Tag: Mother

A Night of Nostalgia

On August 27, 2020

It’s been a few days since I posted on the blog. Nothing too eventful happened and I haven’t found the courage to talk about other topics from my past. However, yesterday was different, I was almost forced back to the past.

The day started cold and cloudy yesterday, I didn’t get much sleep either. My back seems to be worse, but the pain goes away after a while. I went to town to sell some potatoes, went back to my parents’ home to have dinner with them. My dad asked me to go get some sunflower seeds for him, the ones we had were all eaten by rodents and my dad was furious. This all happened that morning, it wasn’t the best start for the day, but it got better. The humans in town were very kind and warm to me, made me feel better in no time.

So, I head back to my parents’ house, again greeted with a warm welcome, and the clouds above were dark, really menacing. As I go inside, it starts to rain, and I hoped it would stop after dinner so I could go back to my own house.

We had dinner together, talked a lot over some veggies and bread my mom prepared for us. I had a lot of fun, as my dad was telling his stories about those rainy day deliveries he did when he was a kid, in some really odd places too! He tells those every so often, I know them well, but watching his face full of enthusiasm telling us such tales of his childhood just gives my nostalgia and tickles my heart.

After we finished dinner, it was pouring very strongly, and I swear I heard a clap of thunder as soon as I finished eating. The weather was very mad. As it wasn’t safe for me to go back, not only because I’d catch a cold from all that rain but also because it’s not a good idea for a Giant to walk under a thunderstorm, I was invited to sleep at my parents’. After all, I still have my own room almost untouched.

I helped my mom clean the table and the dishes and my back pain was starting to get worse again, so once done, I headed straight to my room and got a nightgown to wear, and dived onto my bed. It was as I remember… the comfiest bed I’ve ever slept on.

It wasn’t long before the water leaks started from the roof. See, this house is old and it’s been taking all the weather wear since the last big renovation 40 years ago. My dad went to the kitchen with a chair and, with the help of Marcus, one of my older brothers, he spent a good few hours trying to clog the leak to go to bed. He was so tired, he didn’t have much patience to deal with all that now.

I couldn’t help much, so I stayed in my room, looking around at my room, remembering all the good times I had as a child growing up. I’m not that old, I’m only 24, but I already reminisce about the times I was but an innocent child, not worrying about having food on the table or if my bills were all paid up. I was just me, happy little me.

By either some mother-daughter connection or pure coincidence, my mom walks into my room with a little box in her hands. I recognized it right away, it’s where she keeps a vast collection of memories from her children, a box full of photos she took of all of us. She sits down by my side and asks me how I’m feeling. I just told her I missed being young when my back didn’t feel so bad and I could just hop around without a care. She laughs and tells me she wanted to looks through some photos with me.

There were a lot, as I said, photos of them, photos of my brothers and myself, and altogether in some of them. I forgot I even had that lime green tunic I loved to wear it! I even kept a photo to share here.

There were even photos of me with the neighbor’s kids which I forgot looked like that until I saw them young again. It’s crazy how we forget little details like that and get used to seeing people all grown-ups. I was able to recognize them by their similarities to their present selves but I can barely remember them like that. I can’t even remember that I had those shoes even, or that ball we made out of springy branches and mud.

I looked more through those and I saw myself with a rock, it was all smooth and it clicked me, I remember having it around as a pet! I called it Dizzy because my silly young self would claim that it made her dizzy to look at it, rolling downhills. It’s just funny to think about now but it carries a lot of impact on how much I’ve grown and how different I see the world now. Not much different from anybody, really, but it’s the little things that make us smile! I hold on to that though very dearly.

Once done with the roof, dad came to my room to tell my mom it was a temporary fix, but it’d have to do for the time being. She kissed me goodnight and went off with the box, left me that picture to take with me. My dad just smiles and gives me a kiss on the forehead like he usually does since I can remember. I couldn’t wash off the smile on my face while the thunder was raging outside, contrasting the entire mood of the house I was in.

The night went and I woke up this morning without a single hint of pain on my back. The sky was clear and the ground and trees all wet, puddles of mud everywhere as I made my way back after breakfast. Now I’m writing this entry, it’s the morning and I’ll be spending the day home today. I’ll write another post if anything interesting happens today but I doubt it’ll top this!

I’ll be back next time!

A Rainy Monday

By Aleena O'Rion

On August 17, 2020

In Diary

Today was a rainy day. I wasn’t very happy about it, since I had to go to town today to sell. I had to get my vegetable supply to bring to town, so that meant doing my 30 minutes walk to my parents’ house and then to town for 50 minutes, which means I’d be walking under the rain for 1 hour and 20 minutes at best, and I’m not counting the time packing at my parents or the walk through town, which on Monday is usually packed full of humans starting their weeks.

