Yoyo’s cheek pressed against the coarse fabric of the burlap sack. He felt the hard ground beneath him and a sharp point against his side.

Breathe.

His lungs inflated with air.

Don’t cry.

It took all his focus to stay quiet through the pain. If he made any noise, the giant might hear. Staying quiet was necessary for survival.

The light came through the fabric like a curtained window and Yoyo tried to see through it. He knew the giant was out there—somewhere.

Slowly, he brought his chin down to his chest. His friend was beside him in a mess of feathers. Its black dotted breast moved slowly up and down. Still alive—barely.

Yoyo lifted himself with an elbow and swiped his arm underneath him, moving what lay beneath. The sharp point against his side moved too. He felt for the object and moved it into his view. It was the pointy talon of a bird foot; much larger than the feet of his friend, yellow and rough, and no bird to go with it.

Yoyo knew his own feet were still connected to his legs, although he couldn’t see them. He tried to move them to make sure he still could. His toes flexed inside his shoes. He kicked the large handle of the catching net with his feet and rested his cheek on his hands.

“Is it the will of the mountain to roll stones into my forest?”

Yoyo perked up. It was a voice, but not like the giant.

“YOU’RE LATE,” roared the giant, the earth rumbling as it spoke. “AND NOW I’VE CAUGHT TWO OF YOUR FOREST CREATURES.”

“Will you tell me what they are?”

“A BIRD AND A HALFLING.”

“I’ll need to see them to say if they are truly from my forest. Take them out and show me.”

“FUNNY TRICK. THEY WILL RUN.”

“I disagree. Place them at your feet. They are fearful creatures and would not dare to anger you.”

The laugh of the giant was guttural and unpleasant. Yoyo felt the burlap sack tighten around him and a pit of anxiety formed in his stomach. He spread out his arms and tried to brace himself, but as the burlap lifted from the ground, gravity sent Yoyo to the bottom of the sack.

He jostled side-to-side as the giant carried the sack, and the dirt greeted him with a thud as the giant dumped out the burlap sack and everything in it onto the ground. Being out was better than in.

Yoyo slowly looked up. The giant sat on a throne of flat rock with adjacent gray stones standing guard.

Not daring to move, Yoyo stayed by the giant’s throne, his bird friend laying beside him, and both stayed silent at the feet of the giant.

“The bird is one of mine.”

The voice came from a child with wavy autumn-colored hair that was tied tightly behind his head. The child stared at the giant with piercing green eyes.

“AND THE OTHER?”

“First let’s discuss the bird. It cannot stand on its feet. It will be no more entertaining than the grass that clusters in the dirt. If it is worth something to you as a trophy, I propose a trade.”

The child slid down his shoulder bag and lifted the flap to look inside. He removed a black horn, then held it up with both hands like an offering. Its size was bigger than any horn Yoyo had ever seen.

“This horn is all that remains of the Agorithan Wurm. It is a treasure of the Old World, a symbol of strength and power, and a worthy trade for a simple bird.”

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The child took a step forward and lifted it higher. The horn gleamed bright in the sun.

“THROW IT TO ME.”

The giant leaned forward.

“I cannot do that. A treasure such as this must be held. I will bring it to you.”

The child walked over the rocky terrain but he never took his eyes off the giant. A long stick was clipped to the strap of his shoulder bag, and as he entered the dirt clearing, he used a flask of water to clean the horn inside and out. He approached the giant in silence and completed the exchange.

“THE HORN OF THE FOREST KILLER.” boomed the giant as it proudly held the horn.

The child gracefully picked up Birdy, the gray feathered bird. He kissed it gently on both wings. He whispered something into the neck feathers. Then Birdy took flight, circling upwards until it soared overhead.

Yoyo stood smiling and brushed himself off. His friend was saved. Now it was his turn.

The giant held the horn tightly like a toddler clutching a new toy. It gestured to Yoyo.

“WHAT ABOUT THE HALFLING?”

“Ah, look closely. He has shoes on his feet, a slender chest, and undeveloped features. He is not a halfling.”

Yoyo put his hands into his pockets and slouched. He didn’t know what a halfling was, but it seemed important to be one if he was going to be freed from the giant.

“THEN WHAT IS HE?

“He is a human. A young human by the look of him, just a boy. Humans can talk. Let him say his name.”

Yoyo felt his crystal pendant at the bottom of his pocket then he ran his fingers along the chain of the necklace. It soothed him.

Speaking was difficult. Being told to speak even more so. Back home, everyone knew his name was Johan, though James called him Yoyo. It was his baby name. The nickname stuck and he liked it.

But one thing he didn’t like was talking to strangers and never in his life would he say his name to a giant. He wished for home and Mom and Dad and Harley and James. He would run there if only he knew which direction to go.

The child gestured toward him. “The boy is frightened and bruised. He is of no value to a giant.”

“HE WILL MAKE A FINE SERVANT.”

“Nonsense. He will tire quickly. I suggest you let him go free. Besides, perhaps he is destined for Ezrazeit. It would not be wise to make Oraculum angry.”

The giant stood up from its throne and towered over the land in a rage.

“I WILL DO AS I PLEASE!”

The child yelled back, “A tyrant like you cannot do as you please! Even the horn has rejected you as its master!”

The giant turned its head to the horn.

A repulsive white worm emerged from the base of the horn. It lurched up the giant’s arm, appearing like a cancerous growth that grew and grew. It spread across the giant like a sprawling ooze, twisting, contorting, coiling, and the giant grabbed the head and screamed in fury.

“A CROMWORM! YOU TRICKED ME!”

Immediately the fighting began. Not wasting any time, Yoyo leapt like a tensioned spring. He ran quickly toward the forest, keeping his balance on loose rock and uneven stone—never looking back, not wanting to lose focus and fall like before.

He ignored the howls of the giant and didn’t stop running until he entered the heart of the forest, where the canopy was so thick that even the sun struggled to find him. Only then did he look back to the mountain, but no part was visible through the trees. There was no more gray, only browns and greens. He finally stopped to catch his breath.

Yoyo heard the soft gurgle of a forest stream and collapsed beside the flowing water to drink. The cold water soothed his swollen lip. He dipped his hands into the stream and watched the water roll over his outstretched fingers.

The snap of a twig sent his heart racing again and Yoyo turned his head to find the source. Downstream lay an ugly stone. Gray. Menacing. He trembled as the trees shook and the stone morphed into the giant.

He jolted back on his heels. He clutched his head.

“Stay away!” shouted Yoyo.

In an instant, like leaving a bad dream, the giant disappeared and in its place was the same ugly stone. Tears filled his eyes. He closed them tightly and tried to forget. He saw the disgusting worm on the giant’s arm and the oozing black horn. He heard the howl of the giant and the slam of the catching net. His mind tortured him with tricks. He opened his eyes and laid still.

“The giant is gone,” Yoyo assured himself.

Saying the words out loud brought some relief to his troubled mind. He clasped his hands together, resting them on his chest, then watched the leaves sway up and down in the wind.

Slowly he cleared his head. Never before had he felt so close to death. Dying wasn’t something that happened to kids, especially not him. It happened to old people. People that had wrinkles. People that couldn’t remember his name.

Time flowed gently like a summer breeze and Yoyo listened to the soft gurgle of the stream. Eventually he’d have to move and see what lived in the forest, but for now, he had seen enough for one day. He closed his eyes and tried to forget.