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Post by biali on Apr 2, 2010 19:36:22 GMT -5
Okay, I decided to put my first story up here.
Please consider that English is not my mother tongue, so there can be some mistakes in grammar and style. If anything is unclear, just point it out and I'll fix it. I used a translator tool to convert it from German into English and corrected the fiercest mistakes.
Okay, now have fun with this ^^
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Chapter 1 - A train to nowhere?
"Why am I not a few inches taller?" Sophie asked herself as she looked in the mirror. But this thought remained in her head only a few seconds. She paid more attention to her to her scarf, which she still had to set up a little. For her, it was extremely important that the Scout uniform made a decent impression, at least on the first day of the trip. After all, she wore the gap with pride: when wearing this garment she felt like a part of something bigger, and at the same time like someone special. Therefore, it was so important that everything looked good. "Sophie! Hurry up! The train doesn't wait for you." Her mother called from the kitchen. Hurriedly the redhead took a glance at her alarm clock and saw that she was actually very late. So she hoisted her backpack on her back, grabbed her train ticket and quickly ran into the kitchen to say goodbye to her mother. The woman in her forties was happily humming in front of the stove, stirring a fragrant potato soup. "Oh, how mean! Why do you cook something that delicious when I have to leave?" "When you come back, I'll make you chicken fricassee. Promise. But now be off, or you'll be late." "Yes, yes, I'm already gone. I'll remember the chicken fricassee! See you in two weeks, mama." Sophie gave her mother a little kiss on the cheek and left the apartment shortly thereafter.
The way to the station was not long, but with this monster of a backpack on her back she was not as fast as she could have been. In addition, it was very hot this summer and the heat drove Sophie the beads of sweat on the forehead. The people in the pedestrian zone looked a bit puzzled, as the short red-haired girl, rushed past them. She had not thought that the city would be so crowded. Again and again she had to dodge people and maneuver around larger small groups. That was very obstructive to their schedule because she was already very late. As she ran up to the big old station building, the great clock at the front entrance showed that she had exactly two minutes left to reach the train in time.
It was only due to her good condition that she could still lodge a short sprint, so she could jump into the rain just a second before the doors closed behind her. Panting and sweating, Sophie slumped to the ground and her hands gratefully welcomed the cold tile floor. Wait! Tiles? In a train?
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Post by biali on Apr 2, 2010 21:47:04 GMT -5
Okay, since the las chapter was so short, I'll post the next one right away ^^ hope you like it ^^
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2 - Tunnel vision, Openness, Evade
Sophie blinked confused. Hadn't she got on the train just now? The surroundings in which she was now, did not look like the interior of a train at all, not even in the furthest! Visibly upset and still breathing heavily, she stood up and looked around. She was in a long corridor whose floor was covered with colourful, irregular tiles. The walls were made of a mosaic that represented a blue sky with white clouds, but it was partially destroyed. The corridor seemed to go on infinitely , and although there were no lamps here,everything seemed to be bathed in a bright, cheerful light. Confused by this picture she turned around, hoping to see the doors of the train. But there was only a wall, which, like everything else here, was covered with mosaic. This must be a joke! I just came in here through a door! Disbelieving, she touched the wall, but she felt nothing but the small stones under her hands. That's impossible! Where's that damn door? And what this place?
She turned around and looked down the corridor. How could a train transform into a tunnel? And where did this light come from? Unconsciously she held her hand to her forehead, which was still sweaty. The cold air that reigned in this strange place, the pressure that her heavy backpack exerted on her shoulders, the hair of her ponytail which tickled on her neck, all this made the situation seem so real. And yet, the only way to encounter this situation reasonable, was to dismiss all this as a bizarre dream. At least that would mean that she had not suddenly gone crazy.
Sophie looked back down the corridor, lit several hundred meters long was kind of light. Now there were only two possibilities: Either she would stay on the spot and wait until she woke up, or she would examine where this strange way would lead her. Since idly standing around was not her nature, she decided to explore this strange place. Whether she woke up while walking, or in that right spot, would hardly make a difference.
After about ten minutes had passed, she was somewhat pleasantly refreshed by the cool air, but this seemingly endless tunnel was tiring after a while. However, she saw a small change on the walls. The mosaic changed its appearance of a happy summer sky to the picture of a emerging thunder storm. And something doomed on the Girl Scout: the tough and heavy hiking boots she wore, caused no noise. The only thing she could hear was her own breath. She interpreted this as a further indication that all of this here could only be a dream.
The mural was now getting darker and was giving Sophie a bad feeling. Even the colourful tiles under her feet, lost more and more of their colours. It took another ten minutes until tshe could see the end of the corridor in the distance. The girl could not really see what was there, except a different kind of light, and that the tile floor ended. With slightly accelerated steps, she impatiently walked on. After a hundred meters she just stood there with an open mouth,and marvelled at what lay before her. There was a hall, bigger than anything tshe had seen before. The other end was certainly several hundred meters away, if not one kilometre. The floor was made of dark brown trodden sand ground and the walls were carved out of rough grey rock. The ceiling was so high that it was not reached by the mysterious source less light, but it was supported by four gigantic pillars that were wider than Sophie's own house and garden together.
After she had stood there for a while, completely overwhelmed, she took a few steps into the hall and almost sprained her neck to look up on the walls and pillars. But when she briefly turned her gaze to the floor, she saw something odd: There were footprints on the sandy soil and they exactly lead in the direction from which she had just come. Sophie turned around to follow the footprints with her eyes, only to find that the mosaic-tunnel had disappeared without a trace, just as the train door before. The girl looked back at the footprints. They had to come from somewhere, and yes, perhaps they would even lead Sophie out of here. So the pathfinder decided to retrace the track and walked on. Here, too, her steps made no noises and her breath sounds seemed to be swallowed by the vastness of space. As she approached one of the gigantic pillars, she could take a closer look at them. In contrast to the unadorned walls, the huge pillars were richly decorated. A fancy filigree relief represented ivy leaves, which-apart from its stone-grey colour, looked remarkably real. The tracks led quite purposefully to the other end of the hall. What she found there, Sophie had not really expected. There was a large double door, which looked exactly like the ones that existed in her school building. And although there were large glass window in the doors, she could not see what was behind it. She turned around again to get a last glimpse at the hall. Sophie had never thought that their her imagination was able to make something as monumental as this. After a deep sigh, which sounded strangely distorted, she now pressed against the heavy door and entered a very tiny room. But just after the sight, probably all the rest would seem tiny to her.
The room in which she stood now was not very much space, as it was crammed all over with antique chests of drawers made of dark wood, which were elaborately decorated with carvings. And crammed was really the right word, since the furniture was stacked orderless up to the ceiling and blocked every centimetre of the wall. Sophie squeezed through between the closely related pieces of furniture and looked at it curiously. Finally, she decided to open one of the hundreds of drawers, but they did not move an inch. This was the case with all oft the other drawers in the room. Soon the girl realized that a strange character burned on each of the drawers: It was an octagon, which enclosed a circle. Sophie could not understand how anyone could ruin such beautiful furniture in this way. As it was pointless to try to open it, she squeezed her way through between them, until she came to another door. This one seemed to be made from the same wood as the cabinets and was designed in the same beautiful way. When she touched the golden handle, an incredibly pleasant feeling came to her. She felt that at that moment, there was nothing more important and more correct than to go through that door that she would be welcome there. So she was very disappointed when she was not able to open it. Suddenly she felt an utter despair in , which drove almost made her cry. She could not explain it, after all, she had no idea what was behind it. Only when she let go of the handle, she relaxed again and took a step back. Now she could also see that a few centimetres above the lock was the same brand as on the cabinets.
Since this exit seemed to be closed, she had to search another way out. And, indeed, a second door was found in another corner of the room, but it seemed terribly out of place. It was barely cobbled together from driftwood and smelled rotten and mouldy. Instead of a knob, there was only a short piece of rope that served as a handle. Everything inside Sophie struggled against going through that door, but what should she do? This was the only exit, as it seemed, and she did not want to stay here forever. So she took all her courage, grabbed the rope and pulled the door open.
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Post by giantblackcat on Apr 3, 2010 13:35:41 GMT -5
woohooo ·w·!!
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Post by Amayasama on Apr 3, 2010 18:39:52 GMT -5
o.o Wow! Great start! ^^ I'm impressed actually with your english, it's rather good I'm curious to see what happens next~
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Post by next chap on Apr 3, 2010 19:22:04 GMT -5
Yoyo: I changed some of this, so there will be some new things for you, too ^^ Amaya: thanks ^^ this gives me a boost in self esteem ^__^ ----------------------------------
I got the next part ready. Most of the following chapters will be as long as this one. ^^
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Chapter 3. Thinking in bigger frames
The light that shone through the door, dazzled her so much that she had to close her eyes immediately. A fresh wind that came to meet her, let Sophie hope that she had finally found a way out of this – whatever this place was. However, she was not sure what to make of it. All this had to be a dream. Surely, she still lay in her bed and was looking forward to the trip to Sweden. How else should the disappearance of the train door, this strange tunnel, the huge hall and the strange room with the cabinets be explained? It was all so incredible and confusing that it only could be a bizarre fantasy.
She took a further step out of the door and felt that the ground was soft under her feet, almost as if she would stand on a forest path. Sophie took a few seconds, until her eyes adjusted to the light. She stood on a small, sandy surface on which there were some larger stones, and even two large boulders. About three meters in front of her, grasses grew which went up to her chest. Ah, what ... Where am I now? There is no such grass but only in tropical countries, is it? But that will not do ... you can not get on a train in Germany and then suddenly end up in the tropics ... And it is much too cold here. In fact, a pretty cool and a fresh wind blew through the grass before her. Even though she already assumed the worst, she turned around to see the door. And as expected, it was no longer there, but a big brown mound took its place. Now this really proved that this could not be real. However, Sophie was very surprised about their own imagination. Sighing, she put her hands on her hips, wondering what to do next. The grass was pretty thick and it would certainly be stressful to walk through, since the blades stood so close together. But before she could decide anything, she heard something moving behind her and a nasty, humid air passed over the girl. She quickly turned and froze.
Before her crouched a man. He himself would not have been a pretty sight, with his unkempt beard, watery eyes and crooked nose. But what made him much more scary, was his sheer size. Despite his crouching position, he towered above her still at four meters. Sophie let out a sharp cry and tried to run away, but before she could do only one step, the giant had grabbed her with its huge, sweaty, hand, and held the girl in his fist. Sophie squirmed with all her might, but the man's grip was so strong that she could wriggle free. The giant grinned at her with an almost complete lack of teeth. His breath which was blowing over her was more than disgusting and she nearly had to gag. She looked frightened and wanted to ask what he was doing with her, but she did not utter a single sound. Presumably it was the fear that had made her voice stuck in her throat.
The giant stood up and did not care particularly about keeping his hand quiet, which did nothing good to the girl's stomach. When he finally stood, she ventured to look down. And although the hand was only on his chest height, it was as if she would stand on a nine-story building. The hand moved again, and Sophie saw that she was moved to a large, dark box. Only a second later, the hand was open and let her fall unceremoniously on the hard floor of the box, which was immediately closed. First the girl tried to get up, but that was useless, since the container in which she now was, immediately began to rock and threw her violently to and fro. It appeared that the giant had set in motion. Oh damn! I was caught by a damn giant! This must be a nightmare! This can not be true! I'll wake up very quickly now! Now! But Sophie did not wake up. The rocking of the box was getting worse and more often she roughly hit against the walls of her prison.
