Holiday G/T Stories:
Snow Globe (2)
Oskar glanced up towards the sky when he heard the thudding footsteps of the resident giant. The sky seemed to darken, as an enormous face came into view, breaking through the clouds.
"Hey, Oskar." It rumbled, and Oskar smiled. Heads turned towards Masen, yet, no one panicked.
Oskar raised a gloved hand and waved towards the gigantic human. It was a routine, really. Masen would greet them once in a while, and then moved on with his day, occasionally sticking around to chat once in a while.
It wasn't too bad, having Masen around.
Then, as days passed, Masen had the figured out everything about the gemstone on the base of the snow globe. All he had to do was touch it, even the slightest brush, and he would be transported in the snow globe, down to Oskar's size.
Recently, Masen had been bustling around a bit more. He hadn't given the townspeople much explanation, but Oskar knew the benevolent giant would tell them sooner or later.
Oskar's thoughts were interrupted by a loud, booming thump that resounded for miles around him. Glancing back up, he met Masen's apologetic gaze.
"Sorry!" He hissed, smiling small. "Didn't mean to startle anyone." Oskar noticed the large, darkened structure that blocked his view of Masen, settled on the table as it was.
"I've got something," Masen continued, "From my new job." His eyes were sparkling excitedly. "And since you guys haven't really had a taste of my world yet, I thought I might introduce you guys to something, since you let me try one of those awesome pies."
Oskar chuckled a little at the 'taste' pun. During Masen's latest visit, the townspeople had suggested that he try a slice of one of their coveted mint-berry pies.
Of course, Masen immediately fell in love with it.
So, it piqued Oskar's interest when it seemed that Masen was about to bring some of his foods to give to the village. A small vibration shook the ground as one of Masen's hands descended down to tap something out of sight of the townspeople. Then, with a faint howl of far-off wind, he was gone from view.
"Masen's gonna visit!" Liya cheered, and Jae soon after, as the scurried away to the hill that Masen always seemed to pop up at.
"Those kids." An old woman - Ping, Oskar knew - shook her head with a smile as she passed by. "They're so excited to see him." She turned her head to face Oskar. "You'd expect excitement to die down, especially after the past month."
"Agreed." Oskar chuckled, gently clasping his hands around Ping's, helping her walk to her small, cozy hut. "Lucky that they do, though. It's nice to have some constant energy running through the village."
She chortled and gazed fondly around the village. "Nothing but the truth."
"Papa!" Jae called, hands clutched around Masen's leg. "We found him!"
Masen was carrying two large boxes out of a papery, brown material, and he grinned at Oskar. "Turns out it's not as consistent as I thought." He nodded his head to his right. "Went over there, instead of at the hill." His cheeks were already rosy from the cold, and his breaths came out in short, steamy puffs.
"In any case, welcome back." Oskar said, arms outstretched. "Would you like some help with those boxes? They look quite unwieldy."
"Ah, I should be fine!" Masen shook his head quickly. "Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, anyways."
"It smells real nice!" Liya chirped, rocking on her heels. "Like pie, but sweeter!"
"Yeah, sorta." Jae agreed.
Ping raised an eyebrow. "Sweeter than mint-berry pie? Now that's impressive."
"Well, it is a bit sweet..." Masen trailed off, and he set a box down on the snowy ground, and then opened the second one, revealing brightly colored... loops? Of dough.
"Ta-da!" Masen presented the treats with flourish. "They're donuts, with icing and sprinkles." His enthusiasm didn't go unnoticed by Oskar. "I work at a bakery now."
"Wow!" Jae squeaked, eyes roving over the pastries. "They're so colorful!"
"Indeed," Ping leaned in, inspecting them. "They're quite vibrant. How did you get the color into the... icing?" She tested out the word, carefully.
"We use artificial colors - they're... manmade. You can't find 'em in plants or fruits." Masen frowned, trying to come up with the right words. "And we just mix it in with some sugar and milk... along with other things."
"Interesting." Oskar murmured, eyes alight with intrigue. "Your life is pretty different from ours. Even the pastries are unique!"
Masen shook his head with a smile. "Naw, we also have pies." He hefted the box up slightly. "None of them are as great as yours, though."
He carefully picked out a donut, wrapped in what seemed to be a paper sleeve. He extended his hand, motioning for Oskar to take it. "Now, would you like to try? There should be enough for everyone to get one."
Oskar nodded. "That'd be wonderful. Thank you." He carefully took the 'donut', gently crinkling the paper in his fingers. He lifted it to his mouth, and took a bite of the treat. His eyes widened significantly.
"Woah!" He blinked, feeling the raw blast of sugar and sweetness strike his taste buds. "That's some strong stuff!"
Masen laughed. "Yep. It's also really sticky... so don't get it on your clothes, or your fingers." He winced, as he remembered his childhood. "It's a pain to clean off."
Oskar chewed slowly on the dough ring. "It certainly is different," He mused, a small smile on his face. "Thank you, Masen."
Jae and Liya were already gnawing on two of the pastries, and Masen was handing one to Ping when he turned around. "No problem, Oskar! Think of it as a thanks for being so hospitable."
Oskar smiled back. "Well, this was a new experience." He carefully handed back the now empty paper sleeve, frowning slightly in confusion as Masen crumpled it up and tossed it into the box. "I'll never understand how your lifestyle works."
"As will I." Masen said, as he hefted up the box. "Now, would you mind helping me hand this out?"
Oskar grabbed the second box. "No, I don't." He shook the snow off of the box, and briefly glanced up at the sky, where the sprawling, looming shapes of Masen's room was visible.
It wasn't bad at all, having Masen around.
***NOT PROOFREAD***
Just wanted to get a small extra story out, involving how Masen and the snow globe people have worked out living together.
