The giant centipede streaks towards me, its segmented body moving in a horrible rippling fashion.

I panic and bolt away from it, my heart beating wildly. But it outpaces me easily with its countless, strong scuttling legs and it moves around me in a circle clacking its pincers.

At that moment, a giant foot descends upon the centipede, stamping on its horrible head and crushing it into the ground. The segmented body writhes and thrashes in its death throes, but another giant foot kicks it away. The headless centipede goes flying, looping, writhing high into the air and across the vast field of orange grass.

I look up. Seffy has come to my rescue. Her brown eyes are narrowed, and her green face is set in lines of fury. But she picks me up with her typical gentleness and slips me into the sling that’s tied around her.

“You’re safe now, my darling,” she says softly.

Then she turns to Coach. “Are you blind, or STUPID!” she says, her husky voice trembling. “Can’t you even see the horrible bugs on this field?”

“Get off the field…” begins Coach.

“Oh, SHUT UP!” Seffy breathes through her nose. I can feel her chest is rising and falling. “I am having words with the Heads. Now.”

She turns and strides away, still breathing hard through her nose. I’m in awe of how angry she is. But it’s reassuring that she’s gently stroking my hair the tip of her finger.

“Will I have to keep doing PE with that coach?” I ask.

“The heads are going to reconsider your whole PE program,” she replies. “I won’t leave their office until they do.”

I’m feeling a bit calmer and my heart is beating less rapidly. After being threatened by the horrible centipede, it’s soothing to be strapped securely to Seffy’s huge body again and to feel the beat of her heart and the sounds of her breathing.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, my little mannikin,” she says tenderly.

I still can’t help but feel uneasy that without Seffy, I couldn’t even handle a bug!

Seffy’s heading to the Head’s office. That giant girl with the yellow sash is coming out of the office. Her footfalls make more noise than Seffy’s.

“The Heads won’t see you now,” she tells Seffy.

“Too bad,” says Seffy. She shoves open the door to the office.

Zuzie and Aethel are there.

Aethel beams at us. “Welcome.”

Zuzie’s brows draw together. “Seffyroth Xalquen! How dare you barge in like this?”

“Sorry Ma’am, but this can’t wait.” I notice Seffy’s big green hands are balled into fists. “Coach Klitch cannot be in charge of Jett’s PE. He was making him do exercises on Little Side and a centipede almost got Jett. It would have done if I hadn’t run over and stamped on it just in time. Coach would have let him run around in the grass with those awful things on the lose.”

Aethel’s vast, green forehead creases as she gazes at us. “I’m so sorry that happened, my dears. We will certainly draft up a different PE program for the little man.”

“As if it’s possible to guarantee the elimination of every centipede on the grounds,” says Zuzie, curling her dark green lip.

“Jett need not have PE outdoors. A nice private room where Seffy can be nearby would be best. And with our gentlest coach.”

Zuzie snorts. “And barging in without an appointment? Maybe discipline is in order?”

“The poor thing is upset, of course she is. Let’s let it go this time,” says Aethel smiling at her.

“Very well. You may go,” says Zuzie.

Seffy strides down the vast corridor. “That went better than it could have done. C’mon darling, time for a bath.”

After she’s taken me back to our room and I’ve washed the sweat and grime in the bath tub, she takes me downstairs again and down a side passage that leads to another cavernous room that’s full of giant and giantess kids. The rumble of their powerful voices and the powerful stench of their mingled perfumes and body odour is overpowering!

Seffy goes up to a bunch of her friends. I recognise Xylar and Bugsy at once.

Xylar grins and leans close . “Ooh! Hello Seffy. And little Jett. Where have you both been?”

Oh gosh, Xylar’s got some sort of perfume on. It’s acrid smell is even worse than her body odour.

“We’ve just had to see Beauty and the Beast to iron out Jett’s PE program,” says Seffy. “Can you believe Coach Klitch wanted to put Jett in the grass and couldn’t even watch out for bugs. I had to watch out for the bugs…”

“Most of us don’t have your keen eyesight, Seffy,” says Xylar, touching Seffy’s arm with her massive, green fingers. “You are uniquely suited to look after little people.”