It certainly took several minutes until the world around her came to a halt. With a loud clonk the box was placed on a flat surface, which made Sophie fall on the floor again. She breathed heavily and tried to think straight. She had to do Something to wake up from this dream. But before she could form a rational thought in her head, the chest was opened and a huge face appeared above the opening. It was not that of their catcher, but it did not seem much more sympathetic. It was a gaunt man with narrow eyes and a sly ,ridiculously thin moustache, who grinned with amusement as he saw Sophie. She winced when she heard his loud, piercing voice, "Very good, Wilfried, this is a really excellent specimen. This colour is extremely rare, and therefore popular. So you have earned your commission."
Sophie looked at him blankly. What did he mean with 'popular' and 'color' '? She wanted to say something, protest against the rude treatment, but again no sound came from her throat. When she saw that again a giant hand reached for her, she let out a little cry. She tried to press against the wall, but her dodge was prevented by her large backpack . And the small space in the box did not offer much space to evade the hand. The hand of the gaunt giant closed around her t, but thank God this time the grip was not so fierce, so she could breathe a little better. He lifted her to his face and looked at her more closely. "You are really a cute little Twimp, which will bring me some." He muttered, earning him a disgusted look of panic from Sophie. She avoided his piercing gaze as best as she could, and took in the environment around her. She seemed to be in a giant room, which was covered in white tiles and and on the walls were cabinets and tables made of polished cold metal. It was like an operating room.
"Let's see. What fits best to red-brown? Ahh ... yes, a beautiful forest green would be perfect," said the giant in amusement and looked down. The girl turned away from the scene, followed his gaze, and saw that he rummaged through a box in which there were many short, colourful rubbery bands. She was totally confused, what happened here? A shiver ran down her spine as she felt the giant, fixating her head between his thumb and index finger. She stated to panic. When he pressed now, he would crush her head like grape. Her whole body trembled. "Na, na, na don't move, kid. Now you have to hold still." He said with a concentrated expression. With his free hand he took one of these bands around her neck and when the two ends touched, they merged, so that now there was a thick, forest green ring around her neck. He had actually allocated a necklace! It was not particularly tight, but it was unpleasant enough in order to increase her fear. When he finally let go of her head, she shook it angrily.
He quickly shoved her in his other hand and walked toward a door that was bigger than any door that Sophie had seen so far in her life. He opened it with a loud creaking that went through and through. The room they now entered, took away Sophie's breath. Everywhere were huge tables with glass aquaria, which were not, filled with water ... but with people. Without even saying a further word, he put her in one of the glass cases in which there were about ten other people her size. They all retreated fearfully back from the hands of the giant,, which released Sophie. Shortly after, he left the room through another door.
The girl looked around confused, and their 'cell mates' slowly walked towards her. There were men and women of any age, even a small boy of perhaps seven years, was among them. An elderly man came up to her and gave her a hand. Sophie accepted it and pulled herself up on it. "Um ... Thank you. ... Does anyone know what this is supposed to mean?" She asked, and was glad that her voice was finally back. The man, who had helped her up, spoke first: "We don't know anything for sure. None of us is here for more than three days ... We were all trapped outside and got this weird collars. This giant comes in from time to time and takes one or more people from the glass cases ... " A plump young woman said: "I think he sells us." Sophie looked at her disbelieving. "Sell? Who? What?" "I do not know ... maybe ... as slaves or pets ... for another giant?" ,replied the woman. "Or perhaps as food?", Another woman threw in, trembling. Sophie shook her head: "What! No, I will not serve as a pet animal for a sick giant and do not intend to end up as a snack! We must somehow get out of here," she said frantically, looking up the glass wall. "How do you think to do this? Even if we come out of the box, how are we to get out from this room? Have you any idea of how to move a twelve-ton door?" The man said a little annoyed. A little intimidated by this harsh tone, Sophie shook her head. "Who knows ... maybe we can escape, when we are sold?" Said a younger man sitting on a large, folded piece of material that should well serve as a place to sleep. "Yes, maybe. But how shall we return?" The doors to our world vanished when we came here.",said the curmudgeonly fellow, who was now giving her the hump. But she would not pick a fight with someone. This would lead to nothing.
Completely exhausted, she sat down on the fabric. She had to think. There had to be a way out of here! Absolutely! Maybe they could give a leg up to each other to get up the glass wall. But how should they get down on the other side? It would be far too high to jump. And that was even the slightest problem: The tables were much higher and there was also a door problem ... All ideas, which she imagined in her head seemed impossible.. It took a few minutes until she got a little calmer. She was aware again that all this could not be real. This dream was really strange. How she could only think up such a mess? She got distracted from her thoughts, as the little boy tugged at her sleeve. " I'm bored. Will you play with me?". "He said with a slightly sad and pleading voice. Sophie was not really in the mood to think of games, but she could not refuse children anything. She had often headed pathfinder children as a scout master, and knew how to keep them entertained. And she could use a little distraction herself. However, she was not in the best physically shape, because she got some bruises from the unpleasant transport before. "I'm a little too exhausted to play, but I can show you some cool knots." She said and took a couple of ropes from her pocket. The boy seemed not to be very enthusiastic, but agreed to it. She showed him some simple but useful knots, which he learned pretty quickly. She looked at the boy for several times . She shuddered when she thought of how he ended up as a pet for a giant-child who abused him as a puppet, or perhaps even ate him. And of course she had not a good feeling about what would happen to herself.
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Post by Amayasama on Apr 3, 2010 23:47:49 GMT -5
;3; Oh noes! Don't think of depressing thoughts...*sniffle*
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Post by biali on Apr 4, 2010 9:22:48 GMT -5
Here ist the next part ^^
Amaya: well... I would be depressed too, in her situatuon... but maybe all will turn out well... maybe
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Chapter 4 - A good choice
The night was terrible. The cloth was barely big enough for ten people. She was pretty squeezed between a very restless sleeper and a loud snoring old man It was a miracle that she could sleep at all. Herr dreams were about chasing scenes and the voice of her mother, who sang a happy song. But the voice slowly vanished and she woke up trembling from the loud snoring of the man next to her, like she already did for three times this night . And with every waking she more and more doubted that this was all a dream ... for how could you sleep and dream in a dream itself,f? But how could something like this be true? Where was here? Many questions of this kind were circling inher head, but it was only a preliminary conclusion: As long as she was here in this prison, she would not find out. And if she could not manage to flee from here, would perhaps there would be a chance to escape, if she- as much as she hated that thought- would be bought of one of these giants. It was not a decision that was particularly reassuring, but at least it made her relaxed enough to sleep through the rest of the night.
Sophie was awakened by some fearful cries. She realized quickly why. A giant hand was in the cage and the people dodged it in panic. However, no one was taken, but two large bowls with water and bread crumbs were placed and the container which served as a toilet had been removed. It took quite a while, until everyone had calmed down halfway, because there were similar reactions from the other glass cases. Only when the giant had disappeared from the room, the mood was relaxed again and people slowly started talking to each other in a low voice. However, these conversations were marked by fear and anxiety about the fate of the prisoners. Sophie was not sure whether she would stand it here any longer.
The morning was relatively uneventful and quiet conversations were interrupted only by the panicked screams of those caught by the giant from the other glass cases. Sophie still could not believe how sick this whole thing was. They were completely left to this giant's mercy and who knew what else was waiting for her? Due to the lack of sleep was Sophie had sat on the community-bed all day and nodded off from time to time. Therefore, it came completely unexpectedly, when she was suddenly wrapped and lifted by a hand. Much too fast for her liking, she was moved off to the other hand, in which the giant was already holding two other young girls, who trembled fearfully. They were pressed together quite tightly so that they could not accidentally slip through his fingers. Then the narrow-faced man ran to the door and opened it. The space that was behind it looked completely different than the one in which they were imprisoned. It seemed to be the sales room of a store. In some shelves on the wall were boxes with letters, which Sophie could not read ,and in the centre were several tables. On one of these sat a giantess, perhaps fifty years old, as Sophie's estimated. "Well, Mrs Harman after you have the basic equipment now, we now come to the most important part: the choice of Twimps.," The giant said in a strange singsong which seemed terribly chumming.
Carefully, he placed the human girls on the table. They all stared back and forth between the two giants, not sure what to make of all this. But strangely enough, Sophie was pretty quiet. Probably her conviction that all this did not happen still was too strong. She looked pass the big woman as good as she could. A huge windows showed a vivid street, where even more of these gigantic creatures were walking about. Then she turned her gaze to the giantess. She had a gentle face which was framed by dark brown hair with some strands of grey. She looked at the humans on the table very closely. "My goodness! They looks so scared!" She said and frowned. "Do not worry, Mrs Harman. This is common for wild catches. They are not yet accustomed to humans yet. However, they bind much more strongly to their owners." Said the giant, who was obviously the shop keep. Wait ... he has just said that we were not used to 'humans'? But we are human beings ... or not? The giantess nodded and looked at them again. The other girls were shaking like a leaf, but Sophie was much too busy to process the situation. Apparently people her size were not considered as a human ... She had to say something, to prove that she was a rational being who should not end up as a pet. But again she could not say a word. It was as if her vocal cords were stunned. Suddenly, the eyes of the giantess and Sophie met. The girl did not know what she do should, she pleadingly looked at woman. She had recognize that she was not an animal!
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Elisa Harman was very anxious to make her son a good gift. There were no special celebrations, which made it necessary , but at the moment he needed very much attention. And often it was not possible for her to give him this attention, since she often lacked the time. She had thought a long time, what would be the best gift for him, especially at this time. She had decided early, that it would be a pet, but she had decided only a week ago that it should be a Twimp. Elisa had been very well informed and one of these little creatures seemed almost perfect: They were very inexpensive to maintain, very easy to clean, did not have to be constantly looked after like a dog and often bonded very strongly to their owners. She looked at the little creatures before her on the table, all of them were more than nervous. All of them had these blank, panicked eyes, which avoided any eye contact with her. Except for one. It was quite small, even for a Twimp and its red-brown hair was tied to a slightly messy ponytail. She did not look scared, but more confused. And than their tiny green eyes and then her own met and Elisa was electrified for a moment. These eyes were clear and bright, curious ... and familiar in a strange way. Herr posture was more upright than she had ever seen in a Twimp. Elisa almost had the feeling that this creature did not belong in a pet shop. Everything in her said the older woman, that she should get out the little one out of here, and that there would be no better place for her than the house of her son.
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"I think I'll take the little redhead. My son would surely like her.", The giantess finally said, pointing her finger at Sophie, who was flabbergasted. She did not want to end up in the hands of a child ... she did not want to end up in anyone's hands at all. "A very good choice. One moment please, I'll prepare her for transport." Said the shop keep, reached for the non-selected girls and took them to another room. The older lady looked at Sophie more closely, as they were alone and said: "You will surely cheer my son up again." Her smile was very warm and motherly. Nevertheless, it made the young girl horribly nervous. The giant came back into the shop and carried something with him that looked like a small plastic cage. Before she knew it, she was again lifted and a shoved in the cage a little roughly , which was quite small even for her. She could only just kneel in there. At least the floor was padded. Once she was through the door, which had very narrow air holes, had been sealed immediately with a loud click. It was quite dark in the little shack, which made made a little panicked. She could not see what was going on around her any more. "Well, now that we have everything together, we come to a sum of one thousand and forty-two Karet, Mrs. Harmann." sang the ingratiating voice of the shop keep. Sophie had no idea what value the currency had here, but somehow it sounded much too expensive. However, she had no time worry about it because the cage had been set in motion. She lay flat on the ground quickly and held on the fabric of the upholstery. Fortunately, it rocked not so much as in this box, in which she had sat yesterday. She heard several doors opening and closing, and then the voices of the giants which walked in the streets came to her ear, but were muffled after a last door had been closed lodly. The cage has been put down and Sophie relaxed a little. What had this giantess said? She should cheer up her son? Why had she not bought him a puppy or a kitten? Maybe there was nothing like that here? She gripped the padded ground out of reflex, when the ground began to vibrate beneath her, and she heard a strange loud humming. And then she felt movement. It took her a few seconds before she realized where she was: She was in a car! In a huge car!
