The smell of fresh baked bread wafted through the forest. Ingrid broke the warm bread, carefully pulled out her knife and spread a helping of camembert over the piece in her hand. Mmmm, delicious, she thought.
Ingrid found herself sitting atop a small rise in the middle of the forest with a blanket spread out under her and a wicker basket sat beside her. The sun shone on her as she began to cut slices of zucchini and pop them one by one into her mouth. A perfect day for a picnic.
The blanket was set not far from her house on a long hill. Sitting completely still, Ingrid breathed in the fresh, forest air. The world seemed to be in perfect peace and harmony.
The ground shook. Ingrid's eyes opened wide in a flash. Did that just happen, she asked herself. There was another sharp rumble and her basket tumbled down the rise. Alarmed, Ingrid stood up and quickly gathered her things. Just as she had stuffed the blanket into the basket, the whole earth shook violently. Ingrid fell and rolled down the hill.
As she tumbled, she had the strange sensation that the hill was getting taller. Ingrid kept rolling and rolling but still hadn't reached the bottom. Eventually, she tumbled along the flat forest floor until she bumped her head against a tree.
Ingrid stood up and began to dust herself off. Brushing her hair, she turned swiftly around. "Earthquakes in the forest? Well, I never...!" Her words cut off sharply.
Ingrid found herself staring at a large, large face. It was twice as tall as she was on a particularly tall day. The skin was a leather brown with moss falling slowly off the cheeks. Two massive, green eyes stared at her impassively. Ingrid's jaw dropped and she could get a single word out of her mouth.
"Hello, little one," said a deep voice with such a gust of breath that Ingrid had to brace herself against the tree. Wide eyed, Ingrid leaned to the side and saw that the large head was attached to a massive body. Before her crouched a man the size of a mountain.
"Euh, hello," she said, turning back to the face. "How are you?"
"Not well. Not well at all, little one," he said firmly.
"Oh, well uh..." Ingrid twirled her hair nervously. The giant's nose was only a foot away from her own and massive face dominated her vision.
"You've woken me from my slumber."
"How did I do that?" said Ingrid, surprised.
"You were sitting on my nose. The smell of your fresh bread and..." The giant took a long whiff, "...camembert?"
"Oh, yes. It's ever so delicious."
"Indeed," murmured the giant. "But it has woken me from my sleep. I only laid down a few centuries ago. It is quite unkind to wake someone in the middle of their sleep."
"True..."
The giant did not wait for her to finish. "What is your name, little one?" The stony voice billowed around her.
"I'm Ingrid. I live over in the multi-colored house," she replied factually.
"Well, Ingrid of the Multi-Colored House, I am Ispolin. As it was you who woke me, it is who you must help me get to sleep. Today."
"Well, that doesn't sound too hard," said Ingrid cheerfully. "Just lay back down and you'll be asleep in no time!"
The giant graven brow furrowed. "When I first lay down centuries ago, it took me three decades to fall asleep. I will not wait that long again. It is your duty now to help me to sleep this very day."
"And if I don't?" said Ingrid defiantly.
"If I have not gone back to the land of dreaming by sundown," began Ispolin,
"I'll crush your houses
And devour your crops
I'll rend the trees from the ground
And bury your wells"
"Oh," Ingrid said, wide eyed. "In that case..." Ingrid put her finger on her nose and began to think. Ingrid was clever, the cleverest girl in the world. But she would have put all her cleverness to work here. After a minute, she threw her hand in the air. "Aha! The best thing to do is always ask a friend. And I have lots of friends! We'll put you to sleep in no time!"
Ingrid began marching off into the woods. The giant's legs were so long that he let Ingrid walk for ten minutes before he took each step. Eventually, they arrived at the white gate outside of Ingrid's cottage.
She whistled a short, strange tune, bright and loud. Suddenly, a flock of all types of birds swooped down onto the bushes and branches around her. These were the birds she knew best and they were the wisest and most friendly birds in the forest.
"Hello everyone! This is Ispolin. He's having a little trouble sleeping. What do you do when you cannot sleep?"
The birds looked the giant up and down, craning their necks back to see his face. Some of them tittered nervously. "Ahem," coughed a large crow who hopped closer to Ingrid. "What we do is sing a song, of course!"
"But you're singing all day long. How can you fall asleep that way?" moaned Ingrid.
"Not just any song," the queen of the crows cawed. "A lullaby!"
"Oh, that's perfect!" exclaimed Ingrid. "I'll make one just for you, Ispolin!" Ingrid drew in a deep breath and began singing:
"Hush little uh...giant, don't say a word
Ingrid's gonna sing like a mocking bird
And if that song don't help you...snore
Ingrid's gonna mine you some diamond ore
And if that ore don't cut to gem
Ingrid's gonna buy you...uh...a big sheep pen
And if that big sheep pen gets broke
Ingrid's gonna buy you a mountain goat
And if that mountain goat falls down
You'll still be the sweetest little...er...giant around!"
