[Eelskin]

Part 4

I woke up trying to get back into my dream. It had been the most wonderful, most bizarre dream I had ever had? well, until I woke up fully, of course, and realised that it hadn?t been a dream at all. Actually, I still hadn?t ruled it out at this point. It might have been a dream, but if it was, it was a damned persistent one.

I woke up alone- again. I looked around, and I was in the same room I had been before- that is, the room I had fallen asleep in. I lay in her bed for a while longer, and I realised after I few minutes that I could hear music. I got up and looked around, and noticed that, once again, there were two doors in the room. The door I had entered by, which had disappeared last night, was back in the wall, plain as day. I walked toward it, and sure enough, the music was coming from the other side. I found my pants and put them on, and slowly, cautiously, I opened the door. What is it with doors in this place? I thought to myself. I never know what?s going to be on the other side.

On the other side of this door was a giantess playing piano. I stepped out onto one of the semicircular balconies- I didn?t know if it was the same one I had been placed on the previous day, but I suppose it doesn?t really matter. I walked to the edge of the balcony and leaned against the rail to get a better look. Sure enough, Amanda was seated at the enormous piano I had seen in the centre of the room, still dressed in her blue nightgown, and was playing a beautiful piece I didn?t recognize. I considered myself a decent piano player, but this woman was a virtuoso.

When she finished the movement, she looked up at me and I started. ?Good morning,? she said, grinning at me. I could hear something that sounded vaguely like the ocean, but not quite.

?Uh, good morning,? I responded.

?Are you hungry??

?Me??

?Yes. Yes, you.?

?Uh?? I suddenly realised that I was famished. ?Yeah, kinda.?

?I can hear your stomach growling from over here. Wait two minutes.? And she stood up, pushing the bench back from behind her. I could feel the vibrations from the bench scraping against the floor. She went up the stairs and disappeared through the doors. The ocean-like noise had ceased, and I looked around the room. There were windows now; they were enormous, at least 100 metres wide, and they let wonderful sunshine in to illuminate the room. It was a beautiful room. I looked back down at the piano, and I could see movement. Looking close, I saw tiny people walking across the surface of the lid. I couldn?t guess how big they were- but they weren?t all the same size. Some of them about as tall as they keys were long, some were less than a quarter of that. I realised with a shock that the sound like the ocean that I had heard was the sound of dozens of clapping hands, applauding this giant concert.

After a moment, Amanda returned through the doors and laid a huge tray down on the piano, being careful that no one was underneath, with two tables on it. She then walked over to me. As she approached, I flashed back to the memory of dangling upside-down from her fingers, and my heart jumped into my throat. But she lowered her hand palm-up onto the balcony, and indicated that I should climb on. I did so, hesitantly, and stood in her palm while she waited.

?You might want to sit down,? she advised me. I sat, and understood why. When she raised her hand, even though she was being gentle, the force of the wind almost knocked me over. I grabbed onto one of her fingers, as thick as a dinner plate was wide, and she carried me over. It was only a few steps for her, but it would have taken me ten minutes to walk from the balcony to the piano- even assuming I could have gotten down and up. She placed her hand down atop the piano, and I climbed off, my legs shaking. But there in front of me were two dinner tables, with a feast on top of them. Pancakes, eggs, tempeh, sausages, toast, coffee, tea, juice, and whatever else I could have wanted. Not only that, but each kind of food was in all sorts of sizes- that is, there were normal-sized pancakes, and then there were tiny, tiny pancakes the size of quarters, and every size in between. Sitting at the table was Amanda?s audience. Most were about the same size as I was, but those who were smaller would sit right on the table, holding tiny plates and walking from dish to dish to collect their breakfast. I was shocked enough that I had to remind myself to move and get food, or else there wouldn?t be any left.

Amanda sat on the bench and ate with us, placing her plate on the lid of the piano right next to where we all were sitting. One of the fellows looked up at her and yelled ?These pancakes are delicious, Amanda!?

She beamed. ?Thanks! I tried making them with vanilla extract today. D?you like it??

A chorus of positive responses were returned back at her from all around me. I gaped up at her face. ?You made these??

?Yep! They aren?t hard.?

?So? who exactly are you??

?I told you. I?m Kristen?s roommate.?

The breakfast crowd laughed. One woman started choking on her tempeh.

?Just a roommate??

She smiled. ?Well? I?m also her chef, housekeeper, resident musician, bouncer, and friend.?

?Bouncer??

?Well, it doesn?t come up that often, but every once in a while I have to get rid of religious proselytizers.?

Now I almost choked on my tempeh as that mental image appeared in my head. Talk about knocking on the wrong door? ?Okay, but I mean? are you a nymph??

?Not me. Just human. A human lucky enough to make friends with a nymph, that is.?

?Well, she puts you to work.?

?Yeah, but it?s a great job. It?s loads of fun, and I get to stay with great people, and? well, I get to be a giantess.?

?Yeah, it? Yeah. There is that.?

A voice popped up from next to my left ear. ?Amanda gets special privileges.? I turned my head and there was Kristen, sitting on my shoulder with her legs crossed. I hadn?t heard, seen or felt her arrive. She was about 25 cm tall, and munching on a tiny piece of toast, holding a plate the size of a poker chip. ?Good morning.?

I managed to respond this time, without my mouth hanging open for too long. ?Good morning to you. How come you keep getting up so early??

?I don?t actually sleep. Unlike you ? I don?t think I?ve ever seen anyone sleep as much as you do.?

?Yeah, well, I work late. I need to sleep late.?

?Well, you?re my guest here. Feel free to sleep as long as you like.?

?I will.?

?For now, though?? and she leaned in and nibbled the inside of my ear. ?Want to be shown around??

?Uh, sure.?

?Amanda, do you mind??

?Not at all, boss.?

And with that, Amanda placed her gigantic hand down on the lid of the piano. I stared at it, still amazed at the size of it, until Kristen kicked my shoulder gently. I cautiously stepped on, and sat down, and Amanda carried us gently over towards one of the many doors lining the room. Kristen, still sitting on my shoulder, swung her legs back and forth while I tried not to get motion sickness. She set us down and I climbed off, still not at all used to this mode of transportation. I found myself standing in front of a closed door. I didn?t move at all until Kristen kicked me again. I reached out, turned the knob, and pulled.