The huge boulder inside Jakul’s room made it hard for the giant to move around. In the beginning, he had lived inside the house, but it quickly became obvious that a normal humanoid room would not be enough for him. They decided to build a room two-thirds as tall as the house, as big as a small house with rock floors to hold his weight. At first, Jakul was off-put by being left out, but with time he came to love the space, decorated with every little gift the family gave him. Now he felt guilty hiding something from them. On the way back from the tower, Jakul had stayed far from Ronte, even when the lief asked him, Jakul, gave the simplest excuse that he could "I'm tired." Said the giant. Simple but effective.
In spite of the big purple boulder resting on his bed, Jakul felt the weight of the enormous rock tied to his heart. He thought about telling Punali but then decided not to. For him, it looked just like a beautiful purple rock with funny little carvings of waves in high relief, however, for some reason, an intense feeling of protectiveness took over whenever he touched it. That same ovoid rock that had fallen on him in the tower, causing him severe neck pain, now he was taking care of it as if it were his most valued treasure.
In the end, Jakul wasn’t one to reflect too much about things. He preferred to leave the thinking to more capable individuals. The giant knew what he was good at, so he dedicated himself to working with his hands to make an appropriate place for his boulder. There are times that good crafters experience a moment when their minds leave the constraints of their head and they become so immersed in their job that nothing else matters, for Jakul this was his talent. This is how he ended up with a base that looked more like a terribly detailed tiny bed covered with hides of different furry animals. When he placed the rock in it it felt right, a little odd but right for what he needed, he threw another hide on top to cover it and went to bed.
A loud knock against the huge wooden door startled him, Jakul tried to jump out of bed but he couldn't move before the door was opened. Suddenly the whole family was in his room, Jakul babbled something unintelligible, Ronte and Punali looked at him with concern. Eri was crying for no peculiar reason, and the little troll was jumping around the room, he grabbed the fur and uncovered the boulder. Everyone saw the huge purple boulder and started shouting at the giant "Traitor! Ungrateful beast!". Without warning, he was standing in the front of the house with the whole family turning their backs to him. The giant was woken by a cold sweat that came from the heart. He breathed deeply, stood up, and checked under the hide to see his ovoid treasure.
Punali was the first up. The woman went downstairs, to begin with, her chores. Taking care of the farm always made her feel less stressed. Now was the moment that she needed it the most. Ronte had gotten home before her, Eri was passed out when she finally came home, and no matter how much she shook her daughter there was no reaction. Most of the night she spent it by her side, checking her breathing, making sure the girl wasn’t too hot or too cold. It was really late when she became convinced that her daughter was going to be alright, so she went back to bed for Ronte’s sake.
The whole story seemed absurd, yet it made so much sense with all the old warnings about magical beings that were too powerful. She had spent most of her life trying to forget those teachings, now they seemed almost prophetical. Questions kept bouncing against the inside of her brain. “Should I take my daughter to them? Were they right? Is it correct to purge the land?” Then she remembered Jakul and tossed all that doubt aside. Her choice was made.
The man came tumbling down the stairs, preparing breakfast cursing the heavens and anyone that crossed his personal space. A little hungry fly got the thick of all his hate when he started shouting at it, just to zap it out of existence with a spark from his fingers.
─What did you say? Frunkle?─ Jarek was still rubbing his eyes.
─Don’t say that!─ Ronte cried out.
─Frunkle, frunkle, dad said frunkle!─ The kid starting jumping up and down. ─Frunkle, Dronkle, Conkle. Fromonklefran.
─You are lucky that he didn’t understand.─ Punali said with severity.
Punali took out the dishes to place around the table.
─Now he won’t stop trying to get it right.─ Ronte rubbed his head.
─That’s what you get for letting your frustration get the better of you.
─I know. I’m sorry.─ The man gave a slight bow in regret.
At the same time, Ronte grabbed a plate to serve some food for the girl, Jakul leaned inside when he saw Punali glaring at Ronte the giant retreated. He left the door frame silently. Jarek shouted at him what he thought was curses with a big smile. The giant just moved a finger to his mouth telling him to be quiet. The kid ignored him and kept jumping around.
