Chapter 37

Roger soon returned from his foray into the big warehouse store downtown.

The van was loaded with cases and cases of canned dog food, several large chew bones and a half dozen big bags of dog kibble.

Parking in the driveway, he tooted the horn and began unloading the back of the van.

Freya and Anita came outside and began lugging his purchases inside the house and setting them down on the big dining room table for the moment.

Roger briefly peeked into the living room and saw Dena curled up in a wing chair sound asleep while Sasha chased rabbits in her sleep.

As they piled all the dog food into an empty cabinet Freya muttered, "Ah hope she's nae a picky eater! Ah ne'er seen thes much dog food afore in a hoose."

Roger smiled at her and said grimly, "I'm thinking about all the poop she's going to make, keeping up with it is going to be a full time job!"

Anita bravely volunteered, "I'd be willing to come over and help clean up after her, if you'd like."

Roger chuckled and replied cheerfully, "You're a guest, little one and guests don't clean up yard poops!"

Freya giggled and remarked, "Ah thenk Dena wull be cleanin' up efter 'er wolf, Ah dornt recall seein' onie poops lyin' abit back haem."

"Well, once the house next door is all fixed up and livable again. Sasha will have twenty five acres to poop in so it won't be an issue then." mused Roger as they finished putting away the last of the bags of dry dog kibble.

The great grandfather clock in the front hallway chimed eight times, it was now eight o'clock and Anita had been with them since about twelve noon.

She reluctantly opened her phone and punched 'Home'.

Moments later she said cheerfully, "Hi mom! I'm ready to come home now."

A few moments later, "I had the best time! We explored Anna's great grandmother's house next door and scared ourselves silly letting our imaginations run wild!" She exclaimed.

Then a pause, "Oh gosh yes, the house is really huge. It's like three stories high and I have no idea how many bedrooms and bathrooms."

Another, longer pause, "Of course I got ideas, I had a lot of inspiration today!"

A shorter pause, "I'll see you when you get here and, thanks mom!"

Closing up her phone again, Anita smiled and said happily, "I really appreciate you guys letting me come over on such short notice. I haven't had this much excitement since forever. Hanging out with Anna was one thing, but exploring her great grandmother's house and meeting Sasha and Dena? Wow! That was pretty cool."

She grinned and said, "I fully expect a three A.M. Plot bunny to hit me tonight and I'll be up the rest of the night trying to get it all down. So, if I look like a zombie at school tomorrow? You'll know why!"

Her mother arrived shortly after that and Freya walked her out to her mom's minivan.

They exchanged hugs and pleasantries and soon after, she got into her mom's minivan and they drove off down the hill.

Returning to the house, Freya saw that Roger had laid out a tea tray and some light comestibles just for them.

Retiring to the front parlour to let Sasha and Dena sleep, they settled into the smaller settee there while Roger poured the water for the tea and served up a few delicacies for her to eat.

Freya enjoyed the attention she was getting from him and sipped at her tea just before sampling one of the light pastries Roger had brought home for her to enjoy.

For all her size, Freya could be quite dainty when she chose to be, and she rarely let that side of her show around others.

Roger had a way of bringing it out in her and she enjoyed letting him see it.

Finishing their tea and light snack, Freya relaxed while Roger put the tray in the kitchen for later.

He sat down beside her on the small sofa and she leaned against him affectionately, he turned to look at her and she smiled shyly just before she kissed him gently on the lips.

Moments later, their lips parted and she said very softly, "'at was me first kiss, Ah wanted ye tae hae it."

Roger smiled slightly and murmured, "I'm very flattered my dear, but let's keep our heads about this. Okay?"

Freya smiled at him shyly and rested her head on his shoulder, content to be close to him.

A few minutes later, they drifted off to sleep, snuggled together on the small settee in the front parlour.

It was just after midnight when Anna and Josephine returned from her last book signing event at Carlson and Turner Books in Portland, Oregon.

The final event had gone smoothly and they happily sold out all the copies in stock of her latest book, while she got to meet many of her ardent fans.

The house was quiet as they entered and while passing by the front parlour, Anna noticed Roger and Freya snuggled together and sound asleep on the small settee.

She turned to Josephine and held up a gloved finger to her well formed lips as they slipped past the front parlour and went into Anna's room down the side hall.

