Goliath heard a tiny cough from the doorway.

He looked up from his book, listening intently. It was hard to tell over the sound of pouring rain.

“Hello. I’m down here.” An equally tiny voice said.

He lowered his gaze to the floor. The door hadn’t opened, and now he knew why.

A very drenched fairy was standing on the welcome mat, small enough to have squeezed though the space under the door. She was holding a dripping umbrella that seemed to be made of sturdy pink flower petals.

“Can I get you a warm drink?” Goliath offered.

“Yes please. Do you have cocoa?” the fairy asked, shaking her umbrella and flicking water off her wings.

“Coming right up.”

She flew to the table and stood on it. Her translucent wings twitched. Goliath was wondering when he’d get to use the special cups Dusk had given him. Incredibly small, but the perfect size for a fairy. He kept them in a separate drawer at all times so he wouldn’t lose them.

Of course, downsizing a cup of cocoa that much would be impossible, so he made a cup for himself and used a syringe to drop some into the fairy’s cup. He was proud of himself for not spilling any. He gave her a towel to dry off with.

“Thank you.” She said, pleased by the mug that was just the right size for her hands.

She set her umbrella to dry and took a sip of cocoa. Her skin was pale green, and her curly shoulder length hair was a slightly darker hue. She was wearing a dress that also resembled flower petals, in a shimmering blue.

“I won’t be long. The rain is supposed to clear soon and then I’ll be off berry picking.”

It was that time of year again, when the berries would be ripe. Goliath always got a box of strawberries, or several, as he always ended up eating one box on the way home. Fairies were famous for their well-cultivated crops.

“The strawberries are my favorite. I can’t stop myself from eating them.” He said.

That made the fairy smile.

“I love them too. I always make strawberry shortcake. With mountains of whipped cream.”

~

When the rain cleared, they both started the trek to the berry patches.

“You’re sure it’s okay for me to help?” Goliath asked.

“Of course.” The fairy, Juniper, said from her perch on his shoulder. “I have my own garden, so it’s not like we’ll be intruding on anyone else’s property.”

Goliath walked more slowly than usual, worried about knocking the fairy off. They headed in the opposite direction of Dusk’s store, through a heavily wooded area until they reached the edge of a clearing.

A large strawberry patch grew in the sunlight. Even Goliath thought it was big, it must be difficult for a fairy to harvest it.

“Ribbit helps me a lot. I don’t know what I’d do without him.” Juniper said.

“Who…?”

Then Goliath saw the plump frog sitting by a puddle at the base of a tree. The frog blinked once, staring at them impassively.

“He eats all the nasty bugs that want to eat the plants.” Juniper explained.

Her house was also at the base of the giant oak, nestled between the roots. Goliath could have easily missed it if he wasn’t looking for it specifically. A hut made of twigs and stone, with a mossy slanted roof. Forget-me-nots grew in the grass beside it. Goliath tread lightly, not wanting to trample the undergrowth.

“Let’s pick berries!” Juniper said.

~

Somehow it had never occurred to Goliath before, but the berries were huge in comparison to the fairy. Juniper sensed what he was thinking.

“It’s a lot of work, but I’m stronger than I look.” She patted the muscle on her upper arm.

She wasn’t kidding.

She twisted a strawberry off the stem and hefted it over her head. She set it in the basket Goliath had brought.

“This is way more than I can eat, so I sell it to the local shops. It’s bizarre how fast they sell.” She said, gesturing to the crops.

“Because they’re just so good.” Goliath replied, gently picking berries and adding them to the basket.

The leaves were wet from the fresh rain and the berries were bright red.

“How do they taste?” she prompted. “I know you want to try one.”

Goliath bit into a strawberry, leaving the leafy stem.

“Mm. The best.”

“Then that means they’ll be even better with shortcake and whipped cream.”

“Oh, now you’re making me hungry.” He said.

~

Once they had collected a fine bounty, they left for Goliath’s kitchen.

“Bye Ribbit!” Juniper waved to the frog.

Ribbit was still sitting in the exact same position, staring serenely into the distance.

“Do you like your shortcake more biscuit-y or cakelike?” Goliath asked.

“All of them are good.” Juniper said. “I usually make it more like a biscuit because that’s how I was taught.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.”

~

Goliath plated the warm shortcake.

“These don’t even need any sugar, they’re so sweet and juicy.” He said, spooning sliced strawberries on top.

“And now for the best part-” Juniper added.

She stuck her finger into the bowl of whipped cream to sample a taste.

Goliath scooped a generous amount of cream on top, lightly sweetened with sugar.

They may have looked silly, Goliath with his large fork and Juniper with her tiny fork, sharing a mound of shortcake.

But it was the perfect use for the ripe strawberries.

Besides eating them plain, of course.