─Don’t even think that you are going to shout at my daughter like that.─ Punali warned her husband.
─But she left the house, put herself in danger, and caused a major catastrophe! We should be grateful that no one saw it.─ Ronte's tone had escalated more than he intended.
─Do you think that with your attitude you are going to help her see what she did is wrong? The only thing that Eri will do is retreat further into her own things. You know how she is.─ The woman sounded calm but Ronte had experience arguing with his wife. ─Our girl needs to be understood, not told off. If you can’t do it then don’t speak with her.
─But ... Fine, I won’t shout at her.
─Ronte I'm warning you, do not go anywhere near her until you have cooled off.─ Punali gave her back to him and went outside to her study to begin crafting, with a strong gust the door slammed shut. That was about how much power she was able to muster, which meant that it would take at least four hours before she could use even the smallest wind, however, she made her point.
In the background, Jarek had left the house while he kept jumping up and down shouting what he thought was profanity but ended up being a jumble of nonsensical words. Then he hit just the right note and screamed it at the top of his lungs. Both Ronte and Punali ran to shut him up.
Out the window, there was nothing but the forest. She stood up trying to recall everything that had happened yesterday. Eri had not rested, her body felt sore, the room seemed smaller somehow. She took her hand to her chest, she was still wearing the clothes from yesterday and the pendant she got on the tower was still around her neck. Her heart skipped a beat. As quickly as she could she grabbed the only book that had survived the catastrophe she had caused, the one she had gotten on her first trip. Eri opened the pages only to find the same gibberish. Disappointed she closed it, she took the pendant out to analyze it. With her sight focused the stone in the middle sparkled, she concentrated more and the spark turned into a constant light. Once more she opened the book to find that she could understand every single word.
A knock at the door took her attention out of the book, as quickly as it came, everything turned back to illegible symbols. She quickly tossed the book and pendant under her bed. A second later her father came in with a plate full of food.
─Did you cook?─ Asked the girl with fear.
─You should be a little more worried about what you did, don’t you think?─ Ronte tried to look severe but recalled his wife’s face and lost strength. ─Besides, I am not that cruel to punish you with such a bad breakfast.
─I’ll tell mom.─ Said the girl with a soft smile.
─I’ll tell her where you bury her food and let her cook for the whole month.─ Ronte didn’t hesitate.
─You win.
Ronte came into the room sitting on her bed. The man said nothing, he just left the plate beside him. Eri took a seat and smelled the plate, her mouth watered but she kept her cool. Once the plate was in her hands all bets were off, she started devouring it like she hadn’t eaten in a whole month. The father smiled, feeling relieved at the sight of her daughter’s healthy appetite. Then he remembered that he was supposed to be angry. Maintaining silence was hard but he had no idea what to say. He wanted so badly to shout at her for putting her life in danger and to let go of all the frustration and impotence that he felt when she couldn’t be found.
─I know I screwed up.─ Eri said with a mouth full.
─You sure did.
Regret filled the girl’s face, she tried to speak but could not unjumble her tongue. Then she decided to just be sincere.
─I won’t do it again. I’ll try to go back to school. But it’s so hard to interact with them.─ Eri sighed looking sad.
─I understand.─ Ronte was impressed about how saying so little produced so much.
─You don’t! It’s horrible going every day to school and knowing that I have no friends. It’s too hard knowing that the only one I had, chose to be popular over being my friend.─ Eri began to cry.
─I didn’t know. I am sorry.─ Ronte's heart tore a little bit.
Eri sat sobbing quietly. Ronte had no words to help her daughter. There was only the regret of being so blind but that wouldn’t help, nor talking with the parents from the school. It was a while since he was a teenager but even he knew that was a bad idea.
─What do you need?─ Kindly asked the man.
─To feel less alone at school. I love working with herbs and reading. Talking with the old folk in town. But school is just too hard right now.
─You are almost done with school. But fine you won’t have to go to school today, or tomorrow. I won’t push you to do it, however, I think you can overcome this.─ Ronte took a deep breath. ─When you decide to go back I will be there to support you.
