Little Giant--Big Trouble (4 page)

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Authors: Kate McMullan

BOOK: Little Giant--Big Trouble
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“So a giant stole a dragon,” said Zelnoc. “And you want me to...what?”
“Help me find him,” said Wiglaf. “He’s only a little dragon, and he’s sick. And I need to find my friends, too.”
The wizard’s eyes lit up.
“I have just the thing!” he exclaimed. He reached under his hat and pulled out a long, fluffy yellow feather. “Ta-da!”
Wiglaf was confused. “What is that?”
“This is my very own invention.” Zelnoc waved the feather. “Eat your heart out, Zizmor!”
“Will the feather help me find Worm?” Wiglaf asked.
“Not...exactly,” said Zelnoc.
“Will it help me find my friends?” asked Wiglaf.
“Well...no,” said Zelnoc.
“Will it help me vanquish the giant?” Wiglaf asked.
“Doubtful,” said Zelnoc.
Wiglaf sighed. This sounded like another one of Zelnoc’s featherbrained ideas.
“Then what can the feather do?” Wiglaf asked.
“Not a feather,” said Zelnoc, sounding insulted. “It’s a quill. A Quickening Quill. It can bring any object to life!”
“Really?” said Wiglaf. He was afraid to think about how many ways a spell like that might go wrong.
“Just watch,” Zelnoc said. He marched up to the nearest boulder and began tickling it with the feather. As he tickled, he chanted:
“Tickle, tickle, how time flies
,
I’m waking you up, so now ARISE!“
Zelnoc stepped back.
A crack appeared across the front of the boulder. Then the crack opened. It was a mouth! And the rock began to speak.
“URGH!” said the rock.
“See? It worked!” Zelnoc cried in delight.
“URGH!” said the rock. Slowly, slowly, it began to roll.
“Wait,” said Zelnoc. “Stop right there, rock.”
“URGH! URGH!” said the boulder. It started rolling faster. And faster. It rolled off down the hill, picking up speed as it went.
“Look at that rock go!” shouted Zelnoc. “What a quill!” He kissed his feather. “I’d better go reverse the spell. Zizmor doesn’t like to have inanimate objects running around. I used the quill on his wizard shoes once. By the time we caught up to them, they were starring in a tap-dancing show in East Ratswhiskers.”
He thrust the quill into Wiglaf’s hand. “Good luck, Waglurp!”
“Wait!” Wiglaf cried. “How do I turn off the spell?”
“Just chant
Gootchie
,
gootchie
,
ham and pickle
!” Zelnoc yelled as he ran after the rock.
“Be as you were before
...
”
The wizard’s voice trailed off in the distance.
“Before
what?”
Wiglaf called after him.
Zelnoc was speeding after the rock and didn’t hear him.
Wiglaf looked at the fluffy yellow feather in his hand.
Now what was he supposed to do?
Chapter 7
 
 
 
