Maria informed the villagers of her and Erik leaving.  Maria had promised they would return someday.  The villagers were stunned that Maria and her brother were willing to give up their stately home and livelihood to live in the darkness of the forest.

“What if you grow?” the baker asked.

“I plan on it,” Maria responded.

“But what about the little one?” the seamstress asked.

“She will grow right along with us,” Maria answered.

Several questions were asked of her and Maria’s answer was basically the same.  “I want to be a giantess if it means I’ll be happy.”  No one understood this more than Hilda and it wasn’t because Erik had given her his whole human life.  It was because she had found love at one time.  Hilda gave up being part of a wealthy family to marry a poor farmer.

Maria couldn’t wait to start her new life with Jakob the giant.  Jakob made her smile just by the mere sight of him.  She enjoyed their nights in the meadow where she would lay on his chest and look up at the stars.  He smelled of the forest and his blue eyes shone.  Maria was amazed to learn that Jakob’s eyes weren’t always blue like the sky but she couldn’t envision them being brown.  She even looked at her reflection in the mirror and imagined her dark blue eyes turning lighter as she grew.  She also enjoyed hearing the loud sound of Jakob’s heartbeat.  She then wondered if it would be as loud once she grew into her giantess form.

Maria only packed the essentials, a couple of garments and the rest food and water.   She left her stately gowns for Hilda to do with what she will.  Maria had no need for her possessions that she will be far too big to use once the forest accepted her.

The knock outside her bedroom door only meant that it could be one person, her sweet giant.  Maria smiled when that kind handsome face filled her vision.  Jakob was much taller than his sister leaving him to be as tall if not taller than the stately house.  Jakob was well protected by the sun with the hood of his cape.  It saddened Maria that she couldn’t see her giant in the sunlight long but soon she will join him.

“We are ready to move on.  Erik gave Hilda the keys to the house.  Marta took care of feeding Elisa.  All we need is you, my dear one,” Jakob said rather shyly.  Despite spending time with Maria, Jakob still let his shy demeanor show through.  He blushed every time he called Maria an endearment.  This only caused Maria to fall for the giant more.

Maria was getting ready to grab her cask and knapsack when Jakob’s large hand stopped her.  “I will take care of that.  I cannot have my woman carrying her burden,” Jakob said with a shy smile.  Maria smiled in return as she stepped closer to the railing.  Jakob’s face was close enough to her that she climbed the railing and kissed the tip of his nose.  This only caused Jakob’s pink cheeks to turn red.

“I can’t wait to be held by you the way I was meant to be, my beautiful giant,” Maria whispered.  Jakob returned her kiss with one to the forehead. 

“Soon my dear one,” Jakob whispered back as he took Maria’s bag and cask.  He packed it into his own large knapsack and then held Maria in his arms like a mother would a babe…

Marta watched as Elisa was eating her porridge.  Marta gently wiped the mess from the tot’s cheek.

“I thirsty,” Elisa tells Marta.  It was then that Marta decided against giving Elisa the water from the well.  Marta instead filled the tiny glass with water from her personal cask, water that had been put there by magic.

“I have some special water for you.  It’s a secret,” Marta tells the little girl.

“Will it make me big?” Elisa asked.

“Yes,” Marta said as she smiled down at the little girl.

“As big as Aunt Maria?”

“Yes, but it’ll be our secret,” Maria answered.  She wanted to give Erik a gift.  Secretly feeding Elisa the magic waters is her gift to him.  By the time they journeyed back to their home, Erik will be his proper size, so it seemed only right that Elisa will be right there with him….

“Are we ready to go home?” Jakob said to the three humans and his sister.  Marta held Elisa in the pocket of her tunic while she held Erik in her arms much like Jakob did Maria.  The arrangement is much different than when Ansel traveled with them.  Jakob and Marta both wanted to see the wonder in their lovers’ eyes.  Ansel and Gerta stood alongside Hila and the children as they watched the giants and their friends go on their way.  Gerta cried while Ansel held her close.   Gerta looked over at Hilda and realized that she and Ansel are now the resident giants.