I know it sounds like I’m complaining but I don’t want to get sick over a rainy day. Thankfully, I have an impermeable cover I can place over my head, humans use those for cargo, and it’ll have to do. My coat ripped apart not long ago and I must’ve lost it during the move to this new home. At any rate, it was 6 AM, I was still tired, didn’t sleep enough last night. I ate my breakfast, got dressed in a white dress and boots, not forgetting to wear shorts, and tied my hair. I was ready to go, I put on my cover and go out under the rain.

It didn’t look as though it was going to stop anytime soon, as when I got to my parents’ house, it was still raining, pouring even. Mom scolded me for not wearing my expensive coat and I told her about what happened to it. She wasn’t much happier, so she ran off to my old room and checked to find it, but it was nowhere to be found. I’m still not sure how we were able to lose something so big…

I got to the farm, loaded my barrel basket with lettuces, potatoes, and radish, and went off to town. I didn’t get much of a chance to see my family, but I know I’d spend time talking and I needed to start early to catch some usual early hour customers.

Catching my breath as I arrive in town, the sky cleared out a bit, the rain had stopped and I was relieved about it. I took the rain cover off my head, I think I had dirt in my hair, though. I walked through town using the roads, between the busy sidewalks. At a red light, I stopped. I was front row, humans were crossing the street in front of me. A man, in particular, caught my attention and made me feel a little embarrassed, as he looked at me all red and surprised. I think he wasn’t from around here and perhaps never saw a giant up close like this, but I think my face turned red and I really didn’t know what to do with myself standing there. I was awkwardly self-aware of my own presence in the middle of a busy town and there was nowhere I could hide.

I walked a bit nervously to the park, I haven’t had someone look at me like this in a long while. I mean… I know we’re not common and the people who are used to it don’t mind our presence so much but this really took me by surprise. Even more today, I was completely distracted.

I arrived at the park, it’s a quaint little town park with a fountain with a lion statue in the middle. Next to it is my usual spot to sit, and people around town know it well. A dear old man who does his everyday walk approached me as I knelt down and placed my basket next to me. He’s so sweet to me and always asks if I’m well! He usually asks me if I was sick for missing the days prior, but I keep reminding him that I don’t come here every day. I think he forgets things, his memory isn’t what it used to be, he says.

As the kind man he is, he purchased a good few of my potatoes and radishes and gave me a tip on top of the value. I never feel right accepting it but he just walks off waving, I don’t have time to argue with him. I never see him with anyone, so I think he lives alone. I don’t dare to ask though, it’s not really of my business.

When 11 AM came about, the man, who crossed the street and looked at me surprised earlier, came through the park with a group of people. This time he looked briefly at me, turned red, and as to break that moment, one in the group shouts me a good morning with my name. I recognized him as he worked with my dad, and other humans, on the construction of my house. It was nice to see one of the workers who gave me my own space to live in. The blushing man looked at him and looked back at me waving, trying to act natural. I heard him comment after they gained a bit of distance from me, about the fact that I was huge and I just cracked a laugh. I think he looked at me again when he heard me laugh, but I couldn’t hide it!

Noon came about and I had sold most of it, so I was very happy with how today turned out. People come to me and pay well for vegetables grown under the care of Giants, many spread around that our quality is matched by none! It’s so good to know that you’re doing good for a community. However, at that time is when I start to feel both hungry and tired, so I head back home for my lunch and nap.

Nothing too eventful happened on my way back, and the rest of the day, after I woke up, was spent at home cleaning and watching TV, since my back started to hurt a lot when I got home. I’m worried, should I be worried? I really am. I fear this will only get worse as I grow older and I can feel the weight of my own body pulling me down as days go by. It’s a bit dramatic of me to say since it’s not that frequent or bad, but you have to remember I grew up in a family with a lot of health issues, so I expect those to affect me as well, especially due to my own unusual size among Giants. I mean, I’m slightly over 18 ft. tall, that’s a tall male Giant’s size, and yes, I get picked on about it. The most common joke about it is that I’m tall enough to look over the forest trees, that I can see the farm from the house and vice versa… I still get that sometimes even today, so I don’t really care enough to get angry or sad about it. Let them talk! Being tall like this when you’re a Giant is actually satisfying…

I think I’ve written all I wanted for today. Sorry if it was uneventful, but I filled up a bit with internal thoughts, which is helping me fill up my world when I’m at home. For those reading this, thank you, it means a lot.

I shall see you next time!

Family first

By Aleena O'Rion

On August 15, 2020

In Diary

Another great morning to start the day, still not used to this new bed but I didn’t feel my back aching so much, which is good! Started the day at 5:30 AM, I felt like I didn’t have enough sleep but I didn’t feel too tired either. Still got my usual coffee and toast, watching TV for a bit. Nothing worth watching so early but I sort of phased it out of my thoughts, thinking about today and if I’d go to town with my new outfit, or if I’ll stick with my old dresses to sell some lettuces from our farm. Wasn’t too sure what to go for, but it didn’t matter. I got a call from mom, saying she’d be needing me to work at the farm today and that it was going to be a long day of ploughing the fields.