 
W
iglaf wondered what in the Dark Forest he might bring to life that would help him find his friends, the giant’s castle, and Worm.
Maybe if he woke up a tall tree, it would be able to see his friends and tell him where they were.
Wiglaf walked around until he found a very tall tree. He took the feather and started tickling under the tree’s branches.
“Tickle, tickle, how time flies
,
”
Wiglaf began.
“Stoooop it!” said a deep voice.
Wiglaf spun around. There was no one behind him.
“Whaaaat in the naaaame of King Aaaarthur aaare you doooing?” said the voice.
“I—I—” Wiglaf stammered. “I’m trying to bring this tree to life.”
Leaves rustled above him. “Isn’t thaaat just like a humaaaaan,” the tree said. “I’m aaaalready aliiiive.”
“You can talk!” Wiglaf said. “Can all trees talk?”
“Whyyy don’t you tiiickle aaaall of theeem and fiiiind ooout?” the tree said. “Aaand theeen
I
caaaan gooo baaaack to sleeeeeep.”
“Wait!” Wiglaf said. “Can you please help me find my friends?”
Leaves rustled again. “Dooo your frieeeends incluuuude a biiig laaaass with a laaaaance? A stout laaaaad? A laaaass who aaaacts like she knooows everythiiing? And a laaaad who’s fooond of cliiiimbing treeees?”
“That’s them!” Wiglaf said excitedly. “Where are they?”
“Sorry. Haven’t seen ’em,” said the tree. Its branches quivered, and Wiglaf had the feeling it was laughing.
“Please tell me where they are,” Wiglaf pleaded.
“Aaaaall riiiight,” said the tree. “If yoooou wiiiill leeeeaf me aloooone. Geeet it?
Leeeeaf
me aloooone?”
“I get it,” said Wiglaf. “Now where are my friends?”
“Gooo foooorty braaaanch lengths thaaaat waaaay.” The tree pointed a branch to the north.
“Thank you, tree,” said Wiglaf. “Nice talking to you. Farewell!”
Wiglaf tucked the feather into his belt and headed north. He went slowly through the dark, feeling his way. He had not gone far when he spied a dim light ahead of him. He heard voices.
“We must find Wiglaf!” Erica was saying.
“I thought he was running right behind me,” Angus said.
“Giants eat people,” Janice said.
“I hope Wiglaf didn’t get eaten!” said Dudwin.
“I didn’t,” said Wiglaf, stepping out from behind a tree into a circle of light from a campfire.
Dudwin leaped up and ran to his brother. He threw his arms around him. “Why do you have a big yellow feather stuck in your belt, Wiggie?” he asked.
“Zelnoc gave it to me,” Wiglaf said. “Something terrible has happened,” he added. “The giant picked up Worm and took him back to her castle.”
“She dragon-napped him?” asked Angus.
Wiglaf nodded. “The giant lass is going to bathe Worm and dress him up in fancy princess clothes and feed him lollipops and keep him in a cage.”
“A cage?” cried Janice. “That’s terrible!”
“Fancy clothes?” said Erica. “That’s horrible!”
“A bath?” cried Dudwin. “That’s the WORST!”
“The lollipops don’t sound so bad,” offered Angus.
“We have to find Worm,” said Wiglaf. He frowned. “But I don’t know which way the giant went.”
“That’s easy,” said Erica. “She’s a giant, so all we have to do is look for giant footprints...and follow them.”
Erica unhooked the mini-torch from her tool belt. She lit it, and WORM began walking in the direction of the Hermit’s Hovel.
“I think she went this way,” said Wiglaf.
Erica, Janice, and Angus followed Wiglaf. Dudwin ran off in the opposite direction.
“Dud, come back!” called Wiglaf.
“Be right there, Wiggie!” Dudwin answered. “I want to climb up a tall tree over...OOPS!”
Wiglaf heard the sound of his not-so-little brother hitting the ground. He and the others ran toward him.
“Dud?” he called. “Where are you?”
“Down here!” Dudwin answered.
Wiglaf and the others looked around.
“Here he is!” said Janice. “He fell in a shallow ditch.” She held out a hand and pulled Dudwin out.
Erica stepped closer and held her mini-torch over the ditch.
“That’s no ditch,” she said. “That’s the giant lass’s footprint!”
“Good job, Dudwin!” said Janice.
Dudwin grinned.
“There’s the next footprint!” said Wiglaf, pointing. “And the next!”
“Come on,” Erica said. “We shall follow them to the giant lass’s castle.”
She pointed her mini-torch toward the ground. The flame made a circle of light just big enough for them to see the footprints.
“I shall be the lookout!” Dudwin yelled, running ahead and scrambling up a tree.
“We don’t need a lookout, Dud!” Wiglaf called. “We’re following footprints.”
But Dudwin was already halfway up the trunk. He came down at last, and the Worm Official Rescue Mission walked on.
After a while, Wiglaf became aware that it was growing light. He glanced up.
“The sun’s up,” said Wiglaf. “We’re not in the Dark Forest anymore.”
“That’s good,” said Angus. “That forest gives me the creeps. I don’t like it when it’s so dark and...” He stopped, looking around. “Whoa, where are we?”
They were standing on a wide dirt path. A path ten times wider than any Wiglaf had ever seen before.
“Why would a path need to be this wide?” asked Janice.
“And what’s with these hedges?” asked Erica. “They’re taller than the hedges at the Royal Palace.”
“Wait a minute,” said Wiglaf. “It’s not a hedge. It’s grass!”
“Grass doesn’t grow this tall,” said Angus.
“This grass does,” Janice said.
Wiglaf shivered. A path wide enough for ten wagons side by side. Grass taller than he was. Where
were
they?
“There’s a sign up ahead,” said Dudwin.
The five stuck very close together as they approached a big sign at the top of a tall pole.
“What’s it say, Wiggie?” asked Dudwin.
Wiglaf leaned his head way back and looked up, up, up. It took him a while, but at last he made out the letters spelling out a message.
“It says
‘You Must Be This Tall to Enter Gigantia,’
” read Wiglaf.
“So this is the Kingdom of Gigantia,” said Erica. “I’ve heard of it, but I never knew where it was.”
“A kingdom of giants!” Janice exclaimed. She blew a giant bubble. “This is so cool! Let us be off!”
“We can’t!” said Angus. “We’re too short to enter. We have to go back.”
“We are on a mission!” said Erica. “Nothing shall stop us from saving Worm. Especially not some stupid sign.”
Wiglaf smiled. Erica was the bravest person he knew.
Chapter 8
 