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Elisa first was not sure whether to place the small cage on the passenger seat while driving. If she had to brake sharply, and the container fell off, it sure would hurt little Twimp. Therefore, she tucked the plastic cage between her bag and paper boxes with the Twimp-standard equipment in the foot well. All the material and the pet had cost a small fortune, that she had saved up painfully from her pension. Now she only hoped that her son knew how to appreciate it. Every time she stopped on a traffic light, her gaze fell on the small box in which the Twimp was. She hoped the little thing was not too scared, because after all it was, according to the shop keep, a very fresh wild caught and was far from being used to people or cars. Fortunately it was not a long drive, and after three further sets of traffic lights and turns she had arrived in the quiet residential area, where the little house of her son was. After she had parked the car at the roadside, she ran to the door first. She would give him the gift only after she had greeted him appropriately.
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Tom was just trimming the hedges in the garden and pulled off his working gloves when the bell rang at the door. Quickly he stripped off the dirty shoes and then quickly ran to the door. He was very surprised to see his mother before him, she visited him very rarely. "Hi Mom, how are you?" He asked, and could hardly suppress the amazement in his voice. "Oh well, it's me Tommy, just had a little too much to do lately ... I see that you take good care c of the garden." She smiled and caring plucked a loose leaf off his T- shirt. The young man suddenly hugged his mother's affectionately. "Come in now, I make us some coffee." He offered her. "I'm sorry, but today I have not much time either. Actually, I've only come to give you something, wait a moment." She said curtly but sad. Tom was a little disappointed because he could use some company at the moment very well. And especially with his mother he long had ceased to talk to properly. But since she was very much involved in volunteer projects, she had often not even had time on the weekends. A little grumpy, he looked over at the older woman, who collected some things out of their small car. After a few minutes she returned with one large and two small boxes and a small container that looked a little like a transport for a hamster. "What is all of this, Mom?" He asked, visibly surprised. "Now, I know that sounds a little strange now, but still: I thought you might need some company. And since I am so occupied, and Rina lives so far away ... Well, I thought to myself that I will give you a pet. "She said. Tom looked back on the small plastic cage. "You are giving me a hamster?" His mother looked a little startled, then looked at the cage and then back to him. "Hahaha, no, my boy, that's not a hamster, it is a Twimp." His eyes widened. He had seen these little creatures so often with other people and found them quite interesting. However, the cost was often prohibitive. "But Mama, that must have been terribly expensive ..." "Oh, Fiddle de dee, do not think about it, Tommy. I just hope the little gives makes you a little company and cheer you up a little. "She said firmly, pressing the cartons into his hands. "And do not worry about the equipment, in these boxes is all that you need. At least the dealer has explained to me so. "She said soothingly, patting the shoulder of her son. Then she had a look at her watch. "Oh dear, I'm very late for my meeting and without me nothing is going on. I'm really sorry that I have no more time. But I try to come over soon for a coffee. "she assured him. Tom looked a little sad and, trying not to drop the boxes, gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. "Many thanks for the great gift, Mom. And I really would appreciate if you come. "He said, smiling. She also gave him a kiss and then ran back to the car. "Call me if you have everything unpacked." She called out from far away, got in, started the engine and drove off. He looked for a while before he went back into the house.
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Sophie was pretty sick. The car ride did not do her any good, and the rocking of the cage after the arrival was not exactly gentle on the stomach. She listened very well to the loud voices of the giants, but it was hard for her, to catch up everything, because her body was occupied with keeping her from vomiting. The only thing that calmed her was that the said son, to whom she should belong,was apparently not a small child but a grown man. But if she just thought about it, it was in no way reassuring to belong to someone. After endless minutes that occurred almost like hours, the container in which she was, was put down on a flat surface and Sophie had time to calm down. She had expected that the giant would immediately get her out of this thing, but for a long time she remained entirely undisturbed.
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Tom had thought of taking the Twimp immediately out of the cage, but then decided to first examine the material that his mother had given him further. The large box contained a type of plastic cage, maybe half a meter wide and a foot deep. It contained only two feeding dishes, a soft place to sleep, a bowl for washing water and a toilet. A few minutes later he was looking for a suitable place for the future home of his new pet and decided on the sideboard in the living room. There it would not stand in the blazing sun and you would have a good view of the Twimp while it stayed in it. As a precaution, he filled the water bowl and wash basin with fresh water and placed them in the cage.
The smaller box contained some other useful material: a long leash, a kind of tiny harness from which he did not know exactly what it was good for and a shoulder bag, which was apparently intended for the transport of Twimps. The second small box only contained a video cassette with the inscription: "How do I take care of my Twimp”. He was just about to look at the video, but then his eye fell on the small cage. Certainly the little creature would be happy if it could get some fresh air.
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Post by Amayasama on Apr 4, 2010 14:08:33 GMT -5
x.x Oh good her son is a good man >> Though I do wonder if Sophie will take a break for it as soon as she gets the chance, it sounds like his home is pretty big
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Post by biali on Apr 4, 2010 20:49:28 GMT -5
Well, now we will see how their first meeting turns out and what kind of guy Tom really is...
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Chapter 5 - What's in a name?
Tom had gone to the kitchen because at the kitchen table he was able to sit upright . He calmly sat down in his chair and opened the cage door with a little click. This, however, was too narrow to reach into and so he tipped the container and let the little Twimp tumble on his palm. He carefully watched the little creature propping herself up and looking into his eyes. She was very pretty and ,even for their species, rather small. Her red hair was barely held together by a hair band, an fit to her pale skin. He had often seen other Twimps, but they often look just apathetic or like terribly nervous little animals. But this one behaved somehow different. She was indeed anxious, but her little green eyes were very attentive and her movements all seemed well considered. He could not help but find her terribly fascinating.
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Despite the air holes, the air was in this cage got a little thin and made Sophie sleepy. Even if she was not necessarily eager to deal with the Giant, she still hoped that she would soon be let out of this thing. Absent-minded, she took off her backpack in order to have more air to breathe. She was about to fall asleep, as her prison was suddenly lifted and carried. Then something scratched on the door lock and a second later the door was open. The fresh air, that came in, was very pleasant, but Sophie had no time to enjoy it. The cage was tilted so that she tumbled out totally unprepared and hit a somewhat soft, leathery surface that felt a little like the gymnastics mats in her physical education lessons.
She propped herself up and looked up. Their eyes met another, large dark brown pair that stared at her curiously. Only now she realized that she was sitting on the palm of a giant and was not at all pleased. But considering the height at which she was on this uncertain surface, it was probably best not to move. Anxiously she watched the face of the huge young man, which was not as easy as it occupied a large part of their field of vision. He had a very distinctive face with large, almost sad-looking golden-brown eyes, that was a little tanned. The dark scruff on his chin fit his short dark brown hair. He smiled, fascinated and maybe even felt a little surprised at the tiny girl who was visibly uncomfortable, from being looked over. "Well, Mum has chosen a really cute Twimp " He said and his loud, deep voice vibrated in Sophie's belly. If this compliment would come from a man of her size, she would have certainly took it different. But he certainly meant it more like cute for a little creature and not for a young woman.
Unconsciously, the girl began to tremble. It was completely in this giant's mercy and she was not sure what he would do with her. He seemed to notice their fear, for his gaze changed to a slightly worried expression. "Hey, you don't have to be afraid. You must not wander in the wilderness any more. I will take good care for you. So far, every pet that I had felt very comfortable with me." He tried to cheer her up with a smile, but it did not help. This remark about the pets he had confused her even more. She was not an animal! She desperately tried to find her voice, but again it did not work, what they are even more frustrated. "However, I still don't know very much about Twimps.," He said quietly, and grabbed a large rectangular object with his free hand. "And so we'll watch this video first, which should make us somewhat wiser." , he decided, and slowly closed his hand around Sophie, so she would not while he was walking. However, she let a little cry, which was not acknowledged by the giant. With one hand he opened the package of the video cassette and put the tape into the player. Then he dropped down on his sofa and opened his hand again, so that the tiny girl could sit up. Sophie dared not to stand up because the ground was too soft and uncertain. Therefore, they knelt down and leaned on her arms.
The giant stared at her for about a minute. Apparently he found the little creature terribly fascinating. Then he finally looked away, turned to the screen and started the film. On the screen ,which was about six metres tall for Sophie, appeared a giant, who was sitting at a table. A few centimetres next to him stood a small human, a young woman with long blonde hair. Around her neck hung a necklace too, but it was attached to a long thin rope whose end was hanging around the wrist of the giant. The woman looked very relaxed indeed, but not necessarily happy. "Dear Twimp owners. This little film is to inform you about the basic guidelines for keeping a Twimp. They are important to make you enjoy his very special pet as long as possible. Let us begin with the housing; There are many ways to set up a place to sleep for your Twimp. In order to protect your little precious from any falls or injuries, it is advised to keep it in closed areas. These quite affordable plastic cages meet the basic needs of your pet. There they find a place to sleep, food jars and seating, and of course, a washing area and toilet. Normally, each Twimp is house-trained must not be taught to use the toilet. "
Sophie stared at the screen in horror. The giant had placed a large plastic box on the table, in which a bed, a chair and a separate cell with an outhouse. The tiny human woman presented it all with a shy smile. "Ah, yes, I have this thing, my mother has brought it together with you. So now you'll have a safe place to sleep." , said Sophie's 'owner' and gave her a reassuring pat on the head. However, it felt like a blow for Sophie, which made her tip over. Whining slightly, she rubbed her head. "Oh, I'm sorry. I must have to be more gentle, eh?", He said shortly, then turned back to the screen. Even Sophie, who suddenly felt more miserable, saw and heard what they said about keeping people: "Another important point is the food. Many holders tend to only give bread to their Twimps. But this is not sufficient to meet the nutritional needs of your pet. Twimps are omnivores. You can offer them nearly everything, but make sure that the food, you give to your little friend, is fresh ." This was at least one thing that Sophie liked. To feed from bread all the time was not a good prospect. "The next point is the general transportation. Twimps are very fragile creatures that need to be treated with caution. Avoid it, to lift them with only two fingers. The punctual pressure on Twimp's body causes unnecessary pain. Distribute the pressure, by using your whole hand and try not to pinch the fragile arms. "said the giant in the video, and picked up the young woman to demonstrate it.
