Giant

The sky was clear. The air was hot. The ground was even. Giant was walking. Giant’s stone skin was itching a little due to the sunrays, but it didn’t bother Giant too much. Giant had been traveling for a long time, looking for a place to stay. A place to call home. Giant had no home, but wanted one. The even ground was no good for Giant though. Giant liked the high ground, but high ground was hard to find.

After many years of travel, Giant found a settlement. Giant didn’t recognize the creatures living there, but they seemed nice enough. They were hairless like Giant, but very small. Giant almost stepped on one when Giant arrived. Of course, Giant apologized, and asked for directions to high ground. The little creatures told Giant that there’s a mountain “that-a-way”. Giant was happy and thanked the creatures for their help.

Giant had been walking some more, but not for very long. The little creatures were right, and soon Giant found high ground made of rock and grass. Giant liked high ground, so Giant was happy, and quickly made a cave carved into the stone. It was not very spacious, but for Giant it was home.

While digging, Giant found some unusually hard rocks. Giant didn’t know what to do with them so Giant just put them all outside in a big pile. Giant liked the aesthetics.

Giant had been living in the mountain for ages, undisturbed. Giant didn’t leave home, there was no reason to. But one day the little creatures showed up at the mountain. They marveled at the collection of hard rocks Giant had outside. They liked stone too, it seemed. They asked Giant if they can have the rocks, and Giant couldn’t see why not. Sadly, the little creatures were small and puny, and they couldn’t carry the rocks. They asked Giant to carry it, and Giant did so for them. Giant had them to thank for Giant’s new home after all, so Giant took the rocks all the way to the settlement. The little creatures were happy. They told Giant that they can use the hard rock to make tools and houses and such things Giant didn’t know about. Their happiness made Giant happy though, and so Giant returned home to rest.

Time passed in peace until a year later, the little creatures returned to the cave. They told Giant that the hard rock is running out, and asked if Giant could dig up some more. Giant was not a fan of work, but Giant did have them to thank for Giant’s new home, so Giant complied. At least there was a reason for expanding Giant’s home, digging around and making it bigger, meanwhile putting outside any hard rock Giant found. In a few days they formed a nice big pile, which Giant then carried over to the settlement. The little creatures were happy and thanked Giant, and then Giant returned home to rest.

A year passed in peace and silence since then, and the Giant was happy, resting in Giant’s home in the high ground. Giant was almost expecting the little creatures to show up again, and sure enough, they did. They were running out of hard rock again, and asked for more. Giant did not want to dig any more though. The high ground was already rather unstable above Giant’s head, and besides, home was spacious enough and did not need expanding. Not to mention that Giant did not like digging, and did not like being tired. As such, Giant refused to dig any more, saying that little creatures should appreciate what Giant already gave them. The little creatures did not like the answer. They were yelling and gesturing wildly, and then left. Giant was a little hurt, but quickly forgot the event and went back to rest.

It was not until just a week later that Giant was woken by a loud noise. Getting outside, Giant could see the little creatures return. There were about fifty of them, and they looked and sounded angry. Giant was wondering why. Did they take Giant’s refusal so badly?

Soon enough though, Giant found out what some of the hard rock was turned into as the little creatures were brandishing long wooden poles with pointy hard rock at the end. They each had several of these tools with them, some in hand, some on their back. Their use quickly became apparent as the little creatures got closer. They threw tool after tool at Giant, the pointy ends striking against Giant. While they chipped Giant’s rock skin here and there, Giant was hurt on the inside more than on the outside. Why are the little creatures attacking? Surely they didn’t take the refusal this bad? The confusion was wiped away though as Giant heard them yelling, telling Giant to mine more because they need it.

For Giant, this was too much, so Giant turned around and, with big steps, left the area behind along with the high ground and the little creatures. They were not fast enough to chase Giant down, so eventually Giant lost them completely.

And then Giant was walking. Walking for a long time, looking for a place to stay. A place to call home.