Jakob frowned when he spotted the house before Erik and Ansel.  The house was no longer there, it was a pile of thatch and boards.  Erik and Ansel both told Jakob that this was the home of a widow and her five children.  Jakob silently prayed that they all made it to the cellar in time but knew that if they were all in there, he would have to dig them out.  Jakob’s walk turned into a slow run that shook the ground.  The horses and the wagon wouldn’t be able to keep up with the running giant.  The morning sun hurt the giant’s eye but this didn’t matter to Jakob.  All he cared about were the faint cries coming from the rubble.  Jakob was the only one who could hear these sad cries of scared children trapped.  Jakob sighed a bit when he counted all the different cries and realized that there were six.

The cellar appeared to be buried.  Jakob heard the voice of a woman shouting out from under the rubble.  “Is someone there?” the female said in a voice that sounded like she had been crying along with her children.

“Aye, is everyone safe?” Jakob asked the voice.  Erik and Ansel had just stopped the horses in time to see Jakob pick up some of the boards and rubble. 

“Aye, just a little scared but safe all the same,” the woman answered.

“I will have you out in no time, just don’t be alarmed by my appearance for I am new to the village,” Jakob said as he dug through the boards, thatch and mud.  Jakob felt it was best not to reveal that he was much more than a Good Samaritan.

“I won’t kind sir but do you have a name?” the voice asked.

“Jakob,” he simply answered as he found the small wooden door.

“Jakob is a friend of mine who is staying at my house, Hilda,” Erik said in a loud tone that wasn’t quite shouting.

“Erik, is that you?” the voice asked.

“Aye,” Erik simply answered.  “Jakob is an extraordinary friend of mine.  Please do not be alarmed by his appearance, Hilda.  Jakob is not like us, he is so much more.”

“I will do my best if you put it that way,” Hilda’s voice said.

Hilda waited in her cellar with her crying children.  She held her youngest in her arms trying her best to calm the babe.  Her other little ones stayed huddled around her legs.  She heard the boards being tossed aside and scrapping on the door.  Hilda wondered what made this Jakob so much more different than any man in the village that his appearance would alarm her.  The children sobbed.  The older ones surely remembered the bad storm that took the life of their loving father.  If it wasn’t for the kindness of the wealthiest man in the village, Hilda would have never survived his death.

Then she thought of the kindly carpenter who had lost his children so long ago.  The merchant was never as kind as Erik the royal blacksmith.  Erik had saved her and her family from starvation and grief.  Erik did that for all the villagers but he had a personal way about him.  Hilda understood why the women of the village threw themselves at his feet.  He was not only handsome but kind as well.  He was always sharing the bounty of his lands that was always known for the best growing of crops.  The merchant that lived there before him had been greedy and sold his crops but not Erik.  It was also rumored that Erik is the rebellious son of a land baron and had no need for knowing a trait but learned one against his father’s wishes.  Erik had sold his father’s lands after his death and has lived off the money since but those were all rumors.

Hilda looked up at the door as she did her best to stop her children’s tears.  She went up the steps with her baby still in her arms and undid the latch, she stepped back and waited.  Hilda then watched as sunlight spilled down the cellar stair and two silhouettes stood in her view.  One of the silhouettes was Erik but the other silhouette was a big man that Hilda didn’t recognize, she smiled all the same and grateful to be free of the cellar.  Erik helped her and the children up the steps while the big man held the door open.  When Hilda got out in the light she recognized the big man even though he appeared much younger.

“Ansel, is that you?” she asked the big man and he smiled at her.  “It is you!  I heard rumors that you and Gerta have changed.”

“Aye, it is true,” Ansel responded with a smile.

“I take it that she is well.  Is she as big and young as you are?” Hilda asked.  She paid no mind to the fact that she was now homeless; all she was interested in was the giant of a man before her.

“Aye, but it ‘tis a secret,” Ansel said with a wink.  “I want you to meet my son.  He has come to stay for a while.”

“Jakob, I forgot.  I want to meet my savior and thank him dearly,” Hilda said as she looked up at the much younger Ansel.  In the light she saw that he was still very much the old friendly carpenter just in a whole new shell.  “You found your children?”

“Aye Hilda, although they are no longer children, I am still quite proud of them.  They have grown up quite a bit,” Ansel said with a glint of happiness in his eyes. 

Hilda’s oldest son tugged on her apron and Hilda looked down to see that his eyes were wide like he had seen a ghost.  “M-M-Momma, there is a giant sitting over there,” said her son.  Ansel and Erik both laughed while Hilda looked in the direction her son pointed to.  Amongst the shade of the trees there sat a mountain of a man clad in a cloak with a hood that covered his head and shaded his eyes.  Hilda could see that the form of the figure was trying to appear small but was failing miserably.

