Title : Rain
Chapter: 3
Author: Squeezynz
Universe : Land of the Giants
Rating: PG, Adventure
Archive: Sure, just let me know
Spoilers: hardly
Feedback: Lovingly polished
Disclaimer : blah blah blah Irwin Allen blah blah

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun had disappeared behind the deepening cloud cover by the time Mark and Valerie were ready to ascend the chair. In the thickening gloom Mark was testing the knotted rope before starting his climb.

" I'll go first Val, tie the backpack on and I'll haul it up, then you come up, okay ?" Mark looked back at Valerie as he took a firm grasp of the knot above his head.

" Do you want me to get the extra rope from the tent ?" Valerie looked up at the chair, trying to gauge how far their rope would go.

" No I don't think we'll need it this time, stand back."

With that Mark swung himself up and locked his feet on the rope, then began to inch his way steadily upwards, while Valerie kept a wary eye on the bedroom door, in case the inquisitive rodent decided to expand its search for nest material.

It didn't take long for Mark to reach the top, then Valerie attached the backpack to the rope and that was hauled to the chair seat. Now it was Valerie's' turn to climb. It took a bit longer for her to reach Mark but she arrived without incident and they surveyed the next obstacle, reaching the edge of the table. Fortunately for them the previous owner had tidily tucked the chair under the lip of the table so it was simple a matter of getting the grapnel over the edge and affecting another rope climb. Over the past 2 years they had all perfected the art of rope climbing and they now felt more than able to meet most mountaineering challenges.

Mark made two attempts at the table before the grapnel bit into the wood sufficiently . Again Mark went first but this time with the back pack on, as he felt secure enough to carry the extra weight. Valerie followed quickly and they were soon standing side by side looking at the vast expanse of tabletop. At first sight it wasn't exactly promising, there were pieces of crumpled paper scattered about, a couple of pieces of cutlery, a box with no writing on and a couple of tins. Mark started out towards the box, hoping to find something inside. Valerie headed for the cans, ever hopeful that maybe the contents were still intact. Of course after all this time whatever they may have held would be useless to them, but it never hurt to look.

Mark peered into the box by standing on a bottle cap to lift him up higher, inside were a length of twine, some paperclips, a ballpoint pen and what looked like a keyring without any keys.

" Hey Valerie, not a bad haul in here, more rope to add to our collection , and some metal parts that could be useful." Mark pulled himself into the box proper, then started to push the items out onto the table top for further examination. Valerie had turned at Marks comment but then continued on towards the cans. They didn't reveal anything new, other than being empty cans that once held the Giant equivalent of fruit salad. But what was revealed hidden behind them made them irrelevant.

" Mark, Mark come and see what I've found " Valerie's excited voice drew Marks attention away from his own discoveries.

" What it is ?" Mark began to climb out of the box, having emptied everything useful onto to table.

" I'm not exactly sure, come and see" Valerie was just standing next to the cans looking at something behind them.

Mark quickly jogged over to her and looked over her shoulder.

" Well I reckon that makes all our efforts worthwhile " Mark smiled down at Valerie and she returned the smile, her eyes bright.

In front of them, spread out over the surface of the table was a map. Not just any map, if Mark was reading it right, but a map of the area they were currently exploring. What a bonus, and wouldn't Steve be happy to add this to their growing knowledge of this strange world.

" It is a map of this area isn't it Mark ?" Valerie eagerly looked up at Mark, he in turn was letting his gaze roam all over the map, picking out landmarks already familiar to them all, and also seeing just how big the area of forest was around their tiny campsite.

" Valerie, this could just about be the most important item that any of us have ever found. Its fantastic " Marks eyes were now trying to gauge just how big this map was, by his scale it was almost equal to the floor area of a basketball court. It was big.

Mark was also trying to work out how they were going to fold this Giant map into a useable size for them to carry, not just down from the table, but back to the camp as well. His initial thought was to cut it up into smaller sections and then try and fold them, even so it was a mammoth task, almost too much for just him and Val.

