Rick and Candice Ch11

Chapter 11
Getting Late

        After climbing the ledge of his entrance and picking Candice back up with an open hand, Tim walked back into his cave. He looked around and could just see the outlines of all his things. His stuff was all there. This even included the deer meat he left unattended to when he had left. There was definitely a creature living in the cave systems that made up the back of Tim's cave. Yet, it never stole his food or attacked him. Either the creature was still frightened of him or it found its own food somehow. Tim hoped that this would be enough to keep the creature from getting any closer to Candice, since it had clearly taken interest in her by coming closer to his home than it ever had.  Tim hoped he'd be able to protect his new friend.
        Tim looked down at the small human girl in his hand and said, "Candice, I'm going to need to start the fire again. I'll have to set you down, but you should stay close to my satchel."
        "I understand." She didn't need to be told twice. She knew full well that there was some kind of creature in the back of the cave, and she didn't want to find out what kind of creature it was.
        Tim set his hand down on the cave floor next to the satchel he had previously dropped. As soon as Candice's feet touched the rocky floor, she regretted leaving the soft and comfortable skin that she had been sitting on for quite a while now. Sure it was a bit embarrassing to sit in the hand of another sentient being that was not only her own age but the opposite gender as well, but she couldn't deny the fact that sitting in his palm was a much better option than the cave floor that made the soles of her bare feet ache. Candice sat down beside the large satchel, leaning her body against it with crossed legs to relieve her feet. She watched as the giant boy started the fire with his back turned to her. She was glad that she was on the side closest to the cave entrance and not on the other side of the fire pit.
        Soon, the fire blazed with life and Tim was preparing the leftover meat that he had wrapped up for safe keeping. He knew it wouldn't have kept the creature in the back of the cave from taking it, yet the creature never attempted to steal the food. Tim and Candice kept relatively silent during the entire time Tim cooked the meal over the fire. When the food was finished and ready for them to eat, Tim broke the silence.
        "Candice, um – maybe you should, um." Tim didn't know how to ask the question. It was embarrassing and it felt a little wrong to Tim, as if it was like taking advantage of her or something. He knew it wasn't really, but nevertheless it was still hard for him to ask. "Well, you know that there's no telling whether or not that creature is close and watching us. And you remember what we did after lunch. And I was just wondering if. Well – if we should do the same thing as last time."
        "You, you mean sitting on your lap again?" Candice's cheeks reddened when she remembered what had happened the last time she sat on Tim's lap. Then again, her face had a red glow to it already because of the large fire. Was she going to sit on this boy's giant lap again? It would keep her safe from the creature, but-
"Yes, but I don't mean anything by it. It's just to keep you safe from that creature if it should decide to attack."
        "Then I guess there'd be no harm in sitting on your lap again. Besides, lying on this hard floor can't be any good for my butt and legs."
        "Maybe I should have gotten the material for you bedding out so that you could sit on that instead of the floor. Sorry."
        "It's alright." Candice stood up and approached the side of one of Tim's thighs. "Um, could I get a lift, Tim?" She didn't really want to climb up his leg.
        "Oh, right." Tim lowered his hand and once Candice was on, he lifted her to his lap where she could sit. He gave Candice her meat and started eating his own share. For a long time after Candice shifted herself in a comfortable position on Tim's giant lap, silence blanketed the enter cave. During this silence, Candice focused on eating her meal to keep her mind from returning to the thoughts she had the last time she sat upon Tim's thigh. No, the thought she had didn't involve the fear of the creature that could be watching them from the darkness at that very moment. It was that other brief thought that had crossed her mind, the perverted curiosity that was embarrassing to even admit to having. To keep this thought out of her mind, she forced her head to keep from turning to her right, because that was where the loincloth was draped between Tim's crossed legs. Candice couldn't understand why she was still thinking such thoughts. Sure Tim was quite handsome and clearly very kind and cared about her, but he was a giant and she was a very small human in comparison. She wasn't even big enough to be considered an action figure compared to Tim's size. Candice needed a conversation to dispel the thoughts that the blanket of silence seemed to whisper in her ear.
        "This meat is good," Candice said. "This meat is good? That's all you could come up with?"
        "Oh, well – thanks. It's just plain meat and leftovers. It's not like I have any spices to season it."
        "I know, but it's still good. It's also better than some seasoned foods I have."