I was sad to have to help today. I expected to go see the humans today, but I guess my plans didn’t matter. I can’t let mom and dad down after all.

I dressed up with one of my dresses, an old one I’ve worn since I was 16, and it seems to have gained some colors and has ripped in places, but it’s perfect to work in the field. I put on some old shoes I have and went on my way to my family’s home. The sky didn’t look so good, with all the clouds but they didn’t announce any rain for today.

The trip to my parents was about 30 minutes around the outside of the forest. I took my time to enjoy the fresh air, I even hummed an old song we used to sing when I was little, about how Giants find safety among the trees and it reflects how we’ve been hiding from humans in the past, though we still sing it to the children! It’s called “The Trees Who Talk”, and it goes like this:

“The trees who talk
Can also see
The trees who talk
Who could they be

They laugh and walk
Along with me
The trees who talk
No one can see”

There’s more to it but I can’t think of the full song right now. It’s quite dear to my heart, I wish I could share how the melody sounds.

Anyway, I made it back and my neighbour’s kids jumped at me right away, the little pests kept running in our house and wake me up from my nap to go play with them, even though I just don’t have the same energy as them! They’re 10 and 8, a boy and a girl respectively. The boy is going to grow tall, I can tell, he’s already about as tall as I was when I was his age, and I used to be the tall girl, and still am!

Mom was in the kitchen getting our lunch ready as I was slowly making my way there through everyone’s warm reception. We’re very united and warm to each other among Giants, it’s a very strong bond we share. We sort of had to, really. Mom gives me a hug as I walk in, she barely stands tall enough to reach my chest, I still don’t know where I got my height from…

Dad was with our other two neighbours, shouting about stuff I didn’t care, he waved at me and I waved back. My father doesn’t really like me hanging out with humans, he thinks they still don’t really like us. Not to mention that there’s a very big sense of both fear and superiority among us towards humans, most see them as these small aggressive and arrogant lookalikes who cause nothing but problems. I don’t see humans like that, instead, I have a huge fascination for them and I tend to be picked on because of it.

My dad keeps saying that I go to “pick up horseradish” or “settle with the imps” as a means to pick on me for having human friends. I don’t like when he does that…

After helping mom getting all of our stuff ready for the day, we headed to the farms through the forest. We all know our way around quite well at this point, to it was a straight shot to our destination. Our Giant farm is located in a huge clearing in a place very hard for humans to reach, thankfully we can just leg it up and get there. My two older brothers were there, Magnus who’s 31 years old, and Celso who’s 29 years old. I’m 24 and stand taller than them, which makes them pick on me for my size. I think Magnus might have a complex about it… Either way, they were both hard at work already, moving bags and crates around, Celso was already working on the other side of the field ploughing away. I walked up to him after grabbing the plough and asked him how things were going, as to which he replies that his legs were worse but it wouldn’t stop him from helping.

I’m concerned about him, Giants have a lot of health problems due to their sizes, my dad has irregular heart problems, my mom can’t stand for too long, Celso with his leg problems… Thankfully, Magnus and I are fine, but it’s still painful to know so many of us just don’t hold well. I told him to go rest a little but he refuses and tells me to shut up and plough. He hasn’t changed, the same old big brother I know!

We worked a lot, it took the entire morning and I couldn’t feel my arms or legs from the effort. I was sweating profusely and so was Celso. We took a break for lunch, my stomach could be heard from town, as Magnus put it. We cleared a lot this morning and I was quite proud. Happier I was to have my mom’s wonderful vegetable soup she usually makes. So we sat down and talked about how I was dealing with the new house and I said it was alright, I loved the new place, but I still miss them. Apparently, Magnus has finally worked out the courage to talk to that girl he kept grooming in his mind, he wouldn’t shut up about it, asking me advice and all that. I swear I’m happy that he finally just talked to her! I was happy when he told us the news during lunch, he seemed definitely happier today!

After lunch, we went to our farmhouse to rest, we have rooms in there to sleep, as Giants need to sleep much more than humans, we can’t skip this, I was knackered… I believe we woke up at 4 PM but I can’t be certain. Still had a lot of work to finish up and we worked at it. All necessary land was ploughed in the end, while Magnus and mom finished seeding it. This took us the entire afternoon and we walked back to have dinner.

It was a very tiresome day, but I’m used to it. I couldn’t think of anything else but to shower… We had a bit more soup and got treated with some boar on the side, we don’t usually eat meat as it messes with my mom’s stomach but it was a nice treat for us! I thanked them for the time, and went back home alone. I was happy to spend time with my family but I’m still sad I couldn’t see anyone in town today. I hope I’m free tomorrow for a visit.

Now, I’m home, just took a shower and I’m ready to go to bed. I’m going to read a bit in bed after I finish this entry, and since tomorrow is Sunday, I might sleep in, Sundays are usually free for us from farm work! I might go pack a few lettuces and potatoes to sell, we’ll see.

As for now, I’ll be back with more tomorrow!