There’s another giantess scowling at us. She has hair the colour of tarnished silver and dark eyes. “Why was Seffy chosen? Why does she get a teeny? Why not me?”

“I don’t think you would be a good choice, Mylth,” says Xylar smirking at her.

The giants are parting to make room for someone. He’s a giant boy with dark hair and eyes. The giantesses are all gazing at him avidly.

“Seffy,” rumbles the giant. He gives her a nod and then he looks straight at me. “Hallo Jett. I’m Wobrog, Captain of the Lower School.” He beckons with a green finger. “Why don’t you both follow me to my study?”

“Yes Wobrog,” says Seffy, sounding rather breathless for some reason.

Seffy follows Wobrog down a passage to a smaller room. It is a smaller room, but it’s still very large. The whole council estate I come from could probably fit into it. There are four other giants sitting around a massive wooden table. They’re in the middle of a feast of giant pastries and slabs of meat. They look up as we arrive.

“Do sit, both of you,” Wobrog tells us.

Seffy sits, takes me out of the sling and puts me on the table. She gets the wad of tissue paper out for me to sit on and smiles down at me. “I’m going to have to cut everything up really small again.”

She cuts a piece of a runny, sticky yellowish cake. “Try some, Jett. It’s my favourite.”

The cake looks like gunge, but it tastes surprisingly good.

“Does anyone have a thimble?” asks Seffy, looking around. “Jett can’t drink the globojuice out of your cups.”

“Why would we have a sewing kit?” Grumbles one of the giants.

“He can drink some out of a saucer,” says another giant.

Seffy narrows her eyes at him.

“Why are you looking at me like that? I drink out of the saucer sometimes.”

“I don’t see a problem with it,” I say.

Seffy shakes her head so that her long red hair ripples and bounces. “Alright. Put some in a saucer.”

The globojuice is a thick, purple liquid. It tastes like fruit with a hint of spices.

Suddenly the door bursts open and in comes a massively fat giant, almost as wide as he is tall. He makes the ground shake as he wanders up to the table.

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“I say, you fellows…” his voice is higher pitched than the other giants.

“Buzz off Bubos,” says Wobrog, jerking his green thumb towards the door.

Bubos sidles up to Wobrog. “Wobrog you fool… I mean, dear old pal. How about letting me join in with your spread.”

“Oh run away and play,” says Wobrog.

Bubos notices me and blinks. “Is that a teeny on the table?”

“His name is Jett,” says Seffy. “Call him Jett.”

“Seffy is keeping one as a pet?” says Bubos incredulously.

Seffy glowers at him. Bubos is probably too stupid to notice.

“He’s a new student, you idiot,” says one of the other giants. “Didn’t you hear in assembly? Beauty and the Beast were talking about humans being integrated into Bluestone.”

“Prime Minister Cacus was OK with this?” says Bubos incredulously.

“He’s been sacked, you fat fool,” says one of the giants.

“I’m sure that’s not the end of it,” says Bubos. “He’s a vindictive one, that Cacus.”

“For once, you’re right,” says Wobrog.

“How come he gets to join in the spread?” demands Bubos, pointing at me.

“He’s the guest of honour. We can spare food for him. But not for you, you giant cormorant. Roll away,” says Wobrog.

“I’m not the sort to shove myself in where I’m not wanted,” says Bubos loftily.

“Good!” say the giant guys and Seffy all in unison.

“I don’t see the sense in exotic pets,” says Bubos. “Glaxog has a little monkey that’s ill mannered. Is a teeny so much better than a pet monkey?”

Seffy fixes him with a glare and rises to her feet. Bubos actually notices this time and takes a step back.

“That line of talk makes me angry,” says Seffy. “You have the manners of a troll, Bubos. It’s not something I’m going to put up with.”

Bubos backs away to the door. “You’re all beastly,” he tells us before he waddles away.

“The absolute idiots who compare humans to animals,” grumbles Seffy as she sits back down.

“Bubos is an idiot,” says one of the giant guys.

I have to tell them what’s on my mind. I trust Seffy and Wobrog. Can’t worry too much about the other giants.