        "I wasn't fond of plain meat when I first left my home, but I've gotten used to it, and like it. Sometimes, it tastes better knowing you've hunted and cooked your own food."
        "Wait, you've had seasoned meat?"
        "Yes, why? You don't have such things where you come from?"
        "No, we do. In fact, it's preferred and everyone could have it, but it's just, it's just that. Actually, never mind. It's just a stupid thought that came into my head."
        "It's alright. You can tell me." Tim leaned in closer, almost entirely forgetting about his dinner.
        "Where I come from, we had a past like what it is like in your world now. It was called the middle ages. I wasn't good with history, so I could be wrong, but I thought that spices were rare to come by and only the rich could afford it back then."
        "Really?"
        "Yeah, but I could be mistaken and it could be different here, right?"
        "Right." Tim laughed afterwards, but it was a forced laugh. "So, what is it like where you come from?"
        Clearly the possibility of meeting a person from another world intrigued Tim. Since Candice needed a conversation to distract her thoughts, Candice decided to describe her world. As to be expected, Tim was fascinated by the land she came from, thinking it was some fantastical realm of dreams. They talked for a long time as they ate their dinner and continued the conversation after their meals were finished. Candice would describe something from her world, and Tim would interrupt with a question if he didn't understand what she meant or commented about how strange it was. They were so deep in conversation that neither of them noticed the sun had already set.
        Having decided to lean back against Tim's stomach, occasionally twisting her body around to look up at him, Candice said, "Yeah, very different from this place."
        "Wow, I wish I could go there. It sounds like such a fascinating place to live."
        "You want to go there?"
        "Of course, you home sound way better than this world."
        "But it will be a lot more dangerous for you, Tim. I know there aren't any giant monsters and such, but our humans have armies with far more superior weapons that could kill you. I wouldn't be surprised if they act like all the humans you've encountered in you world."
        "But if any of them are anything like you, they might listen to reasoning and I could explain that I'm note a monster."
        "Maybe, but there's another problem you'd face. We don't have giant animals like there are in this place. What would you be able to eat?"
        "Oh, well it probably wouldn't hurt that much if I were to only stay for a day or two. I really want to see these buildings you call skyscrapers that are taller than me, among other things you talked about, like TV."
        Candice smiled. She imagined being back home, but with her new giant friend there as well. She imagined showing him around her world with him completely bewildered by his surroundings. And if there were a way for him to stay, she realized that she wouldn't mind him staying. She began seeing the advantages of having a giant friend that could pretty much do anything, yet be so gentle, caring, and kind to her. "Yes, being back home and showing you around sounds like fun, but there's a problem. I – I don't know how to get back. I don't even know how I got here or where here is. I don't know if I'm in some alternate reality or a different planet or if I've actually been brought back in time. I think I'm stuck here."
        Candice bowed her head and looked at her legs. Tim could tell that she was upset, and why wouldn't see be. She had no way of going home, and she was trapped in an unknown world of monsters and giants. The worst part of it was that Tim knew that as a friend, he needed to help her, but he had no way of doing so. He didn't know what he could do to comfort her.   
Tim lowered his hand in front of Candice with his palm up as usual. Confused, Candice looked up at Tim. "Please, get on," Tim encouraged.
Candice crawled onto Tim's palm and Tim then proceeded by lifting his hand up to his chest. He placed his hand against his chest with his palm still facing upwards. Candice continued to look up at the giant's face, not understanding what he was doing. Tim just continued to look down at her with those caring and concerned brown eyes of his. It was as if his eyes were willing Candice to find comfort from them. Tim lifted his free hand and began nudging Candice with his finger, trying to coax her into standing.
        Candice turned around to see Tim's giant finger had snuck up on her and she looked back up into Tim's eyes with fear in hers. She wasn't afraid he would harm her, because Tim had already proven to her that he was safe to be around. It was her confusion and her misunderstanding of what Tim was trying to do that frightened Candice. But when she stared deeper into his eyes, she felt as though the eyes were pleading for her to trust him and that it'd be alright. Candice stood up slowly, following the instructions of the finger that was against her back.
        Tim was relieved to see Candice stand up and trust him. Gently, he pushed her with his finger, leading her to the edge of his hand where his chest was. There was no fear of falling though, because the edge of his hand was fully against his body. Candice's pace was slow and she was still confused by the giant's actions, but Tim could see that Candice still trusted him and let his finger led her.
