The Prodigan Woman Ch 15: The Art Of Forgiveness, (Patreon)

Already it had been three days—three days of silence, three days of not talking to one another. Despite Molly’s efforts, Travis continued to stay in the pendant, never leaving, never even talking to her. Now, on the third day, as Molly stood in the kitchen cooking breakfast, she couldn't help but think that she was failing—not just her task, but the young boy whose life she held in her hands.

"What am I going to do?" she asked, breathing hard, trying to clear her head of all the wrongs she had done to that child.

Molly, with a plate of her own food, began to walk into the living room. As she moved forward, she glanced down at the small living room table where the small red pendant rested. She sat down on the couch and slowly lowered the plate onto the table.

"Um, food's ready," she said as nicely as she could, making sure not to raise her voice too much.

Molly took a knife and cut off a small piece of meat, placing it on a napkin. She watched for a few minutes, hoping the amulet would open and the little Lilliputian inside would come out, but as minutes turned into more minutes, she realized Travis wasn't coming out.

"Travis," she said in a whisper as she brought her face closer to the small pendant, knowing he could hear her. "You have to eat. I've been patient, and you can hate me if you want, but you can't endanger your life."

Molly was still met with silence as nothing seemed to change.

"Okay, you leave me no choice."

***

Travis rested in his bed, looking up at a red see-through ceiling, not moving for days. His stomach growled with anger as his body demanded food, yet he didn't care. The only things he could think about were the horrible thoughts and screams of his people, the smell of smoke and burnt flesh, the crushed mangled bodies on the broken street, the tears of his mother, the saddened smile of his father.

"YOU CAN HATE ME IF YOU WANT, BUT YOU CAN'T ENDANGER YOUR LIFE!" The giant's voice boomed from the outside, too loud to ignore.

Travis couldn't express enough how much he hated her. The destroyer of his life, the creator of all his pain and misery. He wanted to strangle her, but she was as big as a whole valley, and he was less than a speck to her.

Suddenly, the whole room began to shake. The compartment started to forcibly open, the door being torn away and the ceiling cracking as massive flesh-like lines enveloped it.

"What's happening?!" Travis yelled, his hands moving around wildly as he looked for something to grab.

The room slanted sharply, and Travis fell downward, scrambling to find a hold as everything around him shifted. The pendant, his tiny prison/sanctuary, was being forcibly opened by what Travis could only assume where Abbie's enormous fingers. As he tumbled, he caught a glimpse of her face, her face so immense and over bearing that he couldn't make it out fully, what he saw was only portions that included her massive cheek, her valley of brown hair and apart of her blue eye, he couldn't tell if it was her right or left.

"Damn her."

***

"Travis, please!" Molly said, her voice gentler now but still echoing around him. "I'm trying to help you."

She watched as the small speck, barely even visible, continued to fall. The tiny pendant between her fingers began to break slightly from the pressure she had exerted on the small container. Molly paid little attention to the device; her focus was on the little speck of a boy free-falling through the air.

"I have you," she said as she positioned her hand underneath the Lilliputian. With a sigh of relief, she watched as the little boy landed safely in her palm.

She looked down at her palm and noticed how the little dot seemed to stay in the same place, unmoving.

"Travis," she said softly. "Travis, are you okay?" Her heart rate rose as she waited for a response.

To molly’s relief, the tiny dot began to move, and through her earpiece, she could hear Travis's groans of discomfort.

"Please... please just leave me alone," Travis said, his voice weak and filled with despair.

Molly’s heart ached with guilt as she looked at the tiny figure in her palm. "I can't do that," she said gently. "Like it or not, you and I are stuck with each other. But maybe that's a good thing."

Travis, despite his anger, was curious. "Why?" he asked, his voice tinged with skepticism.

Molly smiled. "Because I don't think there is anyone in this world who wants to be alone. I know I sure don't."

Travis looked up at her, feeling his anger starting to fade, which surprised him. His stomach growled loudly, and Molly heard it through the earpiece. She smirked, trying to entice him. "Come on, you need to eat. I made breakfast."

Reluctantly, Travis allowed himself to be coaxed into eating. Molly carefully placed the piece of meat she had prepared on a napkin and watched as Travis began to eat, albeit begrudgingly.

Both Lilliputian and Prodigan ate in silence, a tentative peace settling between them. The calm was broken by a sudden knock at the door.

"Who is that?" Travis asked, his tiny voice carrying a hint of worry.