Free The Boy with 17 Senses by Sheila Grau

was coming closer and closer. The other giant stood behind the long counter at the front of the restaurant, opening the metal boxes on top of the counter and pulling out green pieces of paper. Jaq felt exposed, with only the table support to duck behind. He looked around for another hiding place.
    The room was filled with tables like the one he and Bonip were under, with some booths next to the far wall. A trash-collecting receptacle with plastic trays on top stood by the door. He might be able to hide behind it, but the giants would see him if he moved.
    â€œHey, Fiona,” the man giant called. “Come here and look at this.”
    Jaq ducked behind the support post as Fiona walked by. The man giant, Jaq could see now, was taller and much stockier than Fiona, who was neat and slender. The man looked scruffy and powerful.
    â€œCheck this out. I got it for my girlfriend’s kid at the toy shop upstairs.” He held up a fat white bird. Only it wasn’t a real bird. It was smooth and frozen, like a statue, but shiny. Jaq listened as the giant twisted something on the bottom of the animal and then set it on the counter. The bird startedwalking, its rigid legs making a spinning sound. And then it laid an egg. A bright blue egg.
    The wonders of this planet!
    The male giant thought it was hilarious.
    The egg fell off the edge of the counter, bounced on the floor, and rolled toward Jaq and Bonip. Jaq’s heart hammered in fear as the girl giant walked over to get the egg.
    â€œLeave it. It’s dirty now,” the big giant said. The girl giant shrugged and turned back to the counter.
    Jaq looked at the egg. It was so close. He could tell by its expensive and beautiful smell that it was something special. The giants weren’t looking his way, so he tiptoed out and grabbed the egg.
    â€œI knew it! It’s glug,” he whispered. “The bird laid a ball of glug. And it’s fresh glug, too.”
    Bonip wasn’t listening. He had eaten too much. He leaned away from Jaq and threw up.
    Jaq stuffed the giant blue glugball into his backpack. He hoped the bird would lay another one.
    A shrill ring sounded, making Jaq jump. Was it an alarm? Had he triggered something when he touched the valuable egg?
    The ringing stopped, but after a few seconds it startedagain, which distracted the man giant. He left the bird on the counter and turned toward the sound.
    Jaq wondered if there were more birds like the glug-laying one on the counter. Imagine! Plenthy hadn’t been lying when he called this a land of riches.
    As Jaq was thinking, the giant Fiona reached for the bird and wound it up. The bird started walking again.
    â€œFiona, it’s your mom,” the other giant said. “Don’t tell her you’re working, okay?”
    â€œBut I
am
working.”
    The man giant came around the counter and grabbed Fiona by the arm. He yanked her, hard, his face boiling with anger. “I don’t need any more of your back talk, Fiona. I swear, if you don’t behave, I’ll tell my dad that your mom is stealing from me and I’m kicking you guys out of my apartment.”
    â€œYou wouldn’t,” Fiona said. “She’s your sister.”
    â€œStepsister. We’re not blood. I’m doing my dad a favor letting you live with me. So you’ll do what I tell you to do and not tell your mom. Got it?”
    Fiona tried to pull her arm away, but that just made the bigger giant angry, and he squeezed harder. “Got it?” he repeated.
    â€œGot it,” Fiona answered. There was so much sadness in her voice that the sound swirled like dejected brown confetti before drifting to the ground. She left the bird and walked around the edge of the counter, disappearing from Jaq’s sight. The man giant followed her.
    The bird kept walking. It walked right off the counter and hit the floor.
    Jaq didn’t hesitate. He ran for the bird. It came up to his waist and was very