliva pooled around her, time seemed to stop in that moment…
Glirck!
Pressure from all sides.
Slimy flesh smeared across her face and thick ooze pressed into every part of
her body, lubricating her for the miserable journey deeper into Anna. There was
a blinding pain as a rib cracked. She tried to scream only to have the air
squeezed from her chest. But all of that was nothing compared to the knowledge
of what’s to come. The slippery tube of Anna’s throat squeezed and contracted,
squeezed and contracted as it guided her down.
The muscle around
Matilda’s beaten body tightened one last time before unceremoniously squeezing
her into a meaty groaning cauldron. She fell through the stygian darkness
before plunging into roiling reeking waters.
She thrashed under the
boiling water, blindly trying to find a way up. The ocean around her churned,
tumbling and tossing her under its waves. Clumps of partially digested food,
masticated apples, and splinters of wood clung to her clothes, her hair, her
skin. Her hand touched a fleshy furrowed wall, a wave slammed her entire body
against it. Matilda was forced to breathe but found herself inhaling a lungful
of putrid stomach acid. She sputtered and coughed but the burning sensation
spread through her chest. Her head was pounding, she needed air, she needed to
get out.
Her head breached the
surface. Matilda hacked up the vile fluid and paddled forward, all while
gasping in the noxious air. The soaked clothes dragged on her like weights and
she had to struggle as much to keep her head above water as she did to move
forward. Swimming blindly, dangerously close to collapse, she finally reached
the edge of the hellish prison and clambered against the rugae with her arms.
Sandy particles swirled around her legs as she kicked to stay afloat and a
bubbling foam had begun to settle around her middle.
“Please! You can…” she
violently coughed up more fluid, “you can still let me out! Please!!!”
An itching sensation was
beginning to spread over her skin. Beyond exhausted, she tried to scream but
the sound simply dissolved amidst an endless orchestra of groaning, thumping,
squelching, gurgling. Her shoulders shook as she began to sob. She couldn’t
save Delilah and she couldn’t even save herself. There was nothing she could
do, even struggling was pointless. Nothing she could do but slowly melt away in
a soupy grave inside Anna’s guts.
Her armpits and groin
began to burn, and if she focused she could feel acids gnawing away at her
extremities. Beyond a steady thrumming heartbeat Matilda could hear a deep
gurgle bubbling somewhere above before the entire stomach shook with an ear
splitting Urrp!
The pulsing walls
shunted her back and she grabbed aimlessly at the darkness, then splashed back
into the broiling chyme. Everything was burning now. She wanted to swim but she
couldn’t stop her arms from trying to brush the searing pain away. She sank lower
and lower, her head pounding to the rhythm of Anna’s heart. She was so tired.
All she wanted was to run away with Delilah…