To Sophie's horror, her owner took the opportunity to imitate what was shown. He clumsily tried to grab her so that her arms were free. He had to readjust his hands quite often to get a safe grip. Yet he was very harsh, and pressed a little too tight, but not enough to break something,although it was enough to sly the little girl's breath. with their free hands, Sophie reflexively pressed against the finger. Fortunately, he soon understood, and loosened the grip. Relieved, she let herself slump over. If she could just say something to complain or to at least try to reason with him, but it was jinxed: Not a word passed her lips. "I think I need to practice a little, eh? But do not worry, I'll be more careful." He assured her. His hand opened again so she could sit down. The film ran on in the meantime: "It is very important that you educate your Twimp well, to avoid unwanted accidents. A good obedience is the key to security. You should show yourTwimp that it is the best if it listens to your commands. Mostly they are very docile, but there are also some stubborn ones and have difficulties to understand what is best for them. In this case, it helps if you correct them in some way. " Sophie shivered when she heard this. Did she have to fear punishment, if she rebelled against the will of the giant? She felt his hand moving beneath her. Shyly she looked up at his face,which looked rather displeased.
What she saw on the screen then, was just horrible: "Here you see some options on how to rebuke your Twimp." Fortunately, this woman was not used as a demonstration object this time. But the drawings, which appeared on the screen, were serious enough. Since people were held upside down by their feet, locked in tight containers, shook, trapped under a giant hand, or kept under a jet of water. These pictures drove Sophie the tears in her eyes. She did not understand how one could consider, o to hurt someone this way. Not even animals were treated like this. Out of fear she huddled into a ball, and turned away from the screen. This was not entirely unnoticed by the giant and he raised his hand at eye level to be able to see the girl better. "Do not worry, little darling. I would never do that to you. You're much too sweet, as that I might hurt you." He said kindly. And when Sophie took a furtive glance at his eyes, she could see that he really meant it. But she still did not know what to make of this 'you're sweet'-thing.
Apparently disgusted by what he saw there, he turned off the TV and sighed. For a moment his eyes seemed very distracted and sad. Just now Sophie noticed that he had deep circles under his eyes, probably testifying many sleepless nights. It took a while before he turned to Sophie again: "Hmm, I think, because you belong to me now... yes.., I should .. I'll give you a name." The girl looked at him blankly. She needed no name, she already had one! If he wanted to give her a stupid pet name, she could do well without it!
"Let me think. You have red hair like this girl from this children's series. I think her name suits you too. I'll call you Maya." He said proudly, smiling at the tiny girl. However, she showed not exactly the reaction that he had expected. Sophie did not want a different name. Her own was just right. Giving up her name, would only make her his possession. And she did not want that! She gave him a dark look and shook her head. Her whole body was rejecting it. She wanted to protest, to yell at him, to explain that she was not an animal! He looked at her a little disappointed: "Oh come on, this is a very nice name ... You'll get used to it. I'll not give you another." He said, a little grumpy and Sophie jumped. What if he would still use one of these punishments, if she would still continue to resist? "So, then I will put you in your new home now. You must be exhausted by all the new impressions.", he said, smiling slightly, and reached for the girl. This time he acted a little more gently, but still, Sophie felt terribly uncomfortable. It was like a full body hug from someone you did not wand to be embraced at all! When he had adjusted his grip, he got up from the sofa and walked over to a sideboard, on which was exactly the same plastic cage, which was shown in this video before. With his free hand he opened a door at the top of the box and put the girl gently on the floor of the cage.
On the one hand, Sophie was happy to be away from his hands a little longer, but on the other hand the thought of being locked up in this terrible thing not very pleasant. She readjusted her cloth that were in a mess from all the picking up and putting down, and was shocked terribly, as the giant tapped his index finger against the plastic wall and waved hat her with a silly grin. She gave him slightly angry look, but returned his wave unconsciously. Then he disappeared out of sight and for the first time since hours, she breathed, deeply relaxed. She had managed to sink on the little plastic chair that stood beside the wall of 'her' outhouse.
Tired, she stared at the huge room that was behind her cage walls. It was designed with a light grey carpet and the furniture was made of light wood that whose style would fit in a room from the eighties. On the left was a large wall unit with the TV and a two-seater sofa in black leather, on which he had just been sitting with her. The left side was occupied by a large double window with white curtains and a bookshelf. At the front stood a potted palm, as big as an adult spruce. A little absent-minded she loosened her scarf and unbuttoned her uniform. Only then she remembered something important: her backpack! It was still in the transport cage! Desperately she jumped up. This backpack was all she needed to survive, but also had many personal things in it. What should she do without it? Presumably, the giant would throw away the box, along with all her possessions.
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Post by Amayasama on Apr 5, 2010 12:23:37 GMT -5
o.o Perfect chance, run my dear!
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Post by biali on Apr 5, 2010 13:45:48 GMT -5
Up to chapter 12 I think I'll be able to make quick updates since they're already written.
Okay, now let's see how Sophie an Tom get along...
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Chapter 6 - Human traits
Tom stood in his kitchen and made himself a strong coffee. This Twimp was really fascinating, though still quite jumpy and anxious. But that was not really surprising, after all, these creatures lived well hidden from the people and did not understand that they wanted no evil ... at least most of them. He was still quite shocked by this picture in this video. Such practices were not tolerated for any kind of pet. He took a big swig from his cup and threw a glance at his kitchen table, where he had just parked Maya's carrier. He took the small container in his hand and looked at it a little suspiciously. Even for such a tiny creature, this thing seemed much too small. When he tilted the cage back and forth in his hand, suddenly something fell out down on the table. Tom put the cage and the cup on the table, bent down and picked up what had just landed on it to inspect it. It was an oblong structure made of a fabric, maybe four centimetres long and appeared to have two small fabric belts. Curious, he poked at it: it felt soft and hard at time the same. And when he still a little closer, he was pretty sure that it like a tiny backpack. Instinctively, he looked toward the living room where the cage of his new Twimp stood. Perhaps it belonged to Maya? Carefully, he grabbed the little bag with his thumb and forefinger. It would be best to give it to her. After all, he could not do anything with it, and perhaps the little one would act a little friendlier towards him. However, he really wondered how animals were able to develop something like backpacks. He really was very poorly informed about these Twimps.
He slowly walked into the living room and peeked around the corner to see the cage. First he could not see Maya, but then he saw her on the sleeping place, huddled into a small ball. He cautiously approached the plastic home, so as not to frighten her.
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Sophie had huddled resignedly on the bed and tried not to get a nervous breakdown. She had landed in a world of giants, in which she was nothing more than a pet, where they had given her a frigging necklace and locked her up in a cage. She was startled when she heard the loud steps of the giant coming closer. And indeed he was back in front of her cage and opened the door. Sophie hoped fervently that he was not planning to pick her up again. And fortunately, he kept his hand in a certain distance and put something down she could not see, because it was obscured by his finger. Only when his hand was outside again, she realized what was there: It was her backpack! Joyfully she jumped from the bed and dove to her beloved piece of luggage to embrace it.
"So it really belongs to you. It must be very important if you're so glad.", The giant said, with a cheerful face. Sophie had almost forgotten him out of their joy, and looked at him only frightened, but then timidly smiling. She nodded at his statement and tried to put such a thing as gratitude in her eyes. After all, he may have thrown away the bag or simply use it as leverage against her. "Very nice." He said briefly, still smiling, locked the door again and recited the room.
When he was out of sight, the girl opened the locks and took out some fresh clothes and toiletries. What she was wearing at the moment was pretty soaked and felt uncomfortable. So she grabbed her clothes, went behind the screen and saw that the washing vessel was filled with fresh water. She wanted to undress quickly in order to wash herself. However, it was impossible for her pull her T-shirt over the head because the necklace was too thick. She fought for two whole minutes before she gave up, took her knife from her pocket picked and cut the fabric. In future, she would probably only be able to wear tops or blouses.
Indeed the water was very cold, but on a Scout trip, Sophie had so often had to wash with cold water, so it disturbed her not too much. She thoroughly washed herself with gel, but carefully dosed. Who could say if she would stay here much longer, and if she would get something like shampoo, if hers was going to run out. Because of her limited choice of clothing from now on, she decided on a white sleeveless top and blue jeans. The clean stuff on her skin felt cleansed of wonderful and now she was not quite so tired anymore. Refreshed and with wet hair, she stepped out from behind the blinds and saw that the giant had laid down on the sofa in the meantime and dozed.
Maybe she should to do the same and relax a little. She lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling. However, she could find no rest, for it was all still everything was too new and incomprehensible. She turned around and looked through the wall to the stationary body of the giant. But after a while she felt very strange doing that. It was unpleasant enough to live in a transparent cage, which left her virtually no privacy, so she did not want to become a voyeur herself. At least, she told herself that, but did not turn away anyway. Still, he dozed quietly, his face looked anything but relaxed. The raised eyebrows were worried and she could have sworn that he was about to cry. And Sophie wanted to cry too, though for entirely different reasons. She should not be here now. She should hike through Sweden with their best friends and experience nature. And in two weeks she would return to her mothers arms and eat chicken fricassee with her. She hated it when things did not turn out the way she wanted. With a few variations in itinerary of her journey or change of the menu at home she could have lived. But that she was in a world of giants and ended up as a pet was a much too big deviation.
Frustrated, she turned to the other side and stared at the wall. Despite her own and the giant's loud breathing, nothing was to be heard in the room. Grumbling she straightened up. It was just terribly boring just lying around . Just as she wanted to get up, an almost deafening ring echoed through the room, and it repeated again and again. As she covered her ears, Sophie saw how the man got up, grabbed a phone and picked up. "Hello,? Here's Thomas Harmann ", He reported So his name was Thomas.
"Oh, hello Edith ... Yes, I'm home, after all, it's weekend ... No, the lawyer didn't call me ... What?, What do you mean?" The house belongs to two-thirds to me. Why ... why do you suddenly have to bring this up? What do you want with the house at all!? You ... No, I live here, I have worked very hard for it ... Don't you say that, no one is to blame for it, and especially not me. Why do you have to bring this up just now? It was not even three months ago! And why exactly do you have to tell me on the phone ... What? No, I will not clarify this with a lawyer, why can we not ... Hello? Edith? Oh damn!." Madly he hung up the phone and let fall it to the ground. Frustrated, he ran his hand through his hair and groaned. Sophie had indeed not quite understood what the phone call was about, but it had something to do with his house. She had not realized that she was now up and had pressed her hands against the plastic wall.
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This phone call had really been the least what he needed. Why did they want to have his house? They had never expressed the slightest interest before. When he picked up the phone again and put it on the coffee table, his gaze fell on Maya's cage and to his surprise, the Twimp stood at the wall and looked at him. Perhaps the ringing had made her alert. Certainly she had never seen such a thing as a phone and was surprised that he had spoken into this unit. Only at second glance he noticed that she was wearing different clothing. Apparently she had stowed them in her backpack. Now she was wearing a white top with thin straps and long dark blue pants. Her hair was not tied up but hung damp down on her shoulders. A thought wanted to form In his mind , but it did not become clear. He tried to return her gaze with a smile. "The ringing was probably pretty loud, huh? Do not worry, this is just a phone. We talk to each other over long distances with it." He explained to her from a distance. The Twimp answered it with a cautious nod. It seemed to be quite a change coming out of her life in the wilderness into civilized life of a looked after and clean pet.
The phone call had made him quite excited, but he was still not quite awake. In fact he felt almost entirely broken and tired for weeks now. His work and the garden were the only things that prevented him from lying completely exhausted on the couch the whole day. Then he looked over at the Twimp, who still stared back at him. Well, perhaps, there was a new factor which would keep him awake. Only now he realized that it was getting darker outside and a glance at his watch told him that it was already half past eight: time for supper. He let out a little puff as he rose from the couch and waved briefly to Maya before he went into the kitchen in order to make himself some sandwiches..
