(From pages 14-22)

WHILE BLACKBIRD watched the slow river, he felt a mystical presence. He felt like he was one with the Spirit World.

Suddenly his peaceful feeling was shattered when the earth shook for a moment, followed by silence.

The land shook again after the sound of a distant boom.

The booming sound continued and drew closer. The earth shook more violently after each boom.

Blackbird was about to run when the booming sounds stopped.

 The earth was still again.

Blackbird stood very still for he thought he saw something move among the trees at the edge of the river.

 The thing that moved did not look like a squirrel, or a deer, or even a bird. In fact, Blackbird could not tell what it was among the trees until he heard a loud cracking sound overhead—the sound of large tree branches snapping—and he looked up.

There, towering overhead, high above the trees, was a giant man made of stone!

“Hobbomock?!” Blackbird blurted out loud.

The stone giant heard the human voice, and turned his dark and angular face to look down at Blackbird.

Blackbird began to tremble.

The giant reached for the boy with a stony fist the size of a boulder and Blackbird ran. He ran like a frightened deer, away from the river and into the forest.

Hobbomock followed, his giant stone feet smashing trees like they were twigs.

For every twenty running strides Blackbird took, Hobbomock drew closer with a single, giant step.

Blackbird stopped, drew an arrow from its quiver, and fumbled to place it on the bow string.

Hobbomock stopped and looked down at Blackbird who had dropped the arrow and was now frozen still, like a startled rabbit.