“That is my son, Jakob,” Ansel said.  Hilda smiled when she realized that not only was the giant trying to make himself appear  small, he was also shy as he fiddled around with his gloves on his hand.  The giant also appeared to be dressed unseasonable for the warm summer’s day.  Hilda decided to approach the giant and try her best to talk to him as if he were ordinary.

“Thank you for saving my life and my children’s, we would have been trapped for days.  I owe you,” Hilda said in the kindest voice she could muster.  She looked up at the hooded face and saw two blue pools nervously and suspiciously staring down at her.  She then caught a glimpse of exposed skin between his gloves and his sleeves and noticed that it was red with sunburn.  She walked closer to the giant that had been sitting Indian style.  She gently touched his exposed wrist and the giant winced.  The pale creature felt pain and Hilda felt bad for him.  “I am sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Hilda then said with compassion filling her eyes.

“I will be alright,” the giant known as Jakob shyly answered the small woman.

“Poor Jakob can’t be in the sun long,” Erik said.  “He has lived in darkness far too long.”

Hilda looked up at the face under the hood.  The giant was handsome and no doubt his father’s son except for the abnormally blue eyes.  “What made you this way?” Hilda curiously asked.  Jakob didn’t know what to say.  “I have heard of giants but I’ve never actually seen one before, much less one that was a human at one time.”

“I am still human, just a much bigger human,” Jakob simply said and Hilda smiled.  Hilda was a beautiful woman with a gypsy like quality about her.  Flowing dark hair and tan skin, it was hard to believe that she was the mother of five children under the age of eight with her youthful appearance.

“So you are,” Hilda said, amused by the shy giant that had dug her out of the rubble that was once her home.  “My name is Hilda,” she finally said as she held out her hand.

“Jakob,” was all the giant could say as he offered his index finger for her to shake.  Hilda took it in her hand and did the motions of a handshake.  She gave the giant a kind and warm smile.

“Jakob, I shall speak nothing but good of you.  The village will know of the kind gi…man that saved my family,” Hilda said as she looked up into those strange blue eyes.  His face may have been that of a young man but his eyes were that of a much older man.  Hilda felt sorrow for the creature and she wondered if his sister is the same as him.  Hilda then felt four little bodies pressed against her, trying to hide behind her voluminous skirt of her dress.  Her two year old took refuge under her apron.  The giant then gave her a sad look.

“They are afraid of me,” he whispered sadly.  Hilda then felt pity and knew she couldn’t argue the point.  “They have no need to be afraid of me.  I will not harm them.”

Hilda turned around to her oldest, a boy by the name of Hans.  Hans was only eight and inherited his father’s blue eyes and blond hair.  Hans gave her a fearful look and Hilda frowned.  “Go to him,” she mouthed and Hans shook his head.  Hilda shrugged.  She turned back to Jakob, looking into those sad blue pools.  “I am sorry Jakob, you are new to them.  Give them time and they’ll see,” Hilda said, feeling pity and sorrow for the giant.  Hilda feared that Jakob will get a lot worse of a reception from the others although she hoped for nothing but kindness for him.

Hilda cried when she finally got a look at what was left of her house.  Erik and Ansel had loaded the children onto the wagon but Hilda stood there and cried.  Jakob finally stood up, the children gasped at the sight of the standing giant.  Hilda didn’t pay any mind, she was weeping at the loss of the house her and her husband so lovingly built.  Jakob knelt down next to the small woman and gently wrapped his hand around her back.  Hilda looked up into those sad and understanding eyes.  It wasn’t Hilda’s turn to feel pity but the giant’s.

“It will be alright, Hilda,” Jakob said in a soft voice.  “I will build you a new house.  One that is much stronger and bigger so that you and your children can live comfortably.  I shall build it with my own hands.”

Hilda noticed that Jakob had removed his glove before he gave her his version of an embrace.  Hilda could see now why the giant burned from the sun so easily; his skin was the palest she had ever seen.  She hugged his thumb back and Jakob smiled.  “I know what it is like not to have a home,” Jakob finally whispered, remembering those night where him and Marta only had the canopy of the trees to protect them.  Jakob wasn’t going to let any more children go without a place to call home.

“Let me take you to my house, Hilda.  You can stay as long as you need to.  I know you have no other family,” Erik said with a compassionate look in his eyes.  “I have plenty of food and shelter.”

“I and my sister will be your neighbor,” Jakob added with a smile.  “You will be much safer at Erik’s place.”

“I will go,” Hilda said and Ansel helped her onto the wagon…