The Giant (G/T)

Part 13

The next spell I attempted was the growth spell. To be frank, I wanted to do certain things with my boyfriend that I couldn't accomplish at my current size. However, thus far I had only been able to grow double or triple my size, and only for a couple of minutes at the most. For perspective, that meant even with the spell at its most potent I was still smaller than Chester's hand.

Disappointed, I moved on to manifesting portals, with equally limited success. Lightning spells were harder for me to use, and worked better during a storm or near electrical devices. Initially, no portals appeared at all, just little balls of electricity shedding cobalt sparks. With practice, I made tiny portals appear, keyholes to another world that I could peek through. I could see little snippets of the human world, but I felt farther away from home than ever. I kept making more portals, this time the size of windows. I managed to keep them stable long enough for me to be able to pass through, but I didn't want to travel there yet, until my spells were more reliable. I didn't want to unintentionally strand myself without any way to get back to Chester.

One afternoon, there was another lightning storm brewing, so I decided to try and make a portal outside. Chester came out with me to keep me company. He sat on the porch steps behind me, watching me practice. I made a good-sized portal that was remarkably well-casted. From this side I could see my parent's farmhouse.

"Should I go through this time?" I asked Chester.

"You might as well," he replied. "I think you've practiced enough that you should be able to come back. I'm sure your folks are very worried about you." He picked me up in his hand and gave me a kiss. "I'll be waiting for you here. Take as long as you need."

As Chester made a motion to put me back on the ground, a bolt of bright blue lightning shot out of the sky and struck the portal. The portal exploded outward in a huge wave and showered us in blue sparks. In a flash, the portal expanded exponentially and sucked up Chester, with me still in his hand. It all happened so quickly, neither of us fully comprehended what happened.

Chester toppled out of the portal and fell with a tremendous crash on his rear end in an open field. I tumbled out of his hand a short distance and landed on the ground in between his legs. The portal, after spitting us out, fizzled with a stream of sparks and vanished. I stood up, dusted off my pants, and surveyed our surroundings. My parent's house wasn't far from us; I needed to rush over there and explain to them what was going on before they saw the giant in their backyard and freaked out. I had no doubt Chester shook the whole house when he fell on the ground with his huge bulk.

"H-hey..." Chester spoke up. I looked up at his face. He looked completely bewildered to the point of almost fear. "What just happened? Why... everything is so small!" He coiled his fingers around a nearby tree, which did indeed look diminutive next to his giant hand. I recognized how confused he must be, since he had never been in a human-sized world before. I recalled how difficult it had been for me to adjust to the Land of Giants, where everything was so big.

"Chester," I explained slowly, "this is the human realm." I pointed toward the house. "My parents live in there. They are going to panic if they see you." The house probably wouldn't even come up to his knees if he stood up. "Just... stay here for a minute. Don't get up."

Chester had a look of increasing alarm in his eyes but nodded at my words. He absently ran his fingers through the field of corn next to him, like a regular person might run his hand through grass. I didn't have time to reassure him; I needed to get to the house. I started to run in that direction, but I was too late. My dad had already come out with a big shotgun, with my mom following close behind. I waved my hands above my head to get their attention.

"Dad! Mom! Everything is okay!" I yelled in an effort to deescalate the situation.

"Jackie!" they shouted in unison. A rush of emotions cycled over their faces, but I noticed fear was dominant. "Over here! Hurry, run!" My father rushed towards me with urgency, brandishing his weapon towards Chester. He raised the gun to his eye to aim, and put his finger on the trigger.