Charlie sighed heavily as he lay across his sofa in the living area of his small cottage. He had spent the entire afternoon cleaning his home and had just finished the attic, where many of his spell books and potions resided. He had given the room a good dusting and neatly placed the stacks of ominous tomes and scrolls into their proper places. The brutal, backbreaking task of shifting furniture and heavy boxes around was almost too much for Charlie to bear. Never had he done so much hard work in one day! Though he was never one for keeping things neat and clean, Charlie was expecting company today; the company of a female friend. This realization automatically switched on a light in his brain, signaling that he had to make his home decent enough for her to actually enjoy her stay.

    Olivia was her name. Charlie had heard enough about her to become excited for her arrival. “She likes magic” was included in the description given to him and he had even pulled out a few of his favourite spell books to entertain her with. Believing that he had made good time with his cleaning, he decided to stay put and watch the door. He was just that excited! Charlie rarely received visitors and just the thought of them meeting each other for the first time sent chills up his spine.

    Soon, an hour had passed and there was still no sign of Olivia. Charlie, being incredibly patient under certain circumstances, would wait forever for this girl to show, but his patience was beginning to run thin.  Every few moments when a sound was heard, he automatically perked up and hurried to the door, expecting her to be there. Unfortunately for him, it was just his squirrel, Samson, shifting through the rafters in the ceiling or fussing about in the attic. A disappointed frown would appear on his face as he’d slink back inside, closing the door behind him.

    After the first few false alarms, he ignored any sound completely and traversed to his bedroom. The dimly lit lamp’s glow from the hallway flooded into his small, unlit resting quarters as he opened the door, casting the light onto the dully gleaming woodwork of his dressers and bed frame. His beloved violin lay delicately in her red velvet-lined case, resting silently against his wardrobe closet. Feeling enticed to play her, he lifted the case and snapped it open, revealing the glossy, freshly polished mahogany fiddle, partnered with her bow. He sat down on his bed and placed the case to his left. The springs in the mattress groaned in protest as Charlie made himself comfortable, while the bed’s frame creaked at his weight. Gingerly, he lifted the instrument and held it in place, bringing the bow over her silvery strings. A wave of relief and tranquility rushed over him in an instant, causing his peach skin to flush with a pinkish- blue hue. A calm, peaceful melody emitted from the violin, filling his hearing with nothing but her sweet serenade.

    “I hope this is the right address,” Olivia pondered as she approached the towering cot.

    Needless to say, she was a bit skeptical about going up and knocking at the door, for fear of what she may find inside. But, she knew her friends wouldn’t lie to her about someone that seemed interested in her, unless this was a practical joke. Her skepticism heightened and she took a few steps away. Looking down into her hand, she reread the crumpled paper with her admirer’s name on it. The pen ink was slowly beginning to fade away from the humid conditions of her clenched fist, but the name was simple and easy to remember: Charlie. She was sure she followed the directions given to her exactly; his home was just a straight shoot across the woods from her own, but she was never told that Charlie lived in a behemoth house or was behemoth himself!

    Her first thought of him was of a tall and quite plump elf with a cheery disposition and long, pointed ears that would easily put hers to shame. He seemed like an interesting person, but now that she had realized just how tall he really was, a new description suddenly popped into her mind: a monstrous, ugly creature with terrible breath, matted hair, and a bad attitude. But Charlie was none of those things. He was much too shy and reclusive to actually be monstrous and his kind, gentle nature and passive temperament immediately cast out any conviction.

    “Get a grip, Liv!” she thought to herself. “You’ll be fine… You’ll be just fine.”

    Giving herself a mental slap in the face, Olivia made her way to the front door and reached out her hand, but suddenly paused. The dulcet sound of Charlie’s fiddle had reached her ears, causing her to lower her hand and to just listen. The flow of the music was smooth and precious, almost as if the handler was a professional; tried and true. She dared to smile as the violin quickened its tempo, slowly engulfing her in the music’s swell like ocean waves. The instrument had to be a lure, because Olivia found herself fighting against the decision to knock and come face to face with the violin’s owner. Soon, her curiosity got the best of her and she gave a few hard knocks. The violin suddenly ceased.

    Charlie’s highly sensitive ears perked at the sound of nearly silent rapping at his front door and stopped his playing. His skin returned to its normal colour and a small grin etched across his face. Carefully, but quickly, he placed the violin and her bow back into the red velvet-lined case and stood from his bed. He rushed to his mirror, nearly tripping over his moccasin clad feet. A quick run of his fingers through his untamable, curly hair and a single spray of cologne on his neck, along with a quick dusting off of his shirt and pants, finished his wardrobe. He took a deep, cleansing breath and sighed before making his way back into the living area to come face to face with Olivia.

    After a few moments without a response, Olivia was prepared to knock again. Before she could half-way lift her hand, the surface below her began to quake and became stronger as it was partnered with booming thuds. The closer each thud came, the more violent the tremors grew. Olivia was sure this was a bad idea, now! As much as she wanted to run off, the trembles kept causing her to loose her balance and she ultimately fell onto her bottom with a yelp. Finally, the trembling and thudding came to a stop, giving Olivia a moment to breathe. She looked up to the door knob, expecting it to turn at any moment, but it did not budge. She could have run away at this point, but she stood her ground, still watching the knob intensely.

    Charlie contemplated on whether he wanted to open the door or not. This was his first guest in a very long time, not to mention his first real lady friend. What would she think of him? His thoughts immediately went to the most obvious thing about him: his weight. Charlie rested a hand on his ample belly, drumming his fingertips on it softly. Though he was comfortable with his size, he couldn’t help but to notice that many others were not. He’d get plenty of stares as he’d walk down the crowded streets of marketplaces, gathering enough food for a family of ten. His ears flattened and he whimpered softly, but had a sudden streak of confidence. Despite what he thought, he was dying to meet Olivia and refused to keep her waiting any longer.