Jack thought everything was going to be ok. When he watched his Ma leave down the long winding dirt road with their eggs and milk to sell in town, he thought everything was going to be peace and quiet. He had turned around and taken care of the animals, done the chores, stayed up playing video games and then went to bed when it started to rain.

But he was so wrong.

Jack recoiled as the night lit up with a bang. Lightning forked from the sky and crackled upon impact. Jack grabbed his chest with a gasp, breathing heavily from the nightmare. He sighed when he regained his bearings, and he slumped.

"Oh, god..." he sighed. His head hit the pillow again. That was awful! Fucking nightmare again... He closed his eyes and tried to relax, listening to the whooshing of the wind, the pounding of the rain, the crackling of the warm fire-

Jack's eyes shot open. I didn't leave the fire pit on! He jumped out of the bed, and in a sleepy stumble he raced down the stairs and burst out the front door. The barn! Jack held his hat down and ducked as he pushed through the howling wind. The storm had lit the barn roof on fire. The chickens were screeching and flapping, and the horses and cow brayed and stomped their feet. Jack with all his might pushed the double doors open, and he ran to the corral.

"Go, go, go!" He shouted. He pulled the gate open, and all the animals burst out. Jack stumbled as they pushed past him, and he fell. He tried to crawl out of the stampede when a hoof struck the back of his head, and Jack collapsed. He was stunned into a few seconds of immobility, but then he forced himself to get up. He reached back and felt warm sticky blood as he stumbled out of the barn. A chicken ran across his path as the Irishman ran for shelter in the only place he could; the forest.

His head was throbbing. His vision throbbed with each heartbeat, and his breath echoed in his ears. Jack groaned and squinted, trying to see where he was going. But it was dark. Thunder howled again as Jack tripped and fell face first into the grass. He was now covered in mud, but he couldn't stop.

I need shelter! Jack spotted something in the echo of lightning. There! He saw the hollow blackness of a cave entrance. He turned toward it and ran in, falling to his hands and knees shaking. He coughed and spat some mud, and then he tried to get up. His body ached in protest as he stood and stumbled deeper into the cave, shying away from the vicious storm.

Ma's gonna be so upset! Jack wanted to cry.  In a single moment, his world had fallen apart. All of the farmland, the house, the animals... gone. His Ma might even come back and think he was dead. I just need to rest. Jack's teeth were starting to chatter. He was cold. He shivered and looked around, but it was pitch black. No, wait... There was light up ahead. Is that the sun? Jack hoped. He hoped he was in a bad dream, fixing to wake up. His Ma would come in and shake him awake, chide about being lazy and tell him that breakfast was ready.

"Ma?" The Irish boy quickened his pace. "Ma!" He cried out. When he burst out of the darkness, air enveloped him. A scream ripped from his throat as he fell and rolled. He bounced a couple of ways before crashing in a pile of something gold and shiny. He shuffled around before his head popped out. He groaned.

"O-ow." He wiggled his way to the surface and climbed out. Things clinked and trickled under his feet, and Jack took a sharp breath. Gold!? Jack looked up and gasped. There was gold everywhere, gems and coins like a scene in The Hobbit. Jack was dumbstruck.

Who does this all belong to!? He then wondered, How long has this been here? His fingers itched to touch the marvelous treasure, but he held back. Something didn't feel right about taking any of it.

"Hello?" Jack yelled. The cavern echoed, but he heard no answer. Golden light shimmered on the cave walls, and there was a river that cut through the piles of treasure. Jack climbed down and tried to follow it. It led deeper into the cave, and then it filled out into a large lake.

Jack looked around. There was still no one. Did this treasure belong to anyone? He looked at a large emerald shining at his feet. He reached down and picked it up, seeing its beauty in its crystal light. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to take one thing...

"No," Jack said out loud. He put the emerald back in its exact place. I don't need any of this. It wouldn't feel right. "I just want shelter," he whispered. He had never felt so cold in all of his life. He climbed up a gold hill and peered in the lake. Its surface sparkled with sunken treasures, and the water was clear enough so Jack could see them. "Pretty," he murmured, crossing his arms to try and retain his body heat. But he was still curious. What is this place?