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Sophie was a little desperate. Apparently, this Thomas had no idea where she and the other people of her size came from . Even before he had meant that she had lived in the wilderness and now he had explained what a phone was. And it was really strange that she could not say a single word to him. And maybe she was not the only one with that problem... Perhaps that was the reason why these giants did not understand that they were rational and civilized beings. But she would not give up, to prove him otherwise. It would certainly not be easy, but if she did it slowly and clever, it could really work..
She sat on her chair and wobbled a bit. Slowly, she got a strange feeling in her stomach and she realized that she had not eaten anything today but a piece of plain bread. Unfortunately, she had no food in her backpack, as her best friend Jonas was charged with the board and carried the food for the whole group. Especially at this moment she realized how dependent she would be on this Thomas.
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Tom was not particularly hungry, as always, and usually he had to force himself to eat, to be healthy. It was, as if his stomach was full of stones which did not let any room for other things.. When he had almost finished eating, and looked at the remaining piece of sandwich, he had to think of Maya. Until now he had not fed her and he did not know when she had received her last meal. It certainly would not be wrong to give her something now. He sliced a small piece from the salami sandwich and brought it into the living room. When he looked into the cage, was the Twimp busy with rummaging in her backpack and seemed not to notice him until he opened the door. She looked a little terrified but curious at him and put her bag down slowly.
"Don't worry, I'll just give you some food. I hope you like salami sandwich." ,he said quietly, and put the piece in the trough. First he wanted to stroke her on the head, but he was afraid that she still was not used to his touch. So he just smiled at her again and closed the cage. As soon as he had resigned a small step, she got up and walked slowly to the food bowl, without letting him out of sight. Her small hands reached for the bread that was almost bigger than her whole head. She seemed to smell it and her usually fearful face brightened and she began to happily chew on it. It was not the nibbling that rodents did, apparently she did it only because the piece was simply too big for her to bite properly. Nevertheless, she seemed to be very happy. Tom turned away after a few seconds to let her eat in peace. He sat down on his sofa again and turned on the TV.
Sophie munched on the bread for about fifteen minutes. It smelled exactly like a salami sandwich at home, but this was much more difficult to eat. She could never eat bread, butter and sausage at the same time as the layers were too thick. Nevertheless, she enjoyed the change from dry bread visually and even ate a little beyond her hunger. Totally stuffed she let the rest fall back into the bowl and scooped a few handfuls of water to quench their thirst. Only now she noticed that she had been standing the whole time while eating She decided to sit down next time to show Thomas, that she had a few table manners, which excelled her as a civilized person. After she had washed her hands, she sat on her bed and looked at the screen that flickered in the distance and showed a quite boring thriller.
As a precaution, she took out their sleeping bag from the backpack and spread it on her sleeping place, which provided not even a pillow or blanket. But at least the surface was very soft and pleasant. The boring film and the depletion had their effect and Sophie fell asleep pretty soon.
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Post by Amayasama on Apr 5, 2010 18:21:44 GMT -5
o.o You know what I just realized? I wonder if the collar causes her not to talk! >> That would make them seem more of a pet, wouldn't it...XD Just wondering dear, random thought
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Post by biali on Apr 5, 2010 18:46:42 GMT -5
well, maybe you're right, dear. It will take some time until we find out for sure ^^
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Post by biali on Apr 5, 2010 18:57:16 GMT -5
I'm in the mood for double-post today, yay! XD -----------------------------------------------
Chapter 7 - boredom
A loud click woke Sophie up and she grumbled a little cranky. With sleepy eyes, she saw the giant taking out the two troughs and filled one with water from a bottle and the other with various things from a plate.
"So, I guess that's enough until this afternoon. Just keep sleeping, Little one." He said, after he had set the two containers back into the cage. Sophie noticed that he was dressed differently than yesterday. He wore a shirt with a suit and tie, which made him look very solid. But before she could somehow respond further, he had already closed the door and left the room. Sophie could hear the rattle of keys and the closing of a large door. Then it was quiet and she fell asleep quickly again.
Only when the sun was shining pretty bright into the room and the chirping of birds that were probably huge here, grew unbearably loud, the girl finally got up. Unexpectedly she had slept really well and felt quite recovered. Sophie went to wash herself in her private room and splashed some cold water in her face to refresh and used the toilet. It was quite strange to think that someone had to 'clean out' behind her to make sure that hygiene would be maintained in this cage. She tried not to think about it, and decided to eat something.
Due to the size of the food, it was not quite as easy to determine what Thomas had served her. After a little sniff and nibble she believed that there were a piece of carrot, a little ham, bread and salami in the trough. Anyway, she could not complain about too little variation. She ate some bread and ham for breakfast, and nibbled a little on the carrot pieces. Then she dug her toothbrush out of her toilet bag, and walked about her plastic prison a few minutes while brushing her teeth , although the size of it was very generous, it was still very sparsely furnished. One would probably need much imagination to get dreadfully bored in here. Although she had many ideas for games, but they were not meant for single players.
For some minutes she looked around and considered to look for possible escape routes. However, the ceiling with the door was very high and impossible to reach. And if she thought about it, it would certainly not make a good impression on the Giants, if she would try to flee. It would certainly more effective to convince him of her intelligence and humanity, and to gain his trust so he would maybe help her later, to come back home somehow. But how could she do that? Perhaps she should write something? Writing was always a good indicator of education. She took her notebook out of the side pocket of her backpack and pulled out a pen. What should I write?
Actually, she could only think of a single sentence. I was fairly short and direct, but should be enough to make it clear: "I am a human." She wrote the first three words without any problems, but at the word 'human' ,her hand suddenly cramped. The pain ran up the whole arm and subsided only when Sophie dropped the pen. Confused, she rubbed her arm and stared at the book. She had never had problems with cramps, generally, she had always enjoyed excellent health. Maybe it was because of all these strange things she had experienced? Defiantly, she took the pen back in hand to finish the sentence. But if tshe only leveraged to write the last word, a much more violent pain made her cry out loud. Damn, what's going on here?!
Something seemed to prevent her from writing this word, maybe it was the same thing that prevented her from speaking. Frustrated, she put book and pencil back into the backpack. Probably she had come up with something else. However, for the time being nothing new came to her mind, and she also was a little afraid to get experience such pain again. Sophie lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling again. From this cage, she could actually do nothing. When the giant would get back here,she could prove, perhaps, that she could use a technical device without any problems, or she could respond to his comments in a clever way ... As said, nothing she could do just now. So she would have to somehow pass the time while he was not there. The cage did not offer much entertainment, but much room for movement.
It certainly was not wrong to keep a little fit here. After all, she did not have many opportunities to move by herself , if Thomas,intended to carry her around all the time or would only let her stay in that cage. It would also be a good opportunity to stay in training. Sophie was not necessarily the best in her gymnastics club, especially since she had not trained much because the pathfinder work took much of her time. Nevertheless, it was enough to do some elegant gymnastics figures. She put on some more comfortable pants and warmed up a little. To acclimatize herself, she began with a handstand and did some cartwheels. She would have liked to practice on her preferred device, the balance beam, but here she would be limited to floor excercises. It took her several minutes before she had the feeling for the correct body tension and then it felt really good. In a world in which she was under the complete control of others, it was good for her, to be aware of the control of her own body. After about twenty minutes she made a little break and took a sip of water from the trough.
With some music it would have been more fun, but unfortunately she had no technical equipment with her and the sound system of the giant was in the remote cabinet. With some effort she managed to recall to the melody of the song, which she usually did gymnastics to. Actually, she did not like it much, but the beat was suitable. With this music in her head, she found it somewhat easier to move. her whole focus was devoted to the movements of her hands and the tension of her muscles.
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Fortunately today was not much to do in the office. At least Tom would have thought that, but for three months now, his work was the only thing that gave him the necessary support, which kept him from being completely insane. He appreciated the attempt of his mother, to give him this little pet as he could concentrate on. But actually that was a poor substitute for what he had lost.
After all, less work meant that he was home earlier to look after the little Twimp. It was certainly an advantage if he spent much time with her so that she no longer was so nervous. It was early afternoon, as he unlocked the door to his little house to hopefully even longer would be his. After what Edith had told him yesterday, that was not quite so sure. A little sigh, he hung his jacket on the coat hook and pulled the shoes off before he peered through the still open door of the living room to the cage. What he saw there made him a moment to remain with his mouth open. The small Maya performs in the open area of her cage strange, but also graceful movements. She was apparently so engrossed that she did not hear coming. He wondered where a tomboy as she was one such feats had learned. Perhaps it was a kind of mating dance, but for whom they should hold him? After all, could be seen far and wide, no male Twimp.
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Sophie was getting a bit tired and rolled elegantly from her final handstand. Exhausted, she wiped the sweat from her forehead, and unconsciously looked up. To her horror, the giant stood in the doorway and watched her with interest. A little embarrassed she straightened her clothes and tied her hair back neatly again. She did not quite know how it should react, instead she waited to see what Thomas would do.
Chapter 8 - Smalltalk
Tom was not sure, but he could have sworn that Maya was embarrassed that he had seen her doing this strange exercise. But that was impossible: animals could feel no shame, they were only acting on drives and instincts. She looked pretty insecure and somehow looked at him expectantly. He cautiously approached the cage and got down a little, so he was at approximate eye level with her. "This was really very beautiful, Maya. Who taught you this? Or can all Twimps do this?" He asked curiously. The little one looked at first confused, then shook her head and pointed with her index finger at herself. What could that mean? That she had taught herself, or that only she could? Perhaps he had to ask only one question at a time. "So, somebody has taught you?" A nod. "Another human?" She seemed to think it over and shook her head. "So it was a Twimp?" Another nod.
Tom got up and ran his hand through his hair. He was not exactly sure what confused him more. Either it was the fact that he talked to an animal or that the animal actually answered. He looked down at Maya, who looked up to him. Perhaps these gestures were indeed just a coincidence. He had to make sure by asking more questions. But he did not want to sit before this cage the whole time, because it was very uncomfortable.. "One moment, I'll get you out of there, then we can talk better."
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Sophie was glad that she finally had the opportunity to talk to him, even if it would probably be more like an interrogation because of her lack of voice. When he got up suddenly and ruffled his hair in confusion, she was both pretty intimidated by his size, but also amazed that all this assumingly amazed him too. She was a little nervous when he announced to get her out of the cage. Though Sophie was glad to escape at last from this boring box, but going back into the hand of a giant was not exactly a pleasant thought. Yet she stood still so she could let the whole thing happen without making much of a fuss.
--- Tom was glad that Maya was not retreating from his hand. Apparently she had understood that this was so much easier for both sides. When he put his hand around her body, he noticed that her clothing was a little damp, but he could not quite explain why. He decided to pay it no further attention and lifted the small Twimp carefully from the plastic box. he looked around seeking for a suitable place for the interview. The kitchen table seemed to be a good choice. Maya would be able to stand on the table, and he could sit down.
"Good, Maya, I'll sit on the table now. I want you to stay where I put you, so you will not accidentally fall down, do you understand that? "He asked her, and the Twimp nodded shyly. He went into the kitchen and opened his hand on the table, so that Maya could be released without a drop. He sat on a chair and put his head on his folded arms, so the little one did not have to crick her neck. She looked around obviously interested.
