The Giant (G/T)

Part 10

Over the next couple of days, I worked hard towards my goal of finding a way home. Chester had bought me a small chunk of lapis lazuli, a beautiful blue stone with veins of white and gold, from a gem shop. He smashed it with a hammer to create pieces small enough for me to work with. I tied a thread, which proportional to me was more like a thick cord, around a shard of stone to make a magical object in the form of a necklace I could keep on my person.

When I told Chester about the requirement for blood magic, he seemed a little disturbed but willingly obliged by donating to me some of his blood. The blood was thick and unpleasantly metallic in taste, but I forced myself to drink it anyways. I chugged some water afterwards to get the nasty taste out of my mouth. I had researched some of the spells for blood magic and had found them to be highly desirable. Blood magic could be used for healing, food creation, and shifting sizes, albeit temporarily. Lightning magic, the other category I was aiming for, could be used to change the weather, shock or stun enemies, or manifest portals to other realms.

Unfortunately, I had no way of knowing if I had the innate ability to be a wizard, or if I was naturally compatible with either type of magic. For all I knew, I may be wasting my time if I were completely lacking in talent. Nevertheless, I pressed forward, attempting all the tricks and techniques I read about in my books. I practiced chants and meditation relentlessly. I tried to cast spells, to no avail. Despite all my efforts, I didn't seem to be making any progress. There was one last technique I could try, but it wouldn't be easy. The books claimed magical power could be unlocked "under extreme duress or in a life-threatening situation." Of course, I didn't want to put myself in such a frightening situation, and I wasn't even sure how I would do it in a way that didn't actually kill me.

I brought the issue up to Chester after dinner one day, and he ruminated on it for a minute before seeming to get an idea. He went to the fridge, grabbed a beer, popped the cap off, and took it back to the dining room table. He tore the label off and threw it in the trash. I observed his actions with confusion plainly written on my face. He looked back at me with an inscrutable expression. Then, to my shock, he snatched me off the table with a brisk swipe of his hand and dropped me into the bottle. I fell into the beer with a splash. I resurfaced, sputtering, and swam to the edge of the bottle, putting my hands on the glass. I was trapped inside; I had no way of climbing out. I could just make out Chester's massive form through the opaque brown glass.

"Chester!" I yelled with irritation, my voice echoing in the bottle. "Why did you do that?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to drink you up," he replied with a mischievous grin. He picked up the bottle and swirled it in his hand. A mini whirlpool formed in the beer, spinning me around.

"Chester, this is silly. It won't work because I'm not afraid of you." A tremor in my voice betrayed my true feelings. I had to admit, I was nervous. Was Chester actually planning to swallow me? He knew how much that scared me. But that was the whole point, wasn't it? My heart started to pound. He couldn't possibly do that to me, not for real. Could he?

The bottle tilted back, and I realized Chester was taking a drink. I swam with all my strength in the opposite direction. I was swept up through the neck of the bottle, almost to his lips. I barely avoided getting sucked into his mouth. Clearly, he had taken the smallest of sips just to mess with me. I was still shaken nonetheless.

"Chester, I changed my mind. I don't want to do this anymore. Please let me out."

Before Chester could reply, a thunderous knock at the front door startled both of us.

"Chester, are you home?" a bass voice boomed from outside. I looked over at Chester in terror. He was himself in shock; even through the brown glass I could see his face had paled. The front door opened, and a colossal giant walked in, shaking the table with his footsteps. I couldn't see very many details through the glass, only that the giant was, of course, enormous. His vast silhouette moved up to the table, looming over the bottle.