“We can go anytime you wish my wife.  All you have to do is say the word.  First we must let our children build a new life for Erik and Maria.  They will return and when they do, we shall go with them and become as they are,” Ansel reassures his wife. 

Being bigger than all the men in the village hasn’t been an easy change for Gerta.  The villagers would stare at both her and Ansel.  The women of the village were half her size just as she originally was before Ansel feed her the magic water.  She was also much stronger than all the men and even the oxen and mules.  Gerta felt out of place.  Not quite a human but yet not quite a giant either.

Gerta did enjoy her newfound youthfulness that came with her size though.  The villagers did admire her beauty as did her Ansel.  That part of being big never bothered the small giantess.  The fear some of the villagers had of her and Ansel did.

“They promised to return once Erik, Maria and little Elisa finished growing,” Ansel whispered into his wife's ear.  “Then we will move with them, for now we must stay and help the village.”  Gerta nodded.  She had promised along with Ansel that they would stay and help the village until the giants return since both Ansel and Gerta were the biggest and strongest people in the village.  Their day of true gianthood will come, just not at the moment…

Jakob and Erik hunted the woods for food while the women set up camp for the night.  Jakob had brought with him two full grown bucks while Erik brought back two large hares.  Jakob prepared the beast for cooking while Erik took care of Elisa.

“I hungry papa,” Elisa tells Erik.  Erik smiled at his little girl.  Erik knew that he had grown throughout the day.  Ansel’s borrowed garment needed rolled down a bit when he returned with the food.

“I am too, my dear one,” Erik said as he held Elisa in his arms.  Erik knew a whole hare would suffice for him while Maria and Elisa would share the second one.  Little did Erik realize, Elisa had eaten more of the beast than Maria had.  Marta secretly gave Elisa the water that only made the tot’s appetite even more ravenous as the journey went on…

“You are getting too heavy for your Aunt Maria,” Maria told Elisa as she picked her up.  “Usually one loses weight on a journey but I swear you are growing like a weed, Elisa.”

Marta knew she should say something about feeding Elisa the water from her cask but she wanted this to be a surprise for Erik.

“Nonsense sister, Elisa feels no heavier to me,” Erik said as he looked down at his sister.  Erik noticed with each passing day that he was looking farther and farther down at his sister.  Ansel’s oversized garment now fitted Erik’s strong frame perfectly.  “Besides, this journey I have found myself growing more and more like a weed,” Erik then said with a smile.

“So you are,” Maria said, returning her brother’s smile.  Maria didn’t care that she felt small.  She rather enjoyed the company of the giants.  Jakob and her would steal away from camp to enjoy the last moments of her human life.  Maria knew in her heart that once she drank and bathed in the waters of the forest she would no longer be considered human.  Now her brother is teetering on the borderline of humanity and is currently growing into his new gigantic form.  In a few more days, her brother will be wearing the garments of her lover.  This didn’t frighten Maria as much as having to make garments for a tot bigger than her current size.  By then, Maria hoped to have her newly gigantic frame as well…

Under the full moon Maria curled up into a ball on the chest of her giant as they lay in a field.  Jakob lazily stroked the small form of his lover.  Maria listened to the soothing sound of Jakob’s heart.  She could even feel it pulse under her.  Jakob’s fingers pulled Maria’s honey colored hair from her eyes and he looks down at her blissful expression.  This made Jakob smile.

“What are you thinking about my dear one?” Jakob asks her.  Maria felt his every word as he spoke, the soothing rhythms of her giant.

“I was wondering if your heart will sound the same once I am of proper size,” Maria said as she looked up into that blue gaze.  Jakob let out a small but gentle laugh.

“I wondered if your hair will be just as soft but in my heart I know the answer,” Jakob said as he stroked Maria’s hair.  Maria giggled as she rolled over onto her stomach.

“And what might that answer be, my giant?” Maria asked playfully.  Jakob smiled.

“Always my little one.  Your hair will always feel like spun silk to my fingers,” Jakob bashfully answered.

“As I am sure your heart will always beat loudly for me,” Maria said playfully to the giant underneath her.  Jakob was big but Maria never felt small around him.  In fact for the first time, she truly felt loved.