"This is the kitchen, you know what a kitchen is, Maya?" He asked quietly and slowly, as if he would speak to a small child. The Twimp nodded and ,to his great surprise, made a gesture that suggested eating. How was that possible? How could a wild animal know what a kitchen is? "Have you been in a kitchen before?" She nodded again. "Have you ever belonged to another human?" This time she shook her head vehemently. "Or do you come from a pedigree?" Maya looked at him blankly and somehow completely shocked before she again shook her head. "Well, surely you have lived in the wilderness." He noted. As another head-shaking followed, he was lost. "Where do you come from then?" He now asked with a sceptical tone. The girl raised her arms slightly and seemed to ponder. Of course, this question was difficult to answer, if you could not talk. She dropped her arms back and scratched her head. Apparently she really had problems to explain.
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Sophie thought hard. How could she gesture this? What made it even more difficult was that she herself did not even know exactly where her home in relation to this place was. Was she in a different world? In a parallel universe where everything was twelve times bigger than at home? The penetrating gaze that Thomas gave her, made it not easier to think up a suitable answer. Suddenly he moved his hand up to her, but instead of grabbing her, he stroked her with his forefinger across her back.
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"Is hard to explain, huh? But that's not bad. It is important now is that you're here with me and feeling safe. As I said, every single one of my pet had a good life. "He said with a pitying smile, which dropped Sophie's hopes again. She had really hoped her answers did convince him that she was human. Just as he was, only much smaller. Disappointed, she let her shoulders droop and sat down. Unfortunately, he did not stop to pet her, which made her feel even more uncomfortable. It was incredibly unpleasant to get such an intimate gesture from someone she knew for only one and a half days. And especially his motives were which disturbed Sophie . She was not a small kitten one could simply caress. Annoyed and frustrated, she jumped up and tried push away the big finger with both hands.
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Tom was a little shocked by this gesture. The small hands of Twimp had not very much strength, but this contact and Mayas negative posture were clear enough, so he stopped to pet her. Actually, he wanted to reassure her, but she seemed not to want that at the moment. Perhaps she did not trust him enough to allow such a thing. "It's all right, kid. So, no petting. "He pulled his hand back completely and put it back under his chin. He had once heard that it took long time to gain the trust of a Twimp and until the can move amon people without any fear. But for Maya it seemed not that she didn't allow it because she was afraid. It must have been something different which prevented her to allow such contact. But he could not say exactly what it was Well, at least he could say that he had received a very special pet.
For several minutes there was absolute silence between the two. Of course Maya had not the necessary pre-requirements to break it, but she had actually no idea what to do now .
He only looked at her tiny body,and mavelled how the vanishingly small muscles were moving when she changed her seating position, moving a small streak of hair from her face or just the blink of her eyes. It was fascinating and at the same time it gave him a strange familiar feeling ... a feeling that hurt somehow.
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Sophie really did not know what to do next. She was concerned that she had stepped on his toes with her harsh, negative gesture. But if she would start any attempts to apologize for it, he might misunderstand it. Maybe he would think that she accepted her role as his pet. And that was certainly not the case. She realized very well that he was watching her closely and Sophie caught herself, just doing the same with him. The huge muscles, which caused his curious facial expression, large amber eyes, which clearly stood out from the white of his eyeballs, the nostrils that moved with every breath ... it was so unbelievable and yet it was right before her.
Somehow she felt the need to touch all this so that she could be sure it was real. But on the one hand, she had great respect for the sheer size of this man and second, he could misunderstand it in an infinite number of ways. "I really wonder how old you are, Maya." He said softly. However, it was audible enough for Sophie. She blinked at him and then, without thinking much she raised her hand, opened it three times with all five fingers, and once she held up three fingers.
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Tom lifted his head slightly in disbelief. He had not seen properly what the Twimp had just done. "Hey ... you can do it again? " Maya repeated the movement again, just a bit slower. "Are you saying that you're eighteen years old?" She nodded and took her hand down gently again. Tom could not suppress a stunned look. It was her age what left him so surprised, but the fact that she had actually shown him a number ... and a rather high one at that. "You ... can you count? Maya agreed. "And calculating? Can you do this? " The little girl nodded, very, very clearly. "Okay ... What is five plus five? "He thought a simple task would be only fair. She opened the whole hand twice. He wondered if she could calculate with even higher numbers. "Well, what istwo hundred twenty-three minus two hundred and forty? " Maya seemed to thinktwo seconds and then showed the correct solution: Seventeen. "I can not believe it! Can every Twimp calculate so good? " She nodded, not directly, but also moved her head back and forth. Apparently, not every Twimp could, but only some. Tom leaned back abruptly, whereupon Maya let out a terrified shriek and jumped up. "Oh ... I'm sorry, I did not want to scare you. This is just ... man, I had not really thought that Twimps are so intelligent. "Then the little girl put her hands on her hips, lifted her head and smiled somehow satisfied.
Tom scratched his head. Maybe he should report it, yes. It could be that these little creatures have been completely underestimated until now. But then he thought that the little Maya would be locked up in a lab and she would undergo unpleasant tests. He did not really want her to experience something like that, and decided instead that he would try to get to know her before he could make any big decisions.
Unconsciously, he looked at his wrist watch. It was almost three and he had eaten nothing since breakfast. Otherwise he would have gone to the canteen of his company, but since they have been closing early today, he had to cancel it. "Well, I will go and make something to eat. I think it is safer if you go back in your cage, until I'm finished here. "He said shortly and wanted to grab her. But Maya jumped up with a surprisingly fast reaction rolled over to the side elegantly. "Oh come on, you know that I'll be careful.", He said a little sternly. But she shook her head, pointed on herself and then on the floor, then looked at him pleadingly. "You want to stay here? Why?” She seemed to think about it, then her face lit up. Her hand pointed toward the living room where her cage was. Then she sat down cross-legged on the floor, her head propped by hand and made a sad and bored expression. "You mean it is too boring for you in there?" Maya replied with a nod. "So ... yes, I can understand that already. But I really think that it is not entirely safe for you, if I work here. I do not want that anything happens to you, you understand that? " Instead stood of noddin the Twimp , looked around briefly. Then she ran step in the direction of the fruit bowl, which stood where the table they touched the wall with a striving toward a goal. "Hey, do what are yo .." The little girl turned around, made a conciliatory gesture, and walked a bit slower now, until she reached the bowl and sat down beside it. Then again, she pointed the finger at herself and then to the floor. Apparently she felt that this was a place where they would not be in his way. "And you think, watching me the whole time is not boring?" He said sceptically. She nodded, smiling, and seemed to be very sure of their cause. "Hmm, well, but once I get the feeling that it is not safe, I'll bring you over, understand?" She did not nod, but her eyes seemed sensible. "Okay, but stay put."
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YAY for "conversation" XD. But actually my favourite part is, when both of them are silent and just look at each other ^^
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Post by biali on Apr 6, 2010 11:07:55 GMT -5
Chapter 9 - The thoughts are free?
Sophie felt a certain satisfaction. She had managed to convince him of had intelligence and had been able to keep him from locking her up again. Relaxed, she leaned against the fruit bowl which was made of glass and enjoyed the coolness on her skin. She watched Thomas, as he took several things from the refrigerator and placed them on the work surface and took out some utensils .
Even if it was not in itself a great thing to watch someone cooking, it was much more interesting than to sit in that prison and stare at the ceiling. Also Thomas looked, since he was some meters away from her, no quite so big and intimidating. It was almost as if she would watch her father working with in the kitchen. Suddenly her family and friends came into her mind. What if this was not just a sick dream here, but bitter reality? Everyone would be terribly worried about her. Surely they already called the police ... Would she ever come back home? Until now she had no idea how she should do it. All doors, which had brought her here, were gone. Maybe she had to wait only until a new door opened? Or maybe it was all really a dream ... Although a very realistic one.
Sophie was torn from her thoughts, as the giant suddenly put a large wooden board, together with knives on the table. After he had brought a big carrot from the fridge, he sat down at the table and began to cut the vegetables into slices. The sound that the knife had made, sent a cold chill down her spine. The strength with which he moved the huge tool chop divide the hard vegetables, was hard to take in . How could such strong hands be able to gently pick her up? She looked at her own, compared to his, tiny hands and moved them. She had the ability to regulate forces and adapt them to the situation. After all, she was a human just like him. But , she still did not understand what made her so many times smaller than him.
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from time to time Tom took a furtive glance over to Maya, to be sure that she remained in place , which she did. When he had sat down to cut the carrots, he did not miss her being, fascinated with first his and then her own hand. He also had to admit that both were very similar. If he just looked at Maya, he was about to believe that she looked like a ... He could bring that idea to an end. I just suddenly vanished and Tom he could not pick it up again. Instead, he turned to the preparation of his food again. He had opted for a chicken soup with carrots. Maybe he would give something of it to Maya, although he was not sure whether Twimps also ate hot food.
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Sophie took in the delicious smell of chicken soup. Perhaps it was only at the quantity that was simmering on the stove, but it smelled more intense than any food she had ever smelled. Secretly, she hoped to know that Thomas would give her some. But who would waste a good soup to a pet? After all, he had not strayed from this idea yet, even though she had shown him that she had a certain intelligence. She asked herself what she should do to change his mind. Perhaps he would lock her up in this cage again, or at least would to give her the opportunity to leave if she chose. To do so.
"Hey Maya, do you want to try something from the soup?" He asked suddenly, and turned inquiringly to her. She nodded happily with her head and stood up. "Stay where you are, I'll bring a spoon." He said, drawing a teaspoon of soup out of the pot and cooled by blowing. Then he walked over to her. Thus he was so close again and filled her vision almost completely, she felt quite intimidated again. Carefully, he put the spoon down in front of her and looked at her expectantly.
That alone a teaspoon was almost as big as herself, made her feel just how infinitesimally small she was in this strange world. But that was not the only reason why she stood motionless for a few seconds before it. How was she to eat the soup, if she had no spoon? her travel cutlery was still safely stowed in her backpack and the giant cutlery was only filled to half, so that she could not drink it without burning her nose. She turned to Thomas, pointed his finger at him and meant he had to lift the spoon to her so she could drink from it. Fortunately, he understood it this time from the start and picked up the thing up to her chest and tipped it slightly. Gently Sophie blew on the liquid and carefully sipped the soup. It tasted great, so she took a few more sips before she was saturated and wiped her mouth with the hand. She sent an appreciative nod in Thomas' direction, smiled and he withdrew the spoon. He seemed to think for a second, what to do with the spot of soup, which was still on it. But then he shrugged his shoulders briefly, and put it into his mouth. "Hmm, you're right, it tastes really good."
Sophie was a little surprised by this gesture. Not everyone would had eaten from cutlery that a pet had used before... Damn, not even her own brother ate things she had touched before! "So, then I'll eat now , if you want some more, just give me a sign, yes?" She nodded at that and sat down again.
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Tom drew a plate of soup and took place at the table. He was really surprised how good Maya remained in place. From a wild catch he had actually expected that he'd somehow have to educate her. But she seemed not to have problems in understanding of what he expected of her. If he was thinking about it now, it was very strange that she probably understood every word he said, although she herself could not formu a simple sentence. Just where does she come from? She said that she had not lived in the wilderness, but where else could Twimps live? Had she already been the pet of another? Perhaps she had not understood his question correctly and answered in a wrong way? Thoughtfully, he spooned his soup, staring out the kitchen window and then looked on the empty chair on the opposite side of the table. Just looking at it, brought up this terrible desperation again, which he so often tried to suppress.
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When Thomas began to eat his soup, Sophie was a little uncomfortable. The loud slurping and swallowing sound from someone his size was increasingly strange and scary. She was glad that he had nothing he could chew. The gnashing of this huge jaws had to sound terrible. But even beyond her degree of fear, she saw the sudden change of of the giant's mood. His whole body seemed to droop, his head hung down and his eyes were terribly sad.