 
 
 
T
here were more giant footprints on the wide dirt path. “The giant lass must have come this way,” said Erica. “Follow me! Forward, march!”
Erica led the way along the side of the path. The others followed her.
“If someone comes along, we can duck into the grass and hide,” Erica said as they marched.
“I hope Worm appreciates what we’re doing for him,” Angus muttered.
After a while, WORM came to another sign.
This time Janice read it:
“WELCOME TO GIGANTIA, LAND OF GIANTS.
GIANTS ONLY! THIS MEANS YOU!
TRESPASSERS WILL END UP IN THE STEW.”
“We’re really in the Land of Giants!” said Dudwin. “Wait’ll I tell the other Class I kids!”
Wiglaf only hoped Dudwin might live to tell about being here. He felt his knees shaking. He did not want to end up in a stew. But Worm needed their help. They had to go on.
“Fighting giants is better than slaying dragons,” Dudwin said. “Giants have treasure, too, don’t they? Maybe we can get some gold.”
“You sound like my uncle Mordred,” said Angus.
They came to the foot of a hill.
“This hill is going to require some caramel candy,” said Angus, opening his stash bag again.
“I could use a caramel,” said Wiglaf.
“Me too,” said Dudwin.
“We all could,” said Erica.
“How about sharing today, Angus?” said Janice.
Angus sighed loudly. “Just this once,” he said. “Then it’s back to my basic No-Sharing Policy.” He handed each of his friends a single caramel, and they started up the hill.
Erica was first to reach the top.
“Look!” she said. “Over there! A castle!” Wiglaf saw it, too. It stood on the top of a steep, rocky hill.
“We’re not climbing that, are we?” Angus asked. “How do we even know that’s the right castle?”
“You see any others?” asked Erica. “And it’s big-giant-size, in fact.”
“We’re doing this for Worm, Angus,” said Wiglaf. “He needs our help!”
Angus sighed. “This is going to require marshmallows.” He sat down, pulled out his stash of Medieval Marshmallows, and ate them all. He did not offer to share, so the others made do with the remains of their eel sandwiches.
The sun was setting as the Worm Official Rescue Mission started up the steep, rocky hill. Dudwin scrambled up in no time. Angus kept slipping on the stones. Once, he nearly rolled back down.
At last they reached the giant’s castle. It was an old castle with crumbling stones covered in moss and vines. The moat was empty. The castle wall was a jumble of rocks.
Keeping low, the five made their way toward the castle.
Wiglaf heard rumbling. He turned to see a giant wooden cart illuminated by two flaming torches clattering up the hill. It was pulled by a giant donkey, fifty times the size of Lumpen. A giant woman with blond curls sat in the back. The driver was a surly-looking goblin half her size, with swamp green skin, bushy hair, and crooked yellow teeth.
“Hide!” Erica whispered. They all scurried behind a craggy rock and peeked out.
The cart pulled up to the door and stopped.

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