“There it is.” Said Morell, taking a few steps to the rear. “I’d say something heard you.” Hoxley took his cue to heart and stepped away as well. The pounding grew louder, closer. The witches didn’t retreat as far as the others had but did give some space between themselves and the fourteen-foot, round opening in the rock. There wasn’t any light coming from within so there were no shadows to be cast of what was now heavily breathing. Large, labored breaths echoed from within to mirror the steps that were almost upon them. Closer it grew, louder. Each member of the party took an additional step back, hands on their sheathed weapons. The steps grew and grew in size until a bulbous grey form approached the threshold from within. So massive was it that the form looked to be doubling itself over to begin forcing its mass through the opening.

  The whites of Hoxley’s eyes and her companions doubled in size as the grey-skinned cyclops grunted to hunker down to a knee and push itself through. Its back and shoulders scraped the top arch of the hole as it emerged. No wonder the stone was so smooth.

  “Mnmnnnnngggghhh.” The cyclops grunted as the rest of its body followed. Everyone continued to slowly back away and give the titan room. Once through, he stood straight at close to fifteen feet tall! Hoxley had never seen the cyclops before but had seen a few drawings created by those who claimed they’d witnessed it for themselves. It stood on two legs and had two arms like a man but covered in a tougher leathery skin like a beast. Each hand had three thick fingers and a thumb and its feet each had four toes, all digits with black nails. A leather loin cloth made from the stitched hides of several large beasts covered the area below its belly. Atop its chest it had a wide, thick neck and a thick black beard. And true to its name, it had a big white eye in the middle of its head with a yellow and orange iris the color of a rising sun in morning.

  “Who here blows a whistle outside my home to summon me? Who? Who?” he asked.

  “It is I!” The girl said with her arms in a ‘V’ to the sky. “Siouxsie of Spellvale! Witches are friends of Bohga!”

  “Eh? A witch you say?” The cyclops bent at the waist to see past his big belly where the small black clad girl stood. In truth he might have missed her or stepped on her if not for her speaking up. “Oh! It is a witch! Oh! There two of you! No, five I see! Friends of Bohga you say? Witches are friends, indeed, indeed?”

  “Yes! Witches are friends, indeed, indeed!” shouted Siouxsie with glee

  “Ha! Ha!” The cyclops raised his arms to mimic the girl. “Indeed, indeed!” He laughed. “It has been so long since I’ve seen you, all of you! Now let me see if I have everyone’s name. Hmmmmmmm.” Bohga squatted down and put his hands on his knees to get a better look at all that had gathered. After a moment, he pointed a long finger and held it directly over Siouxsie’s twin. “Your brother is the quiet one named Robert.”

  “That’s right.” Said Robert. “How do you now my name?”

  “I know a great number of things. And here is Morell,” he held his long finger over the head full of red hair. “The keeper of mushroom science.” Morell too looked puzzled at how the titan knew his name. “And here…..” he pointed to the prince. “Here is Prince Damron, heir of the eastern throne. Your majesty, it is an honor to receive you.” Bohga said, bowing his head and lowering his hands in a simple bow. “But here….” He said as he looked at the faun girl. “Here is Hoxley of the plains,” His enormous finger reached out to rub against the white woolen hair and curved horns atop her head. “Just as strong and beautiful as ever. Well done, Hoxley. You’ve brought everyone just as I knew you would.”

  “Brought us?” asked Morell. “Hoxley? What’s he talking about?”

  “I have no idea.” she replied. “Bohga? You speak in riddles. What do you mean?”

  “You don’t know?” Asked the titan. “Yes, I suppose it makes sense that you wouldn’t know. Pay me no mind. My mind is old but things are well. Come inside,” The titan turned about and doubled itself over to fit back through the hole. “Do come inside my home, we have much to celebrate.”

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  “Celebrate?” Robert said with apprehension. “Is this some kind of trick? Hoxley how does he know our names?”

  “It’s a mystery to me.” said Hoxley. “I’ve never met him before in all my days and I wasn’t planning on stopping here. There’s no way he could have been expecting us unless he has the power of foresight, like a seer.”

  “But he knows my name and said that you had brought us as he knew you would.” Said Prince Damron. “What’s your game here?”

  “There’s no game. I have no clue to the cyclops riddle or how he knows what he knows. He seems eager to receive us and it’ll be dark soon. If there’s a fire burning within the cave it’ll be farm warmer than sleeping out here and if we want firewood, we’d have to send the witches to the lip of the bowl for it. If he says he’s a friend of witches, then I plan on taking up on his hospitality.” On that note, Hoxley clopped her way past the others and entered the cave. She was quickly joined by the twins, then Morell who followed more out of curiosity than anything. For a moment, the prince stood outside with the fading rays of sunlight illuminating their last. He sighed at not wanting to be left alone and slowly brought up the rear.

  Past the threshold, the cave spaciously opened up to reveal an enormous grand chamber so large that the cyclops could easily lumber about freely without fear for hitting its head. Somewhere out of sight a large pot was cooking something over a fire that smelled heavenly. The walls of the cave were lined with artifacts, tools, pots, bulging sacks, strange looking tools, iron pot-bellied chests and more. Leading away from the main chamber were two others. The one that Hoxley could see into which housed a humungous homemade wooden bed covered in crisscrossed tree limbs as cushioning. Lying folded at the foot of it was a blanket large enough to easily cover a dozen men, or, one big cyclops.

  “Come in, come in, hoo hoo.” Bohga beckoned as he ducked a little to keep from hitting his head on the archway leading to the other chamber. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so glad I could have you all for dinner.” Hearing these words, everyone stopped walking further into the cave. When they stopped walking the cyclops noticed and stopped as well. “Well? Are you coming or not? My most delicious spiced fish stew is almost ready and I’ve also prepared some fully cooked pumpkin bread! They’re my favorite meal.”

  “Pumpkin bread!” The twins exclaimed together as they shared a look of delight.

  “Come, there’s more than enough for everyone to get their fill. I always make extra. Eighty fish in the pot today!”

  “Eighty?” repeated Morell, looking to Hoxley.

  “It takes a lot of fish to feed someone that big.” She shrugged. “That cooked pumpkin smells pretty good to me.”

  All five followed Bohga into the other chamber. Inside was a cyclops-sized dinner table big enough that Hoxley could walk beneath it without the horns on her head touching the underside.

  “Come in, won’t you please.” Said Bohga cheerfully. “Do find a chair that suits you and I’ll gladly serve you in a moment.” Around the table were the most peculiar things: four smaller dining chairs made for humans and a makeshift set of steps leading to a platform big enough for a faun to stand and dine the table. How odd. She took the stairs to the platform as the others climbed their way into the rest of the dining spots. When they took their places and their heads were above the table, simple dining utensils smaller than those of the cyclops awaited them. Small cups had been meticulously carved out of wood. Hoxley stood in her place at the table where the strangest of observations got her attention; the tables, the utensils, every part of the cave, was spotless! Looking around, there seemed not to be a speck of dust upon any item or surface. It seemed so out of place that a lumbering beast in a cave should be so clean. After a few moments, she couldn’t keep it to herself anymore.

  “You have a very clean home!” she said to the cyclops who was dishing out portions from his bubbling cauldron.