Sophie was a very compassionate person and even if this giant might only see her as an animal, she could not deny him his humanity. The girl did not know whether and how she should respond. After all, he had been friendly to her and had at least tried to understand her a little. Maybe she should show him that she cherished it? He looked now a full minute at the chair before him, and had not moved an inch. She had to think of his mother, and what she had said in the store to her: “you surely can cheer my son up.” That was the reason why she came here, why she was chosen by the giantess. Carefully, she stood up and walked slowly to Thomas, whose arm with the spoon in hand was resting on the tabletop. She did not distract her eyes off him, so that she could respond quickly when would move.
When she was only half a meter next to his arm, she became a little anxious. What if he suddenly jerked and accidentally hit her ? Would she survive or be killed by that? For a moment she just stared at his skin and the occasional dark hair that stuck out of the pores. And although he sat there motionless, she could detect tiny muscle movements under his skin.
What the girl did then, cost an awful lot to overcome: She touched his arm with both hands and gently began to stroke him comfortingly.
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Tom was completely lost in dark thoughts when he suddenly felt a kind of tingling on his right arm. He lifted his left arm to scratch himself, but luckily he looked first to see what exactly was, tingling him. His hand stopped abruptly when he saw the little Maya who stroked his arm with her tiny hands. Even though it felt more like a tickle, the gesture was still incredibly touching. It was certainly not an easy thing, to come near such a great being, and touching him on her own free will was probably much to overcome, especially since she had been so nervous around him before.
Had she noticed that he was sad? Or did she just wanted a little attention from him? Only when she looked up to him and he recognized something of an encouraging smile on their nervous face, he was almost sure she did it out of compassion. But how should he react now? As he had earlier tried to caress her, she had vehemently rejected it and he did not want to scare here. Rather than move, he tried to smile back and said: “Thanks a lot, Maya, that's very sweet of you. I was only a little sad for a moment." Maybe it was a little strange to talk with an animal like that, but there were also people who entrusted much to their dogs and cats. After all, pets were good silent listeners. But now he was in no mood to talk about it, not even with Maya. "Let me eat yet, then I'll show you the garden." He said to her, and made a gesture which meant that she should go back to her place. Maya did what he wanted, but she seemed a little disappointed as she trotted back to the fruit bowl and sat down.
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Sophie was actually a little disappointed. After all, it was a very courageous action, to approach so close to him and to show him a little compassion. And that he sent her away, the girl assumed that he did not cherished it accordingly. However, she did not know how else he should have reacted. If he had caressed her like a stupid little animal, she would not have been happy either... But at least he had planned to show her the garden, which would provide a little variety. She had almost feared that she would have to stay in the cage for the rest of the day.
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I think the title of this chapter only works in german. It's a reference to a very famous poem / song named "Die Gedanken sind frei" (the thoughts are free). It's about the fact that no one can forbid you what you think. I always think very hard to give each chapter a fitting title, that's why I just had to explain it ^^
Any way, hope you liked it ^^
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Nicole
Youngling
May the force be with you, young grasshopper...
Posts: 80
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Post by Nicole on Apr 6, 2010 12:16:22 GMT -5
I like the way those two interact, sooner or later she's gonna be able to talk...right? ;D
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Post by biali on Apr 6, 2010 13:49:08 GMT -5
thanks ^^ Well, there will be a hint to your question in chapter 12 or 13...
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Post by Amayasama on Apr 6, 2010 18:29:07 GMT -5
;3; Awww Thomas be a good boy! Talk to hey like a real person! >> Though I do have the desire to hug the big fella ^3^ Nice job dear!
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Post by Amayasama on Apr 7, 2010 15:51:47 GMT -5
XD; Hey hun, just to let you know...I believe you posted the chapter over again
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Post by biali on Apr 7, 2010 16:10:21 GMT -5
oh my, I'm sorry XD I did not even notice it ... well, then here are the two newest parts to apologize for my stupidness XD
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Chapter 10- Encounter of the second kind
As he emptied his plate, he thought about how he could bring Maya to the garden. Holding her in the hand all the time was certainly not very pleasant for her. And letting the Twimp run around freely was far too dangerous, he was afraid that she would run away. But then he remembered that his mother had given him even a complete basic equipment. When he had looked through it yesterday, he had also found a leash. This would work well Maya could stretch her legs and he would have the assurance that she would not walk too far. Sufficiently sated, he put his dishes in the sink and turned briefly to Maya before he left the room again. "I'm right back."
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Sophie had quite similar ideas. She was sure he would just not let her run around. She only had the hope that he would come up with something better than to hold her in his large hand the whole time. The fact that he briefly left the kitchen, pointed at least to the fact that he had planned something. But when he returned and Sophie saw what he held in his hand, she got scared and angry again.. Damn! He wants me to put a damn leash! Out of reflex she jumped up and ran behind the fruit bowl to hide herself. Of course this would not bring much since Thomas could simple pick the dish up, but it was enough to show their displeasure.
"Hey, what's the matter?" It's just a leash, nothing dangerous. Just a long piece of string. "she heard his voice. Yeah, a cord that will break my neck if you tug on it! As she had expected, he took the bowl aside and quickly grabbed her. Reluctantly, she squirmed in his grip, which this time was a little harder than before. "Now just be quiet, why do you stretch yourself because on that? Sooner or later you have to get used to it. I want to go outside with you in the future" He said with a certain impatience and severity in his voice that made Sophie wince. He seemed to want to seize this moment and moved the end of the leash up at her head. But she reacted before he could get too close, and waved her arms around wildly to ward off his hand.
Thomas looked at her a little angry, and his grip got a little tighter. The girl immediately stopped in her movements and began to tremble anxiously. What if he punished her but if she would not obey him? If what he said yesterday, were just empty words? Frightened, she closed her eyes in which tears gathered. She felt his hand came closer and then a brief, barely noticeable pressure against her collar. "You see? Was not all that bad. It is already over." He said calm at once and his grip loosened. Sophie carefully opened her eyes and saw that the leash – an about four centimeter thick rubber rope- was merged with the material of the collar. She forcefully pulled on it a few times, but it did not get loose. Then she looked back at Thomas, who now made a contented face, which she answered with a furious look. "Don't act like that! This is just for your safety. And now we go out. Maybe that cools you off somehow.", He said a little offended and walked out of the kitchen, down the hall and then into his bedroom. There was a large glass door that led into the garden. When he opened it, a breath of fresh air brushed over Sophie, which made her forget for a second, as she felt uncomfortable with this leash. Thomas stepped outside and walked past a flower bed and two flowering trees, which went up to his chest and walked on the spacious lawn in the middle of the property. From what she could the see, everything was very well maintained and looked really beautiful. Sophie would have never expected that he has a green thumb.
Tom was still a little annoyed by Maya's disobedient behavior. He could just not understand why was so upset because of a simple leash. But when he thought about it, this was not entirely uncommon. His dog, whom he had had as a child, had initially fought against a collar and leash and first had to be convinced that it was necessary. Surely she would soon get used to it and maybe even understand that it was important to wear it. Luckily it was still quite warm outside and the grass was dry enough to sit on. Carefully, he made himself comfortable on the grass, wrapped the other end of the leash around his left wrist and put the Twimp carefully on the floor.
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Sophie's bare feet touched the soft ground and she took a deep breath. Since the lawn was mowed well, she could look over the grass without any problems since it just went up to herknees. However, the stalks stood very tight and were significantly thicker than normal grass. She tried to walk a few meters, but it was not easy. On one hand it was hard to pave the way through the vegetation and on the other she felt the weight of the thick rope around her neck, which was anything but pleasant. Nevertheless, she enjoyed being in the fresh air and wondered how she could make the best of it.
The girl was a little startled when she heard the giant moving behind her. As she turned, she saw, that he lay on his back, his free hand under his head and the left, where he held the line, placed on his stomach. “Just walk around, Little one. "He said and it sounded a little tired. Sullenly Sophie pulled and the thick rope that had caught itself in the stalks behind her loosened a little. Somehow she got the feeling that this was really not a dream. It all feels so real ... and why should I come up with being the pet of a giant?
She casted a glance back to Thomas, whose chest heaved and fell in a slow rhythm. From their position she could not see its head, but she was almost sure he was asleep. Again, she stared at the leash. Without this stupid thing, it might have been a good moment to escape. But if she really thought about it, she would not get far. She was barefoot and all their equipment for an outdoor survival was still in this cage. She was determined that she would not even make it out of this garden, at least if the wild animals here were just as huge as everything else. And maybe she would still have the misfortune to be found by another giant, who perhaps treated her much worse than Thomas. Sighing, she turned around, struck her face to the sun and enjoyed the warmth for a moment.
But then a loud rustling caught her attention, which came from one of the hedges that surrounded the garden. Only a second later, Sophie saw what had caused it: It was a huge raccoon who sniffing moved around the garden. Oh God! Raccoons eat no people ... at least not normal sized. But whether she on his menu, or not, but his size was enough fear about. Nervous and uncertain, she retreated a few steps. But that was exactly the wrong thing, because suddenly the animal lifted its head and seemed to fix her with his big black eyes. Suddenly the raccoon was very purposeful and hurried over to her. The fear that arose in her was justified because, after all a giant furry omnivore, bigger than an elephant was now after her. In her panic, she could think of only one solution:
In a surprisingly quick sprint she ran to the giant who was still slumbering in the grass. Without much thought, she reached for the cloth of his sleeve and pulled herself up to it. She had planned to wake Thomas, as soon as she could safely stand on him, but apparently he seemed to have a very light sleep and sat up straight.. In panic the girl clutched firmly to his sleeve and tried to embrace the broad arm with the legs to find support.
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Tom felt very tired again. Although he was grateful for the variation his new pet offered him, very grateful, but still he could not resist the urge to sleep. In addition, the sun was very pleasant and the grass smelled so fresh and inviting. However, his nap was not particularly restful, as he always had this picture in mind which pursued him for nearly two months now: A young woman standing beside a jasmine bush looked at him with sad and tired eyes. Melissa.
A strange move on his arm pulled him from his dream and let him sit up quickly. He had to get back orientation first and looked around confused. A strange growl made him look to the side. A well-fed raccoon scurried anxiously muttering to hedge and disappeared into the bushes. Tom took a moment to process the situation in his brain. A raccoon? What ... Where's Maya? This strange feeling on his arm he answered this question. The small Twimp clung to his shirt and sleeves, and kicked around pretty helpless. He quickly held his palm under her feet to support her. Quickly the little girl let herself fall into his hand and rubbed her right arm, breathing heavily. Carefully, he lifted her up to his face, so he could see if she was hurt. But other than that she seemed exhausted, he could see nothing bad. But he could not suppress a certain anxiety in his voice: "Are you hurt, Maya?" She seemed confused and looked around anxiously until she gave him a slight shake of the head in response. "The raccoon has scared you, right?" The girl nodded a little hesitantly, as if it would be embarrassed.
Tom tried to imagine what had happened. Probably she got scared ofe the animal fear and tried to wake him to drive it away. However, he was not sure whether she had done it out of opportunism or trust . It was probably the former, because for a good relationship of trust it was probably too early. The little girl changed her seating position, which felt a little strange on his hand and he had to pull himself together, not to flinch. "Well, I think it would be better if we go in again, right? If we are out here next time, I will take better care, promised." He said quietly. But before he got up, he was still wondering whether he should take her in his grip again. Maya seemed to be much more relaxed when she sat on his hand. At least after this shock she had earned a little rest. Still, he cringed his finger a little bit to offer a little protection.
