Read Online In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Adam Gidwitz
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erupted with bellows of glee.
Jack stared at the boulders. He looked around at the giants’ faces. They were grinning at him. He swallowed hard and approached the third boulder.
He bent his knees.
He pushed his hands under it as far as they would go.
He lifted.
He lifted some more.
He lifted even more than that.
The boulder, of course, did not budge. At all.
His arms and back and hands aching, Jack stepped away from the great rock and looked around.
The giants were not smiling any longer.
“Go ahead,” said King Aitheantas. “Throw it in the air.”
Jack’s throat felt dry. “I can’t,” he said.
“You’d better,” bellowed Aitheantas, “or your life is forfeit.”
Jack winced and tried to wipe away the sweat that was pouring into his eyes. “What does ‘forfeit’ mean again?” he asked.
“It means you die!” cried Bucky. “Now lift it!”
Jack hurriedly stuck his hands underneath the boulder. He bent his knees. He heaved.
And heaved.
And heaved.
Nothing.
When he staggered away from the stone this time, the giants were staring at him balefully. “You said you were brave!” bellowed Aitheantas.
“I am!” cried Jack, his voice wilting in his throat. “I’m just not strong enough!”
“Courage is strength! Strength is courage! Boy, your life is ours!” Aitheantas cried.
“Wait!” shouted Jack. “Wait! Let me try again! Let me try another test!”
Aitheantas had started moving toward Jack. But the little boy’s pleading cries made him pause. Slowly, he said, “Shall we let him try another test?”
The hall was deathly still. At last, Brod said, “Let him break sticks!”
“Huzzah!” bellowed the other giants.
Aitheantas nodded. “Then break sticks he shall. Meas, fetch the sticks.”
Jack exhaled.
They saved me,
he thought.
I can break a few sticks.
And he looked at Jill as if to say,
“See? They’re my friends after all.”
Jill glowered at him and slowly shook her head from side to side.
When Jack saw the sticks, he nearly fell over. They were tree trunks. Three tree trunks. Bound together with thick, heavy rope. Meas deposited them in the middle of the chamber. Then he rolled the boulders away.
“Go ahead, boy!” bellowed Aitheantas. “Break ’em!”
Jack walked reluctantly up to the tree trunks. He gazed at them. He whispered, “Do I have to?”
“Oh, yes,” said Aitheantas.
In a very small voice, Jack asked, “Can I just give up now and leave?” He sounded like he might cry.
“Oh, no,” said Aitheantas. The hall was totally silent now. The giants’ tiny eyes followed Jack closely.
Jack reached out his arms and tried to wrap them around the tree trunks. They barely reached halfway around. He tried to sit on the trunks. That did nothing. He got up and jumped on them. They didn’t even creak.
Jack’s hair was soaked with sweat, and his lips were trembling. The giants’ faces were dark and terrible.
“Well,” said Aitheantas, “you know the rules.”
“No!” Jack whispered. “Let me live! Please!”
“Oh, we’ll let you live,” said Aitheantas.
“You will?”
“Yes. Until after dinner. Then we’ll kill you and eat you for dessert.”
“HUZZAH!” bellowed the giants.
----
Jack sat huddled in a corner, crying quietly. Jill’s arm was around his small shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” he whimpered.
“What were you thinking?” the frog hissed through Jill’s blanket.
Jack buried his head deeper in his arms.
But Jill was watching the giants. Her eyes traveled to the door. It was locked and barred. She looked back at the giants, with their huge bellies, their thick faces, and their tiny, watery eyes.
They sat around their enormous table. Heaped upon it was a feast of fowls: geese and hawks, kites and eagles, merlins and jays; roasted, panfried, boiled in blood, chopped up, blackened. The smells of roasted flesh and dripping fat wafted through the hall.
The giants were just about to tuck in when Bucky said, “I am about
Jack stared at the boulders. He looked around at the giants’ faces. They were grinning at him. He swallowed hard and approached the third boulder.
He bent his knees.
He pushed his hands under it as far as they would go.
He lifted.
He lifted some more.
He lifted even more than that.
The boulder, of course, did not budge. At all.
His arms and back and hands aching, Jack stepped away from the great rock and looked around.
The giants were not smiling any longer.
“Go ahead,” said King Aitheantas. “Throw it in the air.”
Jack’s throat felt dry. “I can’t,” he said.
“You’d better,” bellowed Aitheantas, “or your life is forfeit.”
Jack winced and tried to wipe away the sweat that was pouring into his eyes. “What does ‘forfeit’ mean again?” he asked.
“It means you die!” cried Bucky. “Now lift it!”
Jack hurriedly stuck his hands underneath the boulder. He bent his knees. He heaved.
And heaved.
And heaved.
Nothing.
When he staggered away from the stone this time, the giants were staring at him balefully. “You said you were brave!” bellowed Aitheantas.
“I am!” cried Jack, his voice wilting in his throat. “I’m just not strong enough!”
“Courage is strength! Strength is courage! Boy, your life is ours!” Aitheantas cried.
“Wait!” shouted Jack. “Wait! Let me try again! Let me try another test!”
Aitheantas had started moving toward Jack. But the little boy’s pleading cries made him pause. Slowly, he said, “Shall we let him try another test?”
The hall was deathly still. At last, Brod said, “Let him break sticks!”
“Huzzah!” bellowed the other giants.
Aitheantas nodded. “Then break sticks he shall. Meas, fetch the sticks.”
Jack exhaled.
They saved me,
he thought.
I can break a few sticks.
And he looked at Jill as if to say,
“See? They’re my friends after all.”
Jill glowered at him and slowly shook her head from side to side.
When Jack saw the sticks, he nearly fell over. They were tree trunks. Three tree trunks. Bound together with thick, heavy rope. Meas deposited them in the middle of the chamber. Then he rolled the boulders away.
“Go ahead, boy!” bellowed Aitheantas. “Break ’em!”
Jack walked reluctantly up to the tree trunks. He gazed at them. He whispered, “Do I have to?”
“Oh, yes,” said Aitheantas.
In a very small voice, Jack asked, “Can I just give up now and leave?” He sounded like he might cry.
“Oh, no,” said Aitheantas. The hall was totally silent now. The giants’ tiny eyes followed Jack closely.
Jack reached out his arms and tried to wrap them around the tree trunks. They barely reached halfway around. He tried to sit on the trunks. That did nothing. He got up and jumped on them. They didn’t even creak.
Jack’s hair was soaked with sweat, and his lips were trembling. The giants’ faces were dark and terrible.
“Well,” said Aitheantas, “you know the rules.”
“No!” Jack whispered. “Let me live! Please!”
“Oh, we’ll let you live,” said Aitheantas.
“You will?”
“Yes. Until after dinner. Then we’ll kill you and eat you for dessert.”
“HUZZAH!” bellowed the giants.
----
Jack sat huddled in a corner, crying quietly. Jill’s arm was around his small shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” he whimpered.
“What were you thinking?” the frog hissed through Jill’s blanket.
Jack buried his head deeper in his arms.
But Jill was watching the giants. Her eyes traveled to the door. It was locked and barred. She looked back at the giants, with their huge bellies, their thick faces, and their tiny, watery eyes.
They sat around their enormous table. Heaped upon it was a feast of fowls: geese and hawks, kites and eagles, merlins and jays; roasted, panfried, boiled in blood, chopped up, blackened. The smells of roasted flesh and dripping fat wafted through the hall.
The giants were just about to tuck in when Bucky said, “I am about
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