" I think we need to let Steve know about this, we may need to get some help , it could take some time for us to manage it on our own."

" If we cut if into smaller pieces we could atleast carry some of it back to the camp, we could hide the rest and come back for it later" Valerie had also realised that the task was too big for just them .

" I think that may be our best bet. " Mark tried to pick up the closest edge and was barely able to lift it off the table. " Its certainly going to take everything we've got just to cut it up."

" Well there's no rush is there ? lets start on it after lunch" Valerie started to take off her small backpack and crouched down, taking out cups and the bottle of water, along with some of the fruit they'd had the previous night. Mark turned and sat down with his back against one of the tins, then taking a cup of water from Valerie he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

Valerie looked over at him with some concern, despite her help Mark still had to shoulder the bulk of the physical exertions, and even his seemingly endless endurance and stamina had to wane sometime. He was only human after all. Valerie smiled a little at her musing, oh yes he was human, and a very attractive human at that....his long dark lashes rested on his cheeks, and when open, his deepset blue eyes could hold a wealth of feeling. Valerie often found herself just looking at Marks face, seeing the strong lines and resolute mouth, a chin that in Marks previous life on Earth as a Corporate Magnate, had taken no enemies in the business world. Given that Mark had climbed the Corporate Ladder at a very young age, it was no wonder that his face held a certain strength of character that brooked few arguments but held a wealth of purpose and integrity.

The object of her musings opened his eyes and held out a hand for the fruit, which Valerie had put onto some paper to catch the creamy juice.

Mark bit into the fruit and smiled at the taste, it was so reminiscent of the texture of papaya but with the oiliness of avocado mixed with coconut milk. Betty had surmised it probably was a good source of essential oils and vitamin C, so they had become a regular dietary supplement, which no one, so far, objected to. It also proved to be hardy enough to store well, having a wrinkled thick skin like the avocado, only pale lemon in colour. The skin was also edible but was mostly bland, all the flavour being in the flesh.

" Do you think the hatchet is sharp enough to cut the map "

" I'm hoping it is, because I only have my pocket knife with me, and that would certainly become blunt very quickly " Mark wiped his mouth and handed the water cup back to Valerie. He got up and wiped his hands on his trousers then started to walk onto the map itself to pinpoint exactly where their campsite was, he figured that he would start with that area and work his way outwards, so that they could cover as much of the ground around their immediate area. He hefted the hatchet in his hand and made an initial cut into the paper. He was surprised to feel the paper give very easily under the blade. The area he was cutting had been folded several times and the paper appeared to be a bit thinner than at the edge. Whatever the cause, it made cutting that much easier. Valerie had walked over beside him and was holding up the cut edge to make it easier for him to slip the blade along the next cut. Finally he had cut a sizeable piece, about the size of the double bed sheet, out of the roughly central area of the map, this alone covered a substantial area around the Spindrifts' landing area. They dragged the paper over to the edge of the map, then attempted to fold the paper along the existing fold lines. This proved the easiest and finally they had a one meter square bulky package . Mark then went to the edge of the table and dropped the square over the edge, just along a bit from where their tent was situated snug against the table leg. It fluttered to the floor and settled not too far from the campsite, raising a small cloud of dust as it landed.

" We'll cut for as long as the light and hatchet hold out."

" Fine with me Mark, lets get going "

They continued to work, mostly in silence except for the swoosh of the squares of map as they floated to the floor and landed with a soft splat on the dusty floor. After about two hours Mark called a halt. The light was starting to fade, and his arm was really aching. He didn't want to totally exhaust his strength as it was still quite a way to climb down to the floor. Valerie's' nose was itchy from all the paper dust, and she felt grimy all over from handling the map. She gratefully sank onto the table top when Mark decided to end that days efforts. She hated to admit to any weakness but the last two hours had sapped her energy. What she really needed was a nice steak dinner and a good stiff drink. Not exactly what most people would think suitable for a well brought up girl, but at that moment Valerie would have traded all her designer dresses for a decent cooked meal and a good shot of alcohol. Neither of those delightful fantasies put in a appearance while Valerie sat on the table top so she sighed and started to pull together the stuff to put back into hers and Marks backpacks, while Mark checked the grapnel and ropes ready for their descent. Apart from the map the only other items of note on the table, namely the cutlery, had already been pushed over the edge to the camp below for closer inspection as to possible use, one was a teaspoon, the other a butter knife.