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Sophie would have expected that he would take her back into his firm grip in order to bring her in, instead he let her sit on the open palm, which was much more comfortable. Although the danger to fall was significantly higher, she felt better than in the closed hand, which offered little room for movement. She was still quite shocked by the encounter with the giant raccoon and the extremely dangerous dangling in eight meters height. If more of these intrusive animals roamed outside, it would be very dangerous, even with the right equipment. Too dangerous for Sophie's taste. She better should convince Thomas of what she really was. Before, when they had “talked" to each other, she had actually had the feeling that he'd get it. But this action with the leash was probably more than a clear rebuttal.
The giant closed the door behind him and went into the living room. But instead of putting her back into her cage, he made himself comfortable on the sofa and put his hand on which she sat carefully on the cushion beside him. She gave him a questioning look, he only replied with a nod. Carefully, the girl climbed from his hand and sat to the very solid, but slightly yielding surface with her legs stretched Her eyes wandered back over to Thomas, who seemed to scan the other end of its leash for something. His eyes brightened, suspected that he had found it. He touched a small knob on the hand strap and with a soft thump the cord loosened from her collar, and fell on the cushion.
Chapter 11 - Construction foam and wallpaper paste
Tom wrapped the leash and put it on the coffee table. Then he turned back to Maya, who looked at him confused but also relieved. "Be careful and stay away from the edge, understand?" He said, in a slightly stern tone and she replied with a nod. Then he looked away from her and reached for the phone that still lay where he had put it yesterday: on the coffee table. Yesterday he had forgotten to call his mother, as he had actually promised. He quickly dialled the number, waiting for the dial tone and after several ringing his mother picket up at last.
"Hi Mom, It's me, Tom." "Oh Tommy, I thought you were going to call me yesterday." "Yes, I'm sorry. Somehow, yesterday everything took a long time and everything was pretty exciting. I've just forgotten it." "Well, I can understand, of course. But now tell me, how do you cope with the small Twimp?" Tom looked back over to Maya, who tried to walk on the cushions of the sofa, but it looked very shaky and clumsy. He could not resist a small grin. "Oh, she really is very sweet and seems to be quite smart. I named her Maya. Until now she obeys very well, but I think she still needs a little training." Maya, who had just fallen on all fours, turned suddenly to him and gave him a grim look. Tom cocked his head and looked at her seriously and a bit of rebuking. He could not tolerate that she made faces to him. "Well, that's quite usual for a wild catch. However, I have picked her in the shop because she seemed the least nervous. I think she will quickly settle in with you." Interposed his mother, and Tom turned his gaze from the Twimp again. "But it is good that you just now, I've got news for you." "What kind of news?" "Well, your sister moves back to town." "What? Rina comes back to Runburg? Why? Has she lost her job?" He asked rather surprised. "No, no. She still has a job, but the studio finally moved to the capital, so she had to change the place of residence. Since she has no telephone because of the move, she could not tell you herself. I got a letter from her today. Just be prepared that she will come and see you in the course of the week. "
His face brightened a little. He was always happy to see his little sister, as she almost always managed to cheer him up. Since she had moved away two years ago, the two had had little opportunity to meet. "Well that sounds great. I would really feel better if she would live closer to the family again." He replied happily. "Yes, it calms me, too ... Oh well I'm sorry my dear, I must go to the City Council again. We have to organize the street feast for next month." She said with regret in her voice. "All right, Mama. We can talk another day then. So glad to see you soon then, I love you." "I love you too Tommy. Soon." She said, and then the call ended. Slightly sighing Tom put the handset on the table beside him and looked back to check on Maya. She had paved her way to the armrest, which was a few centimetres taller than her . Nevertheless, she tugged at the fabric and appeared to consider to climb it.
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Sophie came to the conclusion that Thomas could not have put her in a more boring place. It was not very entertaining to watch him on the phone and the cushion provided not just a lot of variety, except for the fact that it was not a good surface to walk on. It was not necessarily very soft, but very flexible, so it felt like walking on a trampoline. When she heard the giant say that she would just need a little more practice, she simply could not help but throw him a dirty look. She was brought up very well, her parents had already taken care of it. But as he said it , it sounded more as if he was talking about a dog whom he wants to teach not to pee on the carpet.
She knew that she just had to obey certain rules while she was living here, but she could stand to be degraded to an animal. She ignored his reproachful look as best as she could, but it was not very easy. After all, the girl did not know how to assess the giant. She was still dependent on his kindness . Then he again turned away from her, she seemed confident that he would probably take no further action and carefully kept on walking. She did not know exactly why, but she had chosen the armrest as a target. At least it was not the edge , which she was not allowed to approach, so he should not get mad about it. And she did not come to near to the giants body so soon again, since she had noticed in the garden, his sudden movements could pose a risk for her.
Sophie was not interested on what he talked on the phone anymore, because it obviously had nothing to do with her. She only heard his loud voice that echoed from above like a lot of loud speakers at a station. After some time she had reached the armrest and felt the fabric. It was no different than that of the woven surface: rough and coarse. At least it seemed to her. For a giant, the material was certainly much more delicate and softer. At the rest the fabric, however, seemed to be a little less tight and if she really tried hard, she could even grab a small fold of it. Curious, she tugged on it a little, as the ground beneath her suddenly jumped up a few inches and tore her off her feet.
Only with some effort she straightened up and glanced behind her. Thomas had leaned on his arms on her arm on 'her' cushion and his head was now just a few meters away from her. "Could you explain me, what you were planning there?" Said the giant in a sceptical tone and looked at her with raised eyebrows. Sophie was a little shocked at the sudden proximity of the man and put on a slightly 'caught in the act' - face. "Did you intend to climb up there?" She shook her head vehemently, as she was not aware of any guilt. But apparently he found her violent denial very suspicious. "I told you, you shall not go to the edges, so you will not fall down. To climb on the armrest, does not keep you from falling off." He said with an acidified face, which quickly lit up again. "Well, maybe Twimps tjust don't think so far ahead. I should not just expect too much from an animal, huh?" With these words, he reached for her again and lifted her slowly up to his face. Sophie looked at him a little angry and sad. How could he still believe that she was an animal? Was, that she understood everything he said, not enough evidence of her intelligence? "Maybe it was all a bit much for today. Just take a rest, while I go shopping." He said quietly and put Sophie back in her cage. Once she was released from his hand, she immediately pulled back into the separate area and sat down on the ground frustrated.
Earlier, she had so great hopes, but as soon as he had put her on this silly leash, they were already gone almost completely. And this comment just erased everything of it. She heard him walking through the house with loud steps, before shutting the apartment door.
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Tom walked along the sidewalk to the supermarket and felt very strange. He could not explain the feeling, but he suspected that it had something to do with Maya. Something was strange about this Twimp. He had never heard that these animals were so attentively and sensibly as the little girl was. Until now he had at least the impression that she understood everything he said. Perhaps he was just imagining it , as he sought desperately for someone who understood him and listened to? Confused, he shook his head. He should not to much of a fuss about it, he really had enough problems.
Tom listlessly pushed the cart through the aisles of the store and collected the things on his shopping list. One of the shelves suddenly attracted his attention. In it were several small cardboard boxes labeled "complete food for Twimps ". Curious, he shook the package, which rattled as if small granules were in it. "Thomas?" Is that you? ", a voice next to him suddenly asked. Tom turned and saw a young blond man in a slightly washed-out denim jacket. "Oh Hello Sven! Man, we have not seen each other in a while," he replied, shaking his offered hand warmly. "Yes, must have been half a year ago. Since my transfer we had not much opportunity to meet. How are you?" Sven asked ,replying the hand shake firmly. "Oh, average I think... There is a lot happening." He said a little evasive and weighed the food parcel a little nervous in his hand. "I would not buy this stuff. It's an absolute waste of money and it tastes horrible." Said the blond man, who apparently felt that he should rather change the subject. "What?" asked Tom and needed a second to understand that he meant the Twimp food. "Oh, I see. Really? I mean, how do you know? Have you tried it?" "Haha! No, I do not, but he did." Sven pointed with his index finger on his breast pocket, which had a strange bump. "Hey Pato, come out for a bit." The bump started to move and soon afterwards a Twimp looked over the edge of the bag. He was much bigger than Maya, and his skin was darker. His black hair was curly and looked very ruffled. Tom stared at the Twimp for few seconds until he waved at him a little sleepy. "He's a little tired. To sit in the pocket makes him alway sleepy." Said Sven. "I would not have thought that you of you keep a Twimp. You've always told me that you found it scary." Observed Tom and could not stop staring at the small Pato, who looked quite mature already. "Well, I did not 'purchase' him. Lea and I have found him. Some idiot has abandoned him at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere. And since the owner could not be found, we took him in. " Sven looked down at the Twimp and winked at him, which he replied. "And it seems, you also have a little friend with you, otherwise you would not even look for food." "Um, yes. Yesterday my mother bought a female for me. Very cute, but needs a little education." He replied. Sven frowned at this comment. "Maybe you should let he settle in first, before you try to ... uh .... educate her. For us and Pato this had worked very well, right?" Said Toms counterpart and looked at his Twimp, who nodded approvingly. "Hey, your Twimp understands everything that you say, too?" "Yes, of course. This is actually the case with everyone of them. But the most people are not taking time to talk with them. I am a little surprised that you have found that out after such a short time." Said the blond one , a little surprised, but was distracted by Pato, who tugged on his jacket and then tapped his fingers on the wrist as if he would point to a wristwatch. Sven reacted immediately when he looked at his clock and was almost a little pale. "Oh man, I completely forgot that I'm really in a hurry. If I do not soon bring Lea her pudding soon, she'll dismantle the house ... So, I must go now, unfortunately. Well, see you again. And forget about this food, it tastes like wallpaper paste with construction foam-taste. "he said as he shook Tom's hand in farewell. "Oh, okay. See you soon. And my regards to your wife." Tom said, turning back to his shopping list. But actually he did not really read what was written on the note. Instead he wondered how a Twimp could gesture the words ' wallpaper paste with construction foam-taste' . At least he decided not to buy the food . The small quantities, Maya ate, he could branch off of its own food. While the rest of his shopping, he wondered whether he could take Maya to the city in his pocket, too. But maybe he should wait a little longer so until she had got used to him a bit more.
The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. Maya behaved very reluctant and ignored him most of the time. Even as he cleaned out her cage and filled up water and food, she just lay on her bed and seemed to be dozing. Tom did not know exactly how he should interpret this behaviour: Was she still stubborn because of the leash or just exhausted from her strange dance, and this raccoon story? He decided to leave her in peace, simply because he had no idea what to do with her today
He sat down to watch TV, like yesterday, until he was too tired and went to bed. Before he left the living room, he cast a quick glance at Maya, which was no lying down anymore, but sat right down on her sleeping place. "Good night little one. See you tomorrow." He said quietly and turned off the light.
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Since Tom had gone to the shop, Sophie was very withdrawn. Normally she was not the type of person who gave up fast, but today she had no strength to even start any further actions. The only thing she wanted was to come home to her parents and friends. But how could she do that? Would a door ever open again, which would bring her back? If I ever encounter a door which I could open up myself ... For today, she simply decided that she would rest to be fit to survive to the next day. After all, anything could happen.
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