Jacki and the Giant Read online

  EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2019 T. Lee Garland

  ISBN: 978-1-77339-893-8

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Audrey Bobak

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  To Roy Brandon Armstrong, the little girl in me will be eternally grateful for you in my life. You were always my champion. A giant among mortal men.

  I love you.

  I miss you.

  Thank you, Uncle Roy.

  JACKI AND THE GIANT

  Naughty Fairy Tales

  T. Lee Garland

  Copyright © 2019

  Chapter One

  “Get out, freak!”

  Jacki stared at the thin man with the bald head and overly large mustache. She had followed her nose and the sweet scent of baking bread into the dark bar. She ignored the other unpleasant scents of unwashed bodies and spilled ale. Her last meal had been days ago and she was hungry. Only a handful of tables were occupied by men nursing drinks, but this early in the day, that was to be expected.

  Jacki, as usual, garnered unwanted attention. She felt the heat of the occupants’ stares and her cheeks burned with humiliation at the giggles behind her back.

  “Barkeep, I only seek work in exchange for food and a place to lay my head,” Jacki pleaded. This was the third town she had stopped at in as many days—all with the same answer.

  The man was already shaking his head no, so Jacki hurried on, “I’m strong and a very hard worker. You’ll have no trouble from me.”

  “I don’t hire freaks.” Mustache Man growled it out, all the while continuing to wipe down the bar’s counter. A petite blonde with half her bosom spilling out walked past Jacki and gave her a cheeky grin. The barkeep paused long enough to swat her on the backside. “That’s my girl, Molly. She brings in the men, not the likes of you. Order and pay or get out, or I’ll throw you out meself.”

  Jacki blinked quickly, trying to keep the tears at bay. Oh, how she wanted to order, but she didn’t have a penny to her name. A handful of men at nearby tables heard the exchange and laughed out loud. “Freak she is, but I’d do her if I wasn’t scared she would break me pecker off.” More laughter followed his comment. Jacki felt like she was going to be sick.

  Another crude man called out, “Yeah, but you would have to do her on your tippy toes or an overturned bucket to reach her puss.”

  Much laughing and back slapping ensued. “Check out that hair. If it matches what’s on her puss, it could be worth a go at. I’ve never dipped me dick in a fire pit before.” The crude man cackled.

  Jacki felt her face flame. She turned quickly to exit and lost her balance when her head swam. Please don’t let me shame myself by passing out here.

  “Careful, miss,” A well-dressed gentleman steadied her, keeping her from falling face-first on the dirty floor. Jacki raised her head and managed to stagger to the door, blinded by her tears and weak from hunger. She pushed her way out and around the corner to a nearby alley where she leaned against the wall and slid to the cold ground. Freak. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard that word. She had been called a freak since the age of twelve when she had hit a growth spurt that had left her at almost six feet tall and a good head above most men. If it was one thing Jacki had learned about men, they didn’t like it when a woman was taller. They felt intimidated, perhaps even less of a man around the likes of her.

  “Are you all right, miss?”

  Jacki wiped quickly at her face, smearing tears with travel dust and blurring the wet tracks that made their way to her chin. She chanced a look up to see the older gentleman who had steadied her earlier. He was dressed all in black, except for a snow-white caveat at his throat. His dark golden hair was neatly smoothed back from his face. He was a short, chubby fellow with a long nose and kind, dark eyes. He nervously twirled a hat in his hand. “Are you unwell?” he asked.

  Jacki squared her shoulders. “Thank you, but I am in perfect health. I’m just travel-weary and most hungry.”

  He squatted in front of her, seemingly unaware of the fact that his spotless clothing may get dirty. “Have you any family, miss?”

  It was on her tongue to say that she had a stepbrother, but for some reason, a little voice in her head encouraged her not to. After all, they weren’t blood kin and Tavis was evil. He would no doubt come after her and make her pay for the strike to the head she had given him. There had been so much blood. What if she had killed him? No, he had moaned and looked at her with hate-filled eyes when he had tried to stagger after her. She closed her eyes. If Tavis found her, she would be doomed. Her fate would be in his hands and he would show her no mercy, as he was malicious and wicked. Her decision made, Jacki answered the odd little man. “No, sir, I have no one.”

  The neatly dressed gentleman nodded in sympathy or perhaps approval, Jacki couldn’t be sure. “And what is your age?”

  “I have known eighteen winters.”

  “This may seem an odd question, but do you frighten easily or succumb to vapors?”

  Jacki wrinkled her brow and thought hard. The other girls had always screamed for help at the sight of a spider or snake and boys would come and rescue them, but not Jacki. Taller than any of the boys, she had screamed for no one, because no one would come. Instead, Jacki had always saved herself. Squaring her shoulders, she knew that was what she had to do now too. No prince on a white horse was coming for her. She was alone in this world. Hunger ate at her empty stomach and night would be here in just a few hours. In addition, Tavis may be nearby. Her options were few. Whatever the kind man intended with his odd questions, she would play along for now. Perhaps a job offer was forthcoming. “No, sir, I am calm in nature, despite my unfortunate hair color,” she said.