The room became covered in silence, the silence that comes when everything has been said and peace takes over the tense energy that has been rotting inside. Eri accepted with a simple nod. Ronte stood up and took the plate with him.
─We will have to talk about what happened at the tower eventually.
─I know.
─Come down when you feel better.─ Ronte closed the door carefully.
Outside the grass never grew too tall, the crops were perfectly watered, the farmland was tilled, even the likgartos were fed and cleaned. Jakul was very efficient in taking care of the farm. He enjoyed the routine, it made him feel safe and needed. Today was no exception, even so, some of the joy had been replaced by the guilt of a secret. Punali came out to greet the giant. He evaded her glance and continued working.
─Don’t work too hard, remember that Jarek has to do his part.─ Punali walked into her workshop and peeked out. ─Wanna have breakfast with me?
Jakul nodded nervously.
─Just let me get the oven started and I’ll go get the food.─ She disappeared inside. ─Go washup!
Quickly Jakul went over to his room, checked on the rock for no apparent reason, and sat down on his bed. Feelings he didn’t understand were building up in him, he was becoming obsessed and couldn’t even tell anyone about it. He covered it with care and left to go to the barn to wash up. Then he entered Punali’s studio. The workshop was big, almost twice the size of the giant’s room. There, a chair meant specifically for Jakul and a big plate of food waited for him.
─Come sit.
─Yes ma’am.
─Jakul we have talked about this. It’s either mom or Punali, please don’t call me ma’am.─ Insisted the woman.
Jakul felt flustered. He had been trying to break that habit for a while before the incident; he had actually felt like he could finally feel like a part of the family. Then he understood that this would bring trouble for them. Too many years at the heel of bad people made him submissively shy.
─My boy. Thanks for taking care of your sister.─ Punali said lovingly.
─No, I just … I didn’t do anything.─ The giant began eating to contain the tears in his eyes.
─You care and that is enough.
A dam of guilt was filling up inside. He lied to Ronte, hid something from them, now he was being thanked for it. The giant tried to contain the walls but they cracked easily under the pressure of his own sense of worth. He opened his mouth to tell her everything and nothing came out. He couldn’t do it. There was no reason, it was only a rock and yet it held control over him. There had been chains around his wrists before but now it felt more painful they felt colder and heavier, distancing him from all that he loved.
─I care for all of you… I owe you so much.─ A knot built up inside his throat.
─You owe us nothing!─ Punali could hardly contain the sadness of her son punishing himself.
She knew all too well the feelings that came from being controlled by the ideals of someone else. At first, she did not want Jakul in the house then she came to accept him. She confronted her own intolerance and came to love the giant that was so dedicated to his family. Yet she broke every time that he denied the link that made him part of it. For a moment guilt united them, his, something that was bound to him and hers, the past teachings that she fought so hard to forget.
─Furgulduncle!─ Jarek came running in.
As easily as that the pain was replaced by laughter.
The house had grown quiet. Eri stayed in her room, Ronte was outside in his workshop, Jakul played with Jarek, and Punali concentrated on creating a new sculpture representing the love for her family and the darkness that kept her tied to her past one. Suddenly a loud knock at the door broke the peace of the empty living room. There was no one to answer back, not even Eri that was just too concentrated on her book. At last, she could understand the depth of what a rune circle could do. There was still a lot that she didn’t get, even so, that book contained so much knowledge about them that she was beginning to see the connection between the runes and the energy of the world. "Rune circles channel the magic through the world and give intention form, unlike runes that just gather magic that floated around to make intention possible." The pages poured knowledge into her brain, the letters seemed to come alive and talk to her, in the end, she felt ready to try something simple. One term lingered: "Ether roots".
She grabbed a knife from her tools, she took an old book carved a rough circle to the back. As she did it she focused on what she wanted it to do, then she bound three runes to it. The book began to vibrate when suddenly it exploded and became a puff of confetti that filled her surroundings.
─Next time I should use something I don’t care about.─ And so she delved back into the book.
While all this happened the visitor kept knocking harder and harder, but with no one else around, he got no replay. Suddenly the knocking stopped and the house grew quiet again.
