Marta couldn’t keep her mind off the little man her father had been speaking to.  Jakob had never seen that look on his sister’s face before.  It was a look of longing.  Marta had not seen a man that was not her family in ten years, this was a new feeling for the giantess and it scared her.

“Marta, are you alright?” Jakob asked his sister who seemed to be lost in herself.

“Who was that man papa was speaking to?”

“I think I heard papa call him Erik,” Jakob said, unsure of his sister’s new feeling himself.

“Erik…” Marta said with stars in her eyes.  “Such a strong name.”

“Marta, you cannot be falling for this man.” Jakob said as he remembers his boyhood crushes.  “We are not like them, we are different.”

Marta looked around the barn for a moment.  She and Jakob had grown into a world much larger than this.  She couldn’t even stand straight in a barn that is considered large.  The only person that made her feel normal was Jakob who stood almost a whole head taller than her.  She picked up a pitchfork that her father used to bail the hay.  It looked like a child’s plaything as did all her father’s other tools.  Tears began to fall once again as Marta realized her true size.

“We should have never run away, Jakob,” Marta sobbed.  “I should be a wife and a mother, not a monster.”

Marta sat down in the straw nest Jakob and her made and wept.  Jakob sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder.  Marta leaned into her brother and cried.  Jakob felt helpless for his sister that he had always been close to.  Marta is his best friend and now he was at loss for how to help her.  Jakob just let his sister cry as he held her close just like he did the day they ran away from home…

Ansel went back into the house to check on his wife.  Gerta had been awake and sewing.  This meant that his wife could see again.  Ansel watched her from the doorway, hiding his hulking form.

“Ansel, is that you my love?  My eyesight has returned, although not as well as it once was, I can see again,” Gerta said with a smile as she sat up in the bed and worked on mending one of Ansel’s shirts.  “My legs still don’t wish to support me but I feel so much better than I did this morning.”

Gerta looked at the doorway for a moment.  She could make out the shadow near the door.  She narrowed her eyes to try and focus on the shadow, “Ansel?” she then said.

“Aye, it is I my love,” Ansel quietly said.

“Come where I can see you,” Gerta said.  Ansel saw that the sun covered the bed where Gerta lay.  Her hair appeared more golden than it did this morning.  Even her green eyes seem to sparkle.

“I am not the same man,” Ansel said in a sad tone.

“It doesn’t matter, Ansel.  You are still my husband.  I will still love you even if you are hideous in appearance.  I just want to see the man I love,” Gerta said with a warm smile.

“I have warned you, Gerta,” Ansel said as he slowly ducks under the doorway.  Gerta’s eyes widened at the sight of the tall figure before her. 

“Ansel, you are young and…bigger,” Gerta said as she stared up at the man that claims to be her husband.

“It is still me, Gerta,” Ansel said as sadness touched his brown eyes.

“Oh Ansel, you look so…different.  You are much more handsome,” Gerta said with a smile.  Ansel knelt down at his wife’s bedside.  He took her small delicate hand into his much larger one.  Gerta reached up and touched his face.  The lines that were there before his journey were not there anymore.  Gerta ran her thumb over his cheek.  Then she looked down at the large hand that held hers.  Ansel was now the biggest man she had ever laid eyes on.  Ansel took her hand to his lips and gave Gerta a gentle kiss.

“I love you and miss you so much,” Ansel whispered.

“Big or small, I will always love you my husband,” Gerta said with a warm smile.  “It looks like I’m going to have to make you some new garments.  I don’t think I can save these anymore,” Gerta then said as she looked at the hems and seams.   Ansel laughed and kissed his wife’s cheek.  “I hope I have enough fabric?”

“I will make sure you do my dear one.  You should have seen Erik’s face when he saw me.”

“Erik was here?”

“Yes, he was on his way to the merchant’s house.  I have to look down at him now,” Ansel said with a smirk.

“He is such a good man Ansel.  It is sad that he lost his wife during the birth of his daughter,” Gerta said with a frown.

“It is my love,” Ansel said and kissed her hand again.  “I shall give you your cure so that you might be strong enough to see our children tomorrow,” Ansel then said, trying to change the subject.  Gerta smiled at the prospect of seeing her little ones again.

Ansel poured the water into the goblet and Gerta drank of its contents.  Gerta yawned and looked up at her husband.  “Stay with me,” Gerta said and Ansel abided by crawling into bed next to his wife.  He held his small wife in his long arms and curled his long body so he could fit into the bed that was now small for him.  Gerta felt safe in her husband’s arms as she fell into slumber…

Marta wanted to bathe while Jakob took care of his father’s animals.  By her own memory she found the lake where she and Jakob used to swim so long ago.  The full moon reflected off the still water as Marta slipped off her long dress and hung it on the high branches of the nearest tree.  She took her hair out of the braid and her long golden hair fell past her firm buttocks.  Her hair appeared silvery and her pale skin looked stone like in the moonlight as she slowly stepped into the waters.

The lake seemed much smaller than Marta remembered as she found the deepest waters that barely went to her shoulders.  Marta wanted to wash herself of the day’s soil and her mind of Erik the blacksmith.  No matter how much Marta tried, her mind kept wandering to that intense blue gaze and strong chin.  She let out a sigh as she soaped and splashed herself clean.

Marta was unaware she was being watched from the other side of the lake.  Erik the blacksmith took a walk every night around the lake.  It was one of the rare times he had to himself.  It got him away from the heat of his shop and helped him think about the important things in his life, his daughter, Elisa whom was his life and his sister, Maria who helped him during the most difficult time of his life.  Of all the women who would throw themselves at him, there were only two that meant the most to him.

Erik hid quickly behind a large willow tree when he saw the giantess on the other side of the lake undressing.  The tall slender body seemed unreal; Erik had never seen a creature quite like it.  She stood as tall as the tree she hung her white dress from.  Erik watched as she washed herself with a large bar of soap.  Her paleness shone in the full moonlight.  Erik was unsure of the large fair creature as she did something so human and normal.  Erik felt fear and shame all at once.  Fear of how the giantess will react if she finds him and shame for watching a lady bathe.  Erik always tried his best to be a gentleman and watching a lady bathe wasn’t something a gentleman would do.

Marta lazily floated in the cool water as she paddled around.   Marta looked up at the stars as her mind began to wander back to the blacksmith.  She then decided to come out of the water where she dried herself off with a blanket and combed her hair as she sat on the bank in her undergarments.  Marta put her hair back in a braid that went past her slender waist.  She stared at the stars again and sighed.  Then Marta’s strong ears picked up on small footsteps coming from behind the trees.  Marta stood up and quickly slid her gown back on and gathered her belongings.

Marta knew she was quicker than the people around her except maybe Jakob but Marta didn’t want to fight the small people.   Just as she was getting ready to hide in the safety of the trees, the young blacksmith stepped in her path looking up at the giantess and shaking in fear…