  His face lightened and he appeared to have come to a decision. “I find your hair color quite … unique. Such a bright red is not often seen in creatures of nature. Just one more question, miss. What are you called?”

  Jacki swallowed. “My mother named me Jacinda, but she always called me Jacki.”

  He frowned. “Why would she give you such a beautiful name, but not call you by it?”

  Jacki hung her head. “I suspect she didn’t think me worthy of a beautiful name, sir, especially after I grew so tall and ungainly.”

  The gentleman stood and Jacki realized he was barely five feet tall, if that. “Phish posh! I shall call you Jacinda and you may call me Hollis. I have a gift for you, Jacinda.” The man opened his hand and five dried beans appeared.

  Jacki frowned. The beans would do little to appease her demanding stomach and they would have to be cooked before she could even eat them. How exactly did he expect her to cook them? She didn’t want to hurt the kind man’s feelings. “Thank you, sir. I’m sure once cooked they will be delicious.”

  Jacki reached to take them from his hand and he snatched his hand back. “No, no, dear, they are not to be eaten. These are magic beans. That will lead you to what you seek most in this life.”

  What she sought most were a full belly, clean clothing, and a warm bed. Hollis was addled in the head, but otherwise harmless. The very thought of magic beans had Jacki sighing with disappointment. “Very well, magic beans … don’t eat them. I got it.” She opened her hand for him to
drop them inside, but still, he hesitated. Jacki really needed to be on her way. She had to find work before nightfall or she would once again be forced to sleep under the wintery sky. “Okay, Hollis, how do I use these magic beans to help find what I seek most?”

  Hollis smiled. “Well, then, when you are most fearful and in dire need, drop them to the ground and climb, but remember to never, ever eat them.”

  Jacki held her palm up, wiggled her fingers at him. “Very well.” Hollis placed them in her hand and she, in turn, slipped them inside her cloak in her dress pocket without giving them a second glance.

  Hollis pulled her to her feet with a surprising strength. “Now off with you, and Miss Jacinda, remember when you are in dire need only, drop them to the earth and climb up. I will look forward to seeing you again someday soon. Ahhh, yes, Jacinda, one more thing, remember, not all is as it seems. Good can look bad and bad can appear as good. Do not judge with your eyes, but with your heart.”

  Didn’t she know that already? Life had been cruel to her in the looks department, but Jacki thought of herself as a good person. She had always obeyed her parents and helped when she could. Though right now, it was she who needed the help and there was none in sight.

  Jacki started to walk away, the odd little man’s words ringing in her ears. She turned back to say thank you one more time, but Hollis had disappeared. Her hand automatically went to her pocket and she touched the beans. They were certainly real, magic or not. “What a peculiar little man.” She spoke out loud to no one. She pulled her cloak tighter around her and glanced to the sky. Gray clouds were gathering and snow could be smelled in the air. She needed shelter for the night or it could very well be her last.

  Jacki began walking through the village. It was a small village, not nearly as large as the one she had come from. It appeared older, ragged, and rundown in places. Almost like the villagers no longer cared but just existed. People were out, hurrying past, and she received several looks and whispers her way. Jacki kept her head up and watched with sadness as some even went so far as to cross the street rather than walk past her. She hunched her shoulders and attempted to look smaller, less of a freak. Jacki sighed. She could already see she wouldn’t find help in this village. The people weren’t friendly and made it clear by their actions they didn’t like or welcome strangers. They wanted her gone.

  An older man, up ahead, was pushing a small cart and yelling out, “Meat pies. Hot meat pies here, baked fresh this morning. Get your hot meat pies.”

  Jacki’s mouth flooded with moisture and for a moment she became dizzy at the thought of food. What she wouldn’t give for a hot meat pie or two. Her hands went to her pockets, even though she knew she had no coins. She had fled Tavis’s attack with only the clothing on her back. She wondered if she could convince the man to take the so-called magic beans in payment for a pie. The fact that she was starving was a dire situation, was it not?

  “Sir.”

  The man turned her way and his beady, dark eyes traveled up and down her body with what could only be described as contempt. “Sir, I have no coin, but I have these magic beans, given to me this day, by a kind stranger.” Jacki pulled the beans from her pocket and showed them to the man. Would you take them in trade for a pie?” Jacki asked hopefully. She licked her lips in anticipation of sinking her teeth into the warm, meaty goodness.

  “Witch! Be gone, witch!” The man whose head didn’t even come to her shoulders reached out and shoved her. Jacki staggered backward and almost tripped over her cloak. “Witch!” he screamed again, this time louder and spittle flew from his mouth. People on the street stopped to stare.

  “Stop calling me that. I am not a witch,” Jacki hissed back angrily, but a crowd had begun to gather and Jacki got nervous.

  The man waved a pie around and shouted again. “Witch, I order you gone from this place!”

  Jacki’s eyes followed the erratic movement of the pie in his hand. The aroma floated her way with every wave of his arms. She had never stolen anything before but, without much thought, she reached out and snatched the pie from his hand and ran. Behind her, she could hear shouts of outrage and pounding feet. They were coming after her. She ran toward a wooded area as fast as her tired legs could carry her. She clutched the stolen pie tightly, not even taking the time to eat it.