The grating of hundreds of coins spilling scratched Jack's eardrums. He whirled around, but the coins under his feet buckled. He slipped and fell with a scream, and he plummeted in the cold icy water with a loud splash. His vision was plunged into darkness. Bubbles rose up around him as the Irishman gurgled a muffled scream and tried to claw his way back to the surface. But he sank like a rock.

I'm going to die. The horrible realization washed over him. Of all the ways to die, I'm going to drown! His muscles were failing him. Jack felt his back hit the riverbed, and he slowly stopped moving. His lungs were burning, but he couldn't breathe. And he couldn't move. Jack's eyes started to close. Shadows danced around his vision, the world darkening as he struggled to cling on. But he couldn't do anything.

The water suddenly churned, and something big plunged in. Jack watched as he felt something nudge him and wrap around his body. He couldn't tell what it is, but his oxygen-deprived brain could have sworn it looked like a giant hand.

I'm seeing things. His eyes rolled back and he blacked out.

What felt like forever was only seconds. Jack coughed violently as he woke up, gasping for air. He spat up water and rolled over, jerking with coughs. He didn't stop until his lungs felt clear, and then he collapsed, breathing heavily. He was shivering, and his body felt weak and numb. Something gently nudged the Irishman's back, curling him up. Jack complied, too weak and cold to argue. Warmth washed over him, and he gasped breathlessly. It was startling, like a wake-up call. Jack found himself pressing against whatever it was that was pulsing with warmth, quivering as life slowly flowed back into his body.

The thing from before suddenly rubbed him, reviving a rush of feeling down his spine. Jack opened his eyes. Everything was blurry, but as he blinked and focused...

No. Jack's breath left him again. Tan skin and black cloth surrounded him. He looked down. Far below him were the piles of gold, and two large denim pant legs flowing down to meet feet. They were ripped and a little torn up, but Jack wasn't worried about that. He was worried about what they connected to, about what he'd see if he looked up...

He took his time and looked around his eye level. A tight black shirt covered a flat abdomen and broad chest. Powerful muscular arms loomed around him, but large hands gently cradled his body like a fragile butterfly. Jack shivered, his breath quickened. He realized, with horror, what he was seeing...

And he slowly looked up.

The first thing that stood out to Jack was his eyes. Large almond brown eyes wide with worry gazed down at him, scanning his small battered body for signs of injury. Around the eyes was smooth tan skin, and around the jaw lined a light beard. Black floofy hair that looked soft and wild sat on his head, raven colored bangs draped on the side and were almost covering his left eye.

What was holding Jack was a giant man.

Jack screamed and recoiled. The giant flinched and knit his brow with... was that guilt? Sympathy? The Irishman tried to back away, but his back hit curled fingers. He was trapped, suspended high up in the air. Jack whimpered and curled up in a little ball. He didn't want to die!

He felt the thing stroke his turned back again, and Jack's stomach dropped. The giant was petting him with a finger. Jack shuddered and tried to lean away. He felt the giant stop and pull his hand away. Then with his finger he gently touched Jack's head. Fiery pain shot through him, and he gasped.

"Ow!" He ducked his head and cradled it, groaning again. "Oww," he whimpered. He heard the giant whine sympathetically. The giant crouched down and rest his hand on the floor of gold. Jack looked up, confused. The giant was watching him, but not with malice. He held in his eyes an emotion that was familiar to Jack; it was a humane emotion.

Jack slowly inched his way to the edge of the huge hand. He stopped every few scoots and glanced up at the gargantuan man. He was simply watching Jack, calm and patient. Jack dangled his feet over the edge and glanced at the giant one last time before he suddenly pushed off and made a break for it. He was fully aware of how slow and unsteady his escape attempt was, but he made it to a pergola unchallenged. He hid behind one column and almost collapsed. He was shaking badly. The Irishman was weak, tired, cold, and even hungry.