When she looked back at the giant, he was holding his hands tight over his ears.
"Argh. Your songs are much too noisy. I'll never fall asleep with all that racket! "
The crow squeaked indignantly, scandalized to hear a song be called racket. As Ingrid sat down on a rock, the crow and the other birds leapt into the air and flew off into the trees. Her shoulders sank as she said "Oh, that didn't work at all."
"I hope you're not giving up, little one," rumbled the giant. "Remember, if I am not sleeping by sunset,
"I'll crush your houses
And devour your crops
I'll rend the trees from the ground
And bury your wells"
"Hmm," said Ingrid to herself. "Who would know how to get a giant to sleep? I know! Lika! She's always got great advice! Come on, Mr. Ispolin!"
Ingrid raced through the white gate and into the yard. The many colors of her house shone brightly in the late afternoon sun, like a rainbow. Off to the side, Lika stood munching on some sweet grass. Lika was a cow and was one of Ingrid's best friends. Lika smiled brightly as Ingrid approached but then her eyes grew wide as she saw the giant come out of the forest.
"Hi, Lika!" called Ingrid.
"Hello, Ingrid. It's very nice to see you today. Who is your friend?" Lika still hadn't taken her eyes off of the enormous figure.
"Oh, this is Ispolin. He's a giant. We need your help, Lika. You've got the best advice around!"
"Of course, Ingrid," replied Lika. "I'd love to help. What do you want advice about?"
"What's the best way to fall asleep? Ispolin here needs to get back to sleep as soon as possible."
"Oh, well that's easy." Lika smiled. "Everyone I know loves a glass of warm milk before they go to sleep."
"Of course!" Ingrid exclaimed. She dashed into the house and grabbed a glass from the cupboard. Then Ingrid came back outside and milked Lika. She handed the glass, full of warm milk, to the giant.
Ispolin took the glass very gently between two fingertips. Ingrid could barely see the cup between the two log-sized fingers. Yet with amazing grace, the giant tipped back his head and poured the milk into his mouth.
"Mmmm," murmured the giant. "Quite good. This is very tasty milk, Ms. Lika. But useless."
"Useless?" cried Ingrid.
"Yes, it's much too bright out here to fall asleep with only some warm milk. You'll have to think of something much better than that if I am to fall asleep. And I must fall asleep." Ispolin eyed Ingrid gravely. "Remember, if I am not sleeping by night,
"I'll crush your houses
And devour your crops
I'll rend the trees from the ground
And bury your wells"
Lika shivered under the gaze of the giant but Ingrid simply smiled and gave the cow a reassuring pat. "Of course, we'll get it done. I know just the person to help us!" Ingrid put her fingers to her lips and gave a shrill, sweet whistle. From around the other side of the house, a large, brown hound came bounding across the grass towards Ingrid. After the dog licked her affectionately, Ingrid bent down and began to scratch him behind the ears. "Hello, Barnard! How are you today?"
"Lovely, Miss. Though I have been at alert just in case something," Barnard turned his head and gave the giant a suspicious look, "were to go amiss."
"Oh, not to worry, Barnard. I know you're the bravest hound in the world but there's nothing to worry about today. In fact, I've made a new friend. Barnard, this is Ispolin. Ispolin, Barnard."
The hound and the giant nodded slightly at one another but neither seemed thrilled to have met one another. Ingrid quickly went on. "Ispolin has quite a conundrum. He's having a bit of trouble falling asleep and nothing we've tried so far has worked. We've sung a lullaby and we've even had some warm milk! Oh Barnard, what do you do to fall asleep?"
"Well, it's quite simple, Miss. You just have to walk in a circle three times before you lie down, like any good hound. Puts you straight to sleep."
"Of course! Thank you, Barnard. I'm sure that will work!" The giant looked at Ingrid doubtfully for a second. Ingrid just smiled brightly back up at Ispolin. The giant grunted with resignation and began to take a step.
His legs were so long that just walking in a small circle carried the giant far away, and then back, and then far away, and then back, and then far away and then...BOOM. The giant had teetered for a second and then fell over in the forest. Ingrid raced out of the white gate. It took her ten minutes to reach the place where the giants head lay on the ground.
"Ugh, walking in circles has just made me dizzy," said Ispolin as Ingrid approached. "I will never fall asleep feeling like this." The giant suddenly turned his head towards Ingrid. "And you know what will happen if I don't,
"I'll crush your houses
And devour your crops
I'll rend the trees from the ground
And bury your wells.
"And you're time's almost up."
"Oh dear," said Ingrid resignedly, looking up at the sun which was already low in the sky. But once the giant turned his head back towards the sky, a devilish grin played across her face. "I guess I have nothing left but to watch the sun go down. Then you'll be forced to rend my houses and devour my trees."
"Crush your house and devour your crops," murmured Ispolin, with his arm over his eyes.
"If only I was clever like Neila; she would know what to do," Ingrid said, wispily.
"Neila?" grunted the giant.