“The animals here are dangerous to me,” I say. “Even the bugs are. A centipede came after me this afternoon. Think how big they look from my point of view.”

“Ah, you are so brave, to be the first human to live here,” says Wobrog. “You could show that fat coward Bubos a thing or two about courage.”

“He certainly could,” says Seffy with a small smile.

“What a shame that you cannot join the Lower School Team for the Bluestone Wall game,” says Wobrog. “But come, why not have a look at my trophies.”

Wobrog has a shelf of gleaming silver trophies, all of them taller than me. Steffy puts me on the shelf so I can look more closely. And there’s even a gold medal a foot in diameter. How much gold is the great gold plate?

“That’s an impressive lot of trophies,” says Seffy. “To think I haven’t even been on a team.”

One of the other guys looks at her puzzled. “You have been chosen for the girl’s team today, Seffy. Didn’t you know?”

“Oh! I didn’t check the board. I forgot all about it,” says Seffy. She pushes her long red hair away from her face.

“Well you’re going to have to focus on it tomorrow,” says Wobrog. “The girls’ team is playing Crystal Mountain Academy.”

I ask that we go to our room so I can do my preparation. I can’t think with the amount of racket in the Lower School Common Room, not to mention the reek of giant body odour.

I work at my table, which Seffy has put on her huge desk. The giantess has a surprise for me. It’s a wax tablet that she assures me has a much larger replica that will reproduce anything I write on the human sized tablet. Makes sense. The teachers cannot read my tiny writing.

“It’s great that these can be made again,” says Seffy. “It’s an amazing thing that we used to think that only the Great Ones could do?”

“Great Ones?”

“The Great Ones shaped our land. They were much larger than us. They could move mountains into position. Now we only have the vestiges of greatness. No one knows how to create magic harps or magic animals anymore. And no one can move mountains.”

We start our prep.

“I know I’m going to fail maths,” says Seffy. “Mum and Dad thought I would get better grades here.”

I want to reassure her. But I wonder how?

“I let my mum down. There was this conman who persuaded me to sell the car for some magic beans. And this was even though I knew the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.”

Seffy gazes at me with her big brown eyes. The lamplight shines off her green nose and glints off her red hair. From a distance it’s easier to appreciate that her nose and cheekbones are prettily formed. Close to, it’s still overwhelming that her face is bigger than me!

“If the conmen lied to you, then it was the conman’s fault,” says Seffy softly.

“I do seem to get into trouble somehow though… I bet you haven’t.” I touch a strand of her silky hair that has spilled onto the desk.

“Mum and Dad were worried about me anyway. I’m only fourteen, but I’ve had baby fever really bad and not every girl does. A teacher at my old school brought her baby in to show us and I cried because I felt jealous of her. Mum and Dad believe that a term here will give me discipline so I can focus on studying.”

This sounds a bit strange, but what would I know? I’m a stranger in a strange land here.

When it’s time for me to go to sleep, Seffy wants to cradle me in her arms and sing to me again and it’s best if I keep her happy. It is soothing to be in her strong arms and feel the gentle rocking motion as she softly sings her quirky lullabies in her husky voice. Her green face above me is all I can see. She’s gazing at me with soft brown eyes. “Sweet dreams, my previous little mannikin.” I feel very relaxed and fall asleep almost immediately.

The next morning, I’m awakened by the sound of the bungalow roof lifting away to reveal Seffy’s smiling green face. “Good morning, darling.” She kisses the tip of her finger and gently touches my hair. “We’ve got to get ready. I’m in a match today.”

After breakfast, Steffy carries me out into a larger orange field than the one where she rescued me from the centipede. She strides over to a castle sized square building made of blue stone. Coach Klitch is there.

“Get in the changing rooms, girl. You’re late.”

“I’m not leaving Jett with you,” says Seffy.

“Just get in the changing room now,” says Klitch.

She stomps into the girls’ changing room.

Oh gosh, there are giantesses in various states of undress. I cover my eyes, but that doesn’t erase the mental image of what the massive green bodies of Seffy’s team mates look like without clothes. Neither can I stop myself smelling their acrid reek.

