A Giant's Grace

Chapter 10

"Grace, I'm going out. I have a couple of errands to run," Aaden called softly into the cabinet that her tent occupied. No response. She was probably still asleep. Just as he was about to turn away, he heard Grace's voice. 

"Wait!"

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. But what about my leg? How will I get food and water when you're gone?"

"Right..." Aaden felt somewhat dim for having neglected the though of Grace's needs. 

"Um...could I actually, um, come with you?" Grace requested timidly. In truth, her query about the food and water had just been an excuse to better get to know Aaden. Because he had saved her life, she felt some sort of obligation to understand and accept him for who he was. 

"Are you sure you want to?" Aaden asked. "I mean, it'll be boring, and you'll have to stay out of sight for a while."

Grace considered this for a second, then answered confidently (at least she hoped it was confident), "I'm sure."

Aaden tried to conceal the happiness he felt, but he couldn't help but let a slight smile shine through. He had been hoping to bond with Grace, and now was the perfect chance. "Alright. I'll just get my coat and you can sit in the front pocket." He left the room before peaking his head back in, realizing that he had forgotten something important. "If you're cool with that?" Grace nodded her head in approval, which Aaden was barely able (but still able) to tell from across the room. 

He was brimming with excitement as he put his coat on. Imagining Grace in his coat pocket, nice and cozy, made his heart feel perfectly pleased. 

A minute later, Aaden's imagination had become a reality, and it was just as cute as he had expected it to be. As he walked out to his car, he saw his miniature friend all wrapped up in the handkerchief he had brought her, and it was as if he couldn't feel the cold of late autumn for a second. He slid into the driver's seat of his car, careful to not cause much turbulence to his tiny passenger, before noticing that she had already obscured her head from any potential passerby. 

"Oh, Grace, you don't have to do that yet."

She poked her head out. "Oh."

"Don't worry, I'll tell you when to hide and when the coast is clear."

"You make this sound like a spy mission."

Aaden let out a small laugh. "Maybe I do."

"You did."

"I did."

As they pulled out of the driveway, Grace fell into an astonished silence. After a couple of moments, all she could let out was a quiet, "Woah, is this thing alive?"

"No, it's gas powered," Aaden answered. "Must be pretty cool, though, seeing it for the first time."

"It really is." She had no idea what type of gas could make something move so fast. 

About 15 minutes later, Aaden pulled into the parking lot of the mall. This was where he did most of his shopping for clothes, groceries, appliances, and other essentials. Today, he was here to grab groceries and some stuff to make a more permanent living space for Grace. 

"Alright Grace, it's time."

"Ok." She sat, making herself short enough to not peek out of his pocket. 

"Are you comfortable? I don't want you getting cramps or anything in there."

"One second." She turned her body to the side and stretched her legs out. "Ok, perfect." The especially convenient aspect of this arrangement was that Grace could see Aaden and vice versa, but no one else could see Grace. 

After a few minutes, Aaden fell into his usual rhythm of getting groceries, humming a tune as he did so. 

Grace felt the sound drift into her ears from all around her, and felt the calming vibration of Aaden's voice. It was a little bit scary at first, but now it was soothing. Surrounded by cozy fabric and the melodious sound of Aaden's voice, Grace found sleep easily.