        Eventually, Candice reached the edge the large hand. Now, Tim's chest blocked her from stepping any farther. Yet, the large finger continued to gently try to push her back with its tip. He wanted Candice to go farther? What did he want to do? Candice looked up at those brown eyes that looked down at her. Those eyes were filled with a complexity of emotions. They were pleading for her trust. They were caring and concerned. They were everything. Candice took one more step and let Tim's finger push her against his chest allowing the hug to proceed.
        Candice leaned against the chest with her arms bent and hands against Tim's skin which made her look like she had just failed in doing a push up. She turned her head and let its side lie against Tim's skin. She let the warmth and comfort of the hug crash into her like the waves reaching shoreline. The giant finger pressed her firmly against his soft skin while rubbing her back as well. The surface of Tim's chest pushed and pulled her with each breath. The muffled thump of Tim powerful heart rattled Candice's body. Among the surface of the skin rose tiny silver hairs. Well, they'd be tiny hairs too Tim, but too Candice's small frame the hairs could be clearly seen. Pressed against the soft still developing hairs, Candice realized why they were compared to peach fuzz.
        "You know that you are safe here with me, right?" Tim spoke.
        "Yes."
        "We might not find a way of bringing you back home, but I want you to know that you are welcome to stay here with me while you're stuck in this land."
        "I know. Even though I may be stuck in this different world for the rest of my life, I'm glad I'm stuck here with a friend like you."
        Tim had to close his eyes in order to block the tears of joy that tried to seep out of him. "I appreciate that, Candice. I'm glad you feel that way." The hug lasted for a few more long moments with silence until Tim noticed how dark the cave had become. He looked to the fire which was now giving off a very dim dying light. Tim turned his head and twisted his body to look out to the cave's entrance. Night had already fallen. Tim looked back down at the tiny human pressed against his chest. "It's getting late."
        "Yeah." Candice spoke softly, too softly for Tim to possible her tiny voice.  She kept her cheek against Tim's chest and kept her eyes closed. She tried to forget the fact that she was being pressed against a giant person who she barely knew in order to be more relieved with comfort than embarrassed.  
        "We should set up your bed and get some sleep." Tim lifted his finger off Candice's back and she reluctantly backed away to sit in the center of his palm. Tim walked over to his satchel and approached his own bed with was lying on a large flat surface, a surface that was the flattest ground in the cave. Tim knelt down to where an open space was still available for Candice on that flat, smooth surface. With his free hand, he took out the furs he cleaned earlier when they visited the river again to get another drink. He placed a thick piece of fur that would serve as a mattress for Candice.  He lowered the hand Candice was sitting upon to the coat of fur.
        She crawled off the hand and onto the thick fur that was longer than her own hair, but it was soft and warm. She couldn't even feel the rocky surface beneath it. Candice had no idea what animal the fur came from, but she didn't want to think about it because it didn't matter. This fur was amazingly comfortable and that was all that mattered.
        "Comfortable?" Tim asked.
        "Yes!" Candice sprawled yourself out on the fur, rubbing her body against it.
        "There's still more though." Tim took out more pieces of fur. The smaller piece he had he folded it up and presented it to his human friend. "You're pillow." Candice took it and placed it at the head of the bed, laying her head on top of it. "And your blanket." When Candice was ready, Tim draped the cover on top of her.
        As Candice adjusted to a preferable position in her bed, Tim lied down in his own bed and covered up. Both turned onto their sides to look at each other.  
        "Thanks, Tim," Candice said.
        "For what?"
        "For helping me. You could have just left me there on that pole, but you didn't."
        "I couldn't bring myself to leave you there. You would have died."
       "And thanks for seeing me as an equal. With your size and power, you could do anything, but you treat me like a person, and you protect and take care of me."
        "But you are a person, aren't you? Besides, I can't bring myself to hurt people without reason, no matter how small. I would be abusing the power I've gained and that would make me a monster. I'm no monster."
        "Thank you, Tim. I'm glad I came across you when I entered this world. Good night."
        "Good night, Candice."
        Both closed their eyes and waited for their sleep to come, but as they waited to sleep, something watched them from the darkness within the back of the cave, waiting for them to sleep so that it could approach.