Gerta found the advantages of her new body.  She decided to clean up the house while Ansel worked on the doorframes.  Gerta neatly put her old dresses and pair of shoes away in the small wardrobe.  The wardrobe was once a big grand piece in her bed chamber but now it was rather small to her.  She thought she would test her strength.  The wardrobe needed four strong men to move, Gerta lifted it off the floor as if it didn’t weigh an ounce.  Despite Gerta’s slender and willowy frame, she amazed herself with her new strength.

Gerta heard a knock on the door and went to answer it.  She ducked her head slightly to see that it was Erik who come calling on her much larger daughter.  Erik is the most handsome man in the village and also one of the tallest and broadest.  Erik looks up at her with a smile on his face.  Erik’s height only came to her shoulders now whereas before Gerta barely came to his shoulders.

“I have come to see the fair lady,” Erik tells Gerta.  “I didn’t want you or Ansel to be alerted by intruders.”

“This is kind of you, Erik.  We would have just thought that you were a fox after our chickens,” Gerta joked and Erik laughed.

“I am glad that you are well,” Erik then said.  “The waters of the forest has certainly changed you for the better, Gerta,” Erik said, still amazed that he had to look up at a woman who was once smaller than him.  Gerta gave him a shy smile that reminded him so much of the giantess that has captured his heart.

“I feel like a big old ox,” Gerta said with a slight frown.  “Did you see the stares Ansel and I got in the village?”

“Aye, they are just jealous is all,” Erik said.

“Jealous?  I wouldn’t be jealous of me.  I can barely fit through a door.  I’ve almost knock myself out a few times and I have to have shoes made for my feet,” Gerta said as she looked down at her bare feet.  She then looked over at Erik’s booted feet.  Even with his boots on Gerta still towered over him.  Erik could see the sadness fill Gerta’s face.

“You wished Ansel had never given you that cure?  Do you?”  Erik asked the sad woman.

“Yes and no.  Yes because I want to be well and see my wonderful children again and no because I feel like I don’t belong here anymore,” Gerta said as she fought back a tear.  Erik reached out and took her hand, a hand that was now much larger than his own.

“You belong to Ansel,” Erik said quietly and Gerta smiled.

“Thank you Erik, for reminding me,” Gerta said as she wrapped her hand around Erik’s.

“That is what friends are for,” Erik said as he chastely kissed Gerta’s hand.

“She is in the barn, where she always is this time of day.  Jakob and her should be awake by now,” Gerta said as she smiled down at the small man.

Erik walked to the barn and knocked before he entered.  He didn’t like what he was seeing.  Jakob and Marta looked paler than normal and their slender frames appeared even thinner.  The two giants looked as though they haven’t eaten anything.  They even appeared weak.

“I don’t think I can help papa with the fields tonight, Marta.  I don’t feel like I have the strength,” Erik heard Jakob tell his sister.  They seem to not notice the small man that had entered their makeshift home.

“Oh Jakob, we must try.  There is a little food left.  You can have my share.  I’ll go forage the trees for fruit,” Marta told her brother as she gave him the last of her dried fish.

“Nay Marta, that is yours,” Jakob tells his sister.  “I will just not work as hard tonight.”

Erik quietly exited the barn but not before seeing the unshed tears in Marta’s eyes.  It broke his heart to see his giantess this way.  Jakob and Marta had done so much for the carpenter and his wife, hadn’t they not noticed that their two grown children had been eating scarcely just so Ansel and Gerta can live comfortably?  Surely Jakob and Marta wished not to trouble their parents for a bite to eat after Ansel and Gerta sacrifice many meals so that their children can eat?

Erik wondered how much two giants can eat.  Then he came up with an idea to help.  He went back to his home where Maria had been picking apples from the orchard.  Erik had wealth that being a royal blacksmith once allowed him.  He had the most land in the village and his crops were good.  So good that every harvest he ending giving some to those without, right now he could name two souls that were dangerously close to being without.  His crops had been better than usual.

Elisa played under the tree Marie had been picking apples from.  The hands all went to their home, to their families and Marie just kept on working.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do with this entire crop we have.  I’ve given to all the ones we usually give to but there is still quite a bit left.  Maybe the neighboring village could use some,” Maria said as she descended the ladder.

“Nay, I know of two souls who have secretly moved to the village.  They are without food,” Erik said as he picked up his daughter.

“We have enough left to feed twenty large families, Erik,” Maria said and Erik smiled as Elisa had her arms around his neck.

“These two souls are very special, my sister.  They could eat enough for a family in one sitting.  This should give them five day’s supply,” Erik said and Maria gave him a funny look.

“No one can eat that much, Erik,” Maria said with a frown.

  “Nay my sister, I know.  I must tell you this but it must remain a secret.  No gossip around the village shall be told of this,” Erik said as he hugged Elisa.  “You must promise not to tell a soul Maria.”

“I promise Erik, what is this secret,” Maria said with her arms crossed.

“Ansel has found his children.  Truth be told, his and Gerta’s new appearance has contributed to this.”

“That’s wonderful but what is it that has grown them to such great height?”

“Ansel found them living in The Black Forest,” Erik said and Maria’s eyes widened.

“Erik, that place is…”

“Enchanted,” Erik finished her sentence.

“No one dares go in there.  It is told that monstrous creatures live there.”

“Jakob and Marta had been living there for the past ten years.  Ansel grew from the water and that same water healed Gerta of her ailment,” Erik said and Maria gasped.

“If Ansel and Gerta grew from such a small amount…” Maria said in shock.

“I had the privilege of crossing paths with a creature that I stood under her knees.  She was very shy and very beautiful.  I was afraid of her at first but I soon realize that she was more afraid of me.  We spoke to each other.  That was when I found out that she was Ansel’s daughter, Marta.  I even had the privilege of meeting Jakob as well.  He is taller than his sister of course.  Anyway my dear sister, the two have scarce food and I could tell you that they have no intentions of troubling Ansel and Gerta for any.  I say we give our excess to the giants.  Kindness always gets paid thrice,” Erik said and Maria gave him a strange look.  She thought it over and agreed with her brother partly because she didn’t want to go the trouble of loading their wagon and making the trip to the neighboring village.  This made Erik very happy.