  Within minutes, she heard the yelps of dogs. They had dogs hunting her now like she herself was an animal. Fear like she had never known squeezed at her heart. She wanted to stop running when the pain in her side became almost unbearable, but the sound of the hounds as they grew closer kept her going. Never had she felt so alone, so desperate, or so frightened.

  Jacki ran until she came to a rock wall and looked up. It was a mountain she would have to try to climb it if she had any hope of not getting caught and hanged, or worse, burned at the stake. She doubled over at the waist and tried to catch her breath. The mountain wouldn’t be an easy climb and she was weak from exhaustion and the lack of food. To beat it all, she had dropped the meat pie somewhere along the way. She raised her eyes to the heavens but all she could see was the wall of the mountain. Wetness struck her face and she watched in disbelief as fat, wet flakes started falling from the sky … snow. It was quickly coating the ground and would no doubt make it easier for her hunters to track her footprints.

  She was a positive person and refused to give in to hopelessness, but her circumstance was most dire. She could hear the men and dogs growing closer. “Please help me,” she whispered to the heavens. Jacki shoved her fingers into the pockets of her dress to warm them and felt the forgotten magic beans. Hollis’s words came back to her. Use them when you are most frightened. She had never been more so. Drop them to the ground and climb. What did she have to lose? They would be upon her in mere minutes and her death would be imminent.

  After pulling the beans from her pocket, she let them fall to the frozen earth. Before her very eyes, they sank down past the layer of snow and the hardened dirt of winter. Just like that, a thick, green stalk sprang quickly from the barren ground. In just a matter of seconds, the stalk ran parallel to the side of the mountain. “Amazing, they are magic,” Jacki whispered. The stalk quickly rose higher and disappeared into the heavy, snow-laden clouds.

  The sounds of men shouting, “Over there,” had her making a quick decision. She would climb the stalk. Its sturdy leaves and branches resembled a ladder and would be easier than going up or around the mountain itself. If nothing else, perhaps she could stay up at the top of the beanstalk until the dogs and men grew weary and left.

  “Look up there!” Jacki paused about ten feet up and looked down. Below her, a mob of men with thick clubs and sticks in hand, along with five or six dogs, circled the front of the stalk. “I’ll go get an axe,” one called out to the group.

  “Or, we could set the entire thing on fire and watch the thieving witch burn!” another yelled. Jacki recognized him from the pub. She raised her eyes up. How fast could she climb if the stalk was set ablaze?

  An older man below laughed. “Let the red-headed witch go. The giant will get her. He will grind her bones to eat for his dinner. We’ll never have to worry about the freak again.” Laughing, the lot of them stood and watched while she climbed higher and higher. Her legs and arms shook with the effort. The man’s words vibrated through her head. Who was the giant and would he really grind her bones for his dinner? Apparently, she was destined to find out because going back down wasn’t an option. Not if she hoped to live.

  Chapter Two

  Ben stomped his feet, knocking off the snow that had accumulated on his walk from the barn. The snowstorm had come up fast with little warning and he’d hurried to gather the animals in for the night and see that they were fed, watered, and safe. It got dark early these days and the gloomy clouds weren’t helping. Barely late afternoon and already it was rapidly looking like night was upon them. He wasn’t a fan of the snow or the early darkness. Both only added to his isolation. The nights were always too long. If he c
ould only find sleep for a few hours, the loneliness that was his life wouldn’t matter. Who was he trying to fool? Even sleep couldn’t mask his isolation.

  He entered his cottage, hung up his cloak on a nearby peg, and made his way to the stone fireplace. The massive structure took up a large portion of the space in the middle of the room. He had banked the fire when he went out to see to the animals. With only one window, the room had grown murky and dark. He didn’t need to bother lighting a candle or lamp. He had been born in this cottage and knew his way around it without added light. Bending at the waist, he lifted the top off the cast-iron pot that sat on the fringes of the fire.

  The aroma of stew that had been cooking since the early morning wafted out and sent his only companion, a fat, yellow tabby named Puss Puss, running his way. Ben carefully selected choice cuts of meat and set them aside to cool for the impatient cat who circled at his feet. “Wait ’til it cools.” Reaching down, he rubbed the cat along its back before spooning out a generous bowl of stew and making his way to the table with it.

  He ate silently, automatically, and once he had eaten his fill, he set his bowl in a pail of water to wash later. He pulled back the plain bit of rough flour sack that he utilized as a curtain and peered through the window to the outside. Already the snow covered everything for as far as he could see and it was still coming down in a steady, relentless pace. It was fueled by an insistent, howling wind. Ben sighed. “Looks like we’ll be stuck inside for a while just the two of us, Puss Puss.” He picked the cat up and carried her to an even darker corner of the cottage. Nights like this, he missed having companionship the most. His father’s death two years ago had left a lonely void in his life, one that he had no idea how to fill. In theory, he would like a wife and children, but women ran from him in fear and he couldn’t really blame them. He took a seat and began to rhythmically rub the cat’s soft fur. Ben’s eyes soon grew heavy, lulled to sleep by the soft purrs of his friend and the howls of the angry winds outside.