Once the door was closed, Josephine remarked, "Those two are pretty close, aren't they? I guess that would explain why he's not married, a girl that big would scare off any marriage minded female!"

Anna smiled as she shrugged out of the Victorian outfit she was wearing and replied, "She definitely loves him and he loves her, but he's being the responsible adult in this relationship and keeping her at a distance. When she reaches adulthood, Roger won't be able to fend her off any longer with that 'you're underage' excuse."

She grinned and said roguishly, "I'll almost feel sorry for him once she puts her arms around him for real, it will be the ride of his life!"

Josephine pretended to look shocked and whispered hoarsely, "Why Anna Karlsen? You're positively awful!" and broke into the giggles.

Roger woke up suddenly and realized that he and Freya were still in the front parlour where they had fallen asleep together.

They had slept through the chiming of at least two hours by the huge grandfather clock.

He rose stiffly and worked a few kinks out of his neck before he gently nudged Freya awake.

Her bright blue eyes opened suddenly and she sat up looking around in puzzlement.

"Wha?!"

"We fell asleep on the settee together." remarked Roger, "I guess we were more tired that we thought!"

Rising from the small settee, she stretched like only she could with her long limbs reaching for the high ceiling.

Roger stepped over to the front window and looked to see Anna's rented Toyota sitting in the driveway, "Well, they're back from the book signing, I guess they've gone off to bed themselves."

Leaving the front parlour, they peeked into the living room and saw that the fire had died down to glowing embers and was casting a soft, ruddy glow over the slumbering forms of Sasha and Dena still curled up where they had fallen asleep earlier.

Roger took a knitted afghan from the hall closet and carefully laid it over Dena's tiny form, then he slipped back out of the living room and they both went to their respective bedrooms.

The jangling alarm rudely interrupted a rather pleasant dream Roger was having, one involving a towering red head, a picnic basket and a blanket.

He opened his eyes and got out of bed to shut off the alarm before padding down the hallway to enter the bathroom they both shared.

A quick toilet break and brief shower later, Roger was leaving the bathroom as a sleepy eyed young giantess was coming in.

With a bit more of a spring in his step, Roger returned to his bedroom and quickly dressed for the day.

A few minutes later, he entered the kitchen and was greeted by the sight of a two foot tall, very blonde elf girl watching as her immense, fur clad companion happily plowed into a large bowl of food.

Thankfully, she was dressed this time as he was just not ready to be seeing a naked girl so early in the morning, even if she was only two feet tall.

Dena the wood wife smiled at him and said in her squeak of a voice, "Thenk ye sae much fur gettin' Sasha aw thes scran. She hasnae pure eaten since we left th' village an' she's tint a lot ay weecht!"

Roger smiled at his tiny guest and said quietly, "I was shocked when I touched her and I could feel her ribs sticking out so much. To be honest, I bought all that food not knowing if she would even touch it."

He grinned and quipped, "I'm glad I don't have to donate all of it to the local animal shelter!"

Freya came in and started up the coffee maker while Roger got out his favorite large skillet and began heating it up while he was cracking and stirring up a few eggs.

He whomped up a nice omelet for himself, Freya and Dena who smiled happily as he laid a small saucer with her portion on the breakfast table, he even got out a tiny fork and spoon for her, causing Freya to mutter,"Yoo're spoilin' 'at wee elf!"

Roger only grinned at his tall housemate as he sat down and dug in.

They finished up their breakfast and Roger made ready to take Freya to school.

Before leaving he said to Dena, "Be careful about letting Sasha out to use the bathroom, if a neighbor sees her, it could get a little crazy."

Dena grinned at him and replied, "Nae a body wull see us, Ah'll tak' 'er tae th' place next duir."

He gave her a 'thumbs up' and they left the house.

A few minutes later, and they pulled into the student drop off zone.

Anita was standing there with Lorna Yamada, Lorna looked Monday morning fresh while Anita even dressed fairly sedately, looked like a zombie attack survivor.

Roger smiled and said amiably, "She wasn't kidding about staying up late to write."

Freya leaned over and pecked him on his cheek while saying, "See ye later, hae a guid day!"

"You too dear, I'll see you this afternoon!"

Returning home, he entered the house to see Anna awake and sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee before her.

Sitting across from her was Dena perched on a tiny chair Roger had found in a doll shop.

"Have you eaten?" he asked her, Dena opened her mouth and Roger said crisply, "I just fed you, you can't be hungry again?"