Alexei the twarek came round to find the family each in their own labors. He could see smoke coming out of Punali’s chimney and Ronte’s workshop door opened. He ran across the yard and stood a couple of legs from the buildings.
─Ronte, Punali we have problems!─ Shouted the small bearded twarek.
─What’s going on?─ Ronte came out covering his eyes from the suns.
─The tower!
─No one saw anything you said.─ Punali shouted from her workshop, almost cracking her glass sculpture.
The three of them gathered inside the house. Alexei was walking from side to side very worried. Ronte and Punali looked at each other with complicity. Neither of them knew whether to tell the truth or build a lie. Punali knew that there was little chance of Alexei revealing the truth, but in moments when you don’t want a secret to come out it is best to keep the circle as small as possible. Ronte on the other hand, didn’t like lying, in fact, he was quite bad at it, however, his daughter was in the line and he was willing to do whatever it took to save her.
─Who told you?─ Asked Punali.
─Frida told me, she said that her cousin overheard the rumor at the market earlier today, apparently one of Crocket's sons was walking around the forest at night.
Ronte stood still, listening carefully.
─What did they say?
─Apparently the tower vanished in a flash of light and they saw a figure running through the forest accompanied by a giant. Everyone assumes it was Jakul. However, they didn’t see who was with him, only that they carried something. No need to say it, but the church is already taking advantage of the situation blaming your family for blasphemy and whatever else the people will believe.
A twitch in the mouth of her husband told her that it was time to act but she was too slow.
─Yes, it was me with Jakul.─ Ronte blurted out.
─What were you doing out by the tower?─ The twarek became more worried.
─Eri hadn't come home and we were afraid she ran away. Remember I came with Jarek to see you.─ Punali interceded.
─Yes, we came back with you. But when we got here you said that she was back. You never mentioned anything about the tower.
─That’s because, Jakul and Ronte hadn’t come back home. That happened later I just saw my girl in her bed and didn’t think about anything else.─ Punali’s brain was working at max speed every lie had three or four possible counter moves, just in case anyone got too nosey.
─Why did you go to the tower Ronte?
The man hesitated, he really hated lying, it made him feel dirty inside like each word made the matter even eviler. However, his daughter was upstairs, if he wanted to keep her safe there was no other option.
─We were looking in the forest. Then the lights came on. We had to make sure.─ Ronte said as naturally as possible.
─How come you thought she’d be in the tower? Has she gone there before?─ Alexei pushed with curiosity.
─No. But if the lights were on in that place what would you have done?─ His answer came back a little more intense than he intended.
─And then?─ Alexei looked directly at Punali with expectancy.
─We got close to the tower, everything started shaking, I thought my daughter was up there. I Shouted, Jakul pounded at the door, but nothing worked ...─Ronte looked anguished recalling the true panic he felt at the time.─ Suddenly it all started falling down, Jakul carried me to the edge of the forest. I don’t know what happened, a bright flash of light and then there was no tower. I grabbed a bunch of rags that I found where the tower was, thinking it was the last thing I would ever see of my daughter. But when we came home Punali was back and she calmed me down.─ Tears poured down his face, and yet, not a single one was fake.
─That sounds true enough.─ Alexei said satisfied. ─Never knew you could actually do it, Ronte.
Alexei was a true friend like so, he didn’t ask any more questions. Just stood thinking carefully for a moment. Punali looked at Ronte nervously, he returned the same glance.
─I think it’s best that you get your story straight before heading to town.─ The twarek said cautiously. ─I will go back to town and tell them that you are on your way, don’t take too long or they’ll begin to get suspicious.
─I’m guessing the church has gathered the council.
─They were doing it as I left, should take them at least a couple of hours.
Took a moment for them to accept the situation. The house knew all too well what had happened in that house the night before, luckily the walls couldn't speak or there would be two more secrets for the accomplices to keep. For now, only one secret needed to be dealt with. Everyone said their goodbyes. As soon as the twarek left they began discussing the details and all possible questions. They agreed that Punali would talk as much as possible about everything before the tower exploded, while Ronte would only have to deal with that part.
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