Free Jake and the Giant Hand by Philippa Dowding Page A

it.” His grandpa paused and sighed like he was carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders.
    He continued. “Just remember, there are different kinds of stories. Some are true, some are lies, and some are in-between. You have to decide for yourself what’s true … and what isn’t. And for what it’s worth, I’m not sure what I believe myself.”
    He got up and walked slowly to a table in the hallway.
    He looks so old! Jake thought sadly. He watched his grandpa yank open a drawer and pull out a huge old key. He shoved the key across the table at Jake.
    â€œHere. The fourth cold room on the left,” his grandpa said. “And I hope you’ll forgive me,” he whispered.
    Then the old man turned his back. Jake wasn’t entirely sure, but he thought before he turned away, his grandpa’s eyes shone with tears.

Chapter 18
    Proof in Hand

    J ake watched his grandpa shuffle away. He hesitated, but just for a second.
    What’s down there? Do I want to know? … YES!
    He snatched the key from the table then ran down the farmhouse stairs two at a time. He snapped on the light at the bottom of the stairs and the bulb slowly buzzed to life. He breathed in the musty, cobwebby smell of the place.
    One, two, three, four doors.
    Jake stood in front of the fourth cold room on the left.
    It was locked. He fit the old key into the padlock and the door swung open with a huge creak .
    It even sounds spooky!
    The cold room was … cold. And dark. And it smelled like decay and leaves and dirt. And something else. Time maybe. Or something forgotten. He flicked the light switch and the bulb slowly flickered to life.
    The shelves were empty. The dirt floor was cold and damp. It took a moment for Jake’s eyes to adjust to the dim light …
    â€¦ something gleamed out of the dark. Something dull and yellow . Jake gasped.
    A golden circle was leaning up against the wall of the cold room. It filled the room from floor to ceiling. The circle was taller than Jake’s head and wider than his arms spread out.
    It was a huge, heavy golden circle. It practically took up the entire room.
    Jake ran his hand over the cool, gleaming metal. It was perfectly smooth and made a circle that reached the dark ends of the cold room. His hand caught at something rough on the inside of the circle. He pushed his face closer to the metal and saw a letter stamped on the inside. It was a giant “T.” Jake looked closer; it was hard to see in the gloom. There was another letter beside it: “O.”
    There were more letters, all around the inside of the circle. Jake ran his hands over the circle and whispered the letters to himself as he read them: “T-O-M-L-O-V-E-L-O-N-O-U-R-W-E-D-D-I-N-G-D-A-Y.”
    Jake froze. He realized it was a sentence: “ To M Love L on Our Wedding Day .”
    A chill started in Jake’s feet and rose over his whole body, right to the top of his head. He didn’t want to say the words on his lips, but he couldn’t stop them:
    â€œIt’s not a gold CIRCLE! It’s a gold RING! It’s a golden wedding ring big enough for a … GIANT .”
    And it came from a giant’s rotting hand!
    A scream started in Jake’s throat. He tore back up the stairs and out the kitchen door. He ran down the lane, screaming, waving his arms wildly, and he never looked back.
    He couldn’t. A swarm of giant flies chased him, buzzing like chainsaws all the way.

This Part Is Also (MOSTLY) True …

    W elcome to the end of the story, and if you’ve made it this far, congratulations. I told you at the beginning that it was scary and more than a little sad, and yet here you are. I’m sure you’ll never look at a farmer’s field again without wondering what secrets, and possibly what horrors, lie beneath it.
    You’ve no doubt got many questions at this point. You’re probably wondering what happened next, what happened to Jake, and you