Anna laughed and said merrily, "No, I haven't eaten. Dena here is quite interesting. Did you know that her kind is pretty much immortal, their lives are so long? She's actually older than I am!"

He smiled and once again, began heating up the skillet.

Before long, he laid a plate with a fresh omelet on it before Anna and said, "Bon Appetit!"

Josephine sleepily entered the kitchen and smiled when Roger handed her a cup of coffee and asked, "How do you want your eggs?"

She glanced over at Anna's food and said, "I'll have the same thing, I'm too tired to be picky!"

After delivering a fresh omelet to Josephine, Roger sat down across from them with his own coffee and asked, "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

Anna smiled and replied, "Josie and I are heading home this afternoon, so I plan on relaxing a bit and thinking about what we're going to do with my house."

She glanced over at Dena who was still perched in her own chair and sipping from her own miniature coffee cup, then commented, "Dena and Sasha being here now has changed a few things. I want to see if I can rope a friend into coming back here with me and staying with me while I get the renovation efforts underway."

She smiled at Josephine and said amiably, "I think we're all done with the book tours for now and I want to let my brain simmer for a little while before I tackle another book. That means you can focus on some of your other clients while I goof off!"

Josephine merely smiled at her client and remarked, "I do appreciate your candor and I do plan on doing just that, even though most of my other clients aren't nearly as much fun!"

After breakfast, Roger decided he wanted to go up to the house and do some more work on the doors and hinges.

He gathered up a couple of more cans of penetrating oil spray, a couple of stout screw drivers, a small hammer and a couple of small pin punches.

Collecting the keys from Anna, he set out for the house with Dena and Sasha happily tagging along.

Once they got there, Dena hopped off Sasha's back, sent her off to look around and watched while he dosed up the hinges and locks once more.

Dena wrinkled up her tiny nose at the scent and remarked, "Whit is 'at mince 'at smells sae strange?"

Putting the cap back on the spray can Roger grinned at his tiny observer and said, "This 'strange smelling stuff' as you put it, is an oil that gets into the tiniest cracks and loosens the metal bits. It will help the locks and hinges work easier."

They spent the next few hours looking for more outside doors to treat with the penetrating oil.

Some of them were found by pulling apart the ivy and slipping through the opening they'd made.

He tried the keys in the locks and found that they did fit nicely, which would save him having to find a locksmith that could duplicate such an old key.

They poked around until lunchtime and Roger shared his lunch with Sasha and Dena.

Sasha for all her size, was quite the lady about taking food from him, she would lightly grip it with her teeth and gently take it from his fingers.

Glancing at his watch afterwards, Roger declared, "Well guys, we'd better head back. I have to pick up Freya this afternoon so she can say goodbye to Miss Anna and Miss Josephine."

As they leisurely strolled back to his house, Roger asked, "Dena, I have to know...Just what were you thinking, coming down here like you did? This area is so built up that I'm concerned that Sasha might get seen. I'm praying that she'll get mistaken for a bear because of her size, but still it could get pretty crazy.."

Dena sat on Sasha's back, quietly mulling over his questions until she replied in a serious tone. "Ah was concerned abit such a yoong lassie livin' sae far frae haem, in a place whaur aw fowk is sae wee tae 'er. Ah wanted tae be near 'er in case she needed me. Induna asked me tae watch o'er 'er an ahm honorin' 'er lest request."

Dena reached out and Roger extended his hand so she could grip a finger while they continued walking, she grinned at him and said merrily, "Besides, Ah missed ye an' wanted tae see ye again, an' sae did Sasha!"

Roger just rolled his eyes and commented drily, "I gathered that from the way you kissed me like you did, when we bumped into each other down in the basement. And blaming it on an innocent wolf like Sasha is dirty pool!"

She quickly retorted, "Ye shoods feel honored, nae mony men gie kissed by a wuid guidwife!"

A few strides later, "It warked didnae it?" she declared and stuck out her little pink tongue.

Entering the roomy house, Sasha promptly went into the living room and curled up to sleep on the oriental rug in front of the big fire place.

Dena went to her things and began sorting her clothing, such as she had.

This prompted Roger to show her where the laundry room was, so she could wash her things properly.

He stood her up on the dryer and showed her how the washing machine worked and how to set it up for a small load like she had.