The smaller items that Mark had found in the box had largely been discarded but the paperclips could be useful, and together with the twine and pen had all been dropped to the floor below.

Now it was their turn to descend. Mark swung his leg over the edge and disappeared from Valerie's view. She waited for Marks shout that he had reached the chair, then she swung her legs over the edge and eased herself over backwards, holding onto the rope with both hands while her feet locked on the rope. She eased herself slowly down towards Mark, where he held the rope taut to ease her descent. Mark caught her round the waist when she got close enough and lifted her easily to the chair seat.

" Thanks, can we rest a bit before the long haul, my arms are kind of tired" Valerie shook out her hands to ease the strain of holding onto the rope. Mark was jerking the rope to free the grapnel, it might have been easier to leave the rope in place, but he was loath to be that cavalier with their resources, and rope was certainly an important commodity in this world. The grappling hook finally came free and fell towards the chair.

" Look out Valerie" Mark had stepped back to leave the area clear, Valerie followed suit and jumped back behind him. The grapnel and rope landed with a chink and Mark quickly looped it up and secured it to his backpack. Now it was time to attempt the final leg. Mark swung his legs over and turn around to grasp the rope, Valerie stepped up and was just about to kneel down ready to swing over when Mark was clear when she caught a sound that made her jerk her head.

" Mark, do you hear anything ?" Mark was close enough to hear her query although he only managed to grunt an acknowledgment as he carried on climbing down.

" Mark I think I hear a car " Valerie was standing up again, straining to hear more clearly the elusive sound at the edge of her range.

" I'm sure its an engine noise, I think its getting louder"

By now Mark had reached the bottom of his climb and he jumped the last foot or so, then looked up at Valerie.

"Whatever it is, you need to be down here when it arrives, so come on" Mark's voice carried enough urgency to galvanise Valerie into action, she quickly swung over the edge and started her descent. Mark again caught her as she reached the bottom and they both shook the rope to loosen the hook. Once that was down and gathered up, Mark and Valerie jogged over to their campsite. The noise Valerie had heard was now clearly getting louder and therefore closer by the minute. Mark had started to gather the squares of map, which numbered about eight, into a loose heap, Valerie was gathering together their pieces of clothing and utensils and stuffing them into an empty sack ready to load onto the travois. The light was fading from the sun as quickly as the noise of the car was getting louder, it almost seemed like some bizarre race to the overly anxious Valerie, and she laboured to get all their gear packed before whatever was coming, arrived.

Mark had managed to stack the map pieces under the table, and to the Giants eyes they would look like an untidy heap of paper napkins or the Giant equivalent. Now he came over to help Valerie break down the tent, which folded quickly and was stowed with the backpacks and blankets on the frame. Together they started to pull the whole contraption towards the far wall, underneath the table, which was now casting a dark shadow of gloom in the gathering dusk. There was nothing they could do about the remains of the campfire, they could only hope it was overlooked by whoever was coming to the shack. They were sweating and panting by the time they reached the far wall. In the shelter of the table and with the added camouflage of a broken chair, crumpled in pieces against the wall, they felt marginally more secure. They hoped that whoever was coming to their hideout would not stay long, and only have a quick look around and then leave, allowing their small visitors to escape undetected.

They hoped that if the map was noticed on the table, it would be assumed that it had been torn by its original owner, and not draw undue attention to the possibility of small intruders. Mark and Valerie peered out from their shelter and listened with straining ears for any aural clues from the unwanted Giants.

They didn't have long to wait.