THE TURQUOISE PEN

MY GIANT

Noël R. King

Sometimes, when I eat too much, I worry that maybe something else is going on here, that a giant is fattening me up for the feast.

How am I to know what kinds of powers a giant might have—say, one who is to me as I am to an ant, in brain power and everything else that pertains?

Maybe on the day I go shopping at the grocery store, my giant KNOWS that I am headed there the minute I get in my car and drive down the road, green mesh bags in tow. Maybe he is the one who pushes the egg nog in front of the milk just seconds before I arrive. Maybe he is who then makes sure to draw my attention to bacons and eggs, cheeses, and chocolate bars on my way to the ice cream compartments.

My giant is probably even the one who whispered in my thoughts that other day to try the new triple fudge chunk browny delight with whipped cream and sour cream ripples I saw squatting in the display case, resplendent and all by itself.

My giant is really very good at what he does. I just wonder if I am the only one he is fattening up special this month or if I am one of a flock.

Regardless, I plan to enjoy my time while it lasts. I LOVE this ravioli, for instance! And I LOVE being so round and so plump! I feel sooooooooo delicious!!!

—As circumstances warrant, through her Turquoise Pen column, Noël R. King, Scottsville, Virginia, reports on strange and wonderful things, including her giant