After it was started, he closed the lid and said, "Now we just let it do its work. The machine will stop when it's finished and then we'll put your things in the dryer."

Dena smiled at him and before he could react, she kissed him yet again then softly said, "Thenk ye fur yer kindness tae me an' Sasha. Ah see noo 'at comin' haur was a guid idea after aw."

Roger blushed and said shyly, "This is so strange, getting kissed by a girl one third my height just now and last night, I got kissed by a girl almost a foot and a half taller than me."

Dena smiled at him and said happily, "That's nae sae strange...We baith loove ye in uir ain way an' kissin' is a body way tae show uir affection."

Roger could only smile at his tiny companion, lift her up from the dryer top and set her down on the floor.

After looking around the house a bit, he found Anna and Josephine sitting in Anna's room, all packed and ready to leave.

They were simply relaxing a while before the flurry of activity started up again.

Anna smiled at little Dena standing besides Roger and said, "When I come back in a month or so, I want to ask you about whole bunch of things for a story idea I have. Will that be okay with you?"

Dena grinned and replied, "Ay coorse! Ah dornt min' a bit!"

Josephine smiled at her and remarked, "I can't get over how cute you are, with your tiny size and your whole elf look, it's hard to believe you are real."

She chuckled softly and commented, "Then again, I've met so many people recently that shouldn't exist yet there they are, as real as I am."

Roger, seeing an opening, asked, "So when's the flight taking off?"

Josephine glanced at her boarding pass and replied, "Eight P.M., we'll leave here about six thirty to return the car and go from there."

Roger pulled up in front of West Sylvan Middle School and waited for Freya to emerge from the school.

At precisely 3:03 P.M. The dismissal bell rang and students began exiting the numerous buildings and leaving the campus.

After the crush of students started to ebb, Freya emerged and came out to the van.

With her were Anita Larsen, looking much better than she had that morning.

Lorna Yamada in her usual sports oriented garb and Tamara Johnson, also dressed for the basketball courts.

Per an earlier arrangement, the girls all piled into the van and came home with Freya.

The plan had been to let Freya change into court attire and she would go play basketball with her friends at the recreation center, where a couple of WNBA stars were going to make an appearance.

Anita was a late change to the plans as she was invited to hang out with Anna Karlsen until it was time for her to leave.

Anita leapt at the chance to visit with Anna and talk more about writing.

Arriving at the house, Freya wasted no time in changing into court attire and literally blew out of the front door with her two friends close behind, leaving a mildly bemused Anna Karlsen in their wake.

Roger shrugged and remarked, "Hey, It beats having to explain where Dena and Sasha came from!"

He jerked a thumb towards the living room where Anita was hunkered down and giving the immense wolf a belly rub, much to Dena's amusement.

6:30 arrived all too soon for Anna and Anita who were having a rather animated conversation about a story Anita had started writing the night before.

The girl was literally in heaven chatting so amiably with her favorite author on such a personal level.

It was Josephine who had to play the bad guy and tactfully remind Anna that it was indeed, time to leave for home.

Josephine shook hands with Roger and thanked him for his hospitality during their stay.

Anita and Anna hugged and kissed each other and tearfully promised to keep in touch, with Anna cheerfully declaring that Anita was "Her favorite fan!" to Anita's deepest blushes.

Anna finally turned to Roger and after a warm embrace, she rose on tip toe and kissed him very sweetly.

She smiled and said pleasantly, "I'll be coming back in a few weeks and we'll get started on my house."

Roger smiled at her and replied, "And I'll keep your room ready for you!"

He and Anita walked them out to their rental car and after he put their luggage in the trunk.

Roger hugged both Josephine and Anna and wished them a safe journey, Anna and Anita hugged once more and wished each other well.

Roger held the doors for each of them and as he held the door for Anna, she kissed him once more and smiled as she sat in her seat while he closed the car door.

A few minutes later, Roger and Anita were standing alone together in the driveway to his oversized craftsman home in a semi rural part of Portland, Oregon.

It all seemed so quiet now after Anna and Josephine had left and Freya would not be home for a while.

He smiled at his youthful guest and asked, " Young miss, would you like a spot of tea and a biscuit, while we're waiting?"

He held out his arm and Anita smiled at him as she replied cheerfully, "Why thank you kind sir! Yes, a spot of tea would be lovely right about now." and slipped her arm though his, as they entered the front doors of the house he shared with a young giantess.