When the Boughs Break

[Serril Indaiyu]

The leering, lugubrious hill giant stood undaunted, his boastful laughter booming over the trees, scattering flocks of birds before him. He sneered with scabby lips stretched taught around yellowed teeth as the villagers groveled before him, his beady eyes filled with dark intent.

"FOOLY LITTLES, RUMBLEJAW TELL YOU
TWO OX AND TEN WHISKY BARRELS BRING
OR CATCH A LITTLE AND MAKE EM SING"

With another laugh, Rumblejaw's mighty hand began to close around Fair Maiden Daphne, who cried out "Please! Won't a hero come save us, in our hour of need?!"

And as the clouds appeared at their darkest, a wind blew true and parted way for the sun. The rays cast down, catching their light upon a figure cresting the hill. For a moment he sat upon his steed, taking command of the situation - a magnificent cataphract, clad in the very sun's own liquid radiance....

"What's a catatact?" Serril asked his sister Hana, breaking the scene as he clumsily tried to correct for the borrowed bonnet slipping from his mop of curly blonde hair. Behind him, a deer maintained an awkward pose with its head down, with the firbolg boy standing roughly between the antlers.


"Serril, you ruined it! And it's cataphract!" Hana sighed in frustration, her breath steaming in the late winter air as she put away a heavily-used storybook into her pack. "Down, Tut-Tut. Ombo, relax."

Tut-Tut, a giant badger, grunted and squatted prone, letting Hana slide off to the side. Ombo backed away, but not before chewing on Serril's hair.

"When do I get to be Sir Gadrey? Wait, Ombo, stop!"

"You can be Sir Gadrey, but you're getting rescued by Daphne the Fair, and I still get the sword." For emphasis, Hana brandished the well-whittled prop they had used for many such productions in the past.

"But why?"

"Cause I'm older and I'm bigger." Hana replied matter-of-factly, flourishing the wooden sword before resting the flat of the blade across her shoulders. "And I had to play Daphne when Tatva was playing Sir Gadrey, so you have to play Daphne with me. Whenever we get a new brother or sister, you can play the hero then."

It was a familiar refrain. Time and again, turned away on account of being the baby of the family. Serril sighed, and Hana retrieved her borrowed bonnet. In the distance, the low thrum of a horn sounded in the direction of the Grove. The call to supper.

"Okay Onbo, alright Tut-Tut, playtime's over." The two firbolg children each gave their animal playmates their due in the form of a few slices of sugar beet. Hana took Serril by the hand, and they began to beat the path back home.