Chapter Nine

Hattie had been begging near the bus stop on 3rd all day. It was a good spot, offering cover when the rain grew too heavy and seating to rest her legs. The afternoon breezes were coming in off the sound, blowing the clouds inland and cooling the air. She stretched out her legs, feeling the stiffness of age. She was considering the bench for a nap when a subsonic booming sounded from the street below her feet.

“Aye, what’s this now?” She was suddenly alert. Around her afternoon shoppers went about their business, seemingly unaware of the noise. The booming continued until Hattie couldn’t stand it. She grabbed her bags and began walking toward the bay as quickly as her swollen feet would carry her. If an earthquake were coming she wasn’t going to sit and wait for it.

As she neared the wharves, she saw a giant of a man striding along the opposite side of the street headed the same way. He looked familiar, somehow. Hattie watched him, certain that he heard the booming too. Perhaps following him would lead her to safety.

Hattie trailed behind the giant, barely managing to keep him in sight as he pulled ahead of her with his long steps. As she watched he was joined by an odd little man who jumped and jogged along side him, struggling to keep up. Hattie grinned at the comical contrast between the two, one making steady progress and the other nearly dancing a jig beside. The smaller man was oddly dressed in a T-shirt and tails over old-fashioned trousers. The longer Hattie watched him, the less human he seemed. He had remarkably large hands and his skin glowed olive drab.

Without warning the giant stopped and put down a tiny being that was so thin it looked like a bundle of sticks and leaves. Its hair was an unnatural shade of neon purple causing Hattie to squeak out a surprised howl.

“Saints and sinners! I must be seeing things. Mayhap I’m sick. Ooh, I feel rather poorly. I’ll just sit here for now.” She plopped down on the curbside and mopped her brow with a slightly soiled kerchief, which she pulled from her voluminous skirts. The giant was coming toward her, and Hattie squealed in terror and threw her skirt over her head.

When she peeked out again, she saw no one. The giant was on down the road a ways headed back into the downtown. The creatures that she’d seen with him were nowhere to be seen. Even the booming had quieted. Hattie gathered her bags and stood to go on. The mission would be serving dinner soon. She’d find Dennis there; perhaps he would understand these things she saw. At least she could get a bowl of soup to warm her belly.