The voice of a giantess rumbles above me: “A guy in the changing room? Mind you, he is a gem of miniature perfection. Let me cuddle him.”

It’s Mylth. She was in the Common Room yesterday.

“No. And get dressed.”

That’s Seffy’s voice.

“Jett…” says Seffy. “You can open your eyes darling.”

I open my eyes. The Giantesses are all in their sport gear. They’re dressed in blue vests and shorts. Seffy has tied her long hair back in a pony tail. She ties the sling around her again and puts me back in it. The giantesses all file out of the changing room. There’s quite a crowd gathered around the field. They’re sitting on massive wooden seats.

Xylar’s on the team. She turns to us. “Seffy, you can’t bring Jett onto the field.”

“I do know that,” says Seffy. “But who’s going to look after him? Where are the Heads? I’ve got to ask them.”

“I’ll take Jett and go and see,” says Xylar.

Seffy starts to protest.

“I am your captain. There’s a pecking order, and I’m pecking you, baby,” says Xylar. “I’ll take Jett and find the Heads. And the rest of you, get in your positions around the field,” says Xylar. “Come here, little Jett.” Xylar lifts me up and holds me over her shoulder like a baby.

Xylar’s already perspiring! Her green skin is wet and clammy and her body odour is overpowering! She carries me towards the spectator stands.

“Hmm…” Xylar’s standing in front of the stands. Then she takes me to a wooden seat and the end of the row at the very back. The empty seat is beside one that’s occupied by another giant girl. This giantess has pink hair. Her seat and the empty one are set a little apart from the others.

“Ditzie, keep watch over little Jett will you? Make sure he doesn’t leave this seat, until I come and get him.”

“Not to leave the seat even if you come and get him. Right,” says Ditzie.

“No, until I come and get him,” says Xylar.

“Until you come and get him, I’m not to leave the seat.”

“No, you’re supposed to make sure the little human doesn’t leave his seat. Come on!” says Xylar.

“Erm… if er…” Ditzie is still confused.

“Oh, it’s very simple!” Xylar’s breathing through her nose. “You stay here and make sure Jett doesn’t leave his seat.”

“Can he leave the seat with me?” asks Ditzie.

“No, keep him here.”

Ditzie twirls a strand of her pink hair between her huge green fingers. “So, I keep him here until you or anyone else…”

“No, not anyone else, just me!”

“So I’m just to stay here,” says Ditzie.

“And make sure he doesn’t leave?”

“And make sure he doesn’t leave,” says Xylar.

“What?” Ditzie is aghast. “Oh, you mean the human.”

“Who else would I be talking about?”

“Oh of course I know to make sure Jett doesn’t leave. I thought you were referring to Bubos just now.” Bubos is sitting nearby, taking up two seats. “Seemed a bit daft my having to make sure he doesn’t leave.

“Do you know what to do now?” says Xylar through gritted teeth.

“Oh absolutely,” says Ditzie.

Somehow I am not reassured. Xylar puts me in the wooden seat.

I can’t see a thing when the game starts. Whether the giants in the row in front remain seated or stand up, they totally block my view.

Is there something scampering under my seat? With all the noises of the giants and giantesses cheering it’s difficult to tell.

Then, to my horror, something leaps onto my chair to squat beside me… It’s a massive monkey, the size of an elephant.

Ditzie stares at the monkey with her jaw hanging open. I try to scramble away, but there’s a thirty foot drop from the giant chair to the ground.

Now the monkey grabs me in its hairy arms and lifts me up.

“Help!”

It’s cradling me in the crook of its arm, and stroking my face with a paw, making chattering sounds. I struggle, but it squeezes me and I think it’s best not to fight the awful animal. Now it leaps high into the air.

“I say!” I hear the squeak of Bubos and glimpse him pointing upwards as the monkey jumps into a giant tree. Ditzie is still sitting with her mouth open.

The monkey perches on a branch, and now it takes a leap onto a tower of Bluestone Academy and still clutching me in the crook of its arm, it scurries up the blue stone face until we’re a thousand feet up and still climbing…