"Oh, don't you know the story of Neila? Frightfully clever girl. It's a very old tale, they say. Would you like me to tell it?"
"Fine."
"Well," began Ingrid,
"Neila lived on a farm with her father. They raised cows and everyday Neila would take the cows out to pasture and bring them back at night. One day, as she rounded up her cows, she noticed one was missing. Quickly, she gathered up the rest of her father's herd, put them in shelter and set off over the moors to search for the lost cow. Neila called out to the cow and listened for the clanging bell around the cow's neck. But it was in vain. Soon enough she found the bell lying on ground, cut from the rope around the cow's neck."
"Neila let out a sob. How was she supposed to find the poor, lost cow now, if it had no bell? Who would cut the bell from its rope? Surely someone had stolen the cow and it was lost forever. But as she picked up the bell, Neila noticed a strange impression on the ground. A wide, flat rut had been pressed into the soft ground of the moors, going down into a small valley. Carefully, cautiously, Neila followed the rut, not knowing what it could be."
"As she walked into the small valley, she heard a hiss. Not more than 100 feet from her sat a massive snake, coiled around her poor, scared cow. The snake must have been 50 feet at full length. It looked at Neila with a grin.
"Hello, little girl," the snake said.
"You can speak? Let go of my cow!" cried Neila.
"Oh, I don't think so, my dear. This young calf looks much too delectable to just let go of. But I'll tell you what, I love playing with my food. I'll give you a choice. Walk away now and you lose your cow. Stay and you'll have a chance to save her.
"There is something I fear above all else. You can ask me three questions and I'll answer truthfully. But I will never say the name of that cursed thing I fear most, so ask wisely. Perhaps if you're clever enough to discover it's name, you'll be clever enough to steal your calf back. Perhaps not. Fail to learn what it is and you'll lose your cow and your life for sure! Now which do you choose, to stay or go?"
Neila looked at her cow, scared and trembling within the snake's coils. "I'll stay," she said firmly.
"Excssellent," hissed the snake. "You will make a lovely meal yourself, you know that? Now, ask your questions."
Neila thought desperately for a few moments. The sight of the massive serpent staring hungrily at her made her shiver but she was clever. No rotten snake would outdo her and no one would take her calf.
"Where is the place you fear most?" she said, almost whispering.
"Oh, it's quite obvious," said the snake. "Churches, of course! All that terrible sssinging, the preaching and the praying! What a horrid place!"
Neila squinted, thinking hard. Slowly, she asked her next question, "What is the most fearful creature in the land?"
"You mean other than me? Ha!," laughed the snake. "I jest, my dear. The cow! I mean, look at me! I'm practically cowering in fear now!" The serpent smirked devilishly and the calf let out a plaintive moan.
One last question. As Neila tried to summon every last ounce of cleverness, the snake jutted out his thin tongue and licked the calf. "This is going to be tasssty!" That was too far for Neila. Breathing in indignantly, she fixed the snake with an angry stare and pronounced her last question.
"What is the most fearful time of day?"
The snake smiled. "Easy! Every question so easy. Midday, obviously. The wretchedly hot sun. So much noise from every creature move about. It's unbearable!"
"Now," continued the snake, "now that we're all done with those silly questions, I think its time for dinner!" The serpent lurched forward and opened his jaws.
"Wrong," said Neila with a triumphant smile. The snake halted suddenly, confused. "You were right. It is obvious. Churches, cows, midday. Very obvious. What you fear most," she raised the cow's bell in her hand, "is this."
Suddenly, she began shaking the bell with all her might. The piercing sound rang out over the moors. The snake's eyes opened wide and he bolted away from Neila, forgetting the calf. He almost turned himself into a knot in his hurry to get away. Soon, the massive serpent disappeared over the hills.
Neila gently retied the bell around the calf's neck, gave it a kiss on the head and then turned back towards home.
"You see," continued Ingrid. "Neila knew that the snake hated churches because they ring church bells before every service. And she knew that the snake hated cows because they all had bells tied around their necks. And of course, midday is the time when clock towers ring their bells the most times. She was so clever. Neila would know just what to do, don't you think, Ispolin?"
The only reply was the deafening roar the giant's snoring. "Of course you do," said Ingrid with a triumphant smile. She sat quietly next to Ispolin for a few minutes and watched as the sun disappeared gently over the horizon. "The perfect remedy for not being able to sleep, as for most things," Ingrid said as she stood up, "is a good story."
When she arrived at the white gate outside the house made of every color, she was greeted by everyone of her friends, all so worried for her. With a smile, she kissed each and everyone of them gently on the head, from Barnard to Lika, from the birds to the water goblin. As she slipped into bed, the domovoi made one of his very rare appearances. He selected Ingrid's favorite book from the shelf and read to her til Ingrid was fast asleep. And her sleep was sleepy and her dreams were very, very dreamy.
',0),(15,2,'The Last Light',' A book I planned in 2005 and wrote in 2009-2010. Fantasy, vampires, etc.Mobi
Epub