As he peeked around, his stomach growled, and Jack winced. The giant was still crouching down, watching him, and when Jack's body complained, his brow furrowed worriedly. Jack flinched away as the giant suddenly stood to his full height. Oh fuck, he's huge! Jack's breath came in short pants as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. He felt the thuds in the ground as the giant started walking, and all he could imagine was a hand descending upon him...

To his confusion, the thuds weakened. Jack slowly opened his eyes, and he saw the retreating figure of the giant before he disappeared. Jack stared. He's... leaving me? The giant had gone outside. He had left the cave. Jack let his back slide down the column and slumped. He could barely keep his eyes open now.

He sighed. I can't believe giants are real! Maybe it's a figment of my imagination, like some Outlast Two bullshit or something. Jack hung his head and groaned. His world was spinning.

He felt the giant's footsteps before he saw the giant himself. Looking up, Jack saw the giant enter the cave with something in his hand. His brown eyes met Jack's baby blues, and the Irishman was shocked when the giant smiled a little. Jack struggled to sit up. What's he up to? Is he gonna eat me? His imagination was growing wild under the influence of exhaustion, and he couldn't help but entertain the thought of being thrown into a large boiling pot of water.

The giant stopped. Two strides away and he could be on Jack in an instant. But he stopped, and he slowly dropped into a crouch and held his hand out. Jack blinked a few times. In the giant's hand was an uprooted bush. It was ripe with berries, and only a few had been crushed in the windy voyage. Jack looked up at the giant; his eyes were wide with disbelief. Did he just go out in the fucking storm just to bring me food?

His throat muscles worked as he tried to comprehend. But he was being presented with a decision; trust the giant and eat, or don't trust and starve. Not to mention freeze to death, Jack thought with a weak shudder. He hasn't hurt me. But he could. Jack looked at the lake. Wait. Jack's eyes widened. So I wasn't hallucinating! He did save me. Jack looked up to see that the giant was still watching him. There was a hopeful sparkle in his chocolate brown eyes when Jack met his gaze. Jack sighed and slowly pulled his aching body up, leaning on the column for support. On shaky legs he stumbled closer to the giant's hand, on the verge of collapse.

The last few feet away was when his legs gave out. Jack gasped as the floor rushed to meet him, but an inch away from crushing his nose his shirt stopped him from getting hurt. It felt like it was snagged on something, but when Jack looked up, he was dizzy with relief to see that the giant had quickly reached down and pinched the back of his shirt, holding Jack about a foot off the ground.

Jack sighed and went limp. You win, he thought tiredly. Just pick me up. I can't fucking do it on my own. The giant hesitated, but then he slowly and carefully lifted the Irishman up. Jack closed his eyes and frowned as the ground seemed to shrink. Vertigo kicked him in the balls and made his heart thrash in his breast, but Jack refused to move a muscle. Doing so could kill him.

He was finally set down on a warm leathery ground, but he kept his eyes shut until the giant gently poked his flank with a questioning rumble. Jack opened his eyes to see that he was safely back in the giant's hand. He wasn't too high up, and the berries were right in front of him. Jack squinted until his vision stopped being blurry, and then he sat up a little and reached for the bush. They were just out of reach, but then the giant nudged the bush closer. Jack flashed him a grateful look and pulled the first berry off. He savored it for a few seconds, and then his eyes widened.

It's really good! He started eating, forgetting that the giant was watching him as he shoved handfuls of berries in his pie-hole. Hmm, pie sounds good. These would make a good pie. Jack ate as quickly as he could, until he had eaten all of them. They filled him up well. He yawned and licked his fingers, and then wiped his mouth on his sleeve. He scrunched his face up when the giant put his finger on Jack's head again, but then Jack slowly relaxed. He got a gentle rub that mussed his hair before the giant took his hand away and removed the bush for Jack.

Jack yawned again, and this time the giant rubbed his back. While the Irishman had to place his arms stiffly in front of him to keep from falling over, it felt good, especially since he was aching. He lay down and started to close his eyes, already dozing off. "Thank you," he murmured drowsily. But then as he fell asleep, the giant stopped stroking him and tilted his head, watching the small man rest.

"... you're welcome," a deep voice said quietly.