Cloverfield Statue Park at 6AM is the place to be. The sun is just starting to shine as I make my way to my usual place by the fountain; sunlight glistens off of statues and the tranquility of dawn reigns.
My life to this point has been rough, so this time of day always brings me peace and joy.
I was born of giants, but suffered a defect of sorts. My height would be about fifteen feet tall, by the measurements of your kind. It’s a lonesome life being this size; I don’t really fit in anywhere: Too big for a human, too small for a giant.
Tired of being bullied by my kind, I left to enter the human world. Here, however, I am looked upon as a freak. The circus was ideal employment for a while, but people shied away from me there. Seeing children cry and scream when they see you is hardly a convincing reason to stay at a job.
When I heard about an opening at the auto salvage yard, I jumped at the opportunity. They paid well for someone of my strength and stature, and I was rarely in any sort of social position. A few months in, I heard about this place. The city liked to have volunteers for living statues on Saturdays. They would cover cost of paint and materials; the rest was up to us.
As I stopped on the other side of the fountain, I saw my friend and fellow volunteer Chuck getting ready for the day. He was dressed in 18th century military garb and was gently painting his face, using the fountain’s water as a mirror. “Hey Chuck, how’s it going today?”
He turned and looked up at me. “Hey Douglas. How’s the weather up there?” He chuckled openly.
I smiled; it was a long running joke between us. “It’s going to be a beautiful day!”
“Yeah, you couldn’t ask for better weather,” he replied, as he returned to his face painting. “Angela wanted to do something today; she isn’t really thrilled that I came here.”
Angela was Chuck’s wife; a wonderful lady who I had met once before. She had shown me as much kindness as Chuck had, which made her alright in my book. “Well, I’m sure she’ll get over it,” I replied, sitting down to work on painting my own face.
“Yeah,” he looked up at me. “So, uh… you and Kristi had that picnic last week, right? How did that go?”
I looked over to another part of the park where Kristi, another volunteer, was getting ready. “The less said about that, the better,” I replied meekly.
Chuck sighed. “That bad, huh?” He sat down next to me. “You’ll find someone eventually. When you least expect it, someone is going to walk into your life.”
I chuckled. “It’s ok, Chuck. No one really wants to be with a giant freak like me.”
Don’t talk that way,” he said, standing up. “Trust me, I know these things.” He looked at his reflection. “I’m all ready. Good luck today.”
“You too,” I replied, as he walked away, leaving me to finish getting ready.
* * *
The day moved along at a decent pace. There were a lot of people coming through the park today, and I would remain perfectly still for a group, and sneak in a wave or a wink when just one person would be looking. It was then that I saw her.
She walked into the park with another guy leading the way. I could tell instantly that they were on some kind of date, but from my viewpoint, it didn’t look like it was going to well. The guy seemed more interested in the statues then the girl with him.
She was clearly a work of art in her own right. I was smitten from first sight.
They stopped right next to me. “I thought you said you liked art,” the guy said in a nasally voice. “I figured you would enjoy this on our first date.”
She rolled her eyes, an action that sent chills through my body. “I do enjoy art, but I am more into paintings. I told you that. Multiple times.”
He turned his back to me, pursuing an argument with her. I took the opportunity to wave my finger at her.
She froze in a look of shock. “Um… that statue just moved…”
The guy turned to face me again; I returned to my still position. “There are volunteers here who pose as living statues, but really? No one this tall could possibly be alive.” He turned to face her. “Quit changing the subject…”
As he turned back to face her, I stuck my tongue out slightly and winked at her. She giggled, a sound like honey, before catching herself, and pointing at me again. “There, he moved again.”
Once again he turned to look at me, and once again, I returned to my starting position. “I told you: that is very clearly a statue. No living creature stands that tall.”
When he turned back to face her, I started miming his words and mannerisms with my mouth, causing her to giggle and point again. “He very clearly is real!”
The guy, who turned to see me frozen again, was clearly exasperated. “You know what? I think I wasted my time with this.” He turned and walked away. “When you decide to be sane again, maybe we can talk.”
She rushed after him. “Connor, wait! I swear that statue is alive, I saw it wink.” I turned my head to watch her go, sad that I didn’t at least hear her name. As she turned back at the park gate, I quickly swiveled my head back to my frozen position. When I looked back, she was gone.
* * *
I was in the process of calling it quits for the day when I saw her coming back into the park. I quickly made myself still in the position I had held earlier, smiling inwardly.
She approached and stopped in front of me, looking up at my face. “You can cut the act. I know you are a living creature.”
I let out a breath. Before I could say anything she started in.
“So, what is your deal? You made the guy I was with think I am crazy, and you even had me thinking I was crazy for a while.”
I sighed. “I could tell you weren’t having a good time with him. I…can sense those kinds of things. I just wanted to help.”
Her expression softened. “I’ll admit it worked. I didn’t have to call anybody, and he sure as heck isn’t going to be calling me anytime soon.” She looked up at me again. “Just how are you so tall?”
I considered telling her the truth about giants and all the other stuff, but decided I would keep it simple for now. “Genetic defect.”
She laughed slightly. “Well, I guess that explains everything.” She held out a hand towards me. “I am Laura.”
I shook the proffered hand, noting the difference in size between us. “People call me Douglas. It is a pleasure to meet you.” I kissed her hand, blushing as I did so.
She seemed to handle it well. “You are something else,” she said with a laugh. “I hope I am not being too forward, but would you want to go somewhere and eat. Maybe talk and get to know each other a little better.”
I wanted to say that I would want nothing more, but did not want to appear too eager. I didn’t want to scare her away; not now that she was talking to me. I played it casual.
“Well, I don’t go out too often; a lot of people look at me like a freak. But, there is a place I always wanted to try down around the corner. ‘Leo’s.’”
She smiled. “You’ve never been to’ Leo’s?’ It’s one of my favorite places!” She jumped to her feet. “Let’s go!”
I was taken aback at her excitement. “You really want to go with me?”
She turned to face me, and her smile warmed my whole heart. “Listen, I had a rough first date earlier today. I’d love to end it with a second one with a much nicer guy.” She held out a hand to me. “If anyone says anything about you, they’ll have to go through me.”
“Maybe so,” I shrugged, “But there is the matter of me being as tall as I am. I…probably won’t fit through the door.”
She giggled. “Ok then, we will get it to go.” She took a step back. “Come on, let’s do this!”
I smiled and rose to my feet, again noticing the disparity in size between us. It didn’t seem to bother her though, as she fell in beside me and we started off across the plaza.
As we walked off into the sunset, she looked up at me and smiled. I gently took her hand into my much larger